Radonova ROBIN Integrated Radon Sensor, Analog Output for BMS and Fan Control

Radonova ROBIN Integrated Radon Sensor

A fixed radon sensor with an analog output, so a building management system, PLC or fan controller can act on radon by itself.

ROBIN is not a monitor you walk up to and read. It is a sensor you wire in and forget, giving a continuous voltage that rises and falls with the radon level. A BMS, a PLC or a fan speed controller reads that voltage and does something with it, which is usually ramping ventilation or a mitigation fan when radon climbs and backing it off when it does not need to run.

That makes it the part you reach for when a building needs radon handled automatically rather than measured by a person: a school with a BMS, a commercial basement on a scheduled air handler, or a mitigation system you want to run only as hard as it has to.

Choose your variant

Two things to pick: the measurement range, and whether you need the protective cover. Both ranges cost the same.

Pick the range to match the building, not the hope. A sensor set to 0 to 400 Bq/m³ cannot report above 400, so in a space that has tested high, or in soil gas adjacent plant rooms, the 0 to 4000 version is the safer choice. The measurement interval can also be customised by Radonova at the factory.

Pick rugged if the sensor is going anywhere dirty or damp: a crawlspace, an unfinished mechanical room, a duct carrying anything other than clean conditioned air. The rugged housing adds enhanced moisture protection with internal thermal load and varnish, and it takes a sheathed cable through an M20 gland instead of an open terminal block.

Specifications

Scaling the output in your control system

The output runs from 1 V at zero radon to 10 V at the configured maximum, so it is a straight linear scale across 9 volts. To convert the voltage your controller reads back into a radon level in Bq/m³:

radon = maximum range × (volts − 1) ÷ 9

So on a 0 to 4000 Bq/m³ sensor, 1 V is 0 Bq/m³, 5.5 V is 2000 Bq/m³ and 10 V is 4000 Bq/m³. On a 0 to 400 sensor the same voltages give a tenth of those numbers. A 0 V reading is not a low radon reading, it means the sensor needs service.

The output range is set at the factory. If you are specifying ROBIN into a control system, confirm the exact output range for your variant with us before you wire it, so the scaling in your controller matches the unit that arrives.

ROBIN applies its own smoothing before it outputs, so the signal does not jump around on a single hour of noisy data. It responds faster to a large change than a small one, which keeps a fan from chasing a blip.

Installation notes

• Mount it in any orientation. The sensor is not affected by which way up it sits.
• It can go in a ventilation duct, inside an air handling unit, or simply stand in the room.
• It reads correctly in both laminar and turbulent airflow, and is not dependent on airflow condition.
• It is protected against electromagnetic interference and can be connected to a thyristor controller.
• Avoid locations where condensation forms on the sensor.
• After wiring, confirm the output sits between 1 and 10 V before you leave.

What ROBIN is not

ROBIN is a control and integration sensor, not a device for compliance measurement. A radon test that has to be reported or relied on still needs a C-NRPP listed measurement device or a lab analysed detector. Use ROBIN to run a building, and a listed device to prove a number.

Common questions

What will it connect to? Anything that accepts a standard analog voltage input: a building management system, a PLC, a fan speed controller, or a logging input on existing plant.

Do I need any radon training to install it? No. It is a four wire sensor with a voltage output. An electrician or controls technician can fit it. Deciding where it should go, and what the control system should do with the reading, is the part worth asking a radon professional about.

How quickly does it react? The output updates every minute and is based on the last hour of measurement, so it follows real changes in the building rather than minute to minute noise.

Does it need calibration? Radonova recommends calibration every three years.

How big is it? Small. 60 × 76 × 45 mm and 240 g for the standard, a little wider and heavier with the rugged cover.

Can it drive a mitigation fan directly? Not on its own. It gives a signal. You need a controller or variable speed drive between the sensor and the fan, and the fan itself still has to be sized from a pressure field extension test rather than from the sensor reading.

Lead time

ROBIN is built and calibrated to order, so allow about two weeks from when you place the order.