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  3. Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter

Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter

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  • AWIA Offline
    AWIA Offline
    AWI
    Hero Member
    wrote on last edited by
    #9

    There it is Micro (nano) ampere meter (double). I need to add a schematic drawing. Any suggestions/ questions are welcome.

    1 Reply Last reply
    2
    • gohanG Offline
      gohanG Offline
      gohan
      Mod
      wrote on last edited by
      #10

      Why all those headers are needed?

      AWIA 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • korttomaK Offline
        korttomaK Offline
        korttoma
        Hero Member
        wrote on last edited by
        #11

        Parts ordered :D

        • Tomas
        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • gohanG gohan

          Why all those headers are needed?

          AWIA Offline
          AWIA Offline
          AWI
          Hero Member
          wrote on last edited by
          #12

          @gohan As mentioned in the description: I use it as a "patch panel" to distribute the power and ground to different devices. Wiring tends to get messy on my workbench...
          0_1493190896839_upload-a61c084d-a4db-4964-957e-b3c442ec570e
          Not mine but similar ;-)

          sundberg84S 1 Reply Last reply
          2
          • gohanG Offline
            gohanG Offline
            gohan
            Mod
            wrote on last edited by
            #13

            Oh ok, you use it like an integrated breadboard 😀

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • AWIA AWI

              @gohan As mentioned in the description: I use it as a "patch panel" to distribute the power and ground to different devices. Wiring tends to get messy on my workbench...
              0_1493190896839_upload-a61c084d-a4db-4964-957e-b3c442ec570e
              Not mine but similar ;-)

              sundberg84S Offline
              sundberg84S Offline
              sundberg84
              Hardware Contributor
              wrote on last edited by
              #14

              @AWI - did you steal my image on my workbench ;) j/k.
              We need to revive the old workbench topic again!

              Controller: Proxmox VM - Home Assistant
              MySensors GW: Arduino Uno - W5100 Ethernet, Gw Shield Nrf24l01+ 2,4Ghz
              MySensors GW: Arduino Uno - Gw Shield RFM69, 433mhz
              RFLink GW - Arduino Mega + RFLink Shield, 433mhz

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • gohanG Offline
                gohanG Offline
                gohan
                Mod
                wrote on last edited by
                #15

                Are resistor needed with a tight tolerance or else?

                AWIA 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • gohanG gohan

                  Are resistor needed with a tight tolerance or else?

                  AWIA Offline
                  AWIA Offline
                  AWI
                  Hero Member
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #16

                  @gohan No special tolerance resistors needed. The only reason for choosing metal film resistors is that their temperature coefficient is better than carbon types (typical 50ppm/°C compared to 200-500ppm/°C).
                  As you will be calibrating the circuit you can choose from a large range (0.1 Ohm - 100 Ohm) for the shunt. This will only influence the burden voltage / sensitivity and range (Ohm's laws).

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • AWIA AWI

                    @DavidZH Impressive only by numbers ;-) I am prepared to trade my µCurrent for the Agilent :blush:
                    A meetup sounds good..any specific plans yet?

                    D Offline
                    D Offline
                    DavidZH
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #17

                    @AWI Lemme think about that..... Uuuuuhm. no... 😈

                    I have no plans for a meetup. Lacking a proper venue for such a thing. Unfortunately.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • AWIA AWI

                      A very low current (double) stand alone uA meter to tune MySensors battery nodes..
                      0_1493111992919_upload-0091f8f7-8b1a-4d26-8c5d-f66cffe3408c
                      I de' MySensor'ized this project because it is more usefull on the workbench for measuring the very low currents of MySensors battery nodes. I own several Ampere meters including the famous µCurrent. Many of these are not accurate enough or need a lot of wiring and additional equipment (µCurrent). I just wanted something simple and stand alone
                      Using the low cost HX711 weight scale 24 bit AD converter a sub 10€ cost double µA meter was born. Some characteristics to fit MySensors projects:

                      • range channel A: ± 20mA 5½-6½ digit µA
                      • range channel B: ±40mA 5½-6½ digit µA
                      • burden voltage 1µV/1µA (internal resistance 1Ω)
                      • 'patch panel' on the connectors.
                      • easy calibration.

                      In comparison with the µCurrent and a standard multimeter in uA range
                      0_1493113275783_upload-2a33c4be-759a-46c6-af8f-57862ecf4e3c

                      The internals:
                      0_1493113146906_upload-9152b445-76e8-44e6-8625-530f33a80d20

                      Although it cannot compare in accuracy with the µCurrent (in combination with a good multimeter) it is more than useable and accurate to do some serious MySensors tuning.

