The idea came from a real need in long-duration laboratory testing, where simply turning devices ON/OFF is not enough. In many test setups, multiple instruments, power supplies, motors, heaters, optical equipment, or automated fixtures may be connected to the same UPS or power rail.

While a UPS is useful for backup power, it usually cannot monitor or disconnect each output independently. If one connected device draws a high inrush current, creates a surge, or behaves abnormally, other devices on the same power source can be affected.

The Noora Power Monitoring Switch was designed to address this missing layer between the UPS and the connected equipment. It combines four independently controlled AC output channels with real-time voltage and current monitoring, allowing each socket to be switched, monitored, and protected independently.

Some of the main features:

• 4 independently controlled AC output sockets
• Voltage and current monitoring
• True-RMS current measurement per channel
• True-RMS, Mean, and Peak-to-Peak voltage measurement
• User-selectable measurement window based on AC half-cycles
• Fast RMS mode for surge protection and fast response
• Configurable surge protection per channel
• USB interface
• LabVIEW modules and control/monitoring software
• Windows executable software supported via LabVIEW Runtime Engine
• Expandable architecture using loop/network connection for multi-unit setups

One of the parts we focused on was half-cycle-based monitoring. Instead of only measuring slow averaged values, the device can calculate RMS values over a user-defined number of half-cycles. This makes it useful for detecting short events such as inrush current, brownouts, voltage transients, and unusual load behaviour during automated tests.

Each current channel also has configurable surge protection. For example, the user can define allowed current and duration values during startup and after startup. If the measured value exceeds the configured limits, the output relay can be disabled automatically.

We originally designed this for internal and industrial lab use, but we are now trying to understand whether there is broader interest from hardware developers, test engineers, research labs, and automation users.

Potential use cases include:

• Long-duration device testing
• Automated test benches
• Semiconductor or optical lab equipment
• Monitoring power behaviour of multiple instruments
• Detecting abnormal current or voltage events
• Protecting sensitive equipment from unexpected load behaviour
• Remote power control with measurement feedback

This is not intended to replace a full oscilloscope or a precision power analyser. The goal is to provide a compact multi-channel power control and monitoring device that can sit inside a test setup and continuously watch what is happening on each AC output.

We are considering whether it makes sense to prepare a more public-facing version of this device, possibly through a small production run or crowdfunding campaign.

Channel-Specific Current Cards & Shared Voltage Card — How Monitoring Works:
Each Power Monitoring Switch unit comes with one dedicated current measurement card for each channel or socket. However, regardless of the number of channels, every Power Switch is equipped with only one voltage measurement card, which monitors and controls the voltage for all channels.

⚡ Voltage Card Features:

• Accuracy: 0.12 volts at 250V RMS
• Measurement speed: Up to 50 ksps
• Supports the following voltage measurements:
  • True-RMS Voltage
  • Mean Voltage
  • Peak-to-Peak Voltage
• Isolation: Up to 4000 volts
• User-defined measurement window from 1/2 cycle to 60 cycles for True-RMS, Mean, and Peak-to-Peak voltage
• Ability to control output sockets separately using voltage card control functions
• Detects, monitors, and reports:
  • Voltage sags
  • Surges
  • Spikes
  • Transients
  • Harmonics
  • Electrical noise
  • Blackouts
    over a user-defined window of 1/2 to 60 cycles

⚡ Current Card Features:

• Accuracy: 0.03 amps
• Isolation up to 4000 volts
• Supports measurement speeds...