I tried setting up my Fluksometer today without any success. I bought the Flukso to retrieve data from a dutch smart meter but this smart meter isnt installed yet ( it's planned for the 10th of juli). But since I also bought a gas probe for my Elster BK-G4 gas meter I thought I'd set it up just for the gas probe for the time being.
So what I did:
- Hooked the Flukso to the ethernet port of my laptop
- Configured my wireless network and changed the firewall settings so the Flukso is accessible through Wifi as well
- Configured my gas probe sensor on port 4
- Removed the wires for the P1 smart meter datacable for port 5- and port 6a+b
- Installed the Flukso near my fusebox and gas meter, right below my wireless router
- Installed the gas probe sensor and secured the +/- wires to port 4
I can:
- Access the Flukso wirelessly on a local ip (192.168.0.124)
- See that my sensor configuration is synced with the Flukso website
- See that retrieving time and doing a ping test are successful
I can't:
- See any data on the dashboard on the Flukso website
- See a distinct heatbeat LED, it does in- and decrease in strength a little bit every second but not sure if this is the full heartbeat it is supposed to be. I would expect a proper blink.
- Retrieve any data through a local JSON request (http://192.168.0.124:8080/sensor/211a7b.....5332b03a?version=1.0&interva...
- See a constant heartbeat in the syslog. I only see something about a heartbeat when I save settings but I would expect something here every time data is send to the Flukso website.
So it seems no data is registered from the probe and/or send to the website. I'm pretty sure I have installed the sensor conform the guidelines (laser mark facing up, red in positive of port 4 and black in negative of port 4). I have no clue where to continue getting this to work, so some guidelines would be helpfull. I have attached a log extract from the latest reboot but it doesnt contain much interesting.
[Edit]
This is the syslog after leaving the Fluksometer alone for some time. I see something that looks like a heartbeat but I still dont see data on the dashboard.
Jul 3 14:15:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1078 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 14:30:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1147 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 14:45:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1218 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 15:00:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1294 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 15:05:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1321 cmd /usr/bin/heartbeat 0
Jul 3 15:05:03 flukso-eb6e6c user.info heartbeat[1322]: POST https://api.flukso.net/device/eb6e6cc5e66aa2f06f74d89448c50dfc: 200
Jul 3 15:15:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1356 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 15:30:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1407 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 15:45:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1458 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 16:00:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1509 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 16:05:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1536 cmd /usr/bin/heartbeat 0
Jul 3 16:05:02 flukso-eb6e6c user.info heartbeat[1537]: POST https://api.flukso.net/device/eb6e6cc5e66aa2f06f74d89448c50dfc: 200
Jul 3 16:15:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1571 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 16:30:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1622 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 16:45:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1673 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 17:00:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1724 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 17:05:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1751 cmd /usr/bin/heartbeat 0
Jul 3 17:05:02 flukso-eb6e6c user.info heartbeat[1752]: POST https://api.flukso.net/device/eb6e6cc5e66aa2f06f74d89448c50dfc: 200
Jul 3 17:15:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1786 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 17:30:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1837 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 17:45:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1888 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 18:00:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1939 cmd /usr/bin/fcheck
Jul 3 18:05:01 flukso-eb6e6c cron.info crond[946]: crond: USER root pid 1988 cmd /usr/bin/heartbeat 0
Jul 3 18:05:03 flukso-eb6e6c user.info heartbeat[1989]: POST https://api.flukso.net/device/eb6e6cc5e66aa2f06f74d89448c50dfc: 200
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| flukso.txt | 5.54 KB |
I have also faced problems getting the gas probe to work reliably. I have managed to get some pulses being delivered so I know that the connections are all correctly configured. I have an Elster BK-G6.
I am not sure if it is advised, but I can force pulses by bringing a magnet close to the reed switch sensor. This is at least a method to confirm that all the connections are correct and that the pulses are delivered to the FLM and then on to the website. Maybe JGHAANSTRA can test his setup by using a magnet directly on the reed switch? I also put a multimeter on the reed switch which gives an audible single when the switch closes. Everything seems to work, and I can even get regular beeps as the gas meter turns, but the setup does not reliably deliver every pulse. When I compare to the actual meter reading over a 24 hour period I seem to lose about half the pulses.
What I find hard to fathom is that the reed switch provides pulses sometimes, but not all the time?
Until now I have been monitoring the gas meter using a webcam which takes a daily picture of the meter reading which I then manually read once a month to give data of consumption. I am hoping that the flukso will allow me to stop doing the manual reading!
1/ The heartbeat LED on the FLM02B does indeed have a shorter 'off' time. So as long as you see those short pulses, communication with the sensor board should be fine.
2/ The heartbeat to flukso.net is only sent every hour and during a Flukso daemon restart, i.e. during boot and sensor re-configuration. It's a separate mechanism from sensor data upload. You're not seeing those API calls since there's no data to upload.
