I've got a stand-by generator for the house and I'd like to be able to keep track of the DATE(s) and TIME(s) when it is operational. When the gen was installed, I had a power meter installed in a supply closet to keep track of the KWH's generated, so from that, I can tap into a 120v line for power for whatever I use as a logger.
TIA for any suggestions. thinman
Adjust a 'time delay relay' in 'interval time delay' mode to pulse it's contacts for say three seconds every time A.C. power is detected from the generator. Adjust a second relay in 'delay on operate' mode to pulse it's contacts for a second, starting two seconds after A.C. power is detected from the generator.
Connect the contacts of the first relay across the 'half press' contacts of a digital camera focused on your kWH meter. Connect the contacts of the second relay across the 'full press' contacts of that same camera. Power the camera from a high capacity battery pack that is charged from house A.C.
Viola! A set of pictures of your kWH meter showing the date and timestamp each time it started. Derive 'run time' by subtracting the kWH readings.
I've not used any of these products. This is just one example of the parts I'm on about.
--Winston
first you need a data logger, find one and post the specifications. Hooking it up to your setup should be fairly easy.
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When you picture this in your mind, what do you see?
There are so many approaches to this. Some multimeters and scopes have built-in data loggers. You can buy commercial/industrial data loggers. If you're in the mood, building a custom setup would be fun. Say, with a microcontroller with an internal RTC, a serial EEPROM for logging, maybe a salvaged paper tape printer for a "human readable" record, with a keypad and character LCD display. Or, go with quarter VGA touchscreen or push it up to a full iPAD display with a web server. Have it estimate the amount of fuel remaining and automatically place an order or at least send you a text that it's getting low.
Maybe this will do what you need?
-- Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
That one looks good, but if you're willing to learn BASIC programming and do a little soldering up can build a datalogger that meets your exact requirements. The PICAXE series of microcontroller chips are cheaper than the BASIC Stamp ($10 vs $50), have similar capabilities, and have a very active forum:
Search for datalogger and you'll find numerous threads.
Some of the datalogger designs use a micro-SD card, so you could have years of data stored on a 1 GB device.
John
This may be overkill for your project, but if you have a PC with a sound card you can turn it into a simple data logger using my Daqarta software. See "Data Logging" at
The example macro there reads the frequency of the line input (at whatever time interval you specify via the WaitSecs command) and appends it to a text file along with the current time using the LogTxt command. You can add the data as well via a slight modification:
LogTxt=Freq+p20+t+p40+d
This reads the Daqarta Frequency Counter and puts the freq first, the time at column 20, and the data at column 40.
You can get log voltage as well, using the same basic idea with the Volts command to read the Daqarta Voltmeter:
LogTxt=Freq+p20+Volts+p40+t+p60+d
You'll need a little transformer that isolates the sound card from the AC line. An old AC "wall-wart" (maybe from a discarded cell phone charger, etc) should be fine. The sound card input is AC coupled and can handle about 1 Vrms, so you will also need a simple voltage divider on the output of most transformers.
One money-saving tip: Daqarta has a free 30-session/30-day trial period, during which all features are active. That should be plenty of time to get the above system working (contact me if you need help with that). After that you can keep the system working with a US$29 Personal / Hobby license, but you will lose the ability to save new macros unless you have the US$99 Pro license. So the tip is to create several macros during the trial period, with various settings that you might need in the future (like different time intervals between data points). That way, you can get by with the $29 version and will still be able to choose a macro with the settings you want, even though you can no longer create totally new macros.
Best regards,
Bob Masta DAQARTA v6.02 Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
Oops! Should have said "add the date", not "data" there.
Again, should have been "date at column 40".
Sorry for any confusion...
Bob Masta DAQARTA v6.02 Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
This is not an answer to the questions as posed, but if you could live with elapsed runtime rather than timestamps you could simply hook up an elapsed time hour meter like this one to your AC output:
Hour Meter, 120 Vac, 99999.9 Hours
Hope this helps. My father and I hooked one up to my oil furnace some years back to track my fuel consumption.
Frank McKenney
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