How to set up fuel sensor calibration

How to set up fuel sensor calibration

Fuel Sensor Calibration Guide

 Overview

Fuel sensor calibration ensures your tracking platform accurately interprets raw sensor readings and converts them into meaningful fuel levels (litres). Proper calibration helps detect fuel theft, refuelling, and irregular sensor behaviour.

This guide covers:

  • Sensor configuration fields

  • Sensitivity and spike suppression settings

  • Calibration options

  • Sensor event thresholds

1. Start by creating a sensor 

In the client in question and select Inputs, Outputs & Sensors


Navigate to Devices in the left menu.

Select the target device.

Open the I/O & Sensors tab.

Scroll to Analog/Sensor Inputs.

Click Add Input.

Follow the steps below to complete the calibration

2. Sensor Configuration

This section defines how the fuel sensor is connected and how the system should interpret its input.
Input Master Item
Select Fuel. This identifies the data stream as a fuel‑related sensor.
Connected To
Choose the correct input channel, e.g., Serial 1. This represents the port where the physical sensor is wired.
Serial Source
Select Fuel level. This sets the decoding logic for incoming serial data.
Fuel Tank Capacity
Enter the total usable fuel tank size in litres (e.g., 500 litres). This value helps scale readings and improve event accuracy.
Use tank capacity as cap in calibrations: When enabled, readings will never exceed the tank capacity.


3. Sensitivity Settings

Sensitivity defines how the platform handles fluctuations or noise in the sensor data.

Defaults
Choose between:
  • Aggressive
  • Medium
  • Soft
  • None
These presets adjust background filters for smoothing readings.
Averaging
Select the averaging method, for example:
  • Take the last average: 10 updates
Averaging stabilizes readings by reducing short spikes.
Ignore Data When Ignition is Off
Options:
  • Yes – Use only when engine is running
  • No – Accept all readings
Ignore Data When Ignition is On (minutes)
Set a delay to avoid false readings when the vehicle starts.

4. Spike Suppression

Spike suppression removes unrealistic sudden changes caused by sensor noise or bad terrain.
Spike Start
Spikes above this value (e.g., 5 litres) will be checked for suppression.
Duration
Number of subsequent readings to check (e.g., 3 records) to confirm the spike.
Spike Return
The spike must return by X value (e.g., 4 litres) to be considered noise.
These values help stabilise raw sensor performance, especially on rough roads.

5. Calibration

Calibration determines how raw sensor readings translate into litres.
Calibration Type
Options include:
  • None – Raw values are used directly when the device sends the processed  fuel level to the platform
  • Single Calibration – Straight-line mapping between raw values and litres
  • Incremental / Multi‑point Calibration – Best for sensors with non‑linear behaviour. Always recommend calibration for accurate fuel level reporting.

6. Sensor Events

Enable this to monitor fuel behaviour and generate alerts.
Sudden Increase Event
Triggered when fuel level rises by more than a set amount (e.g., 30 litres). Useful for detecting refuelling.
Sudden Decrease Event
Triggered when fuel level drops by more than a set amount (e.g., 30 litres). Useful for detecting potential fuel theft.
Range Violation (Below)
Alerts when fuel goes below a minimum threshold (e.g., 50 litres). Helps prevent breakdowns.
Range Violation (Above)
Alerts when readings exceed the expected maximum (e.g., 300 litres). Useful for catching sensor faults.
Consecutive Violations

Define how many consecutive abnormal readings are required before triggering an alert (e.g., 5 counts). This helps filter out false positives



7.  Preview Configuration

The Preview Configuration tool allows you to load historical data within a date range to check:

  • Minimum raw value

  • Maximum raw value

  • How data appears before applying calibration

Use this tool to confirm that:

  • The sensor is connected and sending data

  • Raw fuel readings are within expected ranges

8. Best Practices

  • Verify tank capacity with the client.

  • Use preview mode to confirm sensor stability.

  • Apply spike suppression for older sensors or challenging sensors.

  • Adjust event thresholds according to tank size and customer requirements.

  • Ensure the fuel is reading before leaving the installation site 

9. Troubleshooting Tips

Issue      Possible CauseSolution



Fuel reading stuckBad wiring / no dataCheck Serial port connection
Reading fluctuates heavilySensor noise / rough roadsIncrease averaging or spike suppression
Events triggering too oftenThreshold too lowIncrease event litres or violation counts
Raw values outside expected rangeWrong serial source or sensor typeReconfirm configuration

If you need any more help, please feel free to contact support.

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