ELPRO QE-E Quantum Edge User Guide
Quantum QE-E Beta Trial — Release Notes
This document accompanies the Beta release of the ELPRO QE-E Quantum Edge and provides important information about using the product. This guide is aimed at users who are familiar with ELPRO’s 415, 925, and 215 series products, and focusses on differences from these products.
You will also have received an installation guide which shows how to connect to the device.
Configuration
Configure using the CConfig App or using the embedded webpages. Default login admin/admin.
You can download CConfig app or USB drivers (for webpage config) from the ELPRO website. https://elprotech.com/product/el-qe-e-quantum-edge-base/
USB-C port
Use the USB-C port for easy configuration. You need to download the USB Driver from ELPRO website (New version to support Quantum). If you have a USB-C port on your computer which provides 1.5A or more, then you can power the module directly from this port. The small LED beside the USB-C connector turns green if there is sufficient power available. If your computer has a USB-A port, you can use a USB-A to USB-C cable, but you need to power the module separately. Your computer will automatically be configured with the correct IP address via DHCP.
USB IP Address: 192.168.111.1
Note: Our testing has shown that when the Quantum is already powered externally through the Battery or Supply ports, some computers with USB-C will not connect to the Quantum unit. In this case, use a USB-A to USB-C cable to connect to the unit using a USB-A port on the laptop.
Ethernet Ports
You can also use either of the Ethernet ports for configuration. To connect to the Ethernet port, you need to set your PC ethernet port to the correct subnet address (there is no DHCP on the Ethernet by default). The default Ethernet IP address is printed on the side label of the unit.
Ethernet IP Address: 192.168.0.1XX (Depending on unit serial number).
WiFi Port
The WiFi Port is not enabled by default. You need to enable and configure WiFi via the device webpages over Ethernet or USB-C port before you can access the unit via WiFi.
Power Supply
The Quantum provides a flexible power supply with integrated battery charging. The supply can operate from 9V to 50V and will charge a 13.8V battery over the full input voltage range. At device power up, the supply is configured to draw no more than 2A, and battery charge current is limited to 4A. This is expected to be suitable for most mains-powered applications. For higher current and solar applications, you can configure the power supply operation. Take care as the power supply configuration is enabled after module boot has completed, so your power setup needs to be able to run the module with the default power configuration until module boot is complete.
For Solar charging, select “Enable MPTT”. Take care – the unit must be powered from the Battery terminals before enabling this option.
You can enable different settings for the Power Supply. To do this check “Enable Custom settings”. You can set the Input Current Limit (The maximum current the device will draw from the power supply) to between 1A and 5A. Set this to a level to suit your power supply. When solar panels are used, the current will be limited by the MPPT circuit, and this current limit can be set to the maximum current of the solar panel used.
You can set the Charge Voltage to between 13.5V and 14.0V, and you can set the maximum charge current to between 0.4A and 5A. Set these to suit your battery.
High Current / High Voltage Output Switch — DO9
The Quantum provides a single Electronic Relay output. This will switch up to 60V AC/DC, 5A continuous, and up to 30A for 100mSec (e.g. for motor start). You can use this to switch high powered external devices. Turn this switch on and off using the Digital Output signal DO9 (Register 0009)
Controllable +12 V supply Output — DO10
The Quantum provides a switchable +12V output on the front panel I/O connector. You can use this to supply other devices (up to 1A) including 115S expansion I/O modules. You can turn this supply on and off using the Digital Output signal DO10 (Register 0010).
The front panel push-button provides a method to reboot the device without removing the power, and a method to restore factory default settings. The LED Ring shows the status of the pushbutton and current action.
Test Command
Hold the button down for approximately 1 second until the light ring comes blue, then release.
Currently this command has no function. Future releases will implement a module self-test.
Reboot
Hold the button down for approximately 6 seconds until blue colour in the light ring switches, then release. The module will reboot.
Factory Default
Hold the button down for approximately 12 seconds until the blue colour in the light ring switches a second time. The module will return to factory default settings (including login password) and will reboot.
