Smartmeter: Anyone knows how to get detailed info on them?
in [Design]
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From: sj on 27 Apr 2010 22:27 Some basic information on the meters can be found here... http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/metering/en/utility_revenue_meters/index.htm There is a pdf link for a fact sheet about the I-210+ meter near the bottom of that page. As D Yuniskis mentioned, the utility customer has some options. The changing LCD display reflects these choices. On this meter, the top big display field seems to be the elapsed kWh measurement (mostly). The lower left on this one changes: current kW, voltage, and the letters Adl. I have no idea what Adl means; there is no number on the bottom then, just Adl. When the voltage is displayed on the bottom, the top goes to all 8's with a minus sign. So that 888 thing seems to be just some artifact of the voltage display configuration. There's a little bar graph at the right middle too. It may be a crude differential indication -- power use up or down. Seems the lower left can indicate power direction, like if the customer has solar panels and can pump back power to the grid. In the above link page, if you select AMR meters from the left column, it takes you to a page of options the utility can choose for phoning home. This meter seems to have the SSL wireless link at the bottom of the page. There is another pdf fact sheet. Seems it uses 900 MHz wireless. Later I may run a wireless sniffer to see if I can find new IPs in the neighborhood. The gas meter got a new attachment too. The display on that is an old-school set of geared dials, but apparently it has wirless link too. So, not much information, but a little bit of help about what is in there. On Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:17:19 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote: >sj wrote: >> On Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:52:27 -0700, Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> >> wrote: >> >>> Hello, >>> >>> Many of you will soon be in the same boat. Our utility has informed us >>> that we and the whole town will get the dreaded smartmeters. Whether we >>> want that or not. Obviously they have serious issues and as usual the >>> utility is stone-walling: >>> >>> http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_14963541 >>> >>> Having seen all the grief caused by, ahem, sub-optimal electronics >>> design in cars I am not all that surprised. Does anyone know where to >>> find some serious data on this problem? Or maybe even schematics & board >>> layouts of those things? >>> >> >> >> I'm in San Jose. I got the new meter about a month ago, so don't have >> any feel yet for how it compares to the old one. Other neighborhoods got >> them much earlier. I haven't heard anything from people I know, just the >> media stories. I can show you what the PG&E Smart Meter looks like, >> though. >> >> Here's a link to a zip containing 4 pics of the meter face... >> http://www.xertech.net/pub/SmartMeter.zip >> > >The Meter2 picture shows all eights in the display, and it looks like >the lower 2/3rds of the LCD display is a bit dimmer. > >That's what our previous digital meter did and then it croaked ;-) > > >> The LCD display cycles through several formats every few seconds. The >> two 'meter' pics show two of those displays. I was trying to get better >> pictures of the various display formats, but it started raining, so I >> ran for cover. The two label pics may have information to lead to more >> information (FCC ID, for instance) but I haven't tried searching yet. >> > >Thanks, yes, that could help. Although there will generally be no "meat" >in the filing papers, no items such as schematics. > > >> I assume this is the same one you will get. The cylindrical case is not >> transparent on the sides, but I would doubt there is anything mechanical >> in there (like a spining disk). >> >> I'm interested too. Post if you find more information. >> > >Yes, I will.
From: D Yuniskis on 27 Apr 2010 22:59 Hi Joerg, Joerg wrote: > D Yuniskis wrote: >> Joel Koltner wrote: >>> It's kinda surprising that, as a public utility company, they don't >>> take a more customer-friendly approach along the lines of, "we're >>> going to install the new Smart Meter side-by-side with the old >>> mechanical analog ones in 1,000 volunteer test homes to demonstrate >>> they're accurate," and put all the data on-line, log all the problems >>> that are reported (and their resolutions), etc. -- seems like they'd >>> get a lot more public support that way... >> >> Why would they have to do that? :> They've "proven" to the >> regulatory agencies that their meters "accurately" measure ... > > That remains to be seen and could become part of a state government > investigation. Or hopefully will. With still more of The Clueless doing the poking. And, of course, a fair bit of grandstanding. >> As to Joerg's original question: you might poke around the >> EPRI web site (no idea if it is open to the public, though). > > I had tried that. Their search engine doesn't work well. If you key in > smartmeter or "smart meter" there's a bazillion hits containing lots of > document unrelated to the topic. Why can't IT folks learn from Digikey > how to do it right? Although they did seem to have screwed up the order > entry lately. A lot of the EPRI material is "members only" (though, much of it isn't worth the paper its printed on :> ). But, you might be able to sort out applicable ANSI or NEMA standards that could give you an idea of how they characterize the load they are trying to measure, etc.
