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Tiltmeter Series

Surface-tilt monitoring for buildings, bridges, towers, tunnels and heritage structures. Wireless LoRa / NB-IoT variants run 2–5 years on battery; wired RS485 variants deliver 0.0005° resolution with uninterrupted acquisition.

SCST-T01 · MEMS + ELECTROLYTIC

SCST-T01 dual-axis wireless tiltmeter with LoRa / NB-IoT antenna

Overview

One series, every tilt-monitoring scenario

The SCST-T01 tiltmeter series measures dual-axis surface tilt relative to the horizontal plane. Two sensing technologies and two communication architectures combine into a family that fits everything from a remote, unpowered tower to a continuously powered tunnel — and pairs naturally with our hydrostatic settlement gauges. When vibration events and temperature need to be captured with tilt, use the SCST-WV02 wireless tilt + vibration sensor.

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MEMS & electrolytic dual sensor options
MEMS for wide ±90° range and shock resistance; electrolytic for decade-scale long-term stability.
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Wireless & wired variants
LoRa / NB-IoT wireless with 2–5 year battery life, or RS485 wired for continuous high-accuracy acquisition.
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Built for buildings, heritage & formwork
From dilapidated-building alarms to high-support formwork safety and heritage preservation programs.

0.0005°

Resolution (wired)

±90°

Measurement Range

2–5 yr

Battery Life (wireless)

IP68

All-Weather Outdoor

How it works

A Bubble in Liquid vs a Mass on Springs

An electrolytic tiltmeter seals a conductive electrolyte and an air bubble inside a vial with three platinum electrodes — one common, two differential. As the housing tilts, the bubble shifts and the length of liquid between the two outer electrodes changes, unbalancing their impedances R₁ / R₂. AC excitation prevents polarization, and a Wheatstone bridge turns the differential conductance directly into sin θ. A MEMS tiltmeter instead suspends a silicon proof mass on micro-springs: gravity displaces it by x = m·g·sin θ / k, and differential comb capacitors read the displacement as θ = arcsin(aₓ / g).

Why electrolytic holds zero for decades: its output depends only on liquid conduction between electrodes, limited by electrolyte thermal noise — with temperature compensation, zero drift reaches the ±0.1 µrad (≈0.02″) class. A MEMS zero point rests on mechanical packaging stress and charge redistribution, which relax over the years toward 1×10⁻⁵ rad (≈2″).

Specifications

Wireless or Wired — Choose by Site Conditions

Pick wireless for flexible, cable-free deployment and years of battery life; pick wired for the highest accuracy and uninterrupted continuous acquisition.

Parameter	Wireless Tiltmeter (SCST-T01 / SCST-WV02)	Wired Tiltmeter (SCST-T01-RS485)
Communication	LoRa / NB-IoT wireless	RS485 wired bus
Accuracy	0.005°	0.003°
Resolution	0.001°	0.0005°
Range	±90°	±90°
Power	Battery, 2–5 year life	External, continuous operation
Protection	IP68, all-weather outdoor	IP65
Operating temperature	-20 ~ 70 ℃	-20 ~ 70 ℃
Best for	Remote, unpowered sites: dilapidated buildings, towers, bridges	Powered sites: high-support formwork, tunnels

Sensing technology

MEMS and Electrolytic: Two Physics, One Honest Recommendation

These are not a high/low configuration of the same product — they are two different physical principles. We recommend by monitoring period and site vibration, not by price.

Dimension	Electrolytic Sensor	MEMS Sensor
Long-term zero stability	1×10⁻⁸ rad	1×10⁻⁵ rad
Range	±3° (typical)	±90°
Bandwidth	< 5 Hz	> 1 kHz
Shock / vibration tolerance	Moderate	Extremely strong
Recommended when	Monitoring period ≥ 5 years: heritage buildings, dams, long-term programs	Vibration / shock environments, wide-range outdoor deployment

Rigid mounting matters

The base must be rigidly bonded to the structure itself — never to render, tiles or uncured concrete. Our installation guide eliminates "the sensor shaking itself" false signals.

