Connecting your PEL103 portable energy logger to a network is often a really useful thing to do, because it gives you access to all of the data collected by the PEL remotely, from any location where you have network access. And, if you have a network access point conveniently close to your PEL, all you need is a standard cable to hook it up to your network. But what if there’s no network access point near your PEL? The answer is to give your PEL WiFi capability. And that’s easy to do. This blog post will tell you how. But why would you decide not to monitor the voltage, since portable energy loggers (PELs) like our popular PEL103 always make provision for measuring both current and voltage? The answer comes down to convenience. Arranging to measure current is easy – you simply wrap the Rogowski coils that are used to sense current around the conductors and the job is done. There’s no need to make connections to live parts. The first thing you’ll need is a WiFi range extender. It’s a gadget that’s readily available from all the usual online retailers and it shouldn’t cost you more than £20. The one we’re going to describe in this blog is the TP-Link TL-WA850RE, but many other types are available and the setting up procedure should be very similar for all of them. The second thing you’ll need is a PC with a web browser. (Alternatively, you can use a smartphone, but the smartphone can only be used to set up the WiFi connection, not to access the data from the PEL after you’ve finished the setting up.) Make sure that your PC doesn’t have a wired network connection. If it does, temporarily disconnect it. Now plug your range extender into a nearby mains socket and wait until the wireless LED on the extender is steadily illuminated. Open the WiFi connection utility on your PC (or smartphone) and connect to the network called TP-Link_Extender. Your web browser will probably launch automatically but, if it doesn’t, launch it manually then type http://tplinkrepeater.net or http://192.168.0.254 into the address bar. The TP-Link Range Extender web page will open, and you’ll be asked to create a password. (See the picture below). After you’ve created your password, the range extender should automatically scan for wireless networks in the vicinity. If it doesn’t, a wireless scanner web page will appear as shown in the next picture, and you can start the scanning manually. When it’s found the network that you want your PEL connected to, select it, enter the password. (This is the password for your wireless network, NOT the range extender password you just created!) Click ‘Save’ on the webpage displayed on your PC, and the range extender will reboot. Take a look at the range extender and, if everything has gone to plan, the “RE” LED will be illuminated. Now reconnect your PC (or smartphone) to your network, either by wireless, or by reconnecting the network cable you unplugged at the start of this procedure. You’re almost there! Connect your PEL to the range extender with a standard Ethernet network cable and launch the PEL Transfer program on your PC. (If you’ve been using your PEL for a while, you’ll probably have this installed, but if you haven’t, you can download it free of charge from the Chauvin Arnoux website). In PEL Transfer, select “add an instrument” then select the “Ethernet” option, as shown below. Click “next”. Go to your PEL and click on the info screen where you’ll be able to see the its IP address. Make a note of this. Go back to your PC and enter the address in the address box of the PEL Transfer program. Once the program confirms that it has established a connection, click “finish”. Your PEL should now be visible in the tree of data sources, as shown in the picture. Congratulations! You’ve added WiFi capability to your PEL103! By the way, if this procedure sounds longwinded and complicated, it really isn’t! Like a lot of things, it’s much harder to describe than to do. It should take you no more than ten minutes – probably a lot less. And, if you should encounter any issues, don’t forget that the Chauvin Arnoux technical support team is always on hand to help out. If you’d like to learn more about how to save energy and become more efficient, download our eBook that outlines the path to sustainability and efficiency…

The EMEX (Energy Management Exhibition) in London was a couple of weeks ago and, as expected, there was a plethora of new products from manufacturers across the world, all of which are designed to help you enhance your energy efficiency and reduce your carbon footprint. Energy loggers were prominent and they’re definitely a worthwhile investment but, before you jump in and buy one, a word to the wise: not all energy loggers are equal. And here is why… Our modern workspaces are filled to the brim with non-linear loads like variable speed drives for motors, LED lighting, IT equipment and UPS systems, all of which produce harmonics in the supply system. And harmonics are bad news. They reduce energy efficiency; they generate unwanted heat and they can lead to equipment malfunctioning. A good portable energy logger (PEL) will, however, tell you all about the harmonics in your installation – as well as providing you with a lot of other information that will help you to cut your energy bills. Before you invest in a PEL, however, make sure that it can measure individual harmonics up to the 50th! Otherwise it will only be giving you part of the picture and the decisions you take based on the results will not take into account all aspects of the problem. And don’t be misled into thinking that total harmonic distortion (THD) is all you need to know. THD is certainly a useful figure because it gives you an idea of the total amount of harmonics present in an installation, but only by knowing the percentages of each harmonic will enable you to determine their likely source and take appropriate remedial action to mitigate them.  A good PEL will be suitable for use on single-phase, split-phase and three-phase systems and will be designed so that it’s easy to install – ideally without the need to turn off the power. Remember, a PEL is supposed to deliver benefits, not interrupt your operations! Analysis and recording of harmonics up to the 50th should, of course, come as standard. Other invaluable features are real-time communication with a PC, and the ability to record results to an SD card for storage and later analysis. So, don’t be tempted to order the first PEL that comes your way, even if it does seem to be a bit of a bargain! Take the time to ask the manufacturer or distributor those all-important questions and find out if the tester can indeed record harmonics up to the 50th. After all, it’s worth spending the time to find the right instrument that will help you to make the best energy – and money – saving decisions!

