Simple data logging for voltage or current

[cwr]

Hi folks

I am trying to find a simple  (and cheap) way of logging how how much my oil boiler is on. I thought there might be some simple devices available (I've used Elitech for temp data logging, that sort of thing) but am struggling to find something that will record either voltage or current.  I'm don't have the time right now to learn how to program the likes of arduino or raspberrypi's.

Any suggestions?

Thanks 

[SteamyTea]

10 minutes ago, cwr said:

I'm don't have the time right now to learn how to program the likes of arduino or raspberrypi's.

That is a shame as I made a simple device with a raspberry pi to log when a circuit is on.

 

[Mike]

Don't use it myself, but I'd take a look at the Shelly Plus 1PM (or the Shelly Pro 1PM DIN-rail version). PM = Power Metering. Once wired in you should be able to get the usage data via the app.

[dpmiller]

cheap mains (or vibration sensing) hour counter? Does it actually need to be logging or just a totaliser?

[SteamyTea]

If you know the power the boiler pulls when on, then a basic electric meter will show the accumulated power used.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/354118466147

 

A useful thing to have anyway and it is only a tenner, and it can display the power for setting up.

 

Or do what I did.  All the code is there.

 

[TonyT]

Put the boiler onto a plug and plug it into a tado smart plug.

 

monitors power consumption, nice app, under £15 the last time I bought one

[cwr]

Thanks for the replies folks.

Raspberry pi- id like to experiment with maybe someday, but not right now, still too much pressure to finish off the house

I hand wondered about a power meter, would be nice to log (to check for any short cycling) but not essential.

I like the Shelly option, will explore that more. And check out Tado as well.

[RobLe]

Eco eye data logger?  Been around a while, you can pick up 2nd hand ones for £25.  Logs to sd card.  Measures current, and capacitively voltage - so you get power factor correctly but it doesn’t know the actual voltage.

 

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1402792330508024/?ref=search

[Temp]

I built my own using an arduino with an RTC timer and memory card hat and a seperate opto isolator board to allow power to the boiler pump to be logged.

 

Whenever the boiler pump changes state from ON to OFF or OFF to ON it logs the time and outside temperature to a file on SD card. I need to write an Excel script to process that data. 

[Carrerahill]

22 hours ago, cwr said:

Hi folks

I am trying to find a simple  (and cheap) way of logging how how much my oil boiler is on. I thought there might be some simple devices available (I've used Elitech for temp data logging, that sort of thing) but am struggling to find something that will record either voltage or current.  I'm don't have the time right now to learn how to program the likes of arduino or raspberrypi's.

Any suggestions?

Thanks 

Shelly PM.

[SteamyTea]

7 hours ago, Carrerahill said:

Shelly PM.

 

From their website

 

Power Metering
Shelly 1PM has an integrated precise power meter. You can mea-
sure the overall consumption of all the electric devices you are
controlling

 

How does it store the data?

[Mike]

2 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

Shelly 1PM

 

How does it store the data?

Free of charge in Shelly's cloud, if you're not recording it locally, from where you can also download it as a CSV file.

[Carrerahill]

On 22/08/2023 at 21:02, SteamyTea said:

 

From their website

 

Power Metering
Shelly 1PM has an integrated precise power meter. You can mea-
sure the overall consumption of all the electric devices you are
controlling

 

How does it store the data?

On the cloud or export to HA etc.

[SteamyTea]

1 hour ago, Carrerahill said:

On the cloud or export to HA etc.

Can you easily export the historical data to a memory card or another computer for further analysis?

Does it need special adapters or software?

Am I right in thinking it is just an ESP8266 with a few things added, but not an RTC.

[Carrerahill]

On 24/08/2023 at 12:55, SteamyTea said:

Can you easily export the historical data to a memory card or another computer for further analysis?

Does it need special adapters or software?

Am I right in thinking it is just an ESP8266 with a few things added, but not an RTC.

I honestly don't know as I only did a short, 1 week trial of power monitoring functions with mine, I wanted them as safety shutdown devices, as the Shelly PM has an overload mode where if they go over specified power draw they can open the relay. What you are discussing I am going to suggest is possible, I just don't know as I didn't intend to use this function although it was interesting monitoring some circuits for a while. 

 

ESP8266 - yes. RTC not on the ones I have, but maybe some do now?

Edited August 25, 2023 by Carrerahill

[Conor]

What's your ultimate aim? If it's to understand how much energy is being used, then a flow meter and data logger on the oil line will give you all this. 

[TonyT]

Tapo smart plug, let’s you set a unit price,

 

 

[SteamyTea]

37 minutes ago, Conor said:

a flow meter and data logger on the oil line will give you all this.

Find ones that is reasonably priced and will do a very small flow rate is the problem.

[cwr]

Thanks for all suggestions. I am now the proud owner of a Shelly 1PM. Up and running, it's a nice device, I can see me getting a few more for various other projects.

 

The way it's wired in, both the pump and boiler are being monitored. I can't seem to get a good resolution on the data to differentiate between them, ie it just gives total power consumption for a period. Guess a little rewiring will be necessary unless there is a way to get it to record on a shorter time base?

 

I've also noted that the on/off  times are only displayed for the past day, are these stored and accessible somehow?

 

 

 

 

[cwr]

Hi folks, anyone any idea on whether there is a way to download all of the on/off events? 

I can only find the past day's.