Re: Household electrical current to Excel ???

["daestrom" <daestrom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Dan Bloomquist" <public21@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:9EQQe.1291$Xo3.1182@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
> daestrom wrote:
>
>> "Dennis Mchenney" <mchenney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:43135BCE.4010705@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>>For LOW cost try here. You will need to have a main and branch cicuit
>>>sensor inputs of some type and > $ 100 each for LOW resolution is the
>>>norm. Log data to *.cvs FORMATED file and open in Excell maybe.
>>>
>>>http://www.labjack.com/index.html
>>
>> If you're handy with the signal conditioning, you can get *really* cheap
>> A/D->PC by using iButtons and related 'one-wire' devices from Dallas
>> Semiconductor.
>> http://www.maxim-ic.com/1-Wire.cfm
>>
>> I use some of their temperature sensors to monitor my domestic hot-water
>> heat-exchanger, hot-air furnace, and the temperatures in my attic.
>>
>> daestrom
>> P.S.  It helps if you can do a little programming as their software
>> development kit is a bit 'stone-knife and bearskin'
>
> Thanks daestrom,
> I hadn't noticed this maxim line well enough. Interesting enough to keep
> me busy for a while. Digi-key sells their stuff. Did you start with the
> DS9090K? (Why pound your thumb with a hammer for a lack of $65? :) I
> haven't seriously had a soldering iron in my hand for a few years, I miss
> it...
>
> I like it so far.

The one thing I ran into, is a lot of their products are surface mount.

But I was able to 'SuperGlue' a 1/8 dowel underneath the 8 pin package and
then solder some hairline strands to the legs.  Ran the strands to some more
conventional 22AWG, and wrapped the whole thing up in a layer of tape.
Gives me a nice 'probe' about 3/16" diameter that I can poke into furnace
ducts, strap onto hot-water pipe (with some foam pipe insulation around
probe to help improve accuracy) or whereever.  Even drilled small hole in
sill-plate and stuck one through to get an 'outdoor' reading.

Although two of the units failed early because of my... (ahem...) soldering
skill with SO packages (well, afterall I was using a 15w pencil iron to do
SO, so what can you expect).  But once I got things down pat, I've gotten 12
working units.

Had some old cat-5 scraps, and there was already a couple of cat-5 runs up
to the attic area.  Made for good wire to connect them all together.  So now
I have a linux box sitting in the basement 'logging' temperatures from all
around the attic, basement, furnace.

Got some of their straight A/D converters from another hobby source.  These
came with the surface mount chip already mounted in a standard 8-pin dip
plug.  They only take 0-5V input, so I've been tinkering with some 'signal
conditioner' circuits to attach a solar cell for measuring potential 'sun
input' for different placements around the place.

Just a hobby, but interesting, keeps me off the streets.  And my wife
doesn't mind as long as there's no wires strung across the kitchen table ;-)

daestrom