Firmware Update
You can update firmware in the Quantum unit via USB or via the device webpages. Either way you need to first extract the firmware image file “quantum.itb” from the zip archive.
For USB, copy the file to your USB drive, insert to the USB-A port on the front of the Quantum unit, and reboot the unit (either by power cycle, or holding down the front button to Reboot as above.
For Webpage, connect to the device webpage, click “Full Configuration” on the right hand menu, then navigate to “System Tools” and click “Local Firmware Upgrade (this unit)”. Click “Choose File” to and select the image file “quantum. it b”. Next, select “Send”, and when the file is loaded, select “Reset” to restart the unit and activate the new firmware image.
Note: Uploading the firmware image over the USB-C connection (192.168.111.1) can be slow and unreliable. You should make sure you are connected to the Ethernet or WiFi port before starting the firmware image upload.
SSH (Secure Shell) Access
Internally, the Quantum runs a Linux operating system. SSH access is provided to make use of the full available functionality of the unit. You need to enable SSH access through the device webpage configuration (Advanced >> Full Configuration >> System Access >> Enable SSH Server).
SSH (Secure Shell) Access
Internally, the Quantum runs a Linux operating system. SSH access is provided to make use of the full available functionality of the unit. You need to enable SSH access through the device webpage configuration (Advanced >> Full Configuration >> System Access >> Enable SSH Server).
 |
Once SSH is enabled, the root account is available. Username: root / Password : root You can connect via the Ethernet port on IP address 192.168.0.1XX, or via the USB-C port (192.168.111.1). |
Use a terminal application to access the device (e.g. PuTTy). Connect to the device on port 22 using SSH protocol. The first time you connect, expect to see a security warning (see below for PuTTY dialog).
Select “Accept” to save the host key so that you don’t receive this warning again. Select “Connect Once” to connect without saving the host key.
Connect to Internet for Node-RED and Docker
During setup you will need an internet connection to add nodes to Node-RED and to download Docker Images.
Select “Advanced >> Full Configuration >> Advanced Networking >> Network” and configure as shown to access the Internet via WiFi. Set the Mode to Manual and Client (Station). Set the System Address and Encryption Passphrase to match your WiFi network. Set the Network Mode to Router and set the Wireless IP Address to be a valid address on your WiFi network.
You can also connect via the Ethernet port by setting the Ethernet IP Address to an address on your Ethernet network.
Select the Default Gateway to the address of your router on the local network.
Once you have configured the networking, select “Save Changes and Reset” and wait for the unit to restart. The RF1 LED should come on indicating the WiFi connection.
You can use the Ping command to check you have an internet connection. (Network Diagnostics >> Network Diag Tools).
Using Node-RED
Node-RED is a visual programming language that lets you program complex control algorithms to operate locally on the Quantum unit. You need to enable Node-RED access through the device webpage configuration (Advanced >> Full Configuration >> Node-RED >> Enable Node-RED).
Once you have enabled Node-RED, you can select “Save and Activate Changes”. It takes around one minute for Node-RED to get up and running. Click on the shortcut “Go to Node-RED Editor” or enter the Node-RED URL including the port number into your browser. e.g. to access via the USB-C port, enter 192.168.111.1:1880.
Installing additional Node-RED nodes
Node-RED is an extensible language which allows you to install “nodes” to provide additional functionality. To add new nodes directly from Node-RED, your Quantum unit needs to have access to the Internet. This can be through the WiFi, one of the Ethernet ports. You will need to configure the Networking to enable Internet access (see the section above).
To add a new Node, select the Right-hand drop-down menu, and select “Manage Palette”. This will bring up a “User Settings” panel. Select the “Install” tab under “Palette” and enter a search term (The example below searches for nodes including the word “modbus” in the description).
Select the desired node and click “install”. Depending on your internet connection and the size of the node, this could take several minutes.
Installing nodes without Internet
Access If you don’t have internet access from the Quantum unit, you can still install new nodes using a Flash Drive from the USB-A port on the front of the module.
You need to have an internet connection and the npm (Node Package Manager) application installed on your PC.
