Re: Refrigerator monitor ideas?

[nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston)]

"Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>The RS232 meter is rated for 20A, but it cautions that rating
>is only good for 30 secs at a time.  Do you think it would be safe to hook
>the meter up directly or should I make a jury-rigged an induction probe?

Measuring the current is not useful with an inductive load. Current can be
quite high but is not directly proportional to power as it's out-of-phase
with voltage. The Kill A Watt digitally samples both current and voltage
instantaneously thousands of times per second and computes the true power.
If you switch between the VA reading and the Watts reading you'll see the VA
is higher. Of course, you need to wait until you've completed the kWh test.

IOW, don't risk damage to your RS232 meter for a reading that is not
meaningful.

http://davehouston.net
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/roZetta/
roZetta-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx