TEDS Sensors & Sensor Database in Dewesoft

Course overview

The course teaches how to streamline sensor setup and prevent measurement errors using smart transducer technology. It begins with the fundamentals of IEEE 1451.4 TEDS, showing how built-in EEPROMs store sensor ID, scaling, and amplifier configuration—enabling DewesoftX to auto-recognize and configure sensors when plugged in.

Next, you’ll enable TEDS support in DewesoftX and connect both accelerometers and other TEDS-capable sensors. The software automatically reads sensor info—such as sensitivity, units, calibration date, and excitation settings—and locks configuration to analog input setups, greatly reducing setup time and mistakes.

The course also covers writing TEDS to sensors using DewesoftX—storing amplifier configurations and metadata inside sensors—and using the standalone Dewesoft TEDS Editor for advanced template management, password protection, and EEPROM resetting/editing.

You’ll then explore the Sensor Database editor, where you define sensor profiles—analog and counter—including scaling types (linear, polynomial, table), transfer curves, serial numbers, and calibration metadata. Editors support import/export (.xml/.dxb), helping maintain consistent sensor info across teams and projects.

By course end, you’ll be able to integrate Dewesoft’s sensor database and TEDS manuals into your workflow—automating sensor setup, ensuring calibration traceability, and minimizing human errors during measurement campaigns.

Have you ever made incorrect measurements due to improper sensor scaling?

No?

Then you probably don’t have many years of experience. Every seasoned measurement engineer we know just smiles—somewhat bitterly—when asked such a question.

There are several ways measurements can go wrong. Common errors include using the wrong sample rate, selecting the wrong amplifier range, or incorrect sensor wiring. However, when speaking with customers, one of the most frequent mistakes is entering the wrong sensor scaling.

The idea behind the Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) is to eliminate this issue by equipping each sensor with a small chip that stores information about the sensor itself, as well as how the amplifiers should be configured.

TEDS formats are defined by the IEEE 1451 standard. Many sensor manufacturers have implemented this standard in their products, allowing you to purchase a sensor with the chip already built in. Simply connect it, and everything is automatically configured.

TEDS capability was originally developed for piezoelectric sensors, such as accelerometers and pressure sensors, but it now extends to all common analog sensors and actuators, including MEMS (micro-electromechanical sensors), load cells, voltage output sensors, and more.

You no longer need to go through manual setup and configuration, because all the information is already stored in the chip—device type, manufacturer, model number, serial number, calibration date, sensitivity, reference frequency, amplifier setup, and more. TEDS can also store calibration coefficients and frequency response data for a transducer, either as a table or in algorithmic form.

In practice, this means a simple plug-and-play operation: once the sensor is connected, everything is automatically set.

There are two ways to use TEDS sensors in DewesoftX.

Many manufacturers already offer TEDS-enabled sensors. In this case, we simply connect the sensor—if it has a high-voltage output—to the instrument.

When the sensor is recognized, we can see its serial number, amplifier settings, and sensitivity.

In our example, we have connected an accelerometer with the physical quantity measured in m/s². Since DewesoftX supports a system of measurement units, we can easily switch from m/s² to g by selecting it from the drop-down menu.

In the Edit Sensor menu, we can view additional information, such as the manufacturer and sensor type. Since this is an off-the-shelf sensor, DewesoftX does not allow us to write any new data to the sensor.

If we need to modify settings on standard sensors, we must use the DeweTEDS Editor (downloadable from our website). This tool can also be used to calibrate standard sensors.

If our sensor does not have a built-in TEDS chip, we can easily add one. TEDS chips are widely available (though perhaps not at your local grocery store) and cost only a few dollars.

The first step is to modify the sensor and integrate a TEDS chip. This is typically done in the connector. In this example, we use the DS24B33 chip from Maxim, which is recommended because it provides sufficient storage space for all amplifier settings as well.

The picture below shows the connection for a SIRIUS STG module (with a 9-pin DSUB).

Before starting to read TEDS, verify that TEDS detection is enabled in DewesoftX. This is usually enabled by default, but if sensors are not being detected, this should be the first thing to check.

Open DewesoftX, go to Settings in the upper-right corner of the screen, and activate the checkbox “Enable MSI adapters, TEDS sensors.”

When an empty TEDS chip is connected, there will be no reaction. However, you can check whether the TEDS chip is functioning by entering the Channel Setup.

At that point, the “Write to TEDS” button and an additional “TEDS” tab will be visible.

