Hello !!! I need some idea here !!!! here is my project, i want to capture a photo of an analog voltmeter every 30seconds. The problem is how can i alter the image into number that i can put in Microsoft Excel ??????????
I agree with Leon here. It would be much easier to use an analog to digital converter chip (ADC) to monitor voltage.
What voltage range do you need to monitor and how frequently(I see you want to record data every 30 seconds?
You could have the microcontroller record the votages to a SD card and import the data to Excel.
TPI Inc. makes a multimeter with a RS-232 connection (You have to buy a separate adapter to use it). The model is 192 II. It comes with software use it on a PC. You could use one of these and not need a microcontroller(uC). The uC route would be less expensive though.
If you don't have access to what the analog voltmeter is attached to, then you do have big project ahead of you. Could you put anything on the needle of the voltmeter (like a small LED or reflective tape)?
Actually, it's not a voltmeter. It's an analog grounding tester without anything can be attached to. That's why my idea is to use a CMU cam and process the image. Btw, what is MCU ??? i'm totally new about this thing.
If you can't get an output with that tester, get a different one with an output. It'll work out cheaper than messing about with a camera and image processing.
Comments
What voltage range do you need to monitor and how frequently(I see you want to record data every 30 seconds?
You could have the microcontroller record the votages to a SD card and import the data to Excel.
TPI Inc. makes a multimeter with a RS-232 connection (You have to buy a separate adapter to use it). The model is 192 II. It comes with software use it on a PC. You could use one of these and not need a microcontroller(uC). The uC route would be less expensive though.
If you don't have access to what the analog voltmeter is attached to, then you do have big project ahead of you. Could you put anything on the needle of the voltmeter (like a small LED or reflective tape)?
If you can't get an output with that tester, get a different one with an output. It'll work out cheaper than messing about with a camera and image processing.
http://etd.ohiolink.edu/view.cgi/Souare Moussa.pdf?case1258511722