Logging Electricity Meter LED flashes or IRda

[hywelc]

Ive just got some PV and have a elster A100C generating meter.
It has a red flashing LED marked 1000 imp per Kwh and a IrDa output.
It looks like you can read both the Power and total energy from the meter via Irda, see http://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~greg/projects/rdmeter.html

Has anyone managed to read and log the IrDa with the SD card data loggers mentioned else where on this forum ?
Or has anyone used an opto transistor to just measure the gaps between flashes to get and log power ?

Swalec have also sent me a letter to say they are coming to fit a new import (normal) meter, does anyone know if that is likely to be an electronic one ? do they all have LEDs ? do they all have Irda ??

I would like to be able to build something that monitored both meters and if i had enough energy spare would turn on a water heater just the right amount to use the spare.

At the moment however all I have set up is the "sunny data control" software logging my sunny boy 3000 via rs485, but i suspect the PC is using more to monitor the PV than i'm generating most of the time !!!

Any sensible advice would be gratefully received.

Hywel

[ericw]

It has a red flashing LED marked 1000 imp per Kwh and a IrDa output.
It looks like you can read both the Power and total energy from the meter via Irda, see http://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~greg/projects/rdmeter.html
Has anyone managed to read and log the IrDa with the SD card data loggers mentioned else where on this forum ?

The no frills data logger will log a DS2423 counter (real or clone) interfaced to your flashing light. A minor addition to Seans display routine to generate the difference between sucessive readings will allow you to display the power used for the log interval. (You can always post process the log file to get historical power data)

I would like to be able to build something that monitored both meters and if i had enough energy spare would turn on a water heater just the right amount to use the spare.

A simpler way to do this would be to put a clip-on current transformer onto your supply lead and get a voltage phase reference (possibly just by wrapping a wire around the said lead) this would enable you to work out whether you were sending or receiving current to the grid. Use this information to incrementally switch in/out a binary graded bank of heaters.

[hywelc]

Thanks for the help ericw
Have you got a url you would reccommned for me to read about the "no frills data logger" and "Seans display routine" ive looked up the counter at http://www.maxim-ic.com/datasheet/index.mvp/id/2912, it says they are obsolete, but as you said there must be clones.

I'm a bit scared about the whole current transformer/ voltage phase stuff, I figure if the accuracy of the meter is good enough for SWALEC its good enough for me, plus if you can keep it digital it takes less fiddling to get to work i often think.!

The binary graded bank of heaters would be great but my water tank has a 3kw heater and i havnt been able to find any lower wattage heaters for it and even if i could I could only fit one !

I suppose i'd have to put a pretty big capacitor or inductor in series with it to reduce a 3kw to say 1 kw, and my PV inverter may not like it any way !

Perhaps i could strap an induction hob to the side of the tank and stick some steel inside, but i bet even that would corrode where the copper was up against the steel.

I suppose i could put the steel in plastic, but i bet that would somehow fail !


Thanks again

Hywel

It has a red flashing LED marked 1000 imp per Kwh and a IrDa output.
It looks like you can read both the Power and total energy from the meter via Irda, see http://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~greg/projects/rdmeter.html
Has anyone managed to read and log the IrDa with the SD card data loggers mentioned else where on this forum ?

The no frills data logger will log a DS2423 counter (real or clone) interfaced to your flashing light. A minor addition to Seans display routine to generate the difference between sucessive readings will allow you to display the power used for the log interval. (You can always post process the log file to get historical power data)

I would like to be able to build something that monitored both meters and if i had enough energy spare would turn on a water heater just the right amount to use the spare.

A simpler way to do this would be to put a clip-on current transformer onto your supply lead and get a voltage phase reference (possibly just by wrapping a wire around the said lead) this would enable you to work out whether you were sending or receiving current to the grid. Use this information to incrementally switch in/out a binary graded bank of heaters.

[guydewdney]

The binary graded bank of heaters would be great but my water tank has a 3kw heater and i havnt been able to find any lower wattage heaters for it and even if i could I could only fit one !

or put a transformer on the heater - so that it gets 110v (or similar) - and then cut in and out various tappings, making the heater 3, 2, 1kW due to (say) 240, 180 and 100v.... or however it works out (I cant be bothered to work out the detail)

[ericw]

Hywel,
There are a couple of threads also in this datalogs section of the forum you should look at http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,8978.0.html and http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11863.0.html for information on getting information into 1 wire systems.

You need to be able to vary the power in your heater so that it only uses the excess, there several another threads on the forum about this subject (eg http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11700.0.html) which mention a very expensive commercial gizmo to vary the power but doubts were expressed as to whether it would actually work.
You can get a range of smaller heaters normally used for towel rails (Screwfix do them) but I agree installing them into a cylinder could be a challange.

Switching transformer tappings is possible but you would probably need a custom transformer and more switches to get a large range of power settings.

[hywelc]

Thanks guydewdney

I'm bound to have some transformers around that would be suitable, in fact i'm sure some one gave me an auto transformer fairly recently.

I was thinking things in series, but a transformer is good too.

In the winter after all the transformer is 100 % efficient if you use its warmth to heat the house !

Hywel

The binary graded bank of heaters would be great but my water tank has a 3kw heater and i havnt been able to find any lower wattage heaters for it and even if i could I could only fit one !

or put a transformer on the heater - so that it gets 110v (or similar) - and then cut in and out various tappings, making the heater 3, 2, 1kW due to (say) 240, 180 and 100v.... or however it works out (I cant be bothered to work out the detail)

[hywelc]

Thanks again ericw

Once ive found where my trianco combi oil boiler is leaking, i will get on with some topic reading.
I hope its not the boiler or combi storage tank, but it is looking a bit that way  .
Perhaps if it is the combi tank that has a hole in it, I could bung a small heater into it, thanks for the screwfix tip.

150 w one http://www.screwfix.com/prods/86558/Plumbing/Towel-Radiators/Towel-Radiator-Heating-Element-IP55-512-BTU-150W
250 w one
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/72607/Plumbing/Towel-Radiators/Radiator-Htg-Element-IP55-250W
800 w one
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/35612/Plumbing/Towel-Radiators/Radiator-Htg-Element-IP55-800W
Hywel

Hywel,
There are a couple of threads also in this datalogs section of the forum you should look at http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,8978.0.html and http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11863.0.html for information on getting information into 1 wire systems.

You need to be able to vary the power in your heater so that it only uses the excess, there several another threads on the forum about this subject (eg http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,11700.0.html) which mention a very expensive commercial gizmo to vary the power but doubts were expressed as to whether it would actually work.
You can get a range of smaller heaters normally used for towel rails (Screwfix do them) but I agree installing them into a cylinder could be a challange.

Switching transformer tappings is possible but you would probably need a custom transformer and more switches to get a large range of power settings.

[enicaltd]

Hi everyone,

My company manufactures a sensor for the red flashing LED on these electricity meters. www.enica.co.uk. The Opti-Pulse and LED Pulse Logger sensor has onboard datalogging and also a pulse output so it can be connected to other logging systems. Seems exactly what you are talking about.

Cheers

David
Enica Ltd,
Treforest, South Wales