Noob question regarding base unit

I'm looking to put this device in a remote location near the electric meter, and send the data back via a 900MHz wifi link (it's about 300 yards away), so the pairing of the eMonTX and eMonBase isn't practical  - is there a way to hardwire the two components into a single unit with an ethernet port?, or wire it directly to an arduino controller without the RF link between components? 

jb79's picture

Re: Noob question regarding base unit

Hi!

If you allready own a arduino board (with ethernet shield) then you migh find here some information how to feed the analog values (voltage/current) into your arduino: http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/buildingblocks/how-to-build-an-arduino-energy-monitor

As far as i know the RF modules are connected via serial interfaces, so it is possible to hardwire an EmonTx and an EmonBase together.

Here is another project: http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/node/1170. The I2C bus on the EmonTx was used to wire 3 EmonTX together (2 slaves and 1 master), so the master gets the values from the other boards via I2C and sends them together with the own measurements over the RF link. Maybe you can use the software of the slave units and write your own software for the EmonBase to read values via I2C.

The cheaper and more energy efficent way would be to use only one board to measure the values and convert them into data that can be sent via ethernet/wifi.

ianbeyer's picture

Re: Noob question regarding base unit

With that arduino energy monitor, do you think it would be fairly straightforward to put 2 CTs on the board for monitoring both legs of a 220V circuit? 

jb79's picture

Re: Noob question regarding base unit

Yes I think so, the arduino has more than two analog inputs, so you can connect another CT. Of cause you have to add the little circuit with the three resistors and the capacitor and adopt the software to read the input.

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