From: Michael A. Terrell on 27 Apr 2010 23:24 Jim Thompson wrote: > > On Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:40:26 -0700, Tim Wescott <tim(a)seemywebsite.now> > wrote: > > >Jim Thompson wrote: > [snip] > >> > >> I would expect data storage in NVRAM... don't you think? Otherwise > >> the exposure to suits from angry customers would be overwhelming. > > > >I can hear Ernestine now: "you can't talk to me that way, sir, I am with > >the _Power_ company!!" Tikki tikki tap (lights go out). > > Don't you miss real roll-in-the-aisle humor like that? > > Her portrayal of a telephone operator is hilarious :-) > > All we get now-a-days are fairies denigrating smart women... if you > get my gist :-( http://www.lilytomlin.com/charns/ernestine/quotes.htm
From: Michael A. Terrell on 27 Apr 2010 23:28 Joel Koltner wrote: > > It's kinda surprising that, as a public utility company, they don't take a > more customer-friendly approach along the lines of, "we're going to install > the new Smart Meter side-by-side with the old mechanical analog ones in 1,000 > volunteer test homes to demonstrate they're accurate," and put all the data > on-line, log all the problems that are reported (and their resolutions), > etc. -- seems like they'd get a lot more public support that way... > > This way it is just sounds like, "we're doing what we want to, and you're all > pretty much just wrong to question the accuracy, so just leave us alone and > keep paying those bills we send you!" Progress Energy already did that around here. They said they were replacing over 1 million meters and that they were going to recycle all the old meters.
From: krw on 27 Apr 2010 23:42
On Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:21:05 -0400, "tm" <noone(a)msc.com> wrote: > >"Jim Yanik" <jyanik(a)abuse.gov> wrote in message >news:Xns9D67C419D6D23jyaniklocalnetcom(a)216.168.3.44... >> Jim Thompson <To-Email-Use-The-Envelope-Icon(a)On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote in >> news:tbeet5lqev8hlb202plsncusntssmjfnm2(a)4ax.com: >> >> >> >> consider what Comrade Obama wants to do with coal-fueled electric >> power,which is ~50% of US electric supply;Cap-n-Trade would dramatically >> raise electric rates.(he's SAID he wants to bankrupt the coal industry..) >> >> then consider that Comrade Obama -says- he supports nuclear power...as >> long >> as there's safe storage for the wastes...then turns around and kills Yucca >> Mountain Repository and insitutes a NEW site search that will take many >> years to complete,so actual construction of a safe storage site will be a >> couple of DECADES away,and nuclear plants will not go forward. >> So,Comrade Obama has effectively BLOCKED new nuclear plants. >> Solar and wind will NOT make up the difference,nor will biofuels. >> >> End result is much higher electric rates,brownouts and blackouts,and/or a >> lowering of lifestyles.Industry will suffer,jobs will suffer. >> It also fits right in with his desire for high gasoline prices. >> (the lowering of your lifestyle) >> Our economy is closely tied to energy prices. >> >> That's Comrade Obama's "social justice". >> He's out to drag us all down to the "poor's" level. >> > > >Saw a good bumper sticker today. > >Obamanomics: Trickle up Poverty The other EE in the company got his picture in the local paper holding that sign in the 4/15 tea party, here. |