In this example, we have a quarter-bridge strain gauge sensor connected to the input. We can configure the bridge mode, excitation voltage, zero the channels, enter the physical measurement parameters, set the sensor sensitivity, and so on—similar to how you would set up any sensor in DewesoftX.

Now, go to the Edit Sensor tab, enter the sensor data (serial number, model, manufacturer, calibration data), and then press the “Write to TEDS” button once all the settings have been completed.

At this point, all the settings are stored in the chip and therefore locked.

When analyzing the standard TEDS templates, we noticed that the standard feels only halfway complete. It describes the sensors well, but it does not specify how the amplifiers should be configured to ensure the sensors work correctly. The major advantage of Dewesoft TEDS is that, in addition to sensor details, it also stores all amplifier settings (such as range, input type, filter, and excitation voltage).

Other vendors are attempting similar solutions, but they often create proprietary templates that do not comply with the standard. Dewesoft takes advantage of the fact that multiple templates can be written to a single chip. Dewesoft first writes the standard template, which can be read by any data acquisition device supporting TEDS. On top of that, additional Dewesoft-specific templates are written to fully configure the amplifier.

In the TEDS section, we can see these multiple templates.

If you want to edit the sensor, simply click the lock symbol in the upper right corner to unlock it.

Starting with DewesoftX, you can also define additional information for the sensor, including a password to prevent unauthorized users from overwriting the sensor data.

If the option “Show advanced sensor settings” is checked, the user can enter the Advanced Write Options after clicking the Save Sensor button.

The TEDS Editor is a complete tool for managing TEDS chips. Even though we spent a lot of time developing it, it is completely free of charge. If you like it, we would be very happy if you make a donation to your local charity.

You don’t even need a Dewesoft instrument to use DeweTEDSEditor. It works with a low-cost OneWire reader, so you can use it with your sensor calibration equipment to prepare sensors for use with Dewesoft or any other instrument that supports TEDS. The standard device we use is the DS9490R USB-based reader, which can be purchased for around 20 USD.

You can find DeweTEDSEditor in the Downloads section of our website.

After clicking Read from Device, the screen is filled with information from the sensor. Before reading from the device, make sure to select the correct channel number where the TEDS chip is connected.

What you will see are three sections:

1. Interface

2. TEDS Device

3. TEDS Template

1. Interface section

The Interface section is located on the left side and displays the three interface types that Dewesoft supports:

• Dewesoft USB device

• Amplifiers RS232

• OneWire reader

If we select, for example, a Dewesoft device in the Interface section, we also need to choose the correct channel number (ChNr.). Then, press Read from Device.

On the left side, we will see all the information about the amplifier or interface, including its name, serial number, calibration date, excitation, and more.

2. TEDS device section

The TEDS Device section shows which device was detected after pressing Read from Device. In our case, it identified a DS24B33 chip, which is also the TEDS device we usually recommend among the available options.

Below the detected TEDS device, we can also see its first (alternative) name and a short description, which indicates the available memory. In our example, it is a 4-kbit EEPROM. What is truly unique is the TEDS serial number (SN). At this point, it is important to emphasize that every TEDS chip has its own serial number.

3. TEDS template section

The TEDS Template section shows the manufacturer and its ID number, the model number, and the TEDS serial number. This section also provides detailed information such as bridge type, response time, and more.

All this information is decoded from the TEDS data shown on the left. After each change, the template data is updated, while the TEDS data remains unchanged.

At the bottom of the screen, we can find a log of all actions performed since the TEDS editor was opened. Any errors will also appear in this log.

Creating new TEDS sensors

Creating a TEDS sensor from scratch is very straightforward. First, we need to enter the manufacturer, model number, and serial number. These fields are somewhat limited in what can be entered, but there is a better method available. If these fields do not meet your requirements, continue reading.

When working with an empty sensor, you can add a new template by pressing the Add New Template button. All standard IEEE sensors are supported. Any field in the template can be edited through the user editor.

Now we can add additional templates. For example, we can add a standard Calibration Table, Calibration Curve, or Frequency Response Curve. Alternatively, we can add the Dewesoft Amplifier Template to define all amplifier properties, such as input type, range, and LP/HP filters.

• LP filter – Defines which low-pass filter will be applied to the amplifier. (The advanced option also specifies the filter type and order.)

• User coupling – Defines which high-pass filter will be used, depending on whether the sensor is AC- or DC-coupled.

