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[rmakhoebe]

Good evening everyone!!
The main reason for my question last time was because I was given an industrial project topic to design a LOW COST WIRELESS X-10. This has to be a B-tech level exercise that has to be built and run when doing a presantation. I am therefore trying to design something that is complicated enough yet not sophisticated technologically for a B-tech student exercise in our country (South Africa). Up till now i am still confused on what to design so i am seeking any ideas that might help me achieve my goal,please bring forward your ideas as soon as possible... thanx again!   

[Brandt]

It would probably be a hack on something like a kill-a-watt and an x10 thermostat which uses a whole house code to send the number as degrees. Also, check out the tweet-a-watt (http://www.ladyada.net/make/tweetawatt/) which you may be able to change to accommodate your needs and would not even require x-10


http://twitter.com/Tweetawatt

[dave w]

Good evening everyone!!
I want to measure the power consumption of the house appliance (fridge,stove) using an x-10 module and obviously doing  a bit of programming in order to recall the consumption in the previous days.

X10 modules are control points, not monitoring points. They can only apply or disconnect power to the appliances plugged into them. They can not monitor if the appliance is actually being used (drawing current).

Pomprockers suggestion of a Kill-A-Watt will work for most 120V appliances but would be very difficult to adapt to high current 220V appliances like HVAC, waterheater,  or stove. This isn't a renter/landlord/utilities thing is it?

I just looked at Pomprockers  "tweet-A-watt " suggestion, and recant everything I said above

[Brian H]

As other have said there is no X10 solution to this problem.

There is a monitor for a single appliance at a time. "Watts Up? Pro". It stores the information that can later be downloaded to a PC.

I believe there are devices that can be mounted over your electric meter to read the watthours it is recording and it send the data to a monitoring PC.

[rmakhoebe]

Thanx a million for all the responses i got,but what i am trying to do is this:recall the power consumption of a certain device (fridge/stove) on a given day. This, i believe,i can achieve by connecting a watthour meter to the appliance in question, and to the x-10 module. From the module to the controller, then from the outputs of the controller i want it to be displayed on the LCD module. So what i really want to understand is whether it is possible and if x-10 is really needed in this application,or whether this can be considered as an X-10 application...
rmakhoebe

[dave w]

This, i believe,i can achieve by connecting a watthour meter to the appliance in question, and to the x-10 module. From the module to the controller, then from the outputs of the controller i want it to be displayed on the LCD module. So what i really want to understand is whether it is possible and if x-10 is really needed in this application,or whether this can be considered as an X-10 application...
rmakhoebe

Your description is a little confusing. What are you calling a "controller" and where does this "LCD module" come from? Is that the "Kill-A-Watt"?

Don't know if this helps or not.


To measurue appliance current, the appliance in some way must get operating power through the wattmeter or wattmeter monitoring device.

"TED" might be able to do it, but I don't know if TED is adaptable to the individual appliance level. I think it is "whole house" only.
http://www.theenergydetective.com/index.html

Also Pomprocker's "Tweet-A-Watt" might be able to do this but I suspect either Tweet or TED will take a lot of engineering on your part, especially since you want to monitor stove level 220V Amps.

X10 can only turn stuff off and on (and that does not include a 50 amp stove). 

MY $0.02 is X10 would be a very small piece of the pie, if usuable at all.

[Brian H]

There is no X10 module capable of sending wattmeter date to anything.
X10 will not help in your needs.

[HA Dave]

Was just wondering if anyone would be able to help me with my concern. I want to measure the power consumption of the house appliance (fridge,stove) using an x-10 module

....what i am trying to do is this:recall the power consumption of a certain device (fridge/stove) on a given day.

This isn't a complaint! Personally I really don't care. I just wish posters would realize the more secretive and encrypted the posts... the more difficult it is to be of any help to them. I am temped to just ask... why on earth would anyone bother to measure something they could so easily calculate. This is simple basic math that... if you can't do it in you head... can easily be done with pencil and scrap paper.

Is this a classroom exercise?

[dave w]

Was just wondering if anyone would be able to help me with my concern. I want to measure the power consumption of the house appliance (fridge,stove) using an x-10 module

....what i am trying to do is this:recall the power consumption of a certain device (fridge/stove) on a given day.

This isn't a complaint! Personally I really don't care. I just wish posters would realize the more secretive and encrypted the posts... the more difficult it is to be of any help to them. I am temped to just ask... why on earth would anyone bother to measure something they could so easily calculate. This is simple basic math that... if you can't do it in you head... can easily be done with pencil and scrap paper.

Is this a classroom exercise?

I am guessing  rmakhoebe is not around to know how much the stove was used on a given day, or how long the refrigerator ran in a 24 hour period. What  rmakhoebe  wants to do is possible, but not "off-the-shelf" or particularly cheap.

[nybuck]

why on earth would anyone bother to measure something they could so easily calculate. This is simple basic math that... if you can't do it in you head... can easily be done with pencil and scrap paper.

OK, I am starting to see the logic of his question.  While I agree that a refridgerator's power consumption can be calculated, because it is on constantly, I see the issue.  If an X10 module can tell you how long an appliance is powered on, that can tell you its power consumption.

That being said, it would be easier to use a few 'Kill-A-Watt's.   

[dave w]

If an X10 module can tell you how long an appliance is powered on, that can tell you its power consumption.

That being said, it would be easier to use a few 'Kill-A-Watt's.   

Yup!  That's the reason X10 really can not help in  rmakhoebe's scenario.

X10 with AHP could tell you how long it supplied power to the refrigerator, but not whether the refrigerator was "running" which is what the "wattage" on the nomenclature plate indicates. My refrigerator does not "run" 24/7.  (i.e. compressor/fan in operation to cool the box) so it really isn't easily calculatable.

Besides it would be a serious error to plug a refrigerator into a X10 module. I know my Breyer's Coffee ice cream would be melted by Wednesday. 

[nybuck]

Besides it would be a serious error to plug a refrigerator into a X10 module. I know my Breyer's Coffee ice cream would be melted by Wednesday

Why worry - Most people like warm coffee 

This reminds me of other message boards I belong to.  There are some REAL DIE-HARD X-10 FANS on here.  [insert relevant smilie here]  If you want to know how to make night vision goggles, remote dead-bolt locks, and automatically start your car when you get out of the shower, all with X10 Modules, then you get it here. 

I'm sure if you wanted to remotely mix cement and pour a sidewalk, someone would come up with a way to use X10 modules to get to that end, although it wouldn't be the most direct way.....   

 

[HA Dave]

I'm sure if you wanted to remotely mix cement and pour a sidewalk, someone would come up with a way to use X10 modules to get to that end

Remotely mix cement...... hummmm.

[nybuck]

Remotely mix cement...... hummmm.

Well, Dave...

You know what they say.... 

"The use of Home Automation is limited... only by our imaginations"       

 

[dave w]

This reminds me of other message boards I belong to.  There are some REAL DIE-HARD X-10 FANS on here.  [insert relevant smilie here]  If you want to know how to make night vision goggles, remote dead-bolt locks, and automatically start your car when you get out of the shower, all with X10 Modules, then you get it here. 

 

I want to be able to stand up, pull up my pants and say "FLUSH". 

All I need yet is a solenoid with a 3" throw for the tank handle. Being an understudy of the "Red Green Show" I'm using X10,duct tape, and maybe a little super glue.