I have an eOn AMPY (Now Landis Gyr+) Smart Meter to monitor my electricity usage as well as a similarly enabled Gas Meter. It also comes supplied with an eOn branded ‘ecometer’ which shows you energy usage on a current, daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis. Because the smart meter is attached to the grid via a GPRS/GSM modem link, it is also ‘tariff’ aware, such that it gives an indicative figure on your bill.
However, the bit between the ecometer and the supplier’s website is where it all goes wrong – if you want a detailed understand of your power usage, you’re a bit stuck. Because you can only see ‘current’ usage as a number, if you want to know how much you were using 15 mins ago, you’re stuffed, because the display isn’t detailed enough, and the website only updates on a monthly basis,
So, my plan is to try and understand the technology to see if there is a way of extracting the ‘live’ data as its transmitted from from the meter to the ecoMeter display, and I intend to track my progress here.
So, to start:-
Meter is an AMPY 5236E-Y which apparently has an mbus low power radio in it.
The ecoMeter display is an AMPY Model 5262
Inside the 5262 is a PCB with the LCD soldered to the front of it. However, there is a daughterboard tucked behind the LCD with a TI CC110, what looks like a Crystal Oscillator (ACT K7 26.00SCA) and a chip I can find no data on, but has the serial number 90-13026 037 something 7373vg.
Unfortunately I can’t currently see the controllers on the main board because of the LCD, but there is one ‘major’ microprocessor, and one small one. I suspect this is really just a logic chip and LCD driver. The motherboard has the following stickers on it:
46228938A1-AG
AML2008/01/28-38A1/AG
There is also a 9 point (3x3) contact patch on the back of motherboard which may be either a programmer or output. This is accessible from outside the case, if that makes a difference.
What I need to find out:-
More about the MBus Protocol
If there is any encryption between the meter and the display panel.
Any control panel options for the ecoMeter – e.g. is there a PIN to set or the like, and how this relates to the meter itself. Additionally, are there any hidden menu’s e.t.c.
2 comments:
Nice article... did you get any further with your investigations? I have one of these meters supplied by First Utility - and I am in the process of switching to a cheaper supplier. Would love to work out how to tap into the data that will continue to be gathered - and ensure First don't continue to grab it.
Any further help very welcome
I'm afraid not. I bought an Mbus wireless usb dongle but didn't get anywhere with that at all. I also looked at using a Buspirate to intercept the traffic flowing from the Mbus chip hidden behind the LCD and the main CPU, however I've not been successful. Unfortunately the datasheets I need arn't forthcoming so have not made much progress there either.
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