• Measurement – Defines the measurement type to which the amplifier is set (e.g., voltage, bridge, potentiometer, etc.).

• User excitation – Defines the nominal excitation voltage to which the amplifier is set by default.

• Input type – Defines whether the amplifier is set to differential or single-ended mode.

• User range – Defines the range to which the amplifier must be set.

• Range dual-core – Defines whether high-dynamic dual-core ADC technology is used (applies only to Dewesoft amplifiers).

Additionally, Dewesoft sensor properties can be added, allowing for extended sensor descriptions, serial numbers, limits, polarity, and more.

• User manufacturer – Overrides the manufacturer ID set in the standard template.

• User model name – Overrides the default model name (alphanumeric characters of any length can be used).

• User serial number – Overrides the default serial number (alphanumeric characters of any length can be used).

• Physical measurand – Defines the physical quantity the sensor is measuring (according to the SI unit system).

• User scale – Defines the sensor scale according to the Dewesoft standard (so SI unit conversion can be applied). The unit of measurement must comply with the Dewesoft SI unit scheme.

• User range – Defines the absolute minimum and maximum values the sensor can measure (used for display purposes).

• Additional bridge properties – Specifies properties for strain gage sensors that are not defined by the IEEE standard.

• Sensor polarity – Defines the standard sensor polarity.

• User sensor offset changeable – If enabled, the user can adjust the offset later (for example, when setting up the initial load).

• User sensor scale changeable – If enabled, the user can apply an additional scale factor at a later time.

• Calibration info – Stores additional information from calibration.

We can also define a Dewesoft transfer curve template. This curve is used in frequency analysis to correct the sensor’s frequency response and in the power module, for example, when working with current clamp sensors. The template allows us to define amplitude attenuation (in %) and the phase angle for a set of typical frequencies.

Once the sensor is fully defined, we can either write it to the chip using the Write to device button or save the sensor configuration for future use by selecting Save TEDS definition to file.

Dewesoft TEDS library (TDL)

In the Dewesoft TEDS library, you can find a detailed description of how templates in the TEDS editor work. This file helps users understand how to interpret all the information stored in Dewesoft templates. You can read all the available data down to the last bit—but no further.

The file, DewesoftTEDSLibrary.zip , can be downloaded from the download  section of our website. 

Not everyone should be allowed to change the settings stored in the sensors (e.g., only the calibration lab that creates the sensors). To restrict access, you can configure the system to require a password when entering the settings.

Go to Settings and select Security on the left side of the screen. Enable the checkbox "User access password" and enter a password. If this option is not available, first enable "Use admin password for entering settings." Once this is set, the User access password option will become available.

Afterward, you also need to define the purpose of this access password. In our example, we use it specifically for editing sensors.

Now, simply connect the sensor with TEDS to another STG channel—for example, in image 24, from channel 7 to channel 8. You will see that all settings are correctly transferred. It will also work on similar amplifiers, such as the STG-M, provided that the same settings are supported. In our case, the amplifier settings differ slightly in range and values; however, all TEDS sensor data were successfully transferred, as shown in image 24.

When you write to a TEDS chip, or when a TEDS chip is detected in Dewesoft for the first time, it is also written into the Sensor database. TEDS always has the highest priority—if a TEDS-enabled sensor is connected, the Sensor database will be automatically updated with the settings from the chip.

When you press Write to TEDS and the “Show advanced sensor settings” checkbox is enabled, the following screen appears:

At the top of the Advanced Write Options window, you will find the Lock all channel settings option. You can disable this option to modify the desired locked settings. Several options are available, and a few are described below:

• Allow user to define offset – Normally, a TEDS sensor defines a fixed scale and offset. However, if this checkbox is selected, the user can additionally set the sensor offset (e.g., for zeroing).

• Write channel name to sensor – Writes the channel name stored in the Sensor Database to the sensor and retrieves it when connected to a different physical channel. (Note: this is not written to TEDS.)

• Sensor max./min. limit – Defines the absolute maximum and minimum (physical) values that the sensor can output. If set to INF, it will be calculated automatically from the range and scaling. This sets the minimum and maximum channel values.

• Sensor excitation min/max – Defines the excitation limits within which the sensor can operate.

• Password for TEDS – Enables password protection for the sensor.

When a TEDS sensor with password protection is connected to another channel, it will be read automatically. However, to unlock the sensor, the user will need to enter the password.