Special Brultech ECM-1220.H offer to cocoontech members.

[Btech]

Hey From Ireland.

Been reading this thread with a lot of interest, and i have come to the conclusion that this is something worth the investment. but im not 100% sure if i have all the details correct.

I have 110v regulated power from a step down system, filtered and used for some amplification systems. this will power the meter.
What I am not sure about is monitoing my primary feed. The power here is 240v [238v and the current meter reading] and running at 50hz.

Can i use the meter to monitor this for a Single feed by clamping the primary Live heading to the 60amp breaker? Sinlgle Phase supply

I also read that there are support for 2 probes, but i think that implies 2 for 110 or 1 for 220, but that may be due to the way power is suppiled for 220 in the US. Akain to a 3 phase supply. So, the question is - Can i monitor 2 feeds on the one device in a 240v single phase configuration.

thanks

Finally - what link do I use to take advantage of the offer if these questions pan out? I will be in the US in 2 weeks so can easliy have the device shipped to my location in the US.

cheers

Damian,

We have recently implemented a firmware version for the ECM-1220.H to allow it to monitor Euro-systems of 220V/50Hz. Fortunately in your case, since the ECM-1220.H Pkg comes with two current transformers (CTs) you can monitor your entire panel and also a seperate load with the second enegy monitor channel/CT. If you are interested, please email [email protected]

Paul

 

[robolo]

BTechRep,
I got the CTs on but not sure if this is satisfactory placement. On the one phase I got the CT on the nice long horizontal part but for the other phase (with the red tape) I could only place it on the vertical portion and then it slides down to the juction with the panel. See picture. It is working but will there be any issues with accuracy based on how it is placed?




robolo

 

[Btech]

BTechRep,
I got the CTs on but not sure if this is satisfactory placement. On the one phase I got the CT on the nice long horizontal part but for the other phase (with the red tape) I could only place it on the vertical portion and then it slides down to the juction with the panel. See picture. It is working but will there be any issues with accuracy based on how it is placed?

View attachment 1880


robolo

The manual specifies installing the CT on a straight section due to the fact that the 200A CTs we used to use had a much smaller opening and could be damaged if it was forced onto a "bent" section of the conductor. Our new 200A CTs fit comfortably with room to spare. Regardless of whether the CT is perpendicular or not does not affect the accuracy. Alway be carefull that the CT cable is routed such that it isn't sitting on an open conductor or located in an area where it may be pinched or damaged.

 

[gregking]

Could someone give a bit more clarification to the Zigbee support?

I am looking at killing two birds here. I'm interested in power monitoring and also have been looking at getting into Zigbee development in my playing around with Atmel AVR microcontroller development. I would like to ensure that if I go with the Zigbee version of this then it is compatible with whatever module I choose to use for my AVR development.

From what I can tell on the Digi site, it looks like they have moved to a newer version of their modules ZB which are lower power, etc. Their site says,
"The XBee & XBee-PRO ZB share hardware with XBee & XBee-PRO ZNet 2.5. As a result, modules can be “converted” from one platform to another by loading different firmware onto a given module. Contact Digi Support for details."
However, I see that this thread links to the older module so I'm confused as to the best way to approach this. Paul noted in the first post about these being able to be upgraded, so he can't be sure.

Okay, this is rambling, but I'll try to formulate a direct question.
Is it possible for me to buy the Zigbee version of the Brultech system and have it interoperate with Zigbee ZB modules that I may purchase to do other development? If not, would an option of including the ZB modules in this kit as an option? Does the Brultech system support the ZB modules? If so, is there anything additional to the Zigbee version of this kit other than the inclusion of the two Digi components that would make it such that I couldn't simply buy these two Digi parts on my own?

Thanks,
gk

 

[electron]

The main issue I see right now is that the ZigBee driver shows up as a serial port. So using any software to monitor the unit would 'lock' the port, and make it unavailable to other programs. As for the compatibility question, Paul will have to answer that one.

 

[felixrosbergen]

Btechrep:

Are yor own CT's available in a UL labelled version yet?

If not can you please recommend a specific model from Magnelabs that is and will work for a new construction 200A service? Would the SCT-0750-200 work? Does that come with a plug for the Brultech unit?