3/ Your entire setup seems correct. hob's advice is good: Try shorting the two inputs of port 4 first and check the syslog. You should see one or more 'pulse' entries. Then use a magnet to trigger the FLS02's reed contact. If all of this works, you should be able to get pulses from the gas meter. Make sure you push the FLS02 as far up and to the front of the cavity as possible. Don't worry about the cable being squeezed against the flank of the cavity. Just push it in.
Thanks for the advices. I currently dont have the time to test but I will post the results once I get to it. Just one more question, what do you mean with: "Try shorting the two inputs of port 4 first"?
Shorting means connecting 4+ with 4-. You could do this a couple of times and check whether each time a pulse is logged to syslog.
Not worrying about the cable being squeezed against the flank and just pushing the FLS02 a little harder seems to have done the trick. I'm seeying pulses now in my log. Nothing is showing on my dashboard right now but I assume this make take some time, at least till the first heartbeat. Thanks for now.
Question, why cant you wait for the smart meter, when it works You will have Electricity and Gas via Flukso??
Are yoy sure you will get a smart meter with P1 port? My dad has one without P1 port??'Mine is working with some help..... beautifull to see how flukso works.
regards
Richard
Because I'm impatient and the gas probe didnt cost much extra. I just wanted to see how it all worked and get things set up so all I have to do is plug in the P1 data cable once the smart meter is installed.
I'm 100% positive I'm getting a smart meter with a P1 port as I know which smart meter will be installed (ISKRA ME 382). I checked with the company that will install it to make sure I'm not getting an older Kamstrup model that rounds up the data. I have read about issues with this causing strange results.
All is good now with the gas probe, I have results on the dashboard!
Your future gas meter will most likely report its readings to the smart meter only once every hour. So compared to all this meter 'smartness', this simple gas probe will give you a much higher data granularity. Enjoy it while it lasts.
That I didnt know and is a shame indeed. I actually had the option of also replacing my gas meter with a smart one. I regret going for that option now although I'm more interested in the electricity because of my PV installation.
I have similar issues with the water meter. Exactly the same type of fcheck and hartbeat messages but the logging doesn't work. Very frustrating, the Flukso works for a few days and afterwards it stops, no data any more in dashboard. There are definitely pulses, so that's not the issue. System is set up via wired ethernet
1/ Make sure the probe is fully inserted into the cavity of the water meter.
2/ If you short + and - momentarily on the screw terminal, you should see new readings in the dash within a couple of minutes.
Hello again. After a year or so with no monitoring, I have got my Flukso up and running again and want to solve the gas meter reading problem. I am facing still the same issue of no readings from the reed switch on an Elster BK-G6. As far as I can tell everything works fine apart from the reed switch. I can force pulses from the FLM unit by shorting the contacts, and these pulses show up in the syslog and on the Flukso website, I just can't seem to get the gas meter to trigger the reed switch to provide pulses.
Could this be a faulty reed switch or maybe I am positioning the reed switch incorrectly. Does anyone have some really good photos of the correct placement on an Elster BK-G6?
I am considering getting the Elster pulse unit called a IN-Z61 - has anyone tried this as an (expensive!) alternative to the simple reed switches?
I have also seen that there is work going on on an optical sensor - is this due to be available soon?
Looking forward to comments and ideas!
HOB
I also had to fiddle a bit with the reed contact (I received like a week ago) on the BK-G4 to get it working ... the best way to test the reed switch first is with a magnet moving over it and that showed pulses in the mqtt page of the fluxo (well I actually started an mqtt subscriber on my laptop to see more stuff). If you don't see pulses this way then it's probably the wires that make a bad contact in the clamp (read multiple people had trouble with this), best way is to crimp metal bits on the ends of the wires or strip them a bit further, put a bit of solder on a folded wire to make thicker contact to insert in the clamp.
Then I put the reed contact in and really had to push it hard in there before I got pulses (1 pulse per full rotation of the last wheel, so per 10 units).
In the end I found it really needs to be pushed in very hard (I put a glue clamp on the whole thing for a temporary good fixture).
I am even thinking if it wouldn't be better to sand away a bit of the plastic bits in the slot with a dremel for example so it fits in a bit deeper ...
Now to figure out how to get numerical values instead of the graph so I can figure out used liter or cubic meters used per day ...
Ghosty, thanks for the tips. So far so good, I am now getting pulses. I ended up doing some proper experiments to determine where in the probe the reed switch is gradually approaching it with a magnet from each side until it triggered a pulse. I can confirm that the side with the laser etched text was clearly the most sensitive surface. So, that needs to go up against the bottom of the gas meter. I also liked you idea of sanding away some of the plastic bits in the slot, but decided that rather than sanding away the gas meter (expensive, not mine!) that I would sand away the edges of the probe (cheap, mine!) by beveling the edges so that the plastic bits in the slot were less in the way. I also took away some of the surface and the end in order to get the reed switch even closer to the magnet in the gas meter. I also have a clamp in place to really keep it firm against the meter. Hob