Use in other countries (compliant), data options

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Adrian PPS
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:48 pm

Use in other countries (compliant), data options

Post by Adrian PPS »

Hi there,
I have been looking for a solution for a project here in Australia that requires multiple sub-metering for billing & consumption logging.

From the info I have read on the web page & in the forums, the EKM meters seem to be capable of everything required.

That is:
I need to acquire consumption from around 20 sub distribution boards/ccts. Some meters I can hardwire with comms cable, others will suit wireless (Zigbee?) comms. This info needs to be displayed either in a single local display or web-based for reading (preferred). I need to be able to determine monthly consumption for billing.

An extra point/requirement is that quite a few of the sub-boards/ccts are supplied through other boards, eg up to 6x sub-levels. Of these, I need to either be able to subtract their data from an upstream meter, or program the system to do this automatically.
Perhaps there is a solution to this already, or is this something I would have to outsource?

My main question though is whether these meters have been shipped to Australia previously, & if so, whether they are compliant to use on the network.

I could use the EKM system for a lot of my work, so I'm hoping it is approved/suitable for use here.

Adrian PPS
Seth
Posts: 17
Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2011 1:40 pm

Re: Use in other countries (compliant), data options

Post by Seth »

Thank you for your interest in our meters.

We do recommend our EKM-Omnimeter for your needs. Regarding specific local approval I would not know, although I do know that Australia is probably maybe our 2nd or 3rd biggest user of our metering products outside of the USA.

This meter uses external CTs (Current Transformers) which makes for an easier install. The CTs measure the electrical current in the wires being measured. You will need to know your wire size diameter and if you want to use Solid-Core or Split-Core CTs. Solid-Core are less expensive but are a bit more difficult to install, they require that you disconnect the wires being read and slip the CT over the wire. Split-Core CTs are more expensive but they very easily just snap around the wires being read.
You will need 1 CT for 120 volt (or foreign 2-wire systems), use 2 CTs for a 120/240 three-wire system (two hots and a neutral, with or without ground), 2 CTs for 3-phase 3-wire, and 3 CTs for 3-phase 4-wire systems.

You can read the meter on the face, or set it up to be read with your computer. The remote read is a simple RS-485, 2 wire system which allows the meter string (up to 256 meters on a string) to be read from up to 4000 feet away. This string of meters can then be connected to one of our iSerials and from there you can read your meters over the internet from anywhere in the world. If you need to go wireless, you can wirelessly bridge the hardwired RS-485 network at any point using our 485Bee wireless mesh.

Regarding subtracting usage from the total it may be best to put a separate sub-meter on the system that will be excluded later from the total...

We have free EKM Dash software (PC, Mac, Linux) on our website for you to try. If you download it on our website, don't change any settings and click "Read all Meters", you can see that it is possible to read our meters over the internet here at EKM Metering. The free version will also let you read your own meters over the internet. Here is more information: http://www.ekmmetering.com/ekmdash

We also have a $30 version of our software (PC, Mac, Linux) that will let you log the meter use. This software does not have any monthly fees and can be used on an unlimited number of meters. You can set it up to make a monthly report on any day of the month. The software can automatically generate a report and email it to you, or your tenant/user for billing.

There is a lot more information here: http://www.ekmmetering.com/information/ ... guide.html

EKM-Omnimeter --- $160 each -- http://www.ekmmetering.com/ekm-metering ... 60-hz.html
CTs --- starting at $15 each -- (you will need from 1 to 3 of these depending on your wiring system) -- http://www.ekmmetering.com/ekm-metering ... s-cts.html
Optional Communication Converter (to send the data to a computer) --- $10 to $65 -- http://www.ekmmetering.com/ekm-metering ... tions.html
Optional Software (to read the data) ---$0 or $30 -- http://www.ekmmetering.com/ekm-metering ... nload.html
Optional Enclosure --- $40 -- http://www.ekmmetering.com/ekm-metering ... ounts.html



You may also be interested in the new EKM Push. This option should work well with cellular modems.

We are still in development of the Push system, so ups and downs of a system in beta should be expected for the next short while.

The EKM Push uses our OmniMeters for metering, but instead of having to send requests from a computer and having the meter respond over the network, the EKM Push gateway handles all of the meter communication, parses the meter data, and inserts the reads into a central database. This completely eliminates all of the configuration issues of firewalls, dynamic IP, and having a computer running all the time to make it happen. Data is available seamlessly and immediately from a known, fixed location. Up to 256 EKM-Omnimeters can be daisy chain connected to each EKM Push on up to 4000 feet of wire. The entire system has been designed to be a robust, scalable, metering system, with an easy plug-and-play installation.

We are focusing on providing our customers with easy access to their data.

If this of interest to you, take a look at this data from live meters that are spread all over the world:
http://cl.ekmmetering.com/
The sample Group ID is: 1010 and the Password is: 2020
Firefox works well for viewing

If you were to get your own EKM Push you will be given your own user ID and password to view your meters.


Good meter to check out: 10068

These are rudimentary graphs meant to convey the abilities of this new system.

You can change the number of reads to 360 or 720 to see more history
--------
Or this web data dump:

http://cl.ekmmetering.com/10068~300.xml?MTAxMDoyMDIw
--------
Or in Linux command line or Mac OSX Terminal (be sure to include the curl, this is for 300 reads from meter 10068, this is useful for developers):

curl http://cl.ekmmetering.com/10068~300.xml?MTAxMDoyMDIw

Here is a widget we have been working on that is using live EKM Push Data (doesn't yet work with Internet Explorer 8). We can share the code for this if you are interested: http://widget.ekmmetering.com/10068/

Our intent is not to get into the data business, but to provide the end user with the data and let them do what they want with it, whether it be nice dashboards, billing systems, or other kinds of reports. We will be providing some minimal user interface. But the idea is that for anyone who wants more than that, they will retrieve the data from our server on a regular schedule, we'll dump the data once it's confirmed that the data has been transferred, and they'll do what they need to with the data. At the level of 1 minute read intervals with one day retention, our plan is to provide the data for free. This system was designed and built for us by a brilliant software/hardware engineer, and his forte is reliability. We're extremely pleased and excited by how robust this system is, and how fast it responds. We really believe that this will give us a huge advantage in terms of making our meters a really compelling product. Starting at US$100. Here it is on our website: http://www.ekmmetering.com/ekm-metering ... ducts.html

Additional Information: http://www.ekmmetering.com/push-communications


If you ever need anything, or if you have any questions, please let us know.

Thanks again,


Seth
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