Owner’s Manual

eGauge Systems LLC 1510 28th St, Suite 205

Boulder, CO 80303 http://egauge.net/ 877.EGAUGE1

March 19, 2012

1 Introduction

Thank you and congratulations to your purchase of an eGauge device! Properly installed, the device will be able to record and report energy usage and production for years to come.

The first section of this manual describes installation of the product. The second section provides operating instructions and is followedby a section on equipment maintenance. The appendices provide the devicespecifications and a reference to troubleshooting information.

2 Installation

Installation must be performed by a licensedelectrician according to all applicable local, national, andinternational codes.

2.1 What’s included in the box

• 1×eGauge device

• 1× Power plug (5-position 7.62mm plug)

• 0–12× Current Transformers(CTs) w/8ft wires & 2-position plugs (as or- dered)

• 1× HomePlug wall-outlet adapterw/5ft Ethernet cable (if ordered)

2.2 Materials required for installation

• Per phase: 1× 15A circuit breakeror single multi-pole breaker

• Black, red, and white stranded AWG14 wire; lengthdepending on installa- tion location

• Electrician’s tape

• Conduit and couplingsas needed

2.3 Tools required for installation

• #0 slotted screw driver (neededif length of CT-wires needs to be adjusted)

• Circuit-breaker finder (ring-out tool)

• Voltage meter

2.4 Nomenclature and Symbols

In the US, residences typically receive power throughsplit-phase power distribu- tion which is provided throughtwo hot legs, a neutral, and a protective ground.

Most commercial and industrial buildings receive power through 3-phasepower distribution provided through 3 hot phases, a neutral and protectiveground.

Throughout the rest of this document, we use the term “phase”to refer both to the phases of 3-phase power distributionas well as the two legs used in split-phase power distribution.

The table below describes the symbols used on the device:

2.4.1 Measurement Category

Measurement Category III is for measurements performedin the building installa-tion. Examples are measurements on distribution boards,circuit-breakers, wiring,including cables, bus-bars, junction boxes, switches, socket-outlets in thefixed installation, and equipment for industrial use and some other equipment,for ex- ample, stationary motors with permanent connection to the fixedinstallation.

2.5 Safety Warnings

Please follow the installation instructions in this manual for wiringdiagram and proper selection of CTs.

To reducethe risk of electric shock:

• Do not connectdevice to a circuit operating at more than 277 Volts to ground.

• Always open ordisconnect circuits from Power Distribution System of building beforeinstalling or servicing the unit or attached current sense transformers.

2.6 Installation Location

eGauge is usuallyinstalled near the power-distribution panel of a building, where there is easy access to the powercircuits to be measured.

eGauge is permanently connected equipment. A 15A circuit-breaker shall be in- cluded (one per phase) in close proximity of the device and within easy reach of the operator. The breakers shall be marked as thedisconnecting device for eGauge. The breakers shallbe wired to the devicein compliance with the NFPA 8National Electrical Code using a conductor size of at least AWG14.

eGauge is a component and must be installed inside a suitable enclosure. The enclosure eGauge is installedin must be rated accordingto the environment it is usedin. For example, outdoorinstallations require an outdoor-rated enclosure (e.g., IPX4/NEMA4).

Select an installation location that is not exposedto direct sunlightor the elements. Otherwise, the warranty may be voided.

Do not install the device in a way that would make it difficult tooperate the dis- connecting device (circuit breakers).

2.7 Device Overview

As shown in Figure 1, eGauge has two input connectors: the Power Connec- tor is a 5-pinconnector used to wire the device to the building supply. The CT Connector is used to connect up to 12 Current Transformers (CTs).

Figure 1: eGauge inputsand outputs

There are no outputconnections.

The Status LED is an installation aid. When powered on, the LED will briefly turn yellow, then blue.The blue color indicates that the deviceis powered up andrecording data. When green,it indicates that the device is able to communicate with the HomePlug adapterat sufficiently high speed (≥2Mpbs).When blinking blue or green, it indicates that the device is accessible from the Internet(see Sec- tion 3.2). If the LED is blinking red, theinternal temperature is high. It maybe necessary to let the device cool off by powering it off by turning off thecircuit breakers labeled “eGaugeDisconnect.”

If the device is unable to automatically obtain an IP address via DHCP,the LED color will alternate between blue and cyan (HomePlug linkspeed <2Mbps),or green and cyan (if the HomePlug link speed is ≥2Mbps).

