Can anyone point me to documentation for the PL7223 device? I discovered the library and can foresee opportunities to utilize the device to monitor equipment. To do so, I need a better understanding of field wiring. The Prolific site does not seem to offer any that I can find.
I’m afraid we can’t provide that information… The reason the PL7223 library is setup in the way that it is (no public code/wiring information) is because the datasheet we used to design the sample application + library is under NDA.
We used the PL7223 in a connected plugtop design, which we’ve used in a few demos, and occasionally bring to events. Having a private library for the IC allows us to easily expose the IC’s functionality to external developers without worrying about the NDA.
There are other similar, more open, devices - eg the ADE7953. Maybe try that?
@beardedinventor
Out of interest, is the /power value a genuine energy value? You make the comment in the source that it’s a “rough estimate of kWh”, which makes me think that this is really a power monitoring chip, if it doesn’t do the integration internally.
@coverdriven - the IC is able to sense instantaneous power… i.e. the voltage and current being drawn at the instant you take the reading. As kWh is a measurement of energy over time, the only way we can calculate it with this IC by taking frequent instantaneous readings and calculating an estimate of kWh.
Calling it a “rough estimate” is probably a little unfair and untrue. In the application we built (a connected plugtop), we don’t need to worry about power… so we can take readings every few milliseconds without much worry.
Is there any maker who has a PL7223 board that can be used with the imp?