Viewing Electrical Usage

Discuss anything which doesn't fall into the other categories here.
jgt1942
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:41 am

Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by jgt1942 » Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:53 pm

I'm back to the 101 basic stage with my two GEMs. It has been several months since I last looked at my setup and now I cannot remember how to see the electrical usage. :oops:

I'm able to login to each of the GEMs and I can get into the setup.

Can I log the electrical usage to my PC (Win10 x64)? If yes how?
jgt1942
ben
Site Admin
Posts: 4254
Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2010 9:39 am

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by ben » Fri Jan 13, 2017 10:57 am

jgt1942 wrote:I'm back to the 101 basic stage with my two GEMs. It has been several months since I last looked at my setup and now I cannot remember how to see the electrical usage. :oops:

I'm able to login to each of the GEMs and I can get into the setup.

Can I log the electrical usage to my PC (Win10 x64)? If yes how?
Did you order a DashBox or just 2 GreenEye Monitors?

You can log to a PC using our standalone dashboard, use EmonCMS, or one of the various things that btmon.py supports (https://github.com/matthewwall/mtools).
Ben
Brultech Research Inc.
E: ben(at)brultech.com
jgt1942
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:41 am

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by jgt1942 » Sat Jan 28, 2017 2:27 am

ben wrote:Did you order a DashBox or just 2 GreenEye Monitors?

You can log to a PC using our standalone dashboard, use EmonCMS, or one of the various things that btmon.py supports (https://github.com/matthewwall/mtools).
Ben I have one DashBox and two GreenEye Monitors.
I can login to one GreenEye via the browser using http://192.168.0.99:8001 and the other by using http://192.168.0.89:8000/2

I could not find EmonCMS on the Brultech site.

I was just reading about "Data Host" at https://www.brultech.com/data-host/ and this sounds like what I want to do under option 3 (PC or Laptop). I have an old laptop that I could devote to the task or use my desktop. If possible I prefer to use the old laptop and if I sell my house I can just leave the laptop. It is a very old laptop currently running Win10 x64.

Are there some very simple easy to understand instructions to do this?

BTW I just discovered how to login into my DashBox and I can see all of the channels. Now what I want to do is
1) download all of the data to my PC
2) verify my actual usage to what the power company says I'm using
3) monitor my solar output (I have the donut adapters on the breakers that feed back into the house and the power grid.

Just looking at the channels, my office is the biggest consumer of all the channels (I have my desktop PS, several external hard drives (about 18+), UPS and other computer items connected to this circuit) on this channel and reports that it is 147% of the total. However something does not seem to be correct. My Office is part of a sub-panel and I'm measuring the feed to this sub-panel it is reported as using 72% of the total. How can the office circuit be 147% if it is part of the sub-panel that reports 72%? I could better understand if the two usages were reversed. The elect hot water heater is part of this sub-panel and it reports 82% of the total. Again a component of the panel reports a usage greater than the panel.
jgt1942
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by Teken » Sat Jan 28, 2017 12:35 pm

- You may go to this link and download the *DashBox Export* tool: http://www.brultech.com/software/files/getsoft/1/4

- I'm not clear as to why you would have and own a Dash Box and not use its on board storage to capture, view, and recall historic readings? Along with all the other countless abilities it offers in terms of graphs, charts, dials, etc.

- If the system is properly configured you can indeed capture, track, and review your NET metering and energy consumption and compare it with the utility. Keep in mind the system allows some basic means of entering extra charges like tax's etc besides the Fixed, ToU, Tiered rates seen by so many POCO's.

- If you're seeing values that exceed a 100% value it could be two possibilities. One is using a older firmware which had this odd bug. Next it could very well be the system isn't properly set up to identify if a channel is supposed to be a *Main* vs regular load.

There isn't a real right or wrong way to configure the system only how you expect to see the data represented. Normally when a sub panel is connected its treated just like another extended channel because its powered off of the main electrical panel. If the sub panel is not fed by the main panel and comes off directly from the external meter it should be treated as a *Main*.

