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Turiko

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Roodepoort, JHB
Morning Gentlemen

Following on my project, and the recent success as detailed in another thread here, I am going to later in this year/early next year be looking for test sites i.e. forumites willing to get one of my geyser management systems and evaluate it.

I am limiting the initial sample to 5 and you must be living in an area where there is a ripple signalling system. An obvious requirement. The unit can switch a load maximum of 40 amperes. More than that and you will need a contactor.

The first phase will be a normal signalling test with reference to a known event. The second phase (after a firmware update) will be the advanced geyser management functions.
 
@ Turiko - have no idea if we are in a ripple-control area as our geyser doesn't have any funny doohickies on...
 
If you can tell me where you reside (suburb) then I can probably tell you offhand. From your profile you are based in Pretoria. There is defnitely ripple control in Pretoria- also installed back in 1972
 
I will live in Cape Town the end of the year. I am interested in your system.
 
I also forgot to mention that this device is intended to be universal. I am also deploying one for testing in France, where they use the Pulsadis system
 
HavocXphere said:
Sounds like a good idea.


Most of it in the pta east area is rusted and hasn't worked for years.:(
Click to expand...

Might be so yes... but they most likely are still transmitting the signal or they're using a newer system on a different frequency and haven't done a roll-out of new receivers.

In Roodepoort, there are thousands of old electro-mechanical receivers, that need to be replaced at some stage. The system is still being run in "backwards compatible" mode i.e. signalling that is compatible with both the electromechanical receivers and the electronic ones. Common sense would dictate replacing all the old with new and gaining a 4500% increase in response time, as well as flexibility and the long-awaited tarriff switching. But, things seem to coagulate within City Power. They simply fight fires and do little else.

Either way these technologies are going to be deployed, and in some cases, re-deployed. That is a reality as we get closer to running out of enough reserve margin with our electricity supply. The big problem at the moment is the politics surrounding these systems and the municipalities that are "always bankrupt". Enermet is pushing hard to sell their product in SA, the internet is peppered with their presentations they've made to the SA guavamint. The thing is, that even their proposals are being ignored, so, it's hard to say what will happen.

My goal is to produce this system which works in tandem with the signalling, and provide a means where the home owner doesn't get his hot water cut unneccessarily. A good example of this is the fact that they cut the geysers early in the morning and leave them off for a good 4-6 hours on average during the week. So if you turn off your geyser like I do, it causes the ripple receiver to miss signalling and you end up with cold water. So instead of you cutting your geyser, the system will do it for you but only if the council hasn't done so already, but it will also look at other factors, and in that way ensure you don't lose heating whilst keeping with the council's need to reduce peak demand. You can also set it to display channels, which are used for other things and you can assign these channels to a relay, and use them for your needs i.e. to turn your complex' outside lighting on and off with the streetlights, or to know when there is imminent loadshedding.
 
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I agree- so I am presenting the homeowner with the means to do it himself. If the council won't then the public can and will do so. And if you can ensure that Joe Public's geyser will not be cold and convince him to do his bit at a bit of a saving on his bill then so be it.
 
The_Librarian said:
...in order so that Mr Mayor can have the latest and newest luxury vehicle... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
The Mayor of the Ga-Segonyana municipality in the NC province earned R100,000/month in 2005. That was while the municipality was close to bankrupcy and there wasn't even enough money left to maintain roads.

Nuff said. Apologies for straying off topic but whenever Mayors and municipalities are mentioned my heart rate increases dramatically :D
 
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Back on topic...

There has been requests for logging the mains voltage. Would it be acceptable to the people who are interested in this project, that it logs the mains voltage also. As it is, in line with international norms, I am measuring the mains frequency and I am disconnecting the loads the moment the frequency takes a nosedive.

If voltage logging is what you want, how frequently should the mains be sampled? Bear in mind that there is not a lot of memory on this product. If people want frequent logging, we might have to develop a separate product for that purpose.
 
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