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HomeApplications Pulse & run-hour metering

Counting and ClockingPulse, frequency and run-hour metering on four digital inputs

One WT460M totalises meter pulses on two inputs and clocks machine run hours on the other two — at the same time, on the same device. Every counter can be set or cleared remotely, so the figure on your dashboard can be made to agree with the figure stamped on the machine.

01

Watch all four inputs at once

live — try the switch and the buttons
WT460Mlive
Counting · pins 11 & 12 · pulse-rated
flow meterpulse output
DI3
DI4
DI3 · cumulative countpulses · totalising
DI4 · count + rate0.46 Hz now

One pulse in, one digit up. The same input reports the running total and the rate right now — consumption so far, and flow this minute.

Clocking · pins 8 & 7 · configurable
DG setrunning
ADI-1 closedtry me
ADI-2 open
ADI-1 · run hours:23:59clocking now
ADI-2 · run hours:00:00standby pump — idle

Flip the switch. The clock advances only while the contact is closed — which is all a run-hour meter has ever been, and why the contact you wire decides the number you get.

Set it. Clear it. From anywhere.This DG already reads 4382 h on its plate. Seed the counter and the portal agrees with the machine from day one. Watch the digits roll.
02

Why it is two and two

The split is not arbitrary — it follows the hardware. Two of the WT460M’s inputs are pulse-rated and two are configurable, so the counting goes where the counting hardware is and the timing goes on the rest.

pins 11 & 12Pulse rated
DI3 · DI4The two inputs the pin table rates as Digital / Pulse. Each one totalises pulses and reports the rate, so a single meter output gives you both consumption so far and consumption right now.
pins 8 & 7Configurable
ADI-1 · ADI-2The two configurable inputs, used here as plain digital. Each one clocks how long its contact stays closed and keeps the running total — which is all a run-hour meter has ever been.
03

What the number is actually for

outcomes, not features

Nobody buys a counter. They buy knowing when to service a machine, what a tank really consumed, or how many hours to invoice for.

diesel pulses + DG run hoursFuel reconciliation that is not fictionThis is the pairing only one device can give you: litres in on a pulse input, hours run on a digital input, on the same gateway with the same clock. Divide one by the other and you have litres per hour — the number that shows whether a tank emptied because the DG ran or because somebody helped themselves.
run hoursService at 2,000 hours, not after the monsoonEvery maintenance schedule, warranty condition and overhaul interval is written in hours. Taken from the machine's own run contact, they arrive without anyone remembering to fill in a logbook — and they are still right when the logbook is not.
two run-hour inputsDuty and standby, side by sideTwo inputs on one gateway means both pumps are clocked independently. The moment duty has run 900 hours and standby has run 40, you can see the imbalance that is quietly about to cost you the duty pump.
run hoursHire billed on hours both sides agreeRented plant billed against a counter that the hirer and the owner can both read remotely. The month-end conversation stops being a negotiation about what the machine did.
meter pulsesConsumption per shift, per line, per tenantThe kWh or flow pulse output most meters already have, totalised and stamped. Sub-metering without touching the meter's own communication port, and without a second certified instrument.
pulse frequencyFlow now as well as flow so farThe same contact gives the rate. A dropping flow rate on a borewell tells you the pump is losing prime hours before the daily total tells you anything at all.
04

The part that matters at commissioning

remote set & clear

Counting is the easy half. The half that decides whether anyone trusts the number is being able to set a counter to a value and clear it back to zero without standing in front of the panel.

  • At commissioning — the DG already reads 4,382 hours. Seed it, and the plate and the portal agree from day one.
  • After an overhaul — clear to zero and the next service interval counts from the work you actually did.
  • At a billing boundary — read, then clear, and the period is closed cleanly with no arithmetic in a spreadsheet.
  • After a meter swap — the new meter starts at zero; the totaliser does not have to.

Every one of those is otherwise a site visit. On an unmanned pump house four hours away, that is the whole business case.

05

Being straight about it

It counts contacts, it is not a certified meterThe gateway totalises what the meter's pulse output gives it. For custody transfer or a regulator, the certified instrument remains the meter itself — this is the number you run the plant by.
Seed it, or it will disagree foreverA machine that has already run 4,382 hours needs the counter told so. Commissioning without seeding leaves the dashboard and the nameplate permanently out of step, and someone will eventually trust the wrong one.
The contact you choose defines the numberWire a run-hour input to a contactor auxiliary and you measure powered hours. Wire it to a run-proving contact and you measure running hours. They are different figures and only you know which one you want.
Pulse weight is yours to setThe gateway counts pulses. Whether one pulse is a litre or a cubic metre comes off the meter's rating plate, and it is applied when the figure is presented.
06

Questions

Can I set a counter to match a meter that has already been running?

Yes, and you should. A generator that already shows 4,382 hours on its plate needs the counter told so at commissioning, otherwise the dashboard says zero and the machine says 4,382 and they never agree. Both the pulse totals and the run hours can be set to a value or cleared to zero remotely, without a site visit.

Which inputs do the counting and which do the timing?

The WT460M has four digital inputs of two kinds. DI3 and DI4 on pins 11 and 12 are the pulse-rated pair and do the pulse counting and frequency measurement. ADI-1 and ADI-2 on pins 8 and 7 are the configurable inputs, used here as plain digital, and each one clocks how long its contact stays closed.

Does it give me the rate as well as the total?

Yes. The same pulse input reports the cumulative count and the current frequency, so one meter output tells you both how much has passed in total and how fast it is flowing right now.

What exactly does a run-hour input measure?

How long its contact stays closed, accumulated. What that means in practice depends entirely on which contact you wire it to. A contactor auxiliary gives you powered hours; a run-proving contact gives you actual running hours. They are different numbers, and the choice is made at the panel, not in the software.

Is this a certified meter for billing or regulatory use?

No. The gateway totalises what a meter's pulse output gives it. Where custody transfer or a regulator is involved, the certified instrument is the meter itself. This is the operational number you run the plant by, and for rental billing it works because both parties agree to read the same counter.

How is a pulse turned into litres or units?

The gateway counts pulses. The pulse weight — whether one pulse means a litre, ten litres or a cubic metre — comes from the meter's rating plate and is applied when the figure is presented. Tell us the meter and we will confirm the scaling with you.