Step 1 — use “npm pack” command to download the package to your computer and copy to a USB drive.
Step 2 — Move the USB drive to the Quantum unit (USB-A port) and use “npm install” to install the new node. The USB drive is available at /media/usb0.
Before installing, you need to change to the Node-RED user directory at: /config/userconfig/node-red. Note that this directory is retained through firmware updates, but will be deleted if the unit is set to factory default (via the front panel switch).
Step 3 — Restart Node-Red to find the newly installed nodes (Note it takes about a minute for Node-RED to get up and running).
Using Docker to extend device functionality
Docker allows you to run a separate applications on the Quantum unit. This is additional to the existing functions of the Quantum. This application communicates with the Quantum unit and the outside world through IP networking.
Set up Docker on the Quantum
Before using Docker, you need to enable both Docker application and SSH server to allow you to access the Docker environment. Enable Docker and SSH access through the device webpage configuration (Advanced >> Full Configuration >> System Access >> Enable SSH Server / Docker) Enable Docker and assign the Docker server an IP address. You must give the Docker server an IP address on a different subnet to the Quantum’s primary IP address. You will also need to configure networking rules to let your PC access this IP subnet.
(Network Configuration Page)
Click “Save and Activate” to activate the changes.
Set up PC Networking to access Docker
Use the route add command on your PC to add a route to the Docker subnet and use the route print command to check the route is configured correctly.
You can use the Ping command from your PC to check you have everything set up correctly.
Accessing Docker
Once you have docker enabled, there will be a separate internal bridge interface providing connection to the docker containers that you will add.
Once Docker is enabled and routing is setup, you can connect to the unit using ssh to access the docker IP address. ( login / password : root / root )
Docker configuration is stored at /config/userconfig/docker. Note that this directory is retained through firmware updates but will be deleted if the unit is set to factory default (via the front panel switch or the webpage menus).
Example – Apache httpd
The example here installs and runs the httpd image at https://hub.docker.com/r/arm64v8/httpd/. This example requires an internet connection. If no internet connection is available, you can download the docker image to your computer, and use a USB drive to copy to the Quantum unit.
Change to the docker configuration directory, and download the image (Note: arm64 image required)
Use the docker images command to check the image is loaded, and docker run command to run the image. The example below assigns port 8080 to the httpd image’s internal port 80 (http).
Now use the web browser on your PC to access the docker image at 192.168.1.10:8080
Register memory map
Digital output registers (coils)
| 0001 — 0008 | Local DIO1–DIO8 as digital outputs |
| 0009 | High Voltage Digital Output (Bottom Side) |
| 0010 | +12V external supply enable |
| 0011 — 0020 | Spare |
| 0021 — 0400 | Space for locally attached 115s expansion I/O modules. Twenty register per module address, maximum number of modules is 19. |
| 0401 — 6000 | General purpose bit storage used for: Staging area for data concentrator; Fieldbus mappings storage; Force mapping registers |
| 6001 — 10000 | Not Available |
Digital input registers (bits)
| 10001 — 10008 | Local DIO1–DIO8 as digital inputs |
| 10009 — 10020 | Set point status from analog inputs 1 through 12 |
| 10021 — 10400 | Space for locally attached 115s expansion I/O modules. Twenty register per module address, maximum number of modules is 19. |
| 10401 — 16000 | General purpose bit storage used for: Staging area for data concentrator; Fieldbus mappings storage; |
| 16001 — 20000 | Not Available |
Input registers (words)
| 30001 — 30006 | Local AI1–AI6 (analog inputs, current or voltage mode) |
| 30007 | Local supply voltage (0–40 V scaling) |
| 30008 | Local battery voltage (0–40 V scaling) |
| 30009 | Current at Supply Terminals (0 — 20A) |
