Gas Telemetry Remote Terminal Unit (RTU)
Challenge
The client needed a rugged, rack-mountable remote terminal unit that could bridge legacy gas telemetry equipment with modern remote connectivity - reading data over the RS485-based DSfG protocol used across their existing gas metering network, while adding cellular backhaul for sites without reliable wired infrastructure, all without depending on a live network connection for on-site configuration.
Solution
We designed a 3-board, 4-layer PCB stack around a Renesas Synergy S7G2 (240MHz Arm Cortex-M4) microcontroller, pairing external SRAM and FRAM for reliable data logging with a u-blox LTE modem for cellular backhaul, alongside Ethernet, RS485, and USB interfaces for direct integration with the client's field equipment. Firmware built on RT-Thread handles the DSfG bus interface, GSM/LTE and Ethernet connectivity, and external memory management, and exposes a local webserver over USB so field technicians can view and adjust device parameters without needing an active network connection. The assembly ships in a rack-mounted enclosure for control-cabinet installation.
Results
The finished RTU gives the client a single unit that speaks natively to their existing DSfG/RS485 gas metering infrastructure while adding cellular and Ethernet backhaul options, so telemetry keeps flowing even at sites with unreliable wired connectivity. The local, network-free configuration webserver means field commissioning no longer depends on a live connection or specialized software on site.
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