Smart Equipment Vibration & Tilt Monitor

This project creates a Smart Equipment Vibration & Tilt Monitor to be attached to machines, lab benches, or structures. It detects:

Seismic/vibration intensity and quake alarms using RAK12027 (D7S)

Acceleration and orientation using RAK12033 (IMU)

This combines ideas from:

Vibration & safety monitoring with RAK12027:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889

Motion/orientation tracking with RAK12033:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

The node sends vibration and tilt data over LoRaWAN (RAK4631) to The Things Network (TTN) and forwards it to Ubidots for dashboards and alerting.

Objectives

Build a WisBlock-based vibration and tilt monitoring node.

Measure seismic intensity and vibration events (RAK12027).

Measure acceleration/tilt for machine movement (RAK12033).

Encode these values into a compact LoRaWAN payload.

Use TTN + Ubidots to visualize vibration history and trigger alerts.

Target Level

Intermediate:

Makers, students, and engineers who already worked with WisBlock + TTN, as in:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/getting-started-with-wisblock-and-the-things-network-ttn-0a7b84

Prerequisite Knowledge

Arduino IDE basics (board selection, compile, upload)

I²C sensor basics

LoRaWAN concepts: DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI, AppKey

Reading Serial Monitor output

Required Materials & Software

Hardware

1 × RAK4631 WisBlock Core

1 × RAK19007 WisBlock Base Board

1 × RAK12027 seismic/vibration sensor– from: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889

1 × RAK12033 6-axis motion sensor (IMU)– from: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

1 × LoRaWAN gateway (e.g. WisGate Edge Lite 2)

1 × LoRa antenna

1 × USB-C cable

Optional: enclosure + mounting hardware for attaching to a machine or structure

Software / Online Services

Arduino IDE

WisBlock board support, as in:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/getting-started-with-wisblock-and-the-things-network-ttn-0a7b84

Arduino libraries:

RAK12027 D7S library (same one used in your RAK12027 project)– project ref: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889

RAK12033 IMU library (same one used in your RAK12033 project)– project ref: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

The Things Network / The Things Stack

Ubidots account for dashboards & alerts– integration pattern: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/set-up-ttn-webhooks-integrate-with-ubidots-a-guide-b715d9

Estimated Duration

Approx. 2–3 hours including assembly, firmware, TTN + Ubidots setup, and tests.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

Assemble a WisBlock vibration + motion monitoring node.

Read vibration intensity and earthquake state from RAK12027.

Read acceleration and tilt from RAK12033.

Encode the data into a binary LoRaWAN payload and decode it in TTN.

Visualize vibration/tilt data and configure alerts in Ubidots.

Steps for Configuration & Implementation

Step 1 – Hardware Assembly

Mount RAK4631 onto the RAK19007 base board.

Plug RAK12027 into the correct WisBlock slot as shown in your D7S project:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889

Plug RAK12033 into the appropriate slot as you did in:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

Attach the LoRa antenna.

Connect the USB-C cable to your PC.

Step 2 – Arduino IDE & Boards

Same as your WisBlock + TTN setup:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/getting-started-with-wisblock-and-the-things-network-ttn-0a7b84

Open Arduino IDE.

Make sure the WisBlock board support is installed.

Select the RAK4631 board and the right COM port.

Step 3 – Install Libraries

Use Sketch → Include Library → Manage Libraries… and install:

The RAK12027 D7S library you used in:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889

The RAK12033 IMU library you used in:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

(If you previously installed them by ZIP, they’re already available in Arduino IDE.)

Step 4 – Full Arduino Sketch (Sensors + Payload)

This sketch:

Initializes RAK12027 and RAK12033

Reads seismic intensity & earthquake state from RAK12027

Reads acceleration from RAK12033

Encodes a 16-byte payload

Prints both values and hex payload (ready to plug into your LoRaWAN sketch)

LoRaWAN sending is left to your existing TTN project:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/getting-started-with-wisblock-and-the-things-network-ttn-0a7b84

#include <Arduino.h>
#include <Wire.h>

// Include the same libraries you used in your original projects
// RAK12027 (D7S) and RAK12033 (IMU)

// For example:
// #include <RAK_D7S.h>          // Example name for RAK12027 library
// #include <RAK_IIM42652.h>     // Example name for RAK12033 IMU library

// Replace these includes with the *actual* ones you used in:
//   - https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889
//   - https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

// Here we'll assume generic class names:
#include <RAK_D7S.h>
#include <RAK_IIM42652.h>

