Home energy data logging project

AC_Hacker · 03-06-11, 08:54 PM

Strider,

Last time I tuned into your project, you were still wrestling with the problem of measuring power. As I recall, you were measuring current and then multiplying by the assumed voltage, and ignoring PF issues.

I got to thinking about this and just remembered that there was a project call Tweet-a-Watt, where a guy used an off-the-shelf Kill-a-Watt and hacked into it and made it send out power consumption info via Twitter.

So, I was thinking that he must have found some way to intercept the power data from the Kill-a-Watt while it was on it's way to the LCD and decoded it and sent that on to Twitter.

I went to Tweet-a-Watt to see just how he did it, and NO I was wrong, he had a XBee...

.

...pick up the current and the voltage info from the Kill-a-Watt...

... and sent it on to a computer where a Python Script takes care of the dirty work.

Details of this approach can be found here.

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker

03-06-11, 08:54 PM	#28
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	Measuring Power... Strider, Last time I tuned into your project, you were still wrestling with the problem of measuring power. As I recall, you were measuring current and then multiplying by the assumed voltage, and ignoring PF issues. I got to thinking about this and just remembered that there was a project call Tweet-a-Watt, where a guy used an off-the-shelf Kill-a-Watt and hacked into it and made it send out power consumption info via Twitter. So, I was thinking that he must have found some way to intercept the power data from the Kill-a-Watt while it was on it's way to the LCD and decoded it and sent that on to Twitter. I went to Tweet-a-Watt to see just how he did it, and NO I was wrong, he had a XBee... . ...pick up the current and the voltage info from the Kill-a-Watt... ... and sent it on to a computer where a Python Script takes care of the dirty work. Details of this approach can be found here. Best Regards, -AC_Hacker __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...