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2. AardEnergy – Set Up Uno and Due

peterjcs23

In this Blog

Download the Arduino software and power up the Uno and Due. Look at debug, does it exist from the Arduino GUI?

See previous Blog…

http://www.element14.com/community/groups/arduino/blog/2015/11/23/1-aardenergy-kick-off--a-new-project

IDE Download

IDE Down load from Uno board page, version 1.6.6 (I had already installed 1.6.5, so an upgrade). 1.6.5 uninstalled first, 1.6.6 now in place.

image

However, under Tools>Board…Due is not listed.

Get Started with Uno

Use the IDE, Help>Getting Started.

  • Plug USB into socket on Uno
  • Power LED is on (and port  LED is blinking)
  • In Windows Device manager select Ports and find Arduino Uno (COM3) (note Windows 8.1)
  • Right click and update driver from C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\drivers
  • Open Blink in IDE File > Examples >01.Basics > Blink
  • Select board as Uno
  • Select Serial Port (COM3 as determined above)
  • Upload, TX, RX LEDs flash happily.
  • And LED on pin 13 is flashing, so all good.

That went well but the Due was not listed so let’s try that from the link above.

Get Started with Due

Due board needs a micro B USB cable. Order this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FAAGNLU/ref=pe_385721_37986871_TE_item

The cable has arrived and fits the board programmer port (and it fits the Native USB port). The Due powers up, Green LED is on and the yellow LED blinks.

There are some special factors to keep in mind with the Due, read the guide:

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/ArduinoDue

Follow the guidance on the drivers:

(Note that is says “tested on Windows XP and, but we are using 8.1)

From Device Manager>Ports, Arduino Due Programming Port is COM4. Right Click and Update Driver Software. Browse to C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\drivers. Hit Next and drivers are up to date.

Also load the core software to support the Due:

From Tools>Board>Boards Manager

image

Install the SAM board ARM Cortex-M3

The Due can now be selected from the list of boards.

image

Test the set up by loading the Blink programme:

  • Open Blink in IDE File > Examples >01.Basics > Blink
  • Select board as Due
  • Select Serial Port (COM4 as determined above)
  • Upload, TX, RX LEDs flash happily.
  • And yellow LED is flashing, so all good.

Software Debug

I am curious about how to debug the software, is there a Debug Mode or JTAG port? There is nothing on the GUI as far as I can tell at the moment. A Search for Arduino Uno Debug threw up a discussion on element14:

http://www.element14.com/community/thread/17697/l/debugging-atmega328?displayFullThread=true

Looks like print on the serial port is the Arduino “debug” unless you add some other utility. In essence a Uno Sketch needs to be simple to get away with no debug tool. This also might help:

http://www.element14.com/community/groups/arduino/blog/2012/09/30/the-first-practical-arduino-debugger

On the Due there is a Debug connector marked up but is not described in the top level Arduino document. A search throws up comments about the port as JTAG but used with third party tools:

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=134907.0

So as a challenge I’ll attempt to use Arduino GUI and see how far I get with a fairly ambitious project to do real time calculations using Due board!

Other Blogs:

1. AardEnergy – Kick Off - a new project

3. AardEnergy – Current and Voltage Transformers

 

Next Steps

After a bit more shopping I have a Current Transformer and a Voltage Transformer to evaluate. In the next blog there will be some analysis of the signals from these sensors as well as some measurements to assess performance. That should lead on to a design for the Uno and the Due interface. The plan is to use a metering chip with the Uno and to a use direct analog input to the Due.

 

These are the sensors:

image

And, here is the ARDUINO MEGA, REV 3 Farnell 2285197 prototype board, which appears to be compatible with the Due.

image

Parents Comment Children
  • in reply to peterjcs23

    Yep and that's exactly what I was talking about.

    The cable you have attached your clamp around is single insulation. (As far as I can tell)

    The wiring on the CT output is not 110/230v rated, (mind you neither is the other cable seen passing under the wires).

     

     

    The whole issue is if there is any cracks in the insulation, then it has the potential to conduct and therefore liven the far end.

    Hence the double insulation or two insulating layers between any wire and anything at the far end or that might come in contact with it.

     

    Mark

  • in reply to mcb1

    That is the insulated and armoured service cable into the house, so no danger.

  • in reply to mcb1

    And the dielectric strength of the CT is 1000VAC/min.

  • in reply to peterjcs23

    Pretty sure the armour has been stripped at this point in order to allow the inner cores to be routed easily to the inputs of the meter so Mark may be correct in his assesment

     

    yes there may be little danger in this install but it is not NO danger and as Mark indicated, probably does not meet code doing this, inluding routing what looks like a phone cable under it, do you experiance interference on the phonne ??

     

    Every country and regions have there own rules to follow, some are more lenient than others, some it is illegal to go near the primary wiring to a house, double check for your region to be sure of what is allowed

  • in reply to peterjcs23

    That is the insulated and armoured service cable into the house

    If that were true you wouldn't be able to get the clamp around it, and secondly you wouldn't get any current reading.

    I used to deal with Steel Wire Armoured cable in the Oil Industry, and most other cables have the neutral as a braid wound around the cable.

     

    And the dielectric strength of the CT is 1000VAC/min.

    That is the figure on the CT, but not the cable exiting it.

    In NZ and AUS any low voltage cable (ie not mains rated) needs to be 50mm away from mains.

    This includes in the walls which is why homeowners are not allowed to run cables, or connect to switchboards.

     

    As says different countries have different rules, and this is a world wide forum, so it needs to be part of the consideration when blogging.

    Given your consultancy role, I'd be expecting that you are aware of the various electrical safety requirements.

     

    You could sleeve the cable leaving the CT with a mains rated sleeving which will make it safe.

    Even better would be adding a sleeving around the incoming mains cable (not easily done now it's terminated) and sleeving the CT outlet cable.

     

     

    what looks like a phone cable under it

    I've seen similar cable used to connect ot smart meters, but over this side of the world, it's definately a no no.

    Recently we managed to catch out the designers of these who went back and ensured they used mains rated cables from then on.

     

     

     

     

    As a general comment on Mains Safety

    On this forum we occasionally see the odd unsafe practice, and we seek to have to rectified or with element14's support remove the dangerous part.

     

     

    The creator might be careful, but it might be that a small child doesn't exercise the same care because they are unaware.

    It might be that at design time it works, but what happens one or two years down the track when that carefully placed piece of tape falls off.

     

    We don't make apologies for promoting safe practices when it comes to mains voltages, since you generally only get one chance.

     

    Mark