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 structurestruct 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