Z-Wave Data Logger for Gas Meters

Installation

Before installing it may help to clean the meter, to ensure that NorthQ Power Reader will be able to read the consumption properly.

It"s important to choose the correct information regarding: Meter Type and Conversion Factor. You"ll typically find the information on the front of the meter.

There are two types of meters: mechanical and electronic. The NorthQ Power Reader works with almost all power meters on the market - both new and old.

Mechanical Meters

On a mechanical meter, the electricity consumption is read by using a rotating disc seen at the front of the meter. The disc rotates a certain number of times per kWh - This is called the rotation factor, and the number of rotations per kWh varies according to the model and brand, but it"s always displayed on the meter itself.

Electronic Meters

On an electronic meter, the electricity consumption is read by using an LED that blinks a certain number of times per 1 kWh - This is called the impulse factor. The number of flashes per kWh also varies according to the model and brand - but is displayed on the meter itself. Some electronic meters will blink with infrared light, which isn"t visible to the human eye - but these, can also be read by NorthQ Power Reader.

To take full advantage of the features in NorthQ Power Reader, you should also have an annual or interim statement from your utility at hand. On your annual statement from the utility you are able to estimate how much 1 kWh costs. Some utilities also inform how much Co2 is produced per 1 kWh.

• Enter all this information in the software interface.
• For the physical installation start by taking the sensor cable, and plug it into the wireless transmitter. Please note, that the plug is only fully inserted when a little click is heard. - It"s important that the sensor cable is fully depressed, because otherwise, the reading will be inaccurate.
• Place the bracket on the back of the transmitter, and attach it with the 3 small screws using the enclosed screwdriver. This ensures that the sensor cable is properly connected. Finally, insert the two enclosed batteries in the bottom of the wireless transmitter. The LED on the wireless transmitter will blink, indicating that the batteries are correctly inserted.
• Press "Next" when you"ve finished assembling the wireless transmitter, and you"re ready to proceed with establishing a wireless connection, between the transmitter and your computer.
• Creating the wireless connection: Insert the USB receiver into an available USB port on your computer. The wireless transmitter can store up to 60 days of measurable data, but remember, it can only transfer data to NorthQ Power Reader, when the USB receiver is inserted. Wait for the USB receiver to be recognized by the computer. - It may take several minutes. Establish the wireless connection by pressing the sensor button on the bottom of the transmitter 3 times. The LED will flash 3 times in response. The message "Transmitter found" will appear on your computer screen.
• Checking the wireless range: Before you install the transmitter at your meter, you should check whether the transmitter is within wireless range of the USB receiver. Press the sensor button 4 times when you"re standing by the electricity meter where you intend to place the wireless transmitter. - The transmitter will blink 4 times in response, to indicate that the wireless range is now being examined. The USB receiver will now try to make contact with the wireless transmitter, every second, for the next 10 seconds. If the wireless transmitter is within range, you"ll see the LED light up. - The longer the LED shines, the better the wireless signal. if the LED shines constantly for 10 seconds, it means that there"s a good connection. If the LED flashes during the test, it means, that there is contact between the transmitter and the receiver, but that you"ll experience problems with the connection. If this happens, you should consider placing the transmitter and the receiver closer together. A long cable between the sensor head and the transmitter enables you to position the transmitter wherever the connection is best. If the LED doesn"t light up at all, it means that the transmitter is outside the of range of the receiver, and you"ll need to move the transmitter and the receiver closer together. Press "Next", to continue, to instructions, about how to place the sensor head onto your power meter.

Installation on mechanical meters:

1. Start by removing the template from the white background, by gently pulling slip 1 on the lefthand corner of the template and place it correctly on the meter. The horizontal line is flush with the rotation disc, and where the left-handside vertical line, is aligned with the markings on the middle of the meter. When the template is in place, you should carefully pull slip 2 in order to remove the middle section of the template. The sensor head should now be placed in the middle of the template, so that the two vertical lines on the template, line up with the same lines that are etched into the surface of the sensor head. Remove the two pieces of red plastic that cover the adhesive pads on the front of the sensor head, and then attach the sensor head onto the meter.

2. Meter Adjustment: As NorthQ Power Reader must be able to work on a wide variety of mechanical meters, a simple automatic meter adjustment is neccessary. This is simply done, by pressing the sensor button five times. The LED on the transmitter will then begin to blink rapidly. You"ll see that the LED will begin to blink more slowly as the adjustment is completed. Once the adjustment has been completed, you"ll see, that the LED on the wireless transmitter only flashes, when the cursor on the rotating disc passes the sensor-head. If you experience problems with the meter adjustment, try placing the sensor head closer to the rotation disc, or in case of scratches on the front of the meter place the sensor on the side.

Installation on electronic meters:

Start, by removing the template from the white background, by gently pulling slip 1 on the lefthand corner of the template. The template should be placed above the LED on the power meter, where the horizontal line and the right-hand-side vertical line cross. When the template is in place, you should carefully pull slip 2 in order to remove the middle section of the template. You can now position the sensor head on the meter. The sensor head should be placed in the middle of the template, so that the two vertical lines on the template, line up with the same lines that are etched into the surface of the sensor head. Remove the two pieces of red plastic that cover the adhesive pads on the front of the sensor head, and then attach the sensor head onto the meter.

Note: It is important, that you are very careful about placing the template correctly, as NorthQ Power Reader won"t be able to read your electricity consumption if the template isn"t properly positioned!

Enter the meter"s total consumption into your NorthQ Power Reader. Finally, click "Setup complete" to complete installation.

You"ll only have to wait approx 30 minutes before your NorthQ Power Reader will have gathered enough data to begin displaying tables and graphs regarding your electricity consumption. However, you can immediately read your current-wattage-consumption, in the bottom of the widget, as long as your NorthQ Power Reader is in "Real-time" mode.