Smartmeter: Anyone knows how to get detailed info on them?
in [Design]
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From: Joerg on 27 Apr 2010 14:52 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? BTW, we used to have a meter with LCD readout and all until years ago. It eventually failed, maybe because it gets hit by the full morning sun. The utility replaced it with, tada, a classic mechanical meter. Probably because those simply work ... -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: Jim Thompson on 27 Apr 2010 15:31 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? > >BTW, we used to have a meter with LCD readout and all until years ago. >It eventually failed, maybe because it gets hit by the full morning sun. >The utility replaced it with, tada, a classic mechanical meter. Probably >because those simply work ... Relax, Joerg, Your cost of electricity WILL go up, WITHOUT a rate increase. You can't fight it, just bend over and brace yourself, and hope that will make it less painful :-) ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson, CTO | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | The only thing bipartisan in this country is hypocrisy
From: Joerg on 27 Apr 2010 15:37 Jim Thompson 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? >> >> BTW, we used to have a meter with LCD readout and all until years ago. >> It eventually failed, maybe because it gets hit by the full morning sun. >> The utility replaced it with, tada, a classic mechanical meter. Probably >> because those simply work ... > > Relax, Joerg, Your cost of electricity WILL go up, WITHOUT a rate > increase. > > You can't fight it, just bend over and brace yourself, and hope that > will make it less painful :-) > But I don't want it to explode by 1000% just because some design engineer screwed up. Well, I guess if it does it'll be time to get enough others together and call Erin Brokovich :-) -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: Jan Panteltje on 27 Apr 2010 15:39 On a sunny day (Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:52:27 -0700) it happened Joerg <invalid(a)invalid.invalid> wrote in <83oq3hFikU1(a)mid.individual.net>: >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? > >BTW, we used to have a meter with LCD readout and all until years ago. >It eventually failed, maybe because it gets hit by the full morning sun. >The utility replaced it with, tada, a classic mechanical meter. Probably >because those simply work ... If you dig in www.heise.de, some time ago there was a link to a hack for those meters. Else google: toorcon11-wright.pdf As a starting ppoint. WHY DO YOU WANT TO HACK IT? >-- >Regards, Joerg > >http://www.analogconsultants.com/ > >"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. >Use another domain or send PM. >
From: Paul Hovnanian P.E. on 27 Apr 2010 15:47
Joerg 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? Find out which makes and models they're using and post that info here and maybe on alt.engineering.electrical (and maybe misc.industry.utilities.electric if that group hasn't died of neglect yet). > BTW, we used to have a meter with LCD readout and all until years ago. > It eventually failed, maybe because it gets hit by the full morning sun. > The utility replaced it with, tada, a classic mechanical meter. Probably > because those simply work ... You might have a hybrid meter there. That would be a classic electromechanical device with dial readouts and all, but also a pulse counter/processor/communications module. This counts and stores the metering disk revolutions and periodically is interrogated by a wireless network*. I've got one (and a similar gas meter). If the remote reading stuff goes TU, they can send a meter reader out to check the mechanical dials. *In some cases (rural areas), the utility doesn't bother with installing a wireless network. They just send someone out with a van equipped with the r.f. reading equipment once a month. It pulls the data as it drives by, saving the meter reader from having to get out of the vehicle and get chased by dogs. -- Paul Hovnanian mailto:Paul(a)Hovnanian.com ------------------------------------------------------------------ Dyslexics have more fnu. |