Amp Recorder or Inverter Monitoring Software? [RE-wrenches]

[Darryl Thayer]

Hi Robert
in years past I have used HoBo data loggers.  From
Onset Computer Corp.  I think (memory) the 8 bit
models are rather low price.  They can take a years
worth of data at once per hour, or a shorter sample
period, once per second for about 3 hrs at a faster
rate.  This is for all four channels.  

I have used them for AC Current and Voltage both with
cheap and expensive current transformers.  I also have
used for DC voltage.  All of these out of the box,
nice job and accurate, and they have a DC amplifier
for small voltages.  

I personally have had trouble measureing DC current
with shunts, but if you know hall effect sensors or
can build a differincal input amplifier, then DC
should be easy.  

If you are just looking for an alarm, use a NC relay,
open it with the AC.  When the AC fails the relay
closes and energizes a DC alarm.  

Darryl 
--- Robert Nuese <r.nuese at comcast.net> wrote:

> 
> 
> Greetings Wrenches
> 
> I hope this question hasn't been hashed over
> thoroughly before. I've repeatedly tried searching
> the archives, but topica seems to be having a bit
> of a problem at the moment, always telling me:
> "Sorry, but we experienced an error processing your
> request."
> 
> I tried searching through the archives
> cronologically,
> and found nothing in the last 9 months before I gave
> up. If this has been covered, I apologize, and I'd
> appreciate being told the dates of the posts.
> 
> 
> I have two jobs right now where I need to be able to
> record amperage levels for periods that might range
> from a few days to maybe four months.
> 
> On one job, we built a non-battery, grid-tie
> system for a new house. Now that it's all going,
> the client is satisfied that the PV system is
> working, but we discover that it only covers
> half of their electric use. Before I expand the
> system, we'd like to check out the loads on
> several circuits, including well and pool filter
> pumps, to try to see if we can find any faults
> and pare down use.
> 
> For this I'd like to use a recording meter. I gather
> that a dedicated multimeter, with a clamp or clamp
> attachment, and with data storage and exchange
> features, such as a Fluke 187 would do the job.
> However, I expect that a computer based system
> with graphical output would do the same job at a
> lower
> price, and possibly have some advantages. It would
> be
> very nice if it could record more than just amps -
> voltage
> and frequency would be helpful, and if it could
> record all
> these at once, that would be great, but not
> essential. It
> would also be nice if it would work with a fairly
> cheap
> used laptop PC, so I could leave it on the jobsite
> for a
> months if necessary. If it also worked on my usual
> computer, a Mac, that would be nice too - but not
> essential.
> 
> So, my first question:
> Can anyone recommend a suitable tool for this sort
> of
> application?
> 
> 
> On the other job, a client's SW4048 periodically
> pops its
> overload breaker on intermittently. This happens
> maybe an
> average of once in 5 months over the last couple of
> years.
> Then there is no power to the dedicated subpanel
> until
> someone resets it. The inverter indicator lights and
> display
> don't indicate an overload situation. The client
> doesn't think
> they've been overloading the system. Maybe the
> breaker is
> faulty - I'll try swapping it, but it would be good
> to find a way
> to monitor the loads with some sort of recording
> system.
> The sort of PC-based recording meter system I asked
> about
> above would probably be quite suitable in this case,
> and I
> think that would be my first choice, since it would
> have wide
> application, but I wonder if there would be a
> significant
> advantage here in using either RightHand
> Engineering's
> WinVerter-Monitor, or Maui Solar Energy's
> TraceTools?.
> 
> So my next questions are:
> Would either of these be particularly suitable for
> this problem?
> Can anybody speak of the relative merits of the two,
> and
> of either of these vs a PC based logging meter?
> 
> Thanks very much, Robert Nuese
> --
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
> 
> 
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> 
> 



       
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