If the sub panel is indeed fed off of the main panel those circuits should be treated as any other circuits attached to the main panel. The only problem you need to resolve is (IF) you monitored both the incoming feeds from the main panel going into the sub panel.

Monitoring the two 120 VAC lines entering the sub panel is fine. But you will have conflict with say the other 10 circuits breakers being monitored on the same sub panel because the math won't add up correctly.

Clear as mud? :lol:
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
jgt1942
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:41 am

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by jgt1942 » Sun Jan 29, 2017 3:13 am

Teken wrote:- You may go to this link and download the *DashBox Export* tool: http://www.brultech.com/software/files/getsoft/1/4
OK I downloaded it but I have no idea what do do with it.
Teken wrote:- I'm not clear as to why you would have and own a Dash Box and not use its on board storage to capture, view, and recall historic readings? Along with all the other countless abilities it offers in terms of graphs, charts, dials, etc.
The main issue for me is lack of knowledge and understanding. I've played around with the web interface a bit but for me it is confusing and super difficult to get anything meaningful out of it. Sometimes I want to compare two or more different channels and compare them over a week or month. In this case I wanted to see if there are abnormal usages at different times of the day/week/month. So far my attempts have failed.
Teken wrote:- If the system is properly configured you can indeed capture, track, and review your NET metering and energy consumption and compare it with the utility. Keep in mind the system allows some basic means of entering extra charges like tax's etc besides the Fixed, ToU, Tiered rates seen by so many POCO's.
I failed to implement this correctly. For me following the manual has been difficult, at times it makes jumps assuming I know how to make the jump or it will reference something but it does not tell me how to find the item being referenced. I have to spend a lot of time trying to connect the dots and often connect the wrong dots. More pictures with correctly highlighted references and examples would be helpful for me in finding the various settings.
Teken wrote:- If you're seeing values that exceed a 100% value it could be two possibilities. One is using a older firmware which had this odd bug. Next it could very well be the system isn't properly set up to identify if a channel is supposed to be a *Main* vs regular load.
Following is for GEM #1 (this is the GEM in my home office)
Serial#: 01100139
COM firmware ver: 4.0
ENG firmware ver: 1.49
RealTime Status: ON
Packet Send Interval: 8
Pri. Packet Format: 4
Sec. Packet Format: 0
Sys Status: OK

Following if the the GEM #2 (this is in my garage)
Serial#: 01100087
COM firmware ver: 4.0
ENG firmware ver: 1.49
RealTime Status: ON
Packet Send Interval: 8
Pri. Packet Format: 3
Sec. Packet Format: 0
Sys Status: OK

It seems that the GEM COM Firmware is not at the latest level (v4.32) and looking at the "GEM Configuration Manual GEM-CFG" I don't see anything telling me how to update the firmware.

The ENG firmware v1.49 is the latest version.
Teken wrote:There isn't a real right or wrong way to configure the system only how you expect to see the data represented. Normally when a sub panel is connected its treated just like another extended channel because its powered off of the main electrical panel. If the sub panel is not fed by the main panel and comes off directly from the external meter it should be treated as a *Main*.
Right/Wrong way, I agree and this was my assumption when I installed.

My MAIN panel is on the outside wall of my garage. The garage sub panel is on the inside wall of the same wall supporting the MAIN panel. This panel mainly feeds my garage workshop, the half-bath in the garage, lights in the garage, outlets in the garage and the two door openers.
The MAIN panel and the garage sub panel are connected to what I call GEM #2. If I recall correctly this GEM has a WiFi connection to the Dashbox.