2.7.1 Power Connector

This connector is shown in Figure 2 and the pin-out is as follows:

Figure 2: Power Connector

The Power Connector is CAT III rated (for measurements performed in the build- ing installation, such as circuit breakers). Pin L1 serves three purposes: it powers the device (3W typical,7.5W maximum), it carries the power-line signal for com- municating with the HomePlugwall-plug adapter, and the voltage on the line is measured to calculate power used/generated on phase L1. Thepin must by wiredto the building’s power supply with a voltage in the range from 85–277Vac (toneutral). In contrast, pins L2 and L3 are used purely as voltage-taps so powerused/generated on phasesL2 and L3 can be calculated. Wiring these pins is nec- essary only if there are CTs measuring current(s) on L2/L3. The voltageon these lines can be 0-277Vacor 0-277Vdc. The input impedance forL2 and L3 is ap- proximately 927kΩ at 60Hz. Byconnecting L2 or L3 to a DC-voltage, it becomes possibleto monitor, for example, the voltage on a battery backup.

CAUTION: Note that L1, L2, and L3 areall coupled together through Neu- tral. Thus,when using L2 and/or L3 to monitor,e.g., the voltageon a backup- battery, ensure that it is safe to wire the other poleof the battery to Neutral (pin N).

Figure 3: CT Connector

2.7.2 CT Connector

This connector is shown in Figure 3. Itprovides 12 positions for the CT plugs illustrated in Figure 5. The silk-screened numbers indicate whichCT should be connected to which pair of pins.Pins that are to receivethe black wire of the CTsare marked with a circle with black interior, pins for the white wires aremarked with a circle with white interior. TheCT Connector is rated for wiring one to twelve units of the CTs listed inSection B.3. The input voltagerating is 0.333V at the rated current. The input impedance is approximately 10kΩ at 60Hz.

CAUTION: The pins of the CT Connector are at a potential of 2.5V relative to Neutral (pin N on the Power Connector). Do not connectthese pins to anyof the Power Connector pins or the device may be damaged!

NOTE: There is no risk of damage if a CT plug is accidentally inserted such that itstraddles the pins for two different CTs. Ifthis happens, eGauge will not be able to measurepower properly but otherwise there are no ill effects.To correct the problem,simply remove and re-insert the plug at the right position.

2.7.3 Time Reference

During normal operation, eGauge maintains accuratetime by synchronizing with the NTP servers available at ntp.org. Sincethese servers provide atomic-clock accuracy, there is usually no need to setthe time manually.

When the Internet is not accessible, either temporarily (e.g., after a power failure) or permanently (e.g., at a remotesite), eGauge relieson a battery-backed real-timeclock to maintain proper time.

Figure 4: Wiring Diagramfor a Typical Split-Phase Installation

The battery backup is designed only to cover relatively short poweroutages. Specifically, after a week of charging, the battery is able to maintainproper time for aboutone day. It takesabout two monthsto fully chargethe battery and, oncefully charged, the battery is able to maintain proper time for about a week.Should eGauge remain withoutpower for longerthan that, propertime will be lost.When power is restored after such an event, eGauge will attempt to restoreproper time via the Internet. If the Internet is not accessible, it will fall back to using the timethat was in effect when the last data item was recordedprior to the power failure. The proper time must then berestored later on, either manually via the device’s “Settings” menu or byconnecting the device to the Internet.

2.8 Wiring Diagram

2.8.1 Typical Residential (Split-Phase) Installation

Figure 4 is a schematic wiring diagram showing a typical split-phaseinstallation where eGauge is used to measure the amount of power being suppliedby the power utility (CTs 1–2) and the power supplied by a single-phase solarinverter (CT 3). For simplicity, circuit-breakers are not shown.

2.8.2 Other Installations

For commercial three-phase installation as well as many otherinstallation and configuration-scenarios, please refer to the manual called “Configuration Guide,” available at:

http://egauge.net/support/

2.9 Installation steps

1. If the building does not have a HomePlugnetwork already (normalcase):

(a) Find a power outletnear an available Ethernet port.

(b) Plug the HomePlug adapterinto the outletnear the Ethernetport.

(c) Connect the HomePlug adapterto the Ethernet port with the supplied Ethernet cable.

2. Use a circuit-breaker-finder tolocate the breaker for the outlet into which the HomePlug adapter is plugged into. Designate the breaker’s phase as L1. In split-phase installations, labelthe other phase L2. In 3-phaseinstalla- tions, label the other two phases L2 and L3 (order does not matter, as long as the labeling is appliedconsistently throughout the installation).

3. Install the new breaker(s) in the power-distribution panel such that they pro- vide access to all phases.

4. Open the breakers so there is no power on the breaker contacts.

5. Mount the eGauge either inside thepower-distribution panel (if permitted and spaceis available) or insidea suitable enclosure near thepower distri- bution panel.

6. Wire the 5-position plug as follows:

(a) Black wire: pin labeledL1 to breakerfor phase L1.

(b) White wire: pin labeledN to Neutral.

(c) Red wire: pin labeledL2 to breakerfor phase L2.