THe main panel is installed in my house, put the power is not on yet. I hope to get the electrician to put the CT's in before the power get's turned on. From what i understand he can install them and run the cables to the outside of the panel and i'll plug them into the unit later right? I want to have UL listed CT's so that there's no argument with the electrician.

On a side note. My Electrician is proposing a whole house surge supressor that sits on a set of breakers from the panel. I was expecting the surge protector to be 'inline' and 'upstream' of the main breaker. Is the way the electrican is proposing a normal way to do this?

 

[Btech]

Could someone give a bit more clarification to the Zigbee support?

I am looking at killing two birds here. I'm interested in power monitoring and also have been looking at getting into Zigbee development in my playing around with Atmel AVR microcontroller development. I would like to ensure that if I go with the Zigbee version of this then it is compatible with whatever module I choose to use for my AVR development.

From what I can tell on the Digi site, it looks like they have moved to a newer version of their modules ZB which are lower power, etc. Their site says,
"The XBee & XBee-PRO ZB share hardware with XBee & XBee-PRO ZNet 2.5. As a result, modules can be “converted” from one platform to another by loading different firmware onto a given module. Contact Digi Support for details."
However, I see that this thread links to the older module so I'm confused as to the best way to approach this. Paul noted in the first post about these being able to be upgraded, so he can't be sure.

Okay, this is rambling, but I'll try to formulate a direct question.
Is it possible for me to buy the Zigbee version of the Brultech system and have it interoperate with Zigbee ZB modules that I may purchase to do other development? If not, would an option of including the ZB modules in this kit as an option? Does the Brultech system support the ZB modules? If so, is there anything additional to the Zigbee version of this kit other than the inclusion of the two Digi components that would make it such that I couldn't simply buy these two Digi parts on my own?

Thanks,
gk

Good question Greg.

Our ECM-1220 uses the XBEE ZNet2.5 modules with the Znet2.5 firmware. We will soon be migrating to the ZB firmware...... The ZB firmware is not compatible with the Znet2.5 ..... don't anyone panic now! We have designed our monitors to allow the zigbee firmware to be re-flashed at both ends (ECM and PC) to be upgradable to the ZB version should anyone wish to do so in the future. The firmware and XCTU firmware programer software is available from digi.com.

The USB to Zigbee dongle is setup as the coordinator and the ECM as the router. A mesh network consists of one coordinator and 1 or more routers (and end devices). With the dongle at the PC end, it appears as a COM port due to the virtual com port driver used in conjunction with the USB-to-serial chip in the dongle. A dongle having the ZB firmware is supposed to be compatible with any zigbee compliant products, however it would require the appropriate software to do so. We haven't had a chance to explore this. We are going by what Digi support has told us.

At the ECM-1220 end, there is no dongle. The zigbee models have the radio installed internaly. We have a special version of ECM-1220 firmware which connects the ECM-1220 USB port directly to the zigbee radio to allow re-flashing the zigbee module, should anyone ever require to do so.


I hope this answers your questions.

Paul

 

[Btech]

Btechrep:

Are yor own CT's available in a UL labelled version yet?

If not can you please recommend a specific model from Magnelabs that is and will work for a new construction 200A service? Would the SCT-0750-200 work? Does that come with a plug for the Brultech unit?

THe main panel is installed in my house, put the power is not on yet. I hope to get the electrician to put the CT's in before the power get's turned on. From what i understand he can install them and run the cables to the outside of the panel and i'll plug them into the unit later right? I want to have UL listed CT's so that there's no argument with the electrician.

On a side note. My Electrician is proposing a whole house surge supressor that sits on a set of breakers from the panel. I was expecting the surge protector to be 'inline' and 'upstream' of the main breaker. Is the way the electrican is proposing a normal way to do this?

We are expecting our UL "E" number any day now, however, it may be another month before we get the UL labeled versions.

Magnelab CTs are compatible with our units and yes the SCT-0750-200 is the proper model for the SPLIT-200 substitute. If this is a new installation (panel), you may be better off with magnelab's UCT-1000-200 donut type CT since it is lower cost and higher accuracy. The disadvatage is that the line wire needs to be threaded through the middle of the CT which may be done when the panel is installed.

