Hi, I have an energy saving monitor (not Wattson) and having read Crispin's
post I wonder if anyone has made a device so that it is possible to receive
the signal from the sender on the meter directly into a computer and then
record the electricity usage directly?

My present monitor just displays the usage in real time and if I want to
keep a record of my electricity usage I just read my meter once a week and
enter it in a spreadsheet.

Janice

"Janice" wrote in message
...
Hi, I have an energy saving monitor (not Wattson) and having read
Crispin's
post I wonder if anyone has made a device so that it is possible to
receive
the signal from the sender on the meter directly into a computer and then
record the electricity usage directly?

My present monitor just displays the usage in real time and if I want to
keep a record of my electricity usage I just read my meter once a week and
enter it in a spreadsheet.

Janice



How about getting a CurrentCost, which costs around £30?
It has a serial port which squirts out power consumption data every 6
seconds.
I've got one, and had much DIY fun building the hardware and software to
interface it to a PC, but you can get that stuff readymade if you want:
http://www.currentcost.com/index.html
http://www.ecogadgetshop.co.uk
http://currentcost.wetpaint.com/?t=anon
http://www.sgurr.co.uk/lundycam/ener...interface.html

"rgrgrgr" wrote in message
...
"Janice" wrote in message
...
Hi, I have an energy saving monitor (not Wattson) and having read
Crispin's
post I wonder if anyone has made a device so that it is possible to
receive
the signal from the sender on the meter directly into a computer and
then
record the electricity usage directly?

My present monitor just displays the usage in real time and if I want to
keep a record of my electricity usage I just read my meter once a week
and
enter it in a spreadsheet.

Janice



How about getting a CurrentCost, which costs around £30?
It has a serial port which squirts out power consumption data every 6
seconds.
I've got one, and had much DIY fun building the hardware and software to
interface it to a PC, but you can get that stuff readymade if you want:
http://www.currentcost.com/index.html
http://www.ecogadgetshop.co.uk
http://currentcost.wetpaint.com/?t=anon
http://www.sgurr.co.uk/lundycam/ener...interface.html

Hi thanks for that, my monitor is from Eon and it has a RJ45 socket on the
base so all I need is a cable and software. Project for son as he is
interested in electronics and computers

Janice

Janice wrote:

Hi thanks for that, my monitor is from Eon and it has a RJ45 socket on the
base so all I need is a cable and software. Project for son as he is
interested in electronics and computers


Please tell me more about this device, it sounds like it might send its
output via ehternet to a syslog server.

AJH

"andrew" wrote in message
...
Janice wrote:

Hi thanks for that, my monitor is from Eon and it has a RJ45 socket on
the
base so all I need is a cable and software. Project for son as he is
interested in electronics and computers


Please tell me more about this device, it sounds like it might send its
output via ehternet to a syslog server.

i've got a current cost, i think they just use an rj45 socket as it's the
most convinient locking socket with enough connectors for the purpous.

the meter connects to my computer via usb, some propietry software/hardware
in the usb end of the cable is supposed to allow the devise to work without
a driver, but it dosent on my version of vista.

from what i read about the current cost pc connection, it downloads the
memory of the unit when connected to the pooter, some people seem to
indicate that they do a download once a day and produce usage graphs showing
when the most power was used during the day... i also read something about
30 or 45 days worth of memory, but as the lead wouldent work with vista i
gave up with that side of it for now, too many other things to be getting on
with.

On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:55:30 +0000, andrew wrote:

Please tell me more about this device, it sounds like it might send its
output via ehternet to a syslog server.

No, the CurrentCost meter uses an RJ45 connector but outputs a serial data
stream at TTL levels. The version of meter alters what data is available
and the baud rate.

I see that there is a new one due out in January, longer history, more
inputs, better looking.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Janice wrote:
"rgrgrgr" wrote

How about getting a CurrentCost, which costs around £30?
It has a serial port which squirts out power consumption data

Hi thanks for that, my monitor is from Eon and it has a RJ45 socket on the
base so all I need is a cable and software. Project for son as he is
interested in electronics and computers

I'm fairly sure that the monitors from Eon are rebadged currentcost
ones. This seems to be the kind with the biggest community of hobbyists,
so your son is in good company :-) . Google for CurrentCost and he
should find plenty of info.

One thing to note is that the RJ45 socket is not ethernet (network) but
TTL (low-voltage) serial. I don't know if plugging it into an active
network would damage it (or the network device) but best not try.

Pete

gazz wrote:

i've got a current cost, i think they just use an rj45 socket as it's
the most convinient locking socket

Yep - earlier versions used to use USB sockets, again without actually
being a USB device. I got one of these (the RJ45 version) from work when
they were still prototypes, in order to test it and give feedback - the
use of an RJ45 socket for a signal other than ethernet was something I
brought up as bound to confuse people. I guess now they're selling the
cables they're stuck with it for backwards compatibility.

with enough connectors for the purpous.

Actually it only uses four of them, and only two are strictly necessary
depending on what's at the other end.

Pete

rgrgrgr wrote:
How about getting a CurrentCost, which costs around £30?

My son has one of these in his student digs. He can pull up graphs of
current and historic power use over the interweb.

Or at least, he could until it all died yesterday - we suspect something
died when the house temp got below 12. They are all away for Christmas.

Andy