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Remote LED flash detector of the electricity meter

efi222 11496 63

TL;DR

  • A wireless LED-flash detector for an electricity meter measures house consumption without wiring into the meter box, using an ESP8266 transmitter and receiver.
  • A photoresistor and LMV358 comparator wake the ESP8266 from deep sleep when the meter LED flashes, then the chip sends data over ESP-NOW.
  • Idle current is about 160uA, channel scans cover 13 WiFi channels in about 300ms, and wake-to-sleep time is about 180ms.
  • A WiFi-connected ESP8266 receiver serves a web page with Ajax updates, converting flash intervals into kW and kWh values.
  • ESP-NOW needs channel tracking because the receiver’s WiFi connection can move it off channel 1; the transmitter stores the working channel in RTC memory.
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Treść została przetłumaczona polish » english Zobacz oryginalną wersję tematu
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  • #61 21169931
    efi222
    Level 21  
    Posts: 655
    Help: 12
    Rate: 1057
    Light sensors with photoresist work successfully in freezing weather. In the case of this device, the response is to a large light spike, so the hysteresis margin is considerable.
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  • #62 21169952
    Anonymous
    Level 1  
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  • #63 21169975
    efi222
    Level 21  
    Posts: 655
    Help: 12
    Rate: 1057
    I am concerned with the operation of the whole circuit with the comparator. Changing the resistance of the photoresist causes the bridge to be unbalanced and the comparator to overshoot. With the correct choice of resistance in the bridge, small changes in photoresistance should not affect the operation of the circuit.
    I would also add that the photoresistor operates in two states. Bright/dark. If the operating point of the comparator is set between these states, the resistance 'drift' would have to be really large for something worrying to happen.
  • #64 21174403
    korteksik
    Level 10  
    Posts: 124
    Help: 2
    Rate: 16
    A similar project was described in EP 7/2019:
    Link .
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Topic summary

✨ A user has developed a wireless LED flash detector for monitoring electricity consumption using an ESP8266 chip and the ESP NOW protocol. The device captures LED flashes from the electricity meter, indicating current power consumption in kilowatts (kW). The system operates in deep sleep mode to minimize power usage, with a current draw of approximately 160uA. Discussions include the effectiveness of the photoresistor used, battery life estimates with a 18650 battery, and the potential for using alternative communication protocols like Zigbee. Participants also discuss the limitations of the device in measuring instantaneous power versus cumulative energy consumption, and the challenges of implementing wired solutions in existing setups.
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