The sub panel in my home office supports the rest of the house and is connected to what I call GEM #1 and is connected to the Dashbox via Ethernet cable.
Teken wrote:If the sub panel is indeed fed off of the main panel those circuits should be treated as any other circuits attached to the main panel. The only problem you need to resolve is (IF) you monitored both the incoming feeds from the main panel going into the sub panel.
Both of my sub panels are indeed fed off of the MAIN panel, on the feed to the home office sub panel I did install a split 200. I thought I had installed a monitor on the feed to the garage sub panel but looking at my spreadsheet for the installation I don't see anything for it. I installed the split-200 on the feed to the office sub panel just to have something as a double check.
Teken wrote:Monitoring the two 120 VAC lines entering the sub panel is fine. But you will have conflict with say the other 10 circuits breakers being monitored on the same sub panel because the math won't add up correctly.
I was under the assumption that I could set up the monitoring so the feed measurement would NOT be included in the Total Consumption. However I don't know if this is the way I set it up and how to verify. I agree that I do NOT what the sub panel feed measurement added to the measurements from the sub panel.

I just looked at the Dashbox setup, under Groups I currently have two (1) "Office Panel" (it does NOT include the feed to the panel but it does have all the breakers in the panel), (2) "Garage Panel" and it includes all of the breakers in this panel.

My current assumption is that I have correctly setup the Dashbox however I would not be surprised to learn that it is not correct.
Teken wrote:Clear as mud? :lol:
So far YES! :( BTW I will look at your project and I'm sure I will learn a lot. Sorry to be so slow but as I get older I find that I want the one-button to click that does everything and does not require me to learn. :?

Just as a side note, obviously I want get the monitoring setup correctly and understand what is going on. Basically I'm all electric which includes a heat pump for AC/Heating. When I was building the heating contractor convinced me to go all electric. So much for listening to an expert! :evil: I do have a natural gas feed but it only services the kitchen cooktop and the fireplace (never used) in the family room.

My assumption at this time is that I should install the firmware upgrade for the two GEMs. I do have the GEM Network Utility v7 installed and I can open it, but I'm lost as to how to update the firmware. I need the dummies version of how.

Once the firmware is updated I "should" be able to verify if I have the Dashbox correctly setup. I was just looking at "DashBox Manual DBX-MAN V10", this is what I used for the initial setup.
jgt1942
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by Teken » Sun Jan 29, 2017 9:43 am

Hello,

Let me first qualify a few things in case this was not known or done.

- You can always engage Brultech directly via email / phone for support at: http://www.brultech.com/contact/ Doing so will speed up the process in setup, Q&A, and full deployment of the products.

- The forums are intended as a means of reference material, user support, and project ideas.

- The GEM only needs to be updated (IF) and when a firmware fix applies to you. Otherwise you can remain on what ever the system notes.

- The Dash Box firmware can be seen by looking at the lower left of the web page. This is the firmware that you can update and indicate for me so we know where you are. Please let me know what version you're on so we are on the same page.

- Compare: Depending upon what version of firmware your Dash Box (DB) is using. You can select any channel (circuit) and compare to other loads or the same loads. Say you simply want to compare the same load (fridge) to other days. As seen in this screen capture you can do so simply by selecting the appropriate *Advanced Tab* in the channels page.

- Dashboards: Using this incredible powerful section will allow you to customize what information and data you wish to see and track. You need only take a few moments to add the modules and circuits for viewing.

Lastly, I also agree as I get older I just want things to just work. I don't want to spend a lifetime reading, playing, and testing just to make something work. Having said this, the DB / GEM is a high performance energy monitor / energy management system. It does require an initial setup, configuration, and some user testing to get the system at a base level.

Investing that time, effort, and patience will result in a positive outcome for something you have invested a lot of money to. Please do let me know if there are key areas you need help with and I would be delighted to assist.


