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As an reaction on MindBenders tryout with an optical mouse: see an example how to strip and missuse an optical mouse:

http://www.kronosrobotics.com/Anotes/At ... 0Mouse.pdf

Regards,

Marcel

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by MindBender</i>
Out mutuals friend Klaus Conrad (http://www.conrad.nl) sells them for 269 Euro and 299 Euro, resp. non calibrated and calibrated.
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For this amount of money you almost can ask you (local) power supplyer for an new electrical meter. There are a few way's to walk iirc.

1) if you have only one phase in your house ask them to upgrade to a 3 phase system (wich requires a new meter), you may want to cook on an electrical cookplate (electrische kookplaat in dutch, wich may require a 3 phase or quasi phase system [;)]

2) tell them that you want to use a day/night counting, (dubbel tarief meter in dutch) wich also requires a new meter [;)]

The new electrical meters are mostly the 'new' types with an optical output.

Alltough this are some 'guide' lines how it works in the netherlands i don't know how i works in other country's.

PS. if you want to change to a 3 phase system, keep in mind when your'e using a X10 system that the line filter is significantly more expensive then the one phase thing. (if you need one)

My 2 cents.

Richard

Hi Richard,
Thats how I did it in the Bwired house, asked for day and night rate!
The downside to it is that you have to do some more programming or install an extra Photo transistor on the day/night led.

Who pays for the meter to be changed? Here in New Zealand I think it's me. [:(]

Andrew

As we Dutch all know very well, our big friend Conrad isn't ranked very high when it comes to "cheap"...

A KWh meter with pulse output (S0) is available for 115 Euro elsewhere. It's still not cheap, but hey, it's a hobby, right? And it can handle 65A (my house is fused at 40A single phase, so that's why i use a 65A KWh meter)

So, for 115 Euro you have a 65A KWh meter. But, if you want to monitor specific devices like a dish washer, magnetron, washing machine, your SOTA PC, etc.etc. then you can buy the same kind of (max 30A) KWh meters with pulse output for just 30 Euro on eBay...

Regards,
Digit.

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by MindBender</i>[...]
I have also tried to use the (Agilent) sensor of an optical mouse to detect the movement of the wheel. But this sensor will need another lense than used in a mouse, because the standard mouse lense is focussed too close and doens't have enough focus depth. [...]
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Hello MindBender,

I've disassembled some Kodak Fun Flash single use cameras. They have a 'universal' lense ca. 35~40mm. Maybe you can use such lens for your Agilent sensor.

Regards,

Marcel