// --------- Sensor objects ----------
RAK_D7S d7s;
RAK_IIM42652 imu;

// Data structure
struct SensorData {
  float si;          // Seismic Intensity
  float pga;         // Peak Ground Acceleration or similar metric
  uint8_t quake;     // Earthquake detected flag
  float accX;        // g
  float accY;        // g
  float accZ;        // g
};

SensorData data;

// ------------- Helpers for payload --------------
void putInt16(uint8_t *buf, int16_t value, uint8_t index) {
  buf[index]     = (uint8_t)((value >> 8) & 0xFF);
  buf[index + 1] = (uint8_t)(value & 0xFF);
}

void putUInt16(uint8_t *buf, uint16_t value, uint8_t index) {
  buf[index]     = (uint8_t)((value >> 8) & 0xFF);
  buf[index + 1] = (uint8_t)(value & 0xFF);
}

// Payload layout (16 bytes):
// 0–1:   si   * 100  -> uint16
// 2–3:   pga  * 100  -> uint16
// 4:     quake flag  -> uint8 (stored in high byte)
// 5:     reserved    -> uint8
// 6–7:   accX * 1000 -> int16
// 8–9:   accY * 1000 -> int16
// 10–11: accZ * 1000 -> int16
// 12–15: reserved (0)
void encodePayload(uint8_t *buffer, const SensorData &d) {
  uint16_t si_scaled  = (uint16_t)(d.si * 100.0f);
  uint16_t pga_scaled = (uint16_t)(d.pga * 100.0f);
  int16_t ax_scaled   = (int16_t)(d.accX * 1000.0f);
  int16_t ay_scaled   = (int16_t)(d.accY * 1000.0f);
  int16_t az_scaled   = (int16_t)(d.accZ * 1000.0f);

  putUInt16(buffer, si_scaled,  0);
  putUInt16(buffer, pga_scaled, 2);

  // quake flag in byte 4, byte 5 reserved
  buffer[4] = d.quake;
  buffer[5] = 0;

  putInt16(buffer, ax_scaled, 6);
  putInt16(buffer, ay_scaled, 8);
  putInt16(buffer, az_scaled, 10);

  buffer[12] = 0;
  buffer[13] = 0;
  buffer[14] = 0;
  buffer[15] = 0;
}

// ------------- Init sensors ----------------
bool initSensors() {
  bool ok = true;

  // RAK12027 - D7S
  if (!d7s.begin()) {
    Serial.println("RAK12027 (D7S) init failed");
    ok = false;
  } else {
    Serial.println("RAK12027 (D7S) initialized");
  }

  // RAK12033 - IMU
  if (!imu.begin()) {
    Serial.println("RAK12033 IMU init failed");
    ok = false;
  } else {
    Serial.println("RAK12033 IMU initialized");
  }

  return ok;
}

// ------------- Read sensors ----------------
bool readSensors(SensorData &d) {
  // D7S seismic data
  d.si   = d7s.getSI();   // needs to match your D7S example
  d.pga  = d7s.getPGA();  // same as used in your project
  d.quake = d7s.isEarthquake() ? 1 : 0;

  // IMU acceleration
  float ax, ay, az;
  imu.getAcceleration(ax, ay, az);  // typical IMU API: g units

  d.accX = ax;
  d.accY = ay;
  d.accZ = az;

  return true;
}

// ------------- Debug printing --------------
void printSensorData(const SensorData &d) {
  Serial.print("D7S -> SI: ");
  Serial.print(d.si);
  Serial.print(", PGA: ");
  Serial.print(d.pga);
  Serial.print(", Quake: ");
  Serial.println(d.quake ? "YES" : "NO");

  Serial.print("IMU -> ax: ");
  Serial.print(d.accX); Serial.print(" g, ay: ");
  Serial.print(d.accY); Serial.print(" g, az: ");
  Serial.print(d.accZ); Serial.println(" g");
}

void printPayload(const uint8_t *payload, size_t len) {
  Serial.print("Payload [");
  Serial.print(len);
  Serial.print(" bytes]: ");
  for (size_t i = 0; i < len; i++) {
    if (payload[i] < 16) Serial.print("0");
    Serial.print(payload[i], HEX);
    Serial.print(" ");
  }
  Serial.println();
}

// ------------- Arduino setup/loop ----------
void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial) {
    delay(10);
  }

  Serial.println("Smart Equipment Vibration & Tilt Monitor");
  Serial.println("RAK4631 + RAK12027 + RAK12033");