| 30010 | Battery Current ( -12 A – +8A) |
| 30011 — 30014 | Local pulse input rates: PI1–PI4 |
| 30015 — 30020 | Spare |
| 30021 — 30400 | Space for locally attached 115s expansion I/O modules. Twenty registers per module address, maximum number of modules is 19. |
| 30401 | RSSI: When configured as a Remote, Repeater, or Manual Client, the RSSI of the connected upstream device in –dBm |
| 30402 | Connected Time: When configured as a Remote, Repeater, or Manual Client, the time (in hours) that the connection to theupstream device has been made. |
| 30403 | Generation Count: When configured as a Remote, Repeater, or Manual Client, the generation count of the connection to theupstream device. This is the number of times the connection has been lost and re-established |
| 30404 — 30405 | Upstream IP Address: When configured as a Remote, Repeater, or Manual Client, the IP Address of the upstream device. |
| Most Significant Byte High byte of Register 30404 | |
| Second Byte Low byte of Register 30404 | |
| Third Byte High byte of register 30405 | |
| Least Significant Byte Low byte of register 30405 | |
| 30406 | Radio 802.11 Channel number (1 — 13) |
| 30407 — 30408 | Radio Transmit Frequency (in MHz). 32-bit. Most significant word at lower (odd) address. |
| 30409 — 30410 | Radio Receive Frequency (Same as Transmit Frequency) |
| 30411 | Module uptime: The time (in hours) that this module has been up and running |
| 30412 | Channel Utilization % (average of last 60 seconds) |
| 30413 | Background Noise (average of last 60 seconds) |
| 30414 | Tx retry % (average of last 60 seconds): The percentage of total transmissions that required at least one retry |
| 30415 | Tx failed % (average of last 60 seconds): The percentage of total transmissions that failed to get an acknowledgement after allretries exhausted. |
| 30416 — 30419 | Channel Utilization, Background noise, Tx Retry % and Tx Failed % (average of the last 60 minutes) |
| 30420 — 30423 | Channel Utilization, Background noise, Tx Retry % and Tx Failed % (average of the last 60 hours) |
| 30424 — 30493 | Spare — General purpose word storage used for: Staging area for data concentrator; Fieldbus mappings storage; |
| 30494 — 30500 | Internal information registers: serial number, firmware version and patch level |
| 30494 | First four digits of serial number (Encodes Manufacture Month & Year |
| 30495 | Next three digits of serial number (Encodes Manufactured Firmware version) |
| 30496 | Remaining four digits of the serial number |
| 30497 | First part of Current Firmware version |
| 30498 | Second part of Current Firmware version |
| 30499 | Third part of Current firmware version |
| 30500 | Patch Level of current firmware version |
| 30501 — 32000 | General purpose word storage used for: Staging area for data concentrator; Fieldbus mappings storage; |
| 32001 — 32255 | RSSI List: |
| When configured as a Base, Repeater, or Manual AP. The RSSI of each connected downstream is added to an I/O register according to the last byte of that device’s IP Address. For example, a downstream device with IP Address 192.168.0.199 will have its RSSI stored in I/O register 32000 + 199 = 32199. If no device is connected with that IP address, the corresponding register has the valueZero. | |
| 32256 — 36000 | General purpose word storage used for: Staging area for data concentrator; Fieldbus mappings storage; |
| 36001 — 36008 | Local pulsed inputs 1–4, big endian format Most significant word at lower/odd address |
| 36009 — 38000 | Spare space for 32-bit register values |
| 38001 — 38026 | Local analog inputs as floating point values. |
| Mod Scan format (sign + exponent + most significant 7 bits of significand at even/higher addressed location; lower 16 bits of significand at lower/odd addressed location) (example: Analog input 1 at 12.3 mA gives registers 38001=CCCD, 38002=4144) | |
| 38027 — 40000 | Spare space for floating point values |
Amendment Register:
| Issue No. | Date | Details of Amendment |
| 1.01.11.2 | 31-Jan-202504-Feb-202511-Feb-2025 | Preliminary Release Update with Docker, Register Map Information. Add Docker Download example and Firmware update instruction |
Documents / Resources
 |
ELPRO QE-E Quantum Edge [pdf] User Guide QE-E, QE-E Quantum Edge, QE-E, Quantum Edge |