                      If there is some interest I will try to publish a decent built instruction on Openhardware.io.

                      NeverDieN Offline
                      NeverDieN Offline
                      NeverDie
                      Hero Member
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #18

                      If there is some interest I will try to publish a decent built instruction on Openhardware.io.

                      I'm interested.

                      Nca78N 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • NeverDieN NeverDie

                        If there is some interest I will try to publish a decent built instruction on Openhardware.io.

                        I'm interested.

                        Nca78N Offline
                        Nca78N Offline
                        Nca78
                        Hardware Contributor
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #19

                        @NeverDie said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                        I'm interested.

                        In case you haven't seen it, it's here :
                        https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/6723/micro-nano-ampere-meter-double/5

                        NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • Nca78N Nca78

                          @NeverDie said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                          I'm interested.

                          In case you haven't seen it, it's here :
                          https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/6723/micro-nano-ampere-meter-double/5

                          NeverDieN Offline
                          NeverDieN Offline
                          NeverDie
                          Hero Member
                          wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                          #20

                          @Nca78 said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                          @NeverDie said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                          I'm interested.

                          In case you haven't seen it, it's here :
                          https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/6723/micro-nano-ampere-meter-double/5

                          Thanks! It looks a bit complicated to me. I've used one of these breakout boards (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OPVBEQO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) as a way to measure 24-bit voltage on capacitors, and it works really well. As you can perhaps tell from the photo:
                          alt text
                          the chip is fairly simple to use. What I especially liked is that there was already a demo arduino sketch for interfacing with it. That was a real time saver. If I were to build something, I might try that first, if only because it seems like it might be easier (though perhaps, in part, because I'm already comfortable with it). Would using it in conjunction with a sense resistor be all it would take to make an accurate, high resolution current sensor?

                          AWIA 2 Replies Last reply
                          0
                          • NeverDieN NeverDie

                            @Nca78 said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                            @NeverDie said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                            I'm interested.

                            In case you haven't seen it, it's here :
                            https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/6723/micro-nano-ampere-meter-double/5

                            Thanks! It looks a bit complicated to me. I've used one of these breakout boards (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OPVBEQO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) as a way to measure 24-bit voltage on capacitors, and it works really well. As you can perhaps tell from the photo:
                            alt text
                            the chip is fairly simple to use. What I especially liked is that there was already a demo arduino sketch for interfacing with it. That was a real time saver. If I were to build something, I might try that first, if only because it seems like it might be easier (though perhaps, in part, because I'm already comfortable with it). Would using it in conjunction with a sense resistor be all it would take to make an accurate, high resolution current sensor?

                            AWIA Offline
                            AWIA Offline
                            AWI
                            Hero Member
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #21

                            @NeverDie that one would work as well. Maybe harder to get and a little more pricy :moneybag:

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • NeverDieN NeverDie

                              @Nca78 said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                              @NeverDie said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                              I'm interested.

                              In case you haven't seen it, it's here :
                              https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/6723/micro-nano-ampere-meter-double/5

                              Thanks! It looks a bit complicated to me. I've used one of these breakout boards (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OPVBEQO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1) as a way to measure 24-bit voltage on capacitors, and it works really well. As you can perhaps tell from the photo:
                              alt text
                              the chip is fairly simple to use. What I especially liked is that there was already a demo arduino sketch for interfacing with it. That was a real time saver. If I were to build something, I might try that first, if only because it seems like it might be easier (though perhaps, in part, because I'm already comfortable with it). Would using it in conjunction with a sense resistor be all it would take to make an accurate, high resolution current sensor?

                              AWIA Offline
                              AWIA Offline
                              AWI
                              Hero Member
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #22

                              @NeverDie said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                              It looks a bit complicated to me

                              btw. Which part looks complicated? It's just a few resistors attached to an ADC board (and sketch ready) I am curious on how you can build something simpler with the ADS1220 (which seems to be a better ADC if you are able to find it somewhere ;-))

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • NeverDieN Offline
                                NeverDieN Offline
                                NeverDie
                                Hero Member
                                wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                                #23

                                It sounds like I was mistaken then. In my quick read I thought that I had to implement the entire schematic, not just add a couple of resistors to a pre-made breakout board. I suppose if the schematic were more of a block diagram, that might be clearer for other future readers to quickly grasp, or maybe it's just me.