(d) Blue wire: pin labeled L3 to breaker for phase L3 (3-phase installa- tions only).

Figure 5: Correct wiringfor 2-pin CT plug

7. Insert the 2-pin CT plugs into the CTConnector on the eGauge accord- ingto the “CT Connection Table” listed on the separate document entitled “eGaugeInstallation Sheet”.

NOTE:Ensure that the stickers on the CTs point towardswhat is being measured.

If it isnecessary to shorten or lengthen the CT wires, ensure that the CT wires are connected as shown in Figure 5.

8. Close the newly installed breakers. This should cause eGauge to power up and within a few seconds, the StatusLED should turn blue. The LEDwill turn green if communication with the HomePlugadapter is sufficiently fast (≥ 2Mbps). If the Status LED fails to turn green after 30 seconds, seetrouble-shooting instructions in Appendix C.The Status LED will start to blink when the device is able toconnect to egauge.net. At that point, the device can be found inthe device-list at http://egauge.net/. Note that the Status LED may blink blue or green, dependingon whether or not the HomePlug adapter speed is above or below 2Mbps. We recom- mend to always installthe device such that the LED turns green, but in some cases (e.g., long cable-runs), this may not be possible. When this happens, a blueblinking LED may be sufficient, though we would recommend ac- cessing the device’s web page and verifying that everything worksreliably and speedily.

9. Label the newly installed breakers as“eGaugeDisconnect” so the cus-tomer can readily find them if it becomes necessaryto power-cycle or turnoff the eGauge device for any reason.

IMPORTANT: Labeling the breaker(s) isessential. Do not skip that step.Occasionally, it may be necessary to power-cycle the device. The breaker(s) provide the only safe way to do that,so for safety-reasons, it is important that

the end-customer is able to identify the eGauge breaker(s) without havingto open any enclosures.

3 Operation

3.1 Accessing your eGauge for the first time

Once eGauge is installed, you can access it from any computer on yourLocal Area Network (LAN) with a compatible web-browser (see spec-sheet). To start, enter the following Web addressinto your web-browser:

Microsoft Windows: http://devname/

All other computers: http://devname.local/

where devname is the name of the device (e.g., eGauge53). For example, to access device eGauge53, you wouldenter the following URL into your browser:

Microsoft Windows: http://egauge53/

All other computers: http://egauge53.local/

NOTE: If you wish to use the .local names on Microsoft Windows com- puters, it is necessary to install Apple’s Bonjourtechnology to enable multi- cast DNS (mDNS). This technology can be downloadedand installed free of charge from the following URL:

http://support.apple.com/downloads/Bonjour for - Windows

An exampleof the eGauge dashboard can be seen in Figure6.

Details on how to operate the device can be viewed by clicking on the “Help” link on the top right of thepage.

Figure 6: eGauge dashboard

3.2 Accessing eGauge from the Internet

To access eGauge from the Internet, open a compatible web-browser and then visit theWeb page at:

http://egauge.net/devices/

Find the nameof your device (e.g., eGauge53)on that page and click on it. This will connect you to your device. Alternatively, you can directly enter thefollowing Web address into your browser:

http://devname.egaug.es/

where devname is the name of your device (e.g.,“eGauge53”).

You can also use the above URL as an alternative means to connectto your device directly through your LAN. To accomplish that, click on the “LAN Access” link on the top right of the page, once the device’s dashboard has loaded. This directs your browser to access the devicedirectly (through your LAN rather than going through egauge.net). Thisis both faster and allows you to access the device even at times when your Internet-connection may not be working properly. Please bookmark the addressdisplayed in the browser after the page referred to by the “LAN Access” link has finished loading.

NOTE: From time to time, the addressof your eGauge may change and the bookmark will stop working. Should this happen, repeat the abovesteps and update the bookmark with the new address. Usually, this happens infrequently,if at all. However, since it can happen, we recommend using the connection-methods described in the previoussection whenever possible. Alternatively, a static(fixed) address can be configured for the device. See the next sectionfor details.

3.3 Configuring a StaticIP Address

eGauge normally automatically obtains its IP address and associated information through a service called DynamicHost Configuration Protocol (DHCP). If you cannot or do not wish to run thisservice on your LAN, the device will default to using IP address 192.168.1.88,so the device can be accessed as:

http://192.168.1.88/

However, if anotherdevice ends up using the same address,a conflict would occurand neither device could be accessed reliably.For this reason, we recommend configuring a static IP address if DHCP is not available. To do so, visit the above URL and then click on “Settings”then on “Network Settings”. Uncheckthe box labeled “Automatically obtainaddress with DHCP” and then enter the appropriatevalues into the newly enabled fields (you may need to consult your ITspecialist to determine appropriate values).Once the values are entered, click on “Save.” You may be prompted forthe authorization to make the change. Enter“owner” (without quotes) as the user-name and the password noted on yourInstallation Sheet, then click on “OK” (by default, the password is “default”,again without quotes) This will save the new settingsand restart the device as necessary. After making these changes, the devicecan be accessed as

http://staticip/

where staticip is the staticIP address you just configured.

