Raspberry Pi Zero Smart Energy Meter

The plan for this project is to take my ageing Smart Energy meter that I got given free about 10 years ago, connecting it up to the very low-cost Raspberry Pi via a serial to USB interface, then using some Python scripts to 'webify' it and send the data to the home server to make graphs and stuff.

Not the world's most complex of hardware hacks as it just involves plugging things together but for a first dip back into the world of that kind of thing, I think it's enough.

Project overview:

Objectives: Getting the electricity usage data into a MySQL database on the server so that I can analyse it and build nice graphs and stuff and things.

Challenges: Parsing the stream of XML data, then firing it to the server using some kind of API endpoint (that I have to write)

Progress:


01/05/2016

• Pi Zero ordered!

05/05/2016

• Pi Zero delivered!

09/05/2016 - 18:20

• I just successfully booted the Pi Zero, connected to the old USB hub. Not a major milestone, but a very important one.

It didn't explode! Yay! 

August 2016

• We moved house and the Smart Energy meter has gone missing - it's in a box somewhere

September 2017

• Still no further progress but I'm posting this project as it stands in an effort to kick me into actually making progress.  Hopefully there will be an update soon! 

Oops - Time Flies when you're having fun..

Time flies..  or Chronosquittos?

So it's been a little while since the last post...

This, however, is a new start.   I'll leave all the old stuff because it's pretty good reference material still and most of the links still work.

I hope to be doing more stuff to put on here. Obviously I have done some bits in the last four years too so I'll add some of that as I go.

The main technology changes in the last four years, I would guess, are to cost and batteries.  You can get a Raspberry Pi Zero W for £10 which vastly out-powers any £1000 PC that I had 15 years ago, and has WiFi built in, and you can get batteries that recharge in hours that will power a heavy duty hammer drill or lawn mower.  Oh, and 3D printers.  Those are a big thing now.

Tidying up some loose ends from old posts - I can sync my iPod again! I managed to re-incarnate it to a level where it will sync with my work macbook pro, but I've stuck to my word and not tried to update the OS, so it's still running an iOS version from, like, 1400BC or something, but it's perfect for playing bed time stories to our son, so that's cool.

Raspberry Pi - ordered

I have ordered a Raspberry Pi.

It would seem I have "up to 10 weeks" to get my brain (and workshop) in gear to think what I'm going to do with it.

Lots of cool basic ideas.  None of them have actually solidified into anything resembling a "plan" yet.

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Update - 13/8/2012 - still no Pi.

I bid on one on eBay, but it eventually went for over £100, which considering it was a bog-standard one without even the O/S card, seems a bit crazy-insane.

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Update #2 - 23/8/12 - Woohoo!!

"You have a shipment being sent from RS COMPONENTS LTD that is due to be despatched on 22/08/2012" Looks like it's on it's way!!

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Update #3 - 04/09/12 - ARRIVED

It arrived..   I haven't done anything with it yet as have been too busy, but I have lots of plans.