Automotive Power Current Sensing with Basic Stamp
knightofoldcode
Posts: 233
Group,
How can I sense current in automotive setting with a Basic Stamp? I want to be able to monitor several things,
1) Amateur radio equipment
2) Tools, Air Compressor, inverter, etc.
3) Jumper Cables. I want to be able to know how much power is being transfered to a dead vehicle. This of course could take a lot of power, so something in the range of 200 Amps @ 13V would be needed for this application.
As far as I know there's two feasible options:
1) Power Sense Resistor, feed power through a resistor and measure voltage drop, this will tell you current transfered.
2) Hall Effect sensor, run power cable through this sensor. Amplifiers needed?
I think I'd rather go with the Hall Effect sensor, but I have no clue which ones I'd need, or what other amplifiers may be needed?... I'm unfamiliar with any of that, and then of course how to interface that with the Basic Stamp 2.
Much help in advance,
Knight.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This message transmitted with 100% recycled electrons.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Gravity doesn't exist. The Earth sucks.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Make a man a fire, and he will be warm for the night.
Light the man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
How can I sense current in automotive setting with a Basic Stamp? I want to be able to monitor several things,
1) Amateur radio equipment
2) Tools, Air Compressor, inverter, etc.
3) Jumper Cables. I want to be able to know how much power is being transfered to a dead vehicle. This of course could take a lot of power, so something in the range of 200 Amps @ 13V would be needed for this application.
As far as I know there's two feasible options:
1) Power Sense Resistor, feed power through a resistor and measure voltage drop, this will tell you current transfered.
2) Hall Effect sensor, run power cable through this sensor. Amplifiers needed?
I think I'd rather go with the Hall Effect sensor, but I have no clue which ones I'd need, or what other amplifiers may be needed?... I'm unfamiliar with any of that, and then of course how to interface that with the Basic Stamp 2.
Much help in advance,
Knight.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This message transmitted with 100% recycled electrons.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Gravity doesn't exist. The Earth sucks.
-=-=-=-=-=-
Make a man a fire, and he will be warm for the night.
Light the man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Comments
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
- Stephen
Design depends both on sensitivity and range of your reading. It might help to get a handheld current sensor device to just ballpark your ranges and to observe what is going on. In that way, you will avoid building a circuit that is of little or no use to you.
If you can borrow one, all the better.
Hall effect has the advantage that it is completely isolated from the wiring. Inserting resistors for reading current came be a bit of a hassle and automotive power is notorious for spikes and noise that may affect your microprocessor. It is best to have only a well protected power source be your one and only connection.
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
PLEASE CONSIDER the following:
Do you want a quickly operational black box solution or the knowledge included therein?······
Check this out
http://www.allegromicro.com/en/Products/Part_Numbers/0754/index.asp
I was going to use them to monitor my sound system. But since I was sick for 10 months, my projects have been put on the back burnner. I was going to use a 12bit ADC, and the Current Sensor Evaluation Kit. only thing the eval kit only goes to +130A
TC
▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
We all make mistakes when we are young………That’s why paste is edible!