Questions:

Have you created any dashboards? If not do you need assistance doing so?
Attachments
Date Compare.PNG
Date Compare.PNG (21.28 KiB) Viewed 3352 times
Channel Compare.PNG
Channel Compare.PNG (126.61 KiB) Viewed 3352 times
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
jgt1942
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:41 am

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by jgt1942 » Sun Jan 29, 2017 1:25 pm

Dashbox - Thanks for letting me know where to find the version installed. I have v4.2.2e16b installed and I see that v4_2_3c5a is available. However I cannot find the instructions telling me how to install the update. :oops:
Have you created any dashboards? If not do you need assistance doing so?
No I have not but would like to learn. In the meantime I will try and determine how to update the GEMs and DB to the latest levels.
jgt1942
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by Teken » Sun Jan 29, 2017 4:30 pm

Dash Box Update Process:

1. Download the latest release from here: http://www.brultech.com/software/files/getsoft/1/4 place the downloaded file on the desktop for easy access and retrieval.

2. Login to the Dash Box: Settings->System->Update Firmware. Select *Choose File* to browse for the destination of the firmware whether it be the download folder / desktop. Press update site and let the process complete the system will tell you once its been finalized.

3. While still in the settings area select *Reboot System*. Once up, confirm on the lower left hand side of the web page the firmware matches what you loaded.

4. In your (Chrome) browser select F12 on the top of the key board. A new half window will open - once it does please go to the left side of the browser and hover your mouse over the *Refresh* button.

Right mouse click and select *Empty cache and hard reload*

Doing so will clear the web browser (cache) of any previous settings, history, cookies, etc.

Done . . .

Dash Boards:

1. Login to the system
2. Go to the dashboard tab
3. Select create dashboard, name it what ever you like and select save.
4. A new box will appear with the name you just created, select it.

5. Select *Add Module* this is where you can select one of several charts, graphs, dials, etc. At the very top is a box for you to enter a friendly name like fridge. Do so and then select one of the charts / graphs. In this example go and select *Line Graph* and press save module.

A new page will open up on the left hand side will be all the circuits in your home. Select for example the fridge. At the lower right is a black (X) press on it and the window will close.

Now you will see the fridge cycles, power, duration etc.

Dashboards can encompass as many or few charts, graphs, dials as you wish. It comes down to your needs, wants, and the way you want the data to be presented. In my *Install thread* you will quickly see how I configured mine to be user friendly and how it makes sense to me.

You can't break anything in the system so add, delete, modify to your pleasure. Going through this process will let you know how it operates and the power it has to create data that just makes sense.

Please let me know if there is any points that need more insight or clarifications and I shall reply in kind.
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
jgt1942
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2015 1:41 am

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by jgt1942 » Sat Feb 04, 2017 3:58 am

OK I've run into a problem and cannot get around it.
I downloaded the software (dashbox_v4_2_3c5a.img) opened the DB, logged in, clicked the settings tab, clicked the System item on the left, selected Update Firmware, selected the IMG file (I currently have 4.2.2e16b), clicked the Update Site button, the cursor just spins and near the top it states "Uploading update: I waited about an hour and retired with the same results.

On the software download page it states the following:
If you get completely locked out from the Firmware Update page, there's a recovery updater available on your DashBoxes website. This updater is located at http://DashBox-Address/system/emerg.php (Replace DashBox-Address with the IP address of your DashBox) and will work regardless of the state of the dashboard.

I tried this using "//192.168.0.99/system/emerg.php" I see a prompt for my login ID, PW. and I choose the file for the firmware and then click submit and get msg "The 192.168.0.99 page isn’t working 192.168.0.99 didn’t send any data."

Just to ensure there was not a problem with the download, again I downloaded the software and retired applying the update, still no success.
jgt1942
Teken
Posts: 2700
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:09 pm
Location: The Bad Lands

Re: Viewing Electrical Usage

Post by Teken » Sat Feb 04, 2017 9:27 am

If the update had been running for several hours close the browser and wait one minute. Open the browser again and confirm on the lower left side the firmware version it should say the new firmware.

Let me know . . .


=========================

The highest calling in life is to serve ones country faithfully - Teach others what can be. Do what is right and not what is popular.
Teken . . .

My ongoing projects thread: http://www.brultech.com/community/viewt ... ?f=2&t=929
Buy me a cup of coffee: https://www.paypal.me/Teken https://gfinotify.com/ Discount Code: PC10
Post Reply