  Wire.begin();

  if (!initSensors()) {
    Serial.println("One or more sensors failed to initialize.");
  } else {
    Serial.println("All sensors initialized successfully.");
  }

  // Initialize LoRaWAN using your WisBlock + TTN guide:
  // https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/getting-started-with-wisblock-and-the-things-network-ttn-0a7b84
}

void loop() {
  if (readSensors(data)) {
    printSensorData(data);

    uint8_t payload[16];
    encodePayload(payload, data);
    printPayload(payload, sizeof(payload));

    // Integrate with LoRaWAN uplink logic from your TTN project:
    // https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/getting-started-with-wisblock-and-the-things-network-ttn-0a7b84
    //
    // Example concept:
    //   g_lora_app_data.buffer = payload;
    //   g_lora_app_data.buffsize = sizeof(payload);
    //   lmh_send(&g_lora_app_data, LORAWAN_PORT);
  } else {
    Serial.println("Sensor reading failed.");
  }

  // Send every 60 seconds (adjust for your use case)
  delay(60000);
}

Important: the class names / method names (RAK_D7S, RAK_IIM42652, getSI(), getPGA(), getAcceleration(), etc.) should be adjusted to match exactly the libraries and examples you used in:– RAK12027: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889– RAK12033: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

Important: the class names / method names (RAK_D7S, RAK_IIM42652, getSI(), getPGA(), getAcceleration(), etc.) should be adjusted to match exactly the libraries and examples you used in:– RAK12027: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889– RAK12033: https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

(But the structure, payload format, and decoder below stay the same.)

Step 5 – TTN Uplink Decoder (JavaScript)

In TTN Console → Application → Payload formatters → Uplink:

function decodeUInt16(bytes, index) {
  return (bytes[index] << 8) | bytes[index + 1];
}

function decodeInt16(bytes, index) {
  var value = (bytes[index] << 8) | bytes[index + 1];
  if (value & 0x8000) {
    value = value - 0x10000;
  }
  return value;
}

function decodeUplink(input) {
  var bytes = input.bytes;
  if (!bytes || bytes.length < 16) {
    return { errors: ["Invalid payload length"] };
  }

  var si   = decodeUInt16(bytes, 0) / 100.0;
  var pga  = decodeUInt16(bytes, 2) / 100.0;
  var quakeFlag = bytes[4];

  var ax   = decodeInt16(bytes, 6)  / 1000.0;
  var ay   = decodeInt16(bytes, 8)  / 1000.0;
  var az   = decodeInt16(bytes, 10) / 1000.0;

  return {
    data: {
      si: si,
      pga: pga,
      earthquake_flag: quakeFlag,
      acc_x_g: ax,
      acc_y_g: ay,
      acc_z_g: az
    }
  };
}

These fields will appear in TTN Live Data and will be forwarded to Ubidots via webhook as described in:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/set-up-ttn-webhooks-integrate-with-ubidots-a-guide-b715d9

Step 6 – Ubidots Integration & Dashboard

In TTN, create a Webhook → Ubidots for this application (same pattern as your webhook guide above).

In Ubidots, create a Plugin for The Things Stack / TTN.

Confirm that Ubidots is receiving:

si


pga


earthquake_flag


acc_x_g, acc_y_g, acc_z_g


Build a Vibration & Tilt dashboard:

Line charts for si and pga over time.

Gauge widget for si to show intensity level.

Chart for acc_z_g to detect tilts or large movements.

• Build a Vibration & Tilt dashboard:Line charts for si and pga over time.Gauge widget for si to show intensity level.Chart for acc_z_g to detect tilts or large movements.

Configure alerts:

“Earthquake detected” when earthquake_flag == 1.

Excess vibration alarm when si or pga exceeds a chosen threshold.

Movement alert when acc_x_g or acc_y_g is above a limit (e.g. machine moved).

Challenges & Troubleshooting

D7S / RAK12027 not responding– Verify slot orientation exactly as in:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12027-guide-vibration-sensing-for-safety-monitoring-0e3889

IMU / RAK12033 not responding– Check wiring/slot as in:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/rak12033-motion-monitoring-76f349

Payload decodes incorrectly in TTN– Make sure the encoder layout in encodePayload() matches the TTN decoder exactly.

Ubidots not receiving data– Re-check TTN webhook + Ubidots plugin settings using:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/set-up-ttn-webhooks-integrate-with-ubidots-a-guide-b715d9

LoRaWAN join issues– Confirm DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI, AppKey using:https://www.hackster.io/user2702447/getting-started-with-wisblock-and-the-things-network-ttn-0a7b84