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THEEE meter !

Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 8:45 pm
by ChrisF
Some of you have followed various of my "electrickery" threads over the years.

Through these threads we invariably start talking of :
Volts
Amps
Watts
Amp-hours ...


And to keep track of what is happening in the systems we have used various meters in various projects.

Some of you will remember this baby -
DSCN1367 (Small).JPG
which was used in this -
_MG_8763 (Small).JPG

This allowed me to prove beyond doubt what happens with a dual charging system, and various other questions .... BUT, it could only "show" the volts and amps at that given moment !!

I had to use time lapse photography to record the data, then input it into spreadsheets to actually "See" what was happening with the system.



And our trusty 4x4Direct comes to the rescue :thumbup:

ONE meter !

One meter for ALL the data you can want to see, for any given circuit.


This can be any 12V circuit - Battery + meter + load
DSCN2819 (Small).JPG

And look at all the data this little beauty delivers:
Volts + Amps + Watts. So now you actually KNOW what is happening in your system, all in a single glance !!
DSCN2823 (Small).JPG

But wait there is more ... net soos in die tele-adds ....

This stunning meter shows a LOT of other data as well !!!

It also shows the Amp-hours used .... so you can actually SEE how much energy was charged into the battery, or used by the fridge or, or, or ....


But wait, there is still more !

It also records the peak current drawn -
DSCN2824 (Small).JPG
YES, thats NOT all !

It also records the maximum power draw -
DSCN2825 (Small).JPG
It even records the "Watt-hours" used. Certainly not a figure often used in the 4x4 electrickery game. But THIS is the closest comparison the "kW.h" used at home - VERY handy for those wanting to power laptops etc in the bush and who want to compare the 12V-power usage to the "kW.h" they may be used to at home -
DSCN2826 (Small).JPG

And still there is more :yahoo:

It even tells you the average volts -
DSCN2827 (Small).JPG

And now this meter is available at 4x4Direct :celebrate: :thumbup:



Pieter asked me to test the unit and to provide feedback. In SHORT:

- THIS is the meter I will be using in my next project !! I just LOVE all this data !!!!!!!!! :cooldude: :subscribed:

- I AM going to add this in line with my pv panels (in my 4x4) ... each day you see exactly what power it delivered, no more guessing :thumbup:

- As you know I have a 12V lighting system for my house. I am also adding a unit to this system to record the exact data of what is happening in this system

- only downside I have found in my testing - the "extra data" keeps on recording as long as the meter is powered. Personally I want to see stuff such as "A.h" on a daily basis. Easy enough to unplug the unit to reset it, if you really want this function. But now I am really splitting hairs ! This truly is a stunning meter !!!!!!!!!!!!


DANKIE Pieter

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 8:48 pm
by ChrisF

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 8:50 pm
by ChrisF
Here is the unit specs from the 4x4Direct web page :

WATT METER - 50 AMPS
Constantly displays the actual values for voltage [V], current [A] and power [W]
Records and show in the bottom left, Peak Amps, Peak Watts and Watt per hour and Average Volts. The recorded data will reset each time you switch off the source power.

Specifications:

Operating Voltage 0-60V DC
Current 0-100A Intermittent
50A Continuous
Temperature Range 0-50°C ambient air temp.
Measurement Update Period 400mS
Data Queue Sequence Time 2sec
In Circuit Resistance 0.001 Ohms
Operation Current 7mA
Auxiliary Power Voltage 4-60V DC
Case Dimensions 84 x 43 x 25mm (LxWxD)
Weight 140g
Display 16 character x 2 row STN LCD

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 9:40 pm
by george
Thanks Chris for testing this for us.

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:57 pm
by Mud Dog
Way cool!! :thumbup:

To all the club members that attended year-end functions and received 4x4Direct gift vouchers, - here's the perfect opportunity to utilize them! :D:

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 10:58 pm
by Hi-Hilux
Like dit baie!

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 3:30 am
by Dirka
Excellent write up. Thanx :thumbup:

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 6:36 am
by CasKru
Jis nê... die ouens daar by 4x4Direct dink die heeltyd sulke briljante idees uit om my geld te vat... :twisted:

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:39 am
by ChrisF
CasKru wrote:Jis nê... die ouens daar by 4x4Direct dink die heeltyd sulke briljante idees uit om my geld te vat... :twisted:
hehehehe ....

nooit geweet jy het dit nodig nie .... en NOU het jy sommer n hele paar NODIG .... :twisted: :twisted:

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:51 am
by CasKru
ChrisF wrote:
CasKru wrote:Jis nê... die ouens daar by 4x4Direct dink die heeltyd sulke briljante idees uit om my geld te vat... :twisted:
hehehehe ....

nooit geweet jy het dit nodig nie .... en NOU het jy sommer n hele paar NODIG .... :twisted: :twisted:
Jy weet mos....
Image

Re: THEEE meter !

Posted: Fri Dec 04, 2015 9:30 am
by Stef
Like it :thumbup: Beats building a hardware setup for the RasPi
Would work great in the trailer

Could one export the recorded data or is it still a manual process to get it into Excel or a DB?

All we need now is a multi source controller/meter :siffler: