Power saving Drive

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165 posts

Master Geek

Reply # 592784 9-Mar-2012 14:15
get one of these , test it out and once you have the method of swictching on/off sorted get some more. ... via Jaycar .. code is MS6146 it is probably my fav of all no hassle power savers currently. :)http://www.jaycar.co.nz/productResults.asp?keywords=ms6146&keyform=KEYWORD&SUBMIT.x=0&SUBMIT.y=0 When flat mate switches off all the equipment the unit when configured properly will turn off everything , so obviously the always on box needs to switch and be fed power seperately. i run a multi outlet board of one of the above units with no issues. just make sure you have all items in standby when you program the unit, it self powers down after 60 seconds of standby power level i think from memory. you can fire it up using ANY remote control you select, you just program a specific button of a specific remote and it learns that code as a request for on. Get one of them and see what you think, try it out in all the needed locations, it will probably suit all your needs if you get creative :)

timmmay

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Reply # 592786 9-Mar-2012 14:17
Yeah I agree, just before you posted I made a note to pop into Jarcar tomorrow :) The Powershield Theatreguard looks good too, but it's pretty expensive. Asus eee pad transformer iPod 2G Windows 7 PC Lots and lots of Nikon camera gear

Niel

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Reply # 592884 9-Mar-2012 19:18
timmmay: which uses about $120 of power a year in standby $120 per year / 0.21c per kWh = 571 kWh per year 571 kWh / 365 /24 = 65 W I don't think the TV and DVD uses 65W in standby. It will be more like 10W together. Read this thread: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=97887 Product rating labels need to be within 10% and they get tested by certified labs, trust the supplier specifications. You can never have enough Volvos!

Niel

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Reply # 592887 9-Mar-2012 19:23
timmmay: The Powershield Theatreguard looks good too, but it's pretty expensive. What is the power consumption of this device? It is likely to be similar to an Elto digital timer which consumes 7W (I'm an electronic engineer, fixed a couple of failed timers and traced out the circuit). You can never have enough Volvos!

timmmay

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Reply # 592888 9-Mar-2012 19:26
Niel: timmmay: which uses about $120 of power a year in standby $120 per year / 0.21c per kWh = 571 kWh per year 571 kWh / 365 /24 = 65 W I don't think the TV and DVD uses 65W in standby. It will be more like 10W together. Read this thread: http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=34&topicid=97887 Product rating labels need to be within 10% and they get tested by certified labs, trust the supplier specifications. My (cheap) power meter measures it at (from memory) around 60W on standby, it's strangely high. Cable boxes are meant to pretty bad at this, plus an older 50" LCD TV, DVD player, Xbox, etc. Asus eee pad transformer iPod 2G Windows 7 PC Lots and lots of Nikon camera gear

gzt

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Reply # 592927 9-Mar-2012 20:14
timmmay: Which is the best device if I want to keep a TC cable box on all the time (because of the boot up time) and have it switch off a TV, DVD player, etc? This is for my flatmates room, which uses about $120 of power a year in standby. My two TVs (office and lounge) are switched off at the wall, but getting access is quite difficult. They're also both plugged in directly to the wall on their own power outlet, and there's not really room to put much else back there. I could probably run the cable down a duct for one of them, not sure it'd fit though. The other electrics are run off another power point. Right now I switch it off at the wall, but it's a nuisance. I guess a foot switch would be best, and reasonably discrete, especially if I can get the TV cord down the duct. Adding to those already mentioned, The Mort Bay Home Theatre board provides IR, The Efergy remote standby eliminator is interesting because it is RF based and 8 devices from one remote, but no standby detection. Edit: Ecoswitch (a corded remote switch) might be of interest also. Energy saving and monitoring devices available in NZ: www.energymonitor.org.nz

Niel

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Reply # 592990 9-Mar-2012 21:32
Please someone lend me their power meter and I'll reverse engineer it to see why it is so crap. I'm in Pakuranga, Auckland. Freescale (used to be Motorola Semiconductors) has a reference design for a utility energy meter. It uses an i.MX28 ARM9 processor running at ~500MHz and uses DDR2 RAM. The processor itself in volume cost around $10 (we are designing one into our next product). Somehow I don't think a $30 consumer energy meter is that good. Do not trust it. You can never have enough Volvos!

gzt

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Reply # 593136 10-Mar-2012 11:29
Niel, I'll be in touch. Jimmy22: I like the google based web page you have linked to all your posts, perhaps the addition of the power meter i use and auto off devices would be a worthy update there for those interested punters out there ? Just realised I have that jaycar auto-off device listed already. The ENVI has been listed for a long time. I am using Google sites at present just because it is free and simple. GS quickly becomes a pain to manage with any kind of layout. I intend to transition the project to a better hosting platform and add pictures, but the main thing is keeping the hosting cheap and the time that goes into it. If anyone out there wants design and project experience transitioning the site into a mainstream open source CMS and hosting platform I'd be happy to talk about that. Might do a longer post in the startup section, although it does not really have a commercial purpose.

timmmay

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Reply # 593713 11-Mar-2012 20:08
I got a couple of the Jaycar energy saving devices. They're very wide and won't fit into the double wall socket even with another slimline plug so I have to run out and get a very short extension cord to work with it. Kindof annoying. Asus eee pad transformer iPod 2G Windows 7 PC Lots and lots of Nikon camera gear

Jimmy22

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Master Geek

Reply # 593959 12-Mar-2012 10:29
yeah that sucks a bit , vertical sockets or horizontal ? i havent had that issue on my wall sockets , i hope the rest of the process works out well for you...