As for the surge suppressor, I don't know much about them so maybe someone else may know.

Paul

 

[felixrosbergen]

Wow....$46 a pieces at Magelabs...is that reasonable??

 

[zimmer62]

Homeseer support.

In case anyone is wondering, Blade is nearly done with a plugin that works great with this unit. I've been testing it for a week now, and there are few things to wrap up before it's ready for everyone else to use.

 

[sqhughes]

Homeseer support.

In case anyone is wondering, Blade is nearly done with a plugin that works great with this unit. I've been testing it for a week now, and there are few things to wrap up before it's ready for everyone else to use.

Excellent!

I'm a big fan of Blade Plugins and have had my Brultech monitor installed for several weeks now.
I'd volunteer in the beta testing if needed, but I didn't see anything on Blade's message board about this yet.

 

[gregking]

Okay, I think I understand. From your last point, it looks like specifying the Zigbee version of the ECM determines which system I am locked into from the start, i.e. Zigbee isn't simply an add-on option.

Additionally, the builtin Zigbee module that you are (initially) including in this setup is the older ZNet 2.5 modules and these wouldn't be compatible with any ZB modules that I buy for my other projects (at least until I upgrade the firmware in your module). I shouldn't buy the older modules, right?

It looks like I could order your Zigbee version for now and if I get my own ZB modules, I could do independent work until your product supports ZB and then upgrade your firmware and have a completely ZB based system. Is this correct? I realize you have to qualify your response based on what Digi claims.

Once I have the system fully converted to ZB, I could create my own applications (say in a microcontroller) that could use my ZB module and obtain the ECM data in parallel with the module connected to the dongle on the PC running the client application. Correct?
I guess I'm trying to determine if the data is directed discretely to the peer module in the dongle and/or is encoded such that it is not easily read. I assume I would see the same serial data that is presented to the COM port.

Also, I see that the specs on your site indicate an indoor range of 80ft. My panel is at the back of a detached garage about 25ft away. This means that the distance is about 23ft + 25ft + ~ 20ft to my wiring closet = ~70ft. It would have to go through 3-4 walls (2 of which are exterior). This seems close to the max range. Do you think it will have a problem or is the spec overstated?

gk

Good question Greg.

Our ECM-1220 uses the XBEE ZNet2.5 modules with the Znet2.5 firmware. We will soon be migrating to the ZB firmware...... The ZB firmware is not compatible with the Znet2.5 ..... don't anyone panic now! We have designed our monitors to allow the zigbee firmware to be re-flashed at both ends (ECM and PC) to be upgradable to the ZB version should anyone wish to do so in the future. The firmware and XCTU firmware programer software is available from digi.com.

The USB to Zigbee dongle is setup as the coordinator and the ECM as the router. A mesh network consists of one coordinator and 1 or more routers (and end devices). With the dongle at the PC end, it appears as a COM port due to the virtual com port driver used in conjunction with the USB-to-serial chip in the dongle. A dongle having the ZB firmware is supposed to be compatible with any zigbee compliant products, however it would require the appropriate software to do so. We haven't had a chance to explore this. We are going by what Digi support has told us.

At the ECM-1220 end, there is no dongle. The zigbee models have the radio installed internaly. We have a special version of ECM-1220 firmware which connects the ECM-1220 USB port directly to the zigbee radio to allow re-flashing the zigbee module, should anyone ever require to do so.


I hope this answers your questions.

Paul

 

[deranged]

Homeseer support.

In case anyone is wondering, Blade is nearly done with a plugin that works great with this unit. I've been testing it for a week now, and there are few things to wrap up before it's ready for everyone else to use.

Awesome, I just ordered the Brultech package. To be honest, TED would have been fine for me, but any vendor that will take the time and communicate and answer questions, wins a special place on my list.

StevenE

 

[felixrosbergen]

Gents..

Is $46 a normal price for a current transformer?

 

[beelzerob]

Gents..

Is $46 a normal price for a current transformer?

No idea what "normal" is, but I can say that the CT's I bought for use with my Datanab Ai32 were about that much each.