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the development of young engineers and technicians, we’ve awarded one of our versatile C.A 5273 multimeters to the World Skills UK Competition winner for industrial electronics. The National Skills Competition Gold Medallist for Industrial Electronics was Jamie Skyrme who is currently studying at Gower College Swansea Wales. World Skills is an organisation that helps young people get the best start in work and life by providing practical careers advice and activities, complemented by access to guidance from peer role models. The organisation aims to increase awareness of apprenticeships and technical education, and to inspire more young people to consider them as attractive career options. “At Chauvin Arnoux we are dedicated to ensuring the future success and prosperity of our industry and of those working in it,” enthused Scarlett Reynolds, Marketing Communications Officer at Chauvin Arnoux. “World Skills not only gives young people the opportunity to reach their full potential but also provides excellent opportunities for learning from the insights gained by competing against other countries. Overall, this drives up training standards for young people to world-class levels, giving a much-needed boost to productivity.” The C.A 5273 which has been provided by Chauvin Arnoux is a comprehensive multimeter ideal for the maintenance of electrical installations and small AC and DC machines. It features a double 6,000-count backlit display and a 61+2-segment bargraph with remnant effect. The C.A 5273 has a 600V CAT IV safety rating and IP54-rated ingress protection, and it is backed by a three-year warranty.

When repeated failures of the electronic tachometers fitted to pillar drills in the student workshop at Dover College meant that students were at risk of being unable to complete their assignments in time for assessment, the college needed to find a fast, reliable and affordable fix. Off-the-shelf digital panel meters from Chauvin Arnoux were the answer – they were available for fast delivery from stock, they were less expensive than replacements from the original manufacturer and, during more than seven months of operation, they have proved to be completely reliable. When repeated failures of the electronic tachometers fitted to pillar drills in the student workshop at Dover College meant that students were at risk of being unable to complete their assignments in time for assessment, the college needed to find a fast, reliable and affordable fix. Off-the-shelf digital panel meters from Chauvin Arnoux were the answer – they were available for fast delivery from stock, they were less expensive than replacements from the original manufacturer and, during more than seven months of operation, they have proved to be completely reliable. Dover College has a well-equipped workshop where students following engineering courses carry out hands-on practical work that forms an important part of their final course assessment. Because drilling is such a frequent and essential operation in almost every engineering project, the workshop’s two pillar drills are vital pieces of equipment. To ensure that the drills are being used correctly, they are fitted with electronic tachometers that allow the students to confirm that they have selected the correct drilling speed for the work in hand. This is important because, as well as shortening the life of the drill bits, using the wrong speed can increase the risk of accidents. For this reason, the college does not allow the drills to be used unless the tachometer is functioning correctly. Recently, however, the tachometer on one of the drills failed, reducing the workshop’s drilling capacity by 50% and quickly creating a backlog of student work. A replacement tachometer, supplied by the drill manufacturer was fitted, but this also failed after a short time. Then the tachometer fitted to the second drill also failed which meant that both drills were out of action at the most critical time of the academic year, when the students were working on their final assessment pieces. The drill supplier was asked to investigate the problem and to offer replacement tachometers but, because the drills were by then out of warranty, it quoted a very high price for carrying out this work. Looking for an alternative – and rather more affordable – solution, Dover College approached Chauvin Arnoux for help. While Chauvin Arnoux does not supply dedicated tachometers, the company’s engineers knew that its versatile µDIGI1-F digital panel meter, which is most often used for monitoring electrical parameters, had a tachometer function. A Chauvin Arnoux engineer took a sample of this meter from stock and visited Dover College to assess its suitability for the application. It was found that not only did it function perfectly, it was also compatible with the sensor fitted to the drill shaft, so no modification to the drill would be needed, other than to devise a simple adapter plate to mount the new instrument. And, as a very welcome bonus for the college, the Chauvin Arnoux µDIGI1-F was less than half the price of a replacement tachometer from the original drill manufacturer. “We were absolutely delighted with the equipment from Chauvin Arnoux and with the outstanding service provided by the company,” said Bob Ayling, skills practitioner at Dover College. “We fitted the new digital panel meters to both of our pillar drills and were able to get them back in action in time for our students to complete their assignments, which led to much relief all round! The new meters function perfectly and do exactly what we want. And, of course, we were very happy about the price!” At the time of writing, the Chauvin Arnoux µDIGI1-F digital panel meters fitted to the pillar drills at Dover College have been in regular use for more than seven months, and throughout this time they have performed faultlessly. In fact, the college is so satisfied with them that it has decided to make Chauvin Arnoux its first port of call for all of its future monitoring requirements – electrical and mechanical.