Overview

The eGauge Pulse Sensor (EPS) connects directly to any EG4xxx series meter (Pro or Core) through a Sensor Hub, allowing your eGauge to read and record the pulse output from virtually any device with a pulse output.  The EPS can read either a 2-wire dry contact or a 3-wire hall effect pulse at a maximum pulse rate of 600Hz.

Prerequisites: 

Required Installed Hardware

• eGauge Meter: EG4xxx or newer
• eGauge Sensor Hub: ESH044
   

Cabling Guidelines

• Use only straight-through RJ11 cables to connect powered sensors to the Sensor Hub.
• Do not extend the RJ11 cable between the sensor and Sensor Hub. Instead, use a longer RJ45 cable between the Sensor Hub and the eGauge when needed.
• If extending the RJ11 cable is unavoidable, use twisted pair wires, such as a CAT5 cable with RJ11 plugs (commonly used for DSL modems).
• When terminating cables, ensure that both RJ11 and RJ45 cables are straight-through, with the same color order on both ends.

Additional Information

• The EPS supports a maximum pulse frequency of 600 pulses per second.

Instructions: 

Step 1: Connect the EPS Sensor to an available RJ11 port on your Sensor Hub using the included RJ11 cable. Be sure to adjust the selector switch on the Sensor hub port to the left and plug the breakout cable2-pin connector with the same color into an available sensor port on your eGauge.

Step 2: Connect the EPS sensor to the pulse output using the signal and ground pins. If using a 5V hall effect sensor, the 5V pin may be utilized, otherwise it is left unused.

Step 3: Configure the sensor in the eGauge configuration. Please see this article for more information regarding configuration of CTid sensors.

Technical Notes

Pulse meters change output state each pulse; that is, the output goes from open to closed to indicate a single pulse, than open to closed to indicate the next pulse, and alternates continuously for each pulse. 

Physical Connection

KY and KYZ pulse outputs designate "K" as "common" which is always used in KY or KYZ applications. The eGauge Pulse Sensor (EPS) is a "KY" connected sensor. The "K" (common) should go to the EPS ⏚ (ground) terminal, and either Y or Z to the SIG (signal) terminal.

KY (2-wire) vs KYZ (3-wire)
In simple terms, if "Y" is closed, "Z" is open. If "Z" is closed, "Y" is open. Therefore, only Y or Z (in conjunction with "K") is needed to detect pulses. The eGauge Pulse Sensor (EPS) is a 2-wire KY style sensor, so either the Y or Z wire is used and does not matter which.

Net Metering (consumption and generation)

KY and KYZ pulse outputs can only indicate the increase (and not decrease) of a single reading. For example, if a net meter is able to spin both directions (one direction for utility draw, and the opposite for back-feeding to the utility), a single KY or KYZ output is not able to represent both directions, as pulse values only change from closed to open, and open to closed, not indicating which direction (draw or back-feed) it is for. Thus, with bidirectional power, there should be 2 independent KY or KYZ pulse outputs, requiring two EPS sensors, one for utility draw and another for back-fed power to the utility.

Additional Resources

Additional Software Configuration

The EPS will detect a generated pulse signal and record that increase in value to a configured register on the eGauge resulting in a simple cumulative value of generated pulses.

A formula register can be used in addition to the sensor register in order to convert the pulse values to more meaningful data.

Example:

 

 

 

Advanced Diagnostics & Notes

Viewing Pulse Signals

Because of the nature of pulse output (i.e. a pulse is generated when a threshold is reached), it is better viewed as cumulative values over longer periods of time rather than as real-time data. If usage is low there may be a long time between pulses. Viewing accrued values in the eGauge Chart, or exporting cumulative .CSV data are the preferred method of viewing pulse readings.

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The meter's Waveform View, in addition to viewing voltage and amperage waveforms, may also be used to view sensor inputs such as the EPS.

 

The above screenshot shows an EPS transitioning from open (low) state, to closed/shorted (high), back to open (low). Any transition, from low to high or high to low is counted as a single pulse. Thus, 2 pulses were counted during this capture.

The Horizontal controls show the time is 45.7ms per division, and the two state changes occur over approximately 5 divisions total, meaning 2 pulses were counted over the course of around 0.23 seconds (45.7ms * 5 divisions).

The EPS has a maximum resolution of 600 pulses per second.

Note the amplitude of the low and high states are around +/- 0.42 units (based off the sensitivity per division in the vertical sections).

 

Similarly, the above Waveform view shows a single pulse, as the state transitions from low to high. When the next pulse occurs, the state changes from high to low and will count another pulse.

 

 

Typical Setup Diagram