As I noted in an earlier post, I ordered two Peacefair meters with external current transformers from eBay. Upon first glance, from the front, they look just like the display unit in the link at the beginning of this thread. Where the unit with an internal shunt has two red and two black leads on the back, the unit with an external current transformer has four screw terminals. I locally sourced a 4.4"x2.25"x0.875" electronic experiment box to keep my fingers off the 240V terminals. The meter is slightly too deep for this experiment box, but it does suffice to keep my fingers off the 240V leads.
The unit provides the following display screens: Volts, Amps, kWh, Watts, Time.
Cumulative run time is maintained through power outages, although I didn't check to see whether it continued counting while the power was out, or simply paused the timer and resumed when power was restored.
After tinkering with my unit, I do not understand the functionality described as "Power Alarm" in most of the English translated instructions and auction pages. If I press and hold the "Set" button on the kWh screen, it changes the kWh display to flashing and pressing "Ok" resets the accumulated total to 0.00kWh. If I press and hold the "Set" button on the Volts screen, nothing happens. If I press and hold the "Set" button on the Amps screen, nothing happens. If I press and hold the "Set" button on the Watt screen, nothing happens. If I press and hold the "Set" button on the Time screen, pressing "Ok" resets the accumulated time clock to 0:00 hrs.
Current readings from the supplied current transformer compare to those from my clamp meter at ~12A. You will need to be able to slip the current transformers over the wire to be sensed, which typically involves disassembly of high voltage circuits. (Use your electrical service disconnects, and use care when working in high voltage panels. )
Screen updates occur at roughly 1hz, except the time screen.
There is no internal fuse in this meter. External fuses should be used in the supply lines to protect the supply wires. The terminal blocks on the rear of the meter with external current taps accept a maximum wire size of 12awg. Routing 12awg to this device is difficult. Stepping through appropriately sized fuses allows the use of more manageable wire sizes to power the meter. Be sure the insulation voltage rating on the supply wire you choose is appropriate for the voltage you are working with.
I have not put this unit head to head against my Ted 1001 to verify the accumulated power measurements (kWh) are consistent with other measuring tools. I might try that next weekend when my month of measuring the energy needed to run my electric dryer is complete.
|