Using BS2 To Monitor Line Voltage For Spikes
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Posts: 46,084
Just wondering if anyone has ever used a Stamp or similar to monitor
the voltage available from your wall sockets, to look for spikes or
transients.
Was thinking about this last night as my mom called and said she had
problems with VCR and garage door opener. She lives in a small town
with flaky power and my first thought was a voltage surge. It wasn't
in this case, but if it was, how can you ever prove it if the
electrical utility doesn't admit it?
I have no intentions of building anything myself, but just wondered
out of curiosity how one would approach the problem. It we be neat to
be able to just see that in the last 24 hours there was a surge to
140V for 85ms at 3:15pm, etc.
From the little I've read, I get the impression that you wouldn't be
able to properly capture a spike's peak unless you sampled at a rate
that is more than a Stamp could handle. However, one article talked
about spikes having duration of perhaps 50ms. That is a period that a
Stamp could handle to at least detect the occurrence of an event.
I'm guessing you just need some sort of A/D converter for the voltage,
and sample that as fast as possible? A step down transformer from 120V
to say 12V would allow you to work with safer levels? Results could be
stuffed in EEPROM or sent somewhere.
Probably good to run the Stamp from a battery for this app?
Thanks.
Harry
the voltage available from your wall sockets, to look for spikes or
transients.
Was thinking about this last night as my mom called and said she had
problems with VCR and garage door opener. She lives in a small town
with flaky power and my first thought was a voltage surge. It wasn't
in this case, but if it was, how can you ever prove it if the
electrical utility doesn't admit it?
I have no intentions of building anything myself, but just wondered
out of curiosity how one would approach the problem. It we be neat to
be able to just see that in the last 24 hours there was a surge to
140V for 85ms at 3:15pm, etc.
From the little I've read, I get the impression that you wouldn't be
able to properly capture a spike's peak unless you sampled at a rate
that is more than a Stamp could handle. However, one article talked
about spikes having duration of perhaps 50ms. That is a period that a
Stamp could handle to at least detect the occurrence of an event.
I'm guessing you just need some sort of A/D converter for the voltage,
and sample that as fast as possible? A step down transformer from 120V
to say 12V would allow you to work with safer levels? Results could be
stuffed in EEPROM or sent somewhere.
Probably good to run the Stamp from a battery for this app?
Thanks.
Harry
Comments
You might check to see if the untility might be using BPL on their
transmission lines. Even though they are supposed to adhere to CFR
47, part 15, they do not always do it (i.e. - Iowa electrical
utilities). The BPL usage may be disturbing the equipment in question
and not causing 'spikes' that you might want to detect. If you want
to look into BPL more, go to www.QRZ.com or www.eham.net.
Bill, KC9CFO
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "harrybstoner" <tedstoner@1...>
wrote:
> Just wondering if anyone has ever used a Stamp or similar to monitor
> the voltage available from your wall sockets, to look for spikes or
> transients.
>
> Was thinking about this last night as my mom called and said she had
> problems with VCR and garage door opener. She lives in a small town
> with flaky power and my first thought was a voltage surge. It wasn't
> in this case, but if it was, how can you ever prove it if the
> electrical utility doesn't admit it?
>
> I have no intentions of building anything myself, but just wondered
> out of curiosity how one would approach the problem. It we be neat
to
> be able to just see that in the last 24 hours there was a surge to
> 140V for 85ms at 3:15pm, etc.
>
> From the little I've read, I get the impression that you wouldn't be
> able to properly capture a spike's peak unless you sampled at a rate
> that is more than a Stamp could handle. However, one article talked
> about spikes having duration of perhaps 50ms. That is a period that
a
> Stamp could handle to at least detect the occurrence of an event.
>
> I'm guessing you just need some sort of A/D converter for the
voltage,
> and sample that as fast as possible? A step down transformer from
120V
> to say 12V would allow you to work with safer levels? Results could
be
> stuffed in EEPROM or sent somewhere.
>
> Probably good to run the Stamp from a battery for this app?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Harry
You might check to see if the untility might be using BPL on their
transmission lines. Even though they are supposed to adhere to CFR
47, part 15, they do not always do it (i.e. - Iowa electrical
utilities). The BPL usage may be disturbing the equipment in question
and not causing 'spikes' that you might want to detect. If you want
to look into BPL more, go to www.QRZ.com or www.eham.net.
Bill, KC9CFO
--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "harrybstoner" <tedstoner@1...>
wrote:
> Just wondering if anyone has ever used a Stamp or similar to monitor
> the voltage available from your wall sockets, to look for spikes or
> transients.
>
> Was thinking about this last night as my mom called and said she had
> problems with VCR and garage door opener. She lives in a small town
> with flaky power and my first thought was a voltage surge. It wasn't
> in this case, but if it was, how can you ever prove it if the
> electrical utility doesn't admit it?
>
> I have no intentions of building anything myself, but just wondered
> out of curiosity how one would approach the problem. It we be neat
to
> be able to just see that in the last 24 hours there was a surge to
> 140V for 85ms at 3:15pm, etc.
>
> From the little I've read, I get the impression that you wouldn't be
> able to properly capture a spike's peak unless you sampled at a rate
> that is more than a Stamp could handle. However, one article talked
> about spikes having duration of perhaps 50ms. That is a period that
a
> Stamp could handle to at least detect the occurrence of an event.
>
> I'm guessing you just need some sort of A/D converter for the
voltage,
> and sample that as fast as possible? A step down transformer from
120V
> to say 12V would allow you to work with safer levels? Results could
be
> stuffed in EEPROM or sent somewhere.
>
> Probably good to run the Stamp from a battery for this app?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Harry