Skolink

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Reply # 593983 12-Mar-2012 10:52
Niel: Product rating labels need to be within 10% and they get tested by certified labs, trust the supplier specifications. What standards are you referring to? As far as the compulsory safety standards go (AS/NZS 60335 or 60950 series), only heating appliances need to be within +/-10% of the rating on the appliance label. Other electronic or motor operated appliances such as TVs, IT equipment, fans etc need only be within +10% of the rating on the label (not ecxeed it by more than 10%). So the current rating on electronic devices is only the maximum, don't use it to draw any conclusions about how much the appliance actually uses.

Niel

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Reply # 594310 12-Mar-2012 20:27
Skolink: Niel: Product rating labels need to be within 10% and they get tested by certified labs, trust the supplier specifications. What standards are you referring to? As far as the compulsory safety standards go (AS/NZS 60335 or 60950 series), only heating appliances need to be within +/-10% of the rating on the appliance label. Other electronic or motor operated appliances such as TVs, IT equipment, fans etc need only be within +10% of the rating on the label (not ecxeed it by more than 10%). So the current rating on electronic devices is only the maximum, don't use it to draw any conclusions about how much the appliance actually uses. Most products sold here do not comply with only ANZ standards, they comply with multiple international standards. An electric fence energizer is not a heating appliance, but also needs to be within +/- 10% of the rating label. Which standard requires only below +10% of the rating label? You can never have enough Volvos!

Skolink

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Reply # 594795 13-Mar-2012 21:39
Niel: Skolink: Niel: Product rating labels need to be within 10% and they get tested by certified labs, trust the supplier specifications. What standards are you referring to? As far as the compulsory safety standards go (AS/NZS 60335 or 60950 series), only heating appliances need to be within +/-10% of the rating on the appliance label. Other electronic or motor operated appliances such as TVs, IT equipment, fans etc need only be within +10% of the rating on the label (not ecxeed it by more than 10%). So the current rating on electronic devices is only the maximum, don't use it to draw any conclusions about how much the appliance actually uses. Most products sold here do not comply with only ANZ standards, they comply with multiple international standards. An electric fence energizer is not a heating appliance, but also needs to be within +/- 10% of the rating label. Which standard requires only below +10% of the rating label? I forgot to look up the standards at work today (although we probably don't have access to them). I'm fairly sure the base appliance safety standard AS/NZS 60335.1:2002 differentiates between heating appliances and other appliances in terms of power and current ratings on the label. The labelling requirements are further detailed in the 'part 2' standards for example 60335.2.30 - "particular requirements for room heaters". I should note its been a little while since I did any compliance testing, so perhaps the standards have been changed.

Niel

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Reply # 594842 13-Mar-2012 22:45
Skolink: I forgot to look up the standards at work today (although we probably don't have access to them). I'm fairly sure the base appliance safety standard AS/NZS 60335.1:2002 differentiates between heating appliances and other appliances in terms of power and current ratings on the label. The labelling requirements are further detailed in the 'part 2' standards for example 60335.2.30 - "particular requirements for room heaters". I should note its been a little while since I did any compliance testing, so perhaps the standards have been changed. I'll see what I can find at work. I've got access to all the standards we've got, and we keep up to date. I can also be wrong. There are certainly exception for ITE class equipment. With electric fence power adapters we are in a peculiar position where the standard calls for a combination of appliance and ITE spec, I think it was having a double Y-cap across the isolation barrier of a switch mode power supply, but such a thing does not exist from power adapter manufacturers. Fortunately I do not have to deal with those issues, I'm designing animal weigh scales. You can never have enough Volvos!

Skolink

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Reply # 595008 14-Mar-2012 11:41
Appliance markings are even less accurate than I thought. AS/NZS 60335.1:2011 10.1 If an appliance is marked with rated power input, the power input at normal operating temperature shall not deviate from the rated power input by more than the deviation shown in Table 1. 10.2 If an appliance is marked with rated current, the current at normal operating temperature shall not deviate from the rated current by more than the deviation shown in Table 2. Niel: With electric fence power adapters we are in a peculiar position where the standard calls for a combination of appliance and ITE spec, I think it was having a double Y-cap across the isolation barrier of a switch mode power supply, but such a thing does not exist from power adapter manufacturers. Fortunately I do not have to deal with those issues, I'm designing animal weigh scales. Do you work for GG in Hamilton by any chance? EDIT: tables don't seem to work, pasted as images.

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