3.4 Verifying the Proper Time

When theInternet is not available to eGauge, it may be necessary to set the date andtime manually. To verify that eGaugehas the proper time, use a browser to go to the device’s dashboard(see previous sections), then click on “Settings”, then on “Date & Time”. If the displayed date and/or time is wrong, please enter thecorrect values and then click on “Save”. Please repeat this step from time to time,especially after prolonged power outages lasting more than a few hours.

4 Maintenance

eGauge is designedto be maintenance free. No preventive maintenance or inspec- tions are required.

Should it become necessary to clean the eGauge, disconnect it from thebuilding supply by turningoff the breakers labeled “eGauge Disconnect”, remove the

device, and clean it with a soft cloth.If a cleaning fluid is needed, use 70% isopropyl alcohol. Wait until all cleaningfluid has evaporated before reinstallingthe device and turning the breakers back on.

The devicehas no replaceable batteries and no replaceable fuses.

A FCC Compliance

This equipment has been testedand found to comply with the limitsfor a Class B digital device,pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules.These limits are designed to providereasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installa- tion.This equipment generates, uses and can radiateradio frequency energy and,if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may causeharmful interference to radiocommunications. However, there is no guarantee that inter- ferencewill not occur in a particular installation.If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or televisionreception, which can be determined byturning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct theinterference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocatethe receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipmentand receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outleton a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TVtechnician for help.

CAUTION: Changes or modifications to theequipment not expressly ap- proved by eGauge Systems LLC could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

B Specifications

B.1 Electrical Rating of the Product

85-277Vac, 1-3 phases, 50-60 Hz, 7.5W peak (3W normal)

B.2 Environmental Conditions

Suitable for indoor and outdoor use (with proper enclosure), PollutionDegree 2, Measurement Category III. Not to be used at altitudes above 4000m. Voltage fluctuations not to exceed ±10%. Temperature range: -30–50^◦C (-22–122^◦F). Maximum relativehumidity 80% up to 31^◦C, decreasing linearly to 50% at 40^◦C.

B.3 Current Transformers (CT)

The CTs used in conjunction with eGauge must be ETL or UL recognized with anoutput of 0.333V at the rated current. Specifically,the following CT models are approved for use with eGauge:

C Troubleshooting and Support Information

C.1 Status LED fails to turn green

The Status LED turns greenonly when eGaugecan communicate with the Home- Plug wall-outlet adapter at a speedsufficiently high to ensure reliable operation (≥2Mpbs). If the LED fails to turn green:

1. Verify that the wall-adapter is plugged directlyinto a wall-outlet or, if thatis not possible, into a simple power-strip. Donot plug wall-adapter into a

power-strip with built-in surge suppressor, sincethe surge-suppressor filters out the HomePlug signal.

2. Verify that the outlet into which thewall-adapter is plugged in is on the same phase as the wire labeled L1 on thePower Connector of the eGauge.

3. Verify that the outlet is within about 40 feet of the eGauge installation loca- tion.

C.2 eGauge fails to show up at http://egauge.net/ or doesnot blink green

1. Verify that the Status LED on theeGauge device is green. If not, seepre- vious trouble-shooting item. Ifit is green, try power-cycling the eGauge device and wait for the Status LED toturn green again.

2. Using a web-browser, try connecting to http://egauge.net/. If page cannot be loaded,there may be a temporary outage which will prevent eGauge from connecting to http://egauge.net/.

3. Using a web-browser, access thedevice as explained in Section 3.1. Onceconnected, click on “Settings”. Ensurethat box labelled “Proxy-server hostname” contains the text d.egauge.net.

C.3 Status LED alternates between green/cyan or blue/cyan

The cyan color indicates eGauge was unable to obtain an IP addressthrough DHCP. If the Status LED is alternating between blue and cyan, theHomePlug link speed is too low and that is preventing eGauge from connecting to the DHCP server. See Section C.1 on how toresolve this issue.

If the Status LED is alternating between green and cyan, eGauge is unableto obtain an IP address throughDHCP even though the HomePluglink speed is fine.Most likely, this indicates that there is no DHCP server available on the LAN.Either configure a static IP address (see Section 3.3) or enablea DHCP server on a routerand/or computer.

If these suggestions do not resolvethe problem or if there are any other issueswith the device, please see the support section of the eGauge web sitefor frequently asked questions and additional troubleshooting tips:

http://egauge.net/support/

D Installation Information

Devicename:

Notes: