Looking for ideas about a new project - remote current sensing

[JeffB]

Hello all!

I want to build a system that will monitor the current through six different cables, using (6) 3588_0 transducers, each connected to a 1145_0 sensor adapter (6 in total).

I wonder if I could connect those to a HUB5000_0 wifi hub? Would I able to power that HUB5000_0 directly from a 12V battery system or would it need to be powered in some other way?

If that works, I'd like to have a program that monitors those transducers (mapping the output voltage to current) and send information to an LCD like LCD1100_0. Would I then need a second HUB5000_0 connected to the display, which will be relatively far (20-30 feet or so) from the sensors and the first HUB5000_0?

In that construct, where would the program that I write which would format information for the LCD be running? Is an SBC required, or could I write a program for my Android phone or my laptop for example, that would talk to the two HUB5000_0's? If the SBC is required (or if I decide to use it for some other reason), do I still need a second HBU5000_0, or can the SBC3003_0 get on the wifi network?

Sorry for the barrage of questions - I just found this site and I'm intrigued by the possibilities!

Cheers!

[mparadis]

Hi Jeff,

- Yes, you can connect six 1145s (each of which is connected to a 3588) to a HUB5000

- Yes, you can power the HUB5000 with a 12V battery (just be aware of the current consumption so you have an estimate on how long the battery will last)

- Yes, you'd need a second hub to add a LCD1100, since you've used all six ports on the first hub. If you're willing to drop down to 5 current transducers, you could use a 20-30 foot cable to connect the LCD1100 to the sixth port. For this you'd have to make your own cable out of wire like this and crimp or solder on the black connectors on either end.

- The HUB5000 doesn't have its own OS or programming environment, it's just an endpoint for your sensors. You'll have the program running on some other device on the network. (Laptop, computer, or phone if you're comfortable with mobile development)

- You could swap out one of the HUB5000s for an SBC3003, and have the program run on the SBC3003 so you don't need another device. The SBC3003 will either need to be wired into the network via ethernet, or you'll have to get a USB wifi dongle, since it doesn't have built-in wireless.

[JeffB]

@mparadis-

Thanks for the reply! The currents in question are the individual charge and discharge currents for a set of parallel batteries with collectively 8.3kWh of capacity, which are usually fully recharged via 740 watts of solar panels by the middle of each day, so I probably won't take too much of a hit powering this from that battery bank.

It occurred to me that baby steps would be to just start with the single HUB5000 and the sensors, and write an app for my phone and/or laptop to reach out to that hub to pull the data.

The one thing I'm unsure of there is how the HUB5000 connects to the wifi network. If that is sitting out there on it's own, how do I find it and get it to join the network?

Cheers,

Jfef

[mparadis]

When you first power up your HUB5000, it'll be in "Access Point" mode, meaning it will broadcast its own WiFi network for you to connect to. Once you connect to it, you can open up a webpage with configuration options. Through this webpage you can switch it to "Client" mode and enter the ID and password for your WiFi network. Once you set that up, it'll automatically connect to that network on startup.

Once it's on the network, your other devices running Phidgets will be able to access Phidgets connected to the HUB5000.