Re: GAS Usage Monitoring ?

[Kevin Hawkins <yahoogroupskh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I monitor all my utilities using pulse count meters.   The thing
about=20
the gas and water ones is that they are a relatively slow pulse output=20
with a longish period both open and closed and so are really easy to=20
interface to almost any counter type device.  Conversely electricity=20
meters tend to have very short marker pulses which can easily be missed=20
if the counters aren't fast enough.   The 1-wire counters Simon=20
mentioned below , which I also use via xAP), are fast enough for all the=20
meters though.  I also use other IDRANet and as well as a MOXA=20
controller that spits out cumulative pulse counts over Ethernet in a xAP=20
like format.

Also, although a bit more costly at just over =A3100 + current transformer=
=20
, there is an electricity meter product that has RS232 readable counters=20
which avoids you having to implement your own counters and reader/PC=20
interface, and they also have a different product that has a couple of=20
dry contact inputs to count other meters typically gas and water.   =
=20
Having a standalone PC readable counter rather than having to constantly=20
keep track of pulses and store count somewhere is so much easier and=20
more accurate (a big failing of the IDRANet approach).  EKM offer a low=20
cost PC interface and fairly nice software too.

*http://www.ekmmetering.com/

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170906601121**
*
**http://tinyurl.com/9bjgx8q
(pulse version but currently out of stock - maybe a new version due ?)*

*IIRC when I looked at this a few months back there was a future version=20
of the product intended that had some extra functionality, maybe the=20
combined functionality of these two products,  and so I delayed buying=20
one...      I'll look back over the email response I got back from the=20
manufacturer which was one of the most helpful and complete I've ever=20
had and post some more info.  If they do have the later version=20
available now then I'll be buying one and so hopefully  a xAP conduit=20
will emerge.

Kevin

On 12/09/2012 12:33, Simon Haslam wrote:
> Nice! Having a reed switch ready to go seems ideal and will save a lot
of=
faff with photodiodes and the like.
>
> I bought this counter http://www.hobby-boards.com/store/products/Dual-Cou=
nter.html last year (just to sit on a shelf of course). It's got two
inputs=
and I assume you'd just connect the reed switch between the input and 5V o=
r ground (I've not looked up which). Don't know whether it would need
de-bo=
uncing - hopefully not - so minimal electronics skills needed.
>
>
> The counter is 1-wire so you could then use a 1-wire to USB adaptor
and s=
omething like OWFS to collect readings - shouldn't take long to set up.
You=
'd need to run a 1-wire/cat 5 from your meter housing to a
PC/NAS/RasPi/etc=
running OWFS though.
>
> HTH
>
>
> Simon
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>



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