Power Monitor Setup

Figure 1: Main Screen

Figure 1 shows the Main screen and the controls that are available. The Main screen shows the individual ports that are available. This will change depending on whether the USB is connected to a Monitor module or a Power Chassis. The individual menu items are described below.

• Setup. Under setup there is only one menu item, Stand alone Mode. This will allow you to configure the Power Monitor to run without a USB connection and record data on the internal FLASH memory. The only settable parameter is Data Rate. Once you have selected the Data Rate, press the Send Configuration button to configure the power module. Pressing the Get Configuration button will download all the data collected in the internal FLASH memory. Pressing the Get Configuration button will display the stored Data Rate and the number of records collected.

• Options. The following options are available.

  • Data Rate – Select the rate at which data is collected. Ranges from 200 msec to 1 min

  • Current Scale – sets the sensitivity of the current measurement, 8A is the least sensitive and 1A is the most sensitive

  • Record USB – Start/Stop the recording of data from USB. The CSV file is generated once the the program is closed.

  • Download – Will down load the data in the collected in the internal FLASH memory. This is the same as the Get Data from Monitor button in the Stand Alone Mode menu.

  • API Level – This will return the current USB API level.

  • Factory Reset – This will erase the entire internal FLASH memory and reload all the factory default settings and calibration.

  • Firmware Update – This will put the module in the firmware update mode. Return to normal operating mode by recycling the power to the module.

• Calibrate. This allows the user to calibrate the Power Monitor. You must inset a shorting plug into the connector for this. The calibration is only good for the current scale that is set. The calibration data will over write the local calibration data stored in the internal FLASH memory. A sample shoritng plug is shown in Figure 2.

• Load Test – Not Available at this time.

How to use the Power Monitor

Steps for monitoirng the voltage and current of a Maker Power^TM USB Module.

1. Plug in the Maker Power^TM USB Module into the female connector of the Power Monitor. See Figure 3 for a sample connection.

   1. If using either a 3 LDO or DC-DC module plug the USB module directly in.

   2. If using either a 12V or Adjustable USB Module, you will need the adapter interface to plug those USB Modules in.

   WARNING

   Do NOT attempt to plug either one of these modules directly into the Power Monitor. It will cause a catastrophic failure of either or both modules.

2. Plug the Power Monitor into the device to be powered. Attach a USB cable to the side of the Power Monitor and then to the PC. Finally plug a USB cable into the USB Power Module and then to the power source.

3. At this point thevPC program will show the voltage and current on each port.

4. Continue to monitor visually or program the standalone mode as described above.

In the Stand Alone Mode use step #1 to setup the ssytem. Then press the small button on the side of the module to toggle the state of collection. The tables below state of the module as indicated by the LEDs.

Module Status LEDs

There are 3 possible states and they are indicated by the blue and yellow LEDs on the side next to the button as shown in this table.