- December 13, 2021
- Posted by: Dyaneshwar Nirmale
- Category: Digital Meters
Electrical loads such as computers, VFD motors, AC units, etc are non-linear loads. Along with the availability of adequate power they need a specific quality of power to operate. The multifunction meter measures key parameters needed to maintain high power quality. Thus, the multifunction meter is becoming increasingly important at a time when India is shifting to a smart grid and the focus of the electrical infrastructure is shifting from power availability to power quality.
The multifunction meter does more than just measure your power consumption. It records the voltage, current, active and reactive power, frequency, and power factor.
Multifunction meter working principle
The multifunction meter has a very simple working principle. It reads the power consumption and power quality data, displays the data on its LED screen, communicates with other devices around it, and sends the data to a central computer system.
A Multifunction meter has the following major components
Sensors
The sensors n a multifunction meter read the voltage and current in the electrical circuit in real-time. The data is then processed by microprocessors to calculate phase angle or monitor harmonic distortions.
Data manager
The data manager in the multifunction meter collects all the information read by the sensors through the RS 485 interface. Next, it converts the quantities within the digital signals into presentable digits using the analogue-digital converters and dispatches them for display onto the LED screen of the multifunction meter. Microprocessors within the meter help make other calculations. Some data manager devices are capable of reading data from up to 96 sensors with 96 single-phase circuit breakers, 48 biphasic, or 32 three-phase.
Communication
Multifunction meters are enabled with electric standard RS-485 and MODBUS-RTU communication protocol. This allows them to remotely transmit information about the electric circuit to a central computer system. The meters can also communicate with other devices around them and transmit information to servers on the cloud.
Newtek multifunction meters also come with dedicated software to make data retrieval and analysis easy and simple.
Conclusion
Multifunction meters are an important tool to monitor power quality and gather vital data about power consumption. Newtek multifunction meters are accompanied by proprietary software which makes it easier to collect and analyze the data from multifunction meters in order to make informed decisions and craft a power-saving strategy.
In order to efficiently use the multifunction meter, it must be properly set up and tuned to your electrical system. To understand how to use the Newtek multifunction meter with RS 485 MODBUS protocol, read our blog here.
If you have any questions or queries on multifunction meters, write to us at sales@newtekelectricals.com