Temperature compensation built in

Electrolytic sensors are temperature-sensitive; without compensation, day-night cycles masquerade as displacement. Compensation is mandatory, not optional, in our designs.

Choose by decades, not by quarter

For a 30-year heritage program, MEMS will drift; electrolytic will not. We state the physical boundary up front so the right choice is obvious before installation — not five years after.

Installation

Accuracy Is Decided at the Mounting Surface

A loosely coupled base makes the most expensive sensor worthless. These are the steps our field manual enforces on every installation.

1
Fix the base rigidly to the structure itself
The mounting base must connect rigidly to the load-bearing structure being measured — base rigidity matters even more than sensor accuracy.
2
Reject weak surface media
Never install on surface render or paint, on tiles, or on uncured concrete. A base on these media produces "the sensor shaking itself" false signals — the most common field mistake.
3
Align the measurement axes
The instrument measures dual-axis (A / B) tilt relative to the horizontal plane — align the axes with the directions the structure needs monitored.
4
Shade from sun, enable temperature compensation
Sun-exposed installs show day-night cyclic swings. Fit a sun shade where needed; on electrolytic units, temperature compensation is mandatory, not optional.
5
Wire, verify and baseline
Wired units take DC 7–12 V with RS-485 / 4–20 mA output — verify polarity with a multimeter (a reversed line reads zero). Record initial values, then sync tilt and temperature time series to the cloud with threshold alarms.

Tiltmeter unit with all-weather housing on a flange mounting base — Tiltmeter unit — all-weather housing, flange mounting base

Suspension bridge — pylon and deck tilt monitoring scenario — Bridge scenario — pylon and deck tilt monitoring

High-rise construction site — building tilt monitoring scenario — Construction scenario — building tilt monitoring

Applications

Where the Tiltmeter Series Works

Tilt rarely tells the whole story alone — on most structures it is paired with settlement monitoring. See the combined selection guide on our settlement page.

Wireless · LoRa

Dilapidated Buildings

Cable-free installation and multi-year battery life make city-wide aging-building alarm networks practical and affordable.

Wireless · LoRa

Tower Tilt

Transmission and telecom towers at remote, unpowered sites — IP68 housings survive all-weather outdoor exposure for years.

Wireless · NB-IoT

Bridge Tilt

NB-IoT cellular transmission gives more reliable long-distance reporting for piers, pylons and approach structures.

Wired · RS485

High-Support Formwork

During concrete pours, 0.003° accuracy and uninterrupted acquisition catch dangerous formwork movement in real time.

Wired · RS485

Tunnels

Stable site power supports continuous lining-tilt acquisition over the full construction and operation period.

Electrolytic

Heritage Structures

Decade-scale preservation programs for historic towers and timber structures demand 1×10⁻⁸ rad-class long-term stability.

FAQ

Field Questions, Straight Answers

Compiled from our after-sales records and the fault table in the field manual.

Why does the tilt reading cycle with day and night?

An electrolytic sensor without temperature compensation — or any unit installed in direct sunlight — shows day-night periodic swings that are easily misread as real displacement. Enable temperature compensation and fit a sun shade.

What causes short-lived spikes in the data?

Shock or vibration reaching a MEMS unit. Check for vibration sources near the mounting point; if the disturbance persists on a long-term monitoring point, consider switching that point to an electrolytic unit.

How do we handle slow drift over months and years?

Slow long-term drift is characteristic of MEMS aging. For projects of five years or longer, MEMS units should be sent to a metrology institute for periodic recalibration; electrolytic units do not need this round trip.

How are the units powered — and what if a reading goes to zero?

Wireless LoRa / NB-IoT variants run 2–5 years on battery. Wired variants take an external DC 7–12 V supply for uninterrupted acquisition. If a wired unit reads zero, check for a broken wire or reversed polarity with a multimeter before suspecting the sensor.

Electrolytic or MEMS — how do we choose?

Two questions decide it: how many years will the point be monitored, and is there strong vibration on site? A monitoring period of 5 years or more favors electrolytic (1×10⁻⁸ rad long-term stability); vibration / shock environments or the wide ±90° range favor MEMS. They are complementary physics — not a high/low configuration of one product.