[sudo-discuss] TED The Energy Detective AC power monitors

[Jake]

great link!  we should implement that stuff for mesh nodes and monitor 
power flow all over the omni.

On Thu, 4 Aug 2016, Cere Misc wrote:

> Hell ya.  Sounds like fun!  Here's an Arduino library that seems like it
> would do the job.
> http://www.airspayce.com/mikem/arduino/RadioHead/classRH__ASK.html
>
> On Thu, Aug 4, 2016 at 12:32 AM, Jake <jake at spaz.org> wrote:
>
>> I opened up the black box that connects to the current-sense transformers
>> included with The Energy Detective (TED) power monitor kits.
>>
>> it contains a CS5460 chip which is a "Single Phase Bi-Directional
>> Power/Energy IC" which has a digital (SPI) data interface.  Unfortunately
>> it does not have analog outputs, so it can't be used to convert the AC
>> current signals coming into it into a simple DC analog value.
>>
>> http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/230848/CIRRUS/CS5460.html
>>
>> however, if someone finds a nice arduino library to talk to this chip, we
>> can...
>>
>> wait no, that's pointless.  the chip is connected to a PIC16F627A which is
>> processing the data from the CS5460 and then sending it out over the power
>> lines using a TDA5051AT "Home automation modem" chip:
>>
>> http://www.nxp.com/documents/data_sheet/TDA5051A.pdf
>>
>> "The TDA5051A is a modem IC, specifically dedicated to ASK transmission by
>>  means of the home power supply network, at 600 baud or 1200 baud data
>>  rate. It operates from a single 5 V supply."
>>
>> it transmits Amplitude Shift Keying (ASK) data transmission using the
>> electric power lines it's connected to.  basically it communicates at
>> 8.48MHz (somewhere between 6.08 - 9.504 MHz) in binary serial
>> communications.  so it should be pretty easy to figure out what it's saying.
>>
>> It could be that the box that the current sense transformers plug into
>> just sends data (including its serial number, which is on a barcode label
>> stuck to the box) and a displaybox (or our hack) picks it up or not.  But
>> it's also possible that it waits for a displaybox to transmit a signal
>> telling it to turn on, or asking it to supply a measurement on-command.
>>
>> since we have displayboxes and these current sense boxes, we can find out
>> if we want.  and then we can measure power flow throughout the omni.
>>
>> -jake
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>