Three different numbers, often quoted as one
When a specifications page says "up to 256", it is usually mixing three different facts:
| Number | What it is | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 256 | Wheel positions one receiver can address | The receiver's point table |
| 160 | A beam carrier we have instrumented and running | A field installation |
| 224 | Multi-axle systems in service | Field installations |
None of these is "the maximum number of wheels a machine can have". They are a capacity, and two
installations. Keeping them apart is the difference between a specification and a claim.
What 256 positions means in practice
Each position is an address in the receiver's point table: a sensor ID mapped to a wheel number, with
its own pressure, temperature, status and timestamp. 256 addresses means the receiver can hold 256 of
those rows — it does not mean 256 wheels will all be heard equally well.
What decides that is the radio layout: distance, steel between sensor and receiver, and how many
sensors are transmitting in the same window. On the bench we can show wheel positions scaling up:
That bench rig is the scaling test, not a field claim: 40 sensors on one screen, all reporting, on
the same receiver part that addresses 256 positions.
Why a 160-wheel machine is the interesting number
A 160-wheel beam carrier is the case where the wheel map stops being a table and becomes a plan: axles,
repeaters, and where the receiver can physically sit. That installation is in service, which is why we
quote it — a capacity number and a working installation are different kinds of evidence.
The questions that decide whether one receiver is enough
1. How many positions are actually instrumented? Not "how many wheels exist" — how many are
monitored.
2. What is the longest radio path? A steering axle to the far end of a trailer is the case a
repeater exists for.
3. How many sensors share a transmit window? With fixed intervals, more sensors means more
collisions; the loss data is in our field tests.
4. Where can the receiver physically sit? Low, open, near the axles.
5. What does the machine's controller need? One interface per receiver, fixed at build.
What we will not claim
We will not say "256 wheels monitored reliably" as a single statement. The capacity is 256 positions;
how many are heard well enough depends on the geometry, and we measure that per project rather than
promise a number.
FAQ
Is 256 a software or a hardware limit? It is the receiver's point table — the addressable
positions — and it is the same receiver part across the range.
Can several receivers be combined for more than 256? Yes: multiple receivers, each with its own
interface, is how machines beyond one receiver are handled.
What about 160 wheels — does that need repeaters? It needs a repeater plan; that is what the
installation plan is for, not a catalogue answer.
Do you have a machine running at 160 wheels? Yes, a beam carrier, and 224-wheel multi-axle systems
are in service.