Challenge
Blik Sensing develops solutions to monitor and manage groundwater levels. A key component of this is their water level meter: a measuring unit primarily placed in a street pot. The unit consists of a measuring module and a plumb line that measures water pressure. This data is wirelessly transmitted via LoRa, after which the water level is calculated with precision.
For the further development of the existing water level meter, there was a need for technical optimisations, a lower cost price and improved manufacturability, all while taking existing design choices and the current enclosure into account. In addition, the water level meter runs on a battery with an intended lifespan of around eight years, making the lowest possible energy consumption an important requirement.
Solution
Contecto worked on a new revision of the water level meter, including the development of the PCBA and the complete assembly – consisting of the PCBA in the enclosure with battery and wiring. The focus here was on improving the existing product without losing sight of its core functionality.
Within this project, a range of technical improvements were made: schematic optimisation, a new PCBA design, optimisation of LoRa communication with a PCBA antenna, reduced energy consumption, the addition of a watchdog, and EMC optimisation. In addition, the number of plug connections and the wiring were reduced, and manual operations during production were minimised, directly contributing to a lower cost price at both component and processing level.
By bringing together engineering, design and production from the very start, the water level meter could be further optimised for reliability, cost price and manufacturability.
Result
The revised water level meter has been technically improved and further optimised for production. Thanks to the improvements made, the product has become more reliable while the cost price was reduced at the same time.
As a result, Blik Sensing now has a further-developed water level meter that accurately measures groundwater levels and is ready for continued use within their measurement solutions.
| MARKET | Groundwater level measurement |
| CUSTOMER | Blik Sensing |
| END-PRODUCT | Water Level Meter |
| TECHNOLOGY | LoRa, Inductive wireless communication, Low-power energy management, Waterproof application for up to 30 days at 50 cm depth, Further development of an existing product, Product cost price optimisation, Increasing manufacturability |
| TECHNOLOGY BLOCKS | Idea evaluation, Concept development, Functional design, Product development, Prototyping, Engineering, Production, Customer service |
