My 2x GEM, 2x 1240 and Dashbox install

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crazydane
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:31 am

My 2x GEM, 2x 1240 and Dashbox install

Post by crazydane » Tue Oct 10, 2017 3:53 pm

So the big box from Canada showed up today with the following goodies:

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The 2 GEMs will go on the wall by the 2 main sub-panels, one 1240 will go by the sub-panel in the server room, and the 2nd 1240 will go in the shop building sub-panel which also terminates my solar arrays.

The GEMs and Dashbox mounted in order to take some quick measurements for the needed conduit into the panels and for routing transformers, etc.

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1st 1240 trail mounted below the server room sub-panel:

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Yes, I got work to do here still with the existing installation. :)

And finally, the shop sub-panel.

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I call all these sub-panel, because there are. My main service entrance and the only place where neutral and ground are tied together, is in my 400A fused disconnect show here:

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This is where I'll be installing the 200A split CT to monitor all consumption to all 4 sub-panels.

Here's what my overall service entrance looks like. The disconnect is flanked by the 400A service entrance on once side, and by a 400A automatic transfer switch on the other side for the diesel backup generator:

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Can't wait to get everything online! Unfortunately my scheduled is pretty booked the rest of the week, but hopefully I'll be able to make some time to tinker with this.
crazydane
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:31 am

Re: My 2x GEM, 2x 1240 and Dashbox install

Post by crazydane » Fri Oct 13, 2017 7:18 pm

Had a chance to get the 2 GEMs properly mounted and online this evening. Still need to work on the wiring and of course to the ~60 remaining CTs. But here's what I got so far:

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So I got the 2 SPLIT-200 CTs clamped on the service entrance to the 400A disconnect. The wires were *just* long enough to reach. Each GEM has a 240V PT that is connected inside each respective sub-panel. I soldered the thin leads from the PTs to some 12 AWG so that I could land them on a 20A breaker in each panel along with whatever was already there.

Mounted the Dashbox and powered everything up. After about 30 seconds, the red light went out. Logged into my gateway and found out what IP had been assigned the the Dashbox, and pointed a browser to it. After creating an account for myself, I was greeted with the following:

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Well almost. I did have to tell it to connect to each one, but that was very simply. Very impressed this all just worked with having to tinker with anything at all. I'm very impressed so far.

Went it and told the 1st GEM that ports 1 and 2 were SPLIT-200s, saved the changes, and then checked out the usage on those ports:

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Those readings are within a couple of points of what they should be without me having configured anything at all yet.

Very much looking forward to continuing to bring channels online!
crazydane
Posts: 107
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:31 am

Re: My 2x GEM, 2x 1240 and Dashbox install

Post by crazydane » Sun Oct 15, 2017 8:05 pm

I have run into some issue with setting the CT Ranges and have a ticket open. Also having issues getting the MC1240's talking to the Dashbox. Hope to have those issues resolved early this week.

I did have some spare time today to get the CR wires run from each GEM to each 200A sub-panel. No way was I going to be able to get 64 wires to fit through a single 1/2" conduit, so I had to cheat and add some flex loom to carry 32 of those wires.

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Closeup of left side GEM:

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Right side GEM:

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I'm working on putting together a spreadsheet showing all the circuits and what goes where. Nothing was ever labeled properly, so I get to go through the entire house and figure out what breaker does what, and also which ones the double breakers have neutral. With 74 breakers, that should be a lot of fun. NOT! But it needs to get done. I'm going to cheat and turn on everything in the house, and then use a hand held current probe to "guess" what's what. And the go back and verify. That should save me several hours of work. Since I "only" have 64 channels, I need to be selective of what I monitor, hence the need to determine what is what before I start assigning CTs to individual breakers.
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