Build Instructions

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• 1

  Step 1

  
  

  
  

  Power source

  As mentioned in the discretion, I used a transformer with two secondary coils, so I could use one for the power supply and the other to measure the voltage. As the power source is used as the reverence for the ADC converter (Aref), it had to be very stable and precise.

  The emonV3 has a build in MCP1702 linear voltage regulator with 0.5% tolerance. Unfortunately I could not get my hands on one of these, so I had to use an equally adequate LP2950 (50 Eur. Ct) with 5 V output voltage. After the usual capacitors to sooth the voltage I fed the µC with 4.99 V. According to the datasheet of the LP2950 the voltage is stable up to a couple 100 mA drawn.

• 2

  Step 2

  Voltage measurement
  

  The circuit for the voltage measurement is basically the same as for the emontx, except for the voltage divider right at the transformer exit (see This page for a very good explanation). The emontx uses a 100 and 10K resistor and a 9 V transformer, I use a 6 V one. So with these resistors and my smaller transformer I would end up with about 0.77 V coming from the transformer as a oscillating voltage on top of 2.5 V from the voltage divider. In sum only 3.27 V of the 5 V my ADC could measure.

  So I would waste about 1.7 volts and with that resolution. So I exchanged the 10K resistor with a 22K one and end up with:
  

  Add these 1.52 V to the 2.5 V from the voltage divider and you end up at 4.02 V, a much better voltage range for the ADC to work with.

• 3

  Step 3

  µC power supply and reference voltage

  I learned it the hard way how important decoupling capacitors are...

  My ADC measurements were always a bit unstable until I read more about the ADC on a micro controller (RTFM!) and fixed this issue with some capacitors near to the IC.

  Thats what I did to get stable ADC measurements

  • 100 nF capacitor between Vcc and Gnd
  • 100 nF capacitor between AVcc and Gnd
  • 100 nF capacitor between Aref and Gnd
  • Supply 5V to AVcc / Gnd through a separate, which is not extended from Vcc and Gnd.

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