How To Maximize the Potential of Your TVMS Rogue: A Deep Dive into Sensor Integration

At REDARC, we’re constantly striving to help you get the most out of your equipment, and we’ve recently received some valuable feedback from our team regarding the TVMS Rogue. Specifically, some users have been uncertain about how to fully utilize its capabilities, especially when it comes to integrating different types of sensors.

In this post, we’ll break down how the TVMS Rogue works with various sensor types, covering everything from wiring to calibration, so you can unlock its full potential.

UNDERSTANDING THE TVMS ROGUE SENSOR INPUTS

The TVMS Rogue is designed to interface with a range of analog sensors, making it an excellent tool for measuring tank levels, temperature, and voltage. These sensors are displayed on the RedVision interface for easy monitoring.

Each sensor input channel (EA1 or EA2) provides four main connections:

• Red: Sensor Supply Positive (for powering certain sensors)
• Black: Sensor Supply Negative (return/ground for the sensor supply)
• Yellow: Sensor Sense Positive (signal input line)
• Green: Sensor Sense Common (reference line for the signal)

POWERING YOUR SENSORS

The Rogue can supply power that’s roughly equal to battery voltage minus a slight drop. For instance, if the battery voltage is 12.6V, the sensor supply could be as low as 10.6V. This is important to note because the Rogue isn’t designed to power senders that require a 5V input. If you need to use such sensors, you’ll need a 12V>5V converter, though many manufacturers offer 12V options of 5V sensors.

Additionally, the Rogue can output up to 100mA from the sensor supply positive, and to conserve power, the sensor power supply turns on for 2 seconds every 30 seconds, rather than continuously.

TWO-WIRE VS. THREE/FOUR-WIRE SENSORS

TWO-WIRE SENSORS (RESISTANCE TYPE):

These sensors, such as the TLSEN175, TLSEN200, and TLSEN225, don’t require a dedicated power supply and measure resistance to determine tank levels. They connect only to the Yellow (Sense Positive) and Green (Sense Common) wires on the Rogue.

THREE OR FOUR-WIRE SENSORS (VOLTAGE TYPE): 

Voltage-type sensors, such as pressure transducers, safety tank senders, and airbag suspension pressure sensors, need a dedicated power supply and have separate signal lines. They typically require 12V or 5V input and output a signal between 0.5V and 4.5V. The Rogue provides power that is roughly equal to the battery voltage, but if using a 5V sender, you’ll need a converter.

• 3-Wire Sensors connect to Red (+) for power, Yellow for output, and Green + Black tied together for the common.
• 4-Wire Sensors connect to Red (+) and Black (-) for power, and Yellow (Sensor +) and Green (Common) for the output signal. These senders are less common but used for more advanced setups.

ENABLING THE SENSOR POWER SUPPLY

To activate the sensor power supply in the TVMS Rogue, follow these steps:

1. Open the RedVision Configurator App and access the system configuration.
2. Navigate to TVMS Modules > Wiring Configuration > TVMS Rogue > Sensor Inputs.
3. The power supply is necessary only for voltage-type sensors, such as pressure transducers. For resistance-type sensors (e.g., TLSENxxx), it’s not required.
4. Once you configure the sensor as follows:
   Sensor = Fluid Tank Level
   Sensor Type = Custom
   Sensor Units = Voltage (V)
5. The power supply will automatically activate. Currently, there’s no direct indication of when this power supply is on, though future updates to the app may provide this feature.

CALIBRATING VOLTAGE-TYPE SENSORS

For voltage-type sensors, such as pressure transducers, calibration is a manual process. Here’s how you can ensure accurate readings:

SET UP THE SENSOR

• Install and power the sensor correctly using the TVMS Rogue.
• In the RedVision Configurator app, confirm the sensor type is set to Custom and units are configured to Voltage (V).

MEASURE SENSOR VOLTAGES

Use a multimeter to measure the sensor’s output voltages under different tank conditions. Commonly, you'll measure for:

• Empty Tank (typically around 0.5V)
• Half-Full Tank (optional, for better accuracy)
• Full Tank (typically around 4.5V)

If your tank has a standard rectangular cross-section, measuring for just full and empty conditions is usually sufficient. However, you can add up to 12 calibration points for more accuracy, especially for irregularly shaped tanks or non-linear sensors.

ENTER CALIBRATION VALUES

Input the measured voltages into the calibration table in the RedVision Configurator app, and your sensor will be ready to provide accurate tank readings.

By understanding these key aspects of the TVMS Rogue, you can ensure that it operates at peak efficiency and is tailored to your specific sensor setup. Whether you’re working with two-wire resistance sensors or three- and four-wire voltage sensors, the Rogue’s flexible interface and power management options give you the tools to integrate sensors seamlessly and monitor your systems accurately.