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Joined: Dec 2002
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The digital "Cell-Net" meters here in Kansas City will give you a read out of volts, amps, kilowatts etc. for each phase. Also will show min and max values for each reading. They are read remotely, been in use here for about 5 years with no problems that I have heard about.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,081
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C-H:
Please note that I was joking relative to the credit balance comment. Yes, that certainly would be a way to get into a heap of trouble!
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Joined: Sep 2002
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Bjarney: My idea was that if there is a control mechanism at the costumers end, it would give the utility an opportunity to guarantee that the voltage stays within limits and - more importantly - that the neutral connection is intact and that the service therefore is safe to use. As a remote read meter already contains much of what is needed for this, it seemed logical to include these functions in it. ThinkGood: I did understand that you were joking. But it reguarly comes up in the papers here. "The bank/my employer/some company sent me money by mistake and now want them back." One guy found himself $30 millions richer. Too bad that they won't let you keep the money [This message has been edited by C-H (edited 01-28-2003).]
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Joined: Aug 2002
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C-H: I hear you... The meters are Schlumberger CENTRON™ . I didn't look closely, but I did see the big sticker on the side with a warning that the circuit boards have dangerous voltages. Front: Side:
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Joined: Apr 2002
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TG: The meter in your pic, is it at your neighbors??? There's no utility ID, meter #, etc. Did you block out the tag??? Or is the pic from the mfg website?? John
John
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 30
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The major advantage of the newer digital meters is that they are a solid state device, therefore the starting wattage is much lower and there are no moving parts to wear out or get damaged in transit. A newer mechanical meter needs approx 30 watt of load to start the disk moving,(I remember reading GE literature in the 80s, that stated the starting wattage then was over 60 watts.) but the starting wattage for a digital is much lower, down arround 5 watts.
The digital meters are also capable of performing more than just energy measurement as others have stated, the processor allows for per phase measurement of voltage and amperage and easier interconnection to radio, telephone or power line carrier transmitters for data retrieval. Also, as the demand for these meters rose, the cost for a basic digital kilowatt hour meter has fallen below the cost of a Kilowatt hour mechanical meter.
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Posts: 99
Joined: August 2003
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