                                Why would the ADS1220 be a better ADC? I really haven't looked into doing a comparison. I bought the breakout board that I pictured above from Amazon , but I see that it's out of stock now. I believe the company which made it is in India. I seem to recall that it's open source, so there's always that I suppose. I didn't mind ringing the till for the maker: it was all pre-made, it did what I needed at the time (which was watching in real-time the voltage leakage from supercapacitors that I was testing), it was available with free Amazon Prime delivery, and I wanted something sooner rather than later. So, it fit what I needed at the time. Most of those reasons relate to rapid availability though rather than technical reasons.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • NeverDieN Offline
                                  NeverDieN Offline
                                  NeverDie
                                  Hero Member
                                  wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                                  #24

                                  OK, I received an HX711 and have partially hooked it up. I have it connected to an UNO and powered by the 3.3v pin. I also have AWI's sketch running on the UNO. I haven't yet connected a OLED screen to it, so at the moment I'm just looking at the output of the serial consol, which gives a running output of "average" and "spread". I have 10mv connected between A+ and A- to just to see what it will do.

                                  Looking at the code, it looks as though the button (A2) is normally pulled high. Is the button supposed to be connected to GND through a 330 ohm resistor? I don't see any schematic with a button on it.

                                  mfalkviddM 1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • NeverDieN NeverDie

                                    OK, I received an HX711 and have partially hooked it up. I have it connected to an UNO and powered by the 3.3v pin. I also have AWI's sketch running on the UNO. I haven't yet connected a OLED screen to it, so at the moment I'm just looking at the output of the serial consol, which gives a running output of "average" and "spread". I have 10mv connected between A+ and A- to just to see what it will do.

                                    Looking at the code, it looks as though the button (A2) is normally pulled high. Is the button supposed to be connected to GND through a 330 ohm resistor? I don't see any schematic with a button on it.

                                    mfalkviddM Offline
                                    mfalkviddM Offline
                                    mfalkvidd
                                    Mod
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #25

                                    @NeverDie the sketch uses the internal pullup:

                                    Button myBtn(buttonPin, true,  true, 40);				// Declare the button( pin, pullup, invert, debounce ms)
                                    
                                    NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • mfalkviddM mfalkvidd

                                      @NeverDie the sketch uses the internal pullup:

                                      Button myBtn(buttonPin, true,  true, 40);				// Declare the button( pin, pullup, invert, debounce ms)
                                      
                                      NeverDieN Offline
                                      NeverDieN Offline
                                      NeverDie
                                      Hero Member
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #26

                                      @mfalkvidd said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                                      @NeverDie the sketch uses the internal pullup:

                                      Button myBtn(buttonPin, true,  true, 40);				// Declare the button( pin, pullup, invert, debounce ms)
                                      

                                      Right. So that's one leg of the button. Is the other leg connected to GND through a 330ohm resistor? Or....?

                                      mfalkviddM 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • NeverDieN NeverDie

                                        @mfalkvidd said in Double Micro (nano) Ampere meter:

                                        @NeverDie the sketch uses the internal pullup:

                                        Button myBtn(buttonPin, true,  true, 40);				// Declare the button( pin, pullup, invert, debounce ms)
                                        

                                        Right. So that's one leg of the button. Is the other leg connected to GND through a 330ohm resistor? Or....?

                                        mfalkviddM Offline
                                        mfalkviddM Offline
                                        mfalkvidd
                                        Mod
                                        wrote on last edited by mfalkvidd
                                        #27

                                        @NeverDie sorry. Of course you knew that already :)
                                        I found this in the instructions:
                                        Solder the Button to A2 and Gnd of the nano
                                        I guess that means the other leg is connected directly to GND, no resistor is involved there?

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        1
                                        • NeverDieN Offline
                                          NeverDieN Offline
                                          NeverDie
                                          Hero Member
                                          wrote on last edited by NeverDie
                                          #28

                                          Thanks. I'll do that then.

                                          Regardless, I must be doing something wrong, because I'm feeding it 9.9mv (see photo)
                                          0_1495654275424_hx711_problem1.jpg
                                          across A+ and A- from a voltage divider powered by 2xAA batteries, but it's showing zero current. Shouldn't it be showing 9900ua instead?

                                          [I alsoi tried sending it 99uv instead, but it still reads zero]

                                          NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
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