Possible to read pulses from Metrima F27 - Mbus / OPTO EN60870-5?

Submitted by Guest on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 20:51

We're using district heating with a Metrima F27 reader and it has an optical interface which I would really love to be able to read to avoid breaking the seals (it also has eletrical pulse outputs within the sealed box...).

So I'm not so much into the electrical engineering stuff, so any help is very much appreciated.

The outputs is described at page 27-28 in the manual here:
http://www.elster.nl/downloads/F27_manual.pdf

Basically it say:

6.3.8 Data output interface
M-Bus acc. EN1434-3
OPTO-interface (EN60870-5) and
bus connection (terminal) galvanic
isolated

Would it be possible (and how) to read the pulses via optical equipment for passing it to emoncms?
There is visually no blinking LED, so I guess it's IR-based or something.

Thanks
Erik

Re: Possible to read pulses from Metrima F27 - Mbus / OPTO EN60870-5?

Submitted by dBC on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 22:22.

It won't be pulses coming out of there, but rather a full blown M-bus interface.

http://www.m-bus.com/mbusdoc/md5.php

Re: Possible to read pulses from Metrima F27 - Mbus / OPTO EN60870-5?

Submitted by IntoMethod (not verified) on Sat, 11/05/2013 - 10:54.

Thanks for your reply.

I won't be able to build/design a reader myself from that specification.

So my best bet is either buy an m-bus reader and get some m-bus software, or have someone connect to those internal pulse outputs and re-seal the box I suppose.

Found some wireless usb m-bus readers for about £100 but then I'm not sure if my equipment have the wireless module installed or not.

I went down to the basement and had a closer look and the internal pulse output terminals is actually accessible without breaking any seals. So I just have to investigate if they are activated and working.

I just didn't have the guts to use the amount of force required last time I checked it, so I thought it wasnt removable.

Re: Possible to read pulses from Metrima F27 - Mbus / OPTO EN60870-5?

Submitted by IntoMethod (not verified) on Sun, 12/05/2013 - 19:27.

Solved it by connecting to the open collector output, some resistors an NPN transistor and reading the GPIO, as a pulse counter, low resolution though 1 pulse per kWh in my case but better than nothing. If anyone's interested in the actual solution reply or send me a pm.

Re: Possible to read pulses from Metrima F27 - Mbus / OPTO EN60870-5?

Submitted by Lemongrass (not verified) on Fri, 31/05/2013 - 19:12.

I am interested in the solution, because I have a heat meter on my biomass boiler I want to integrate into an openenergymonitor solution. I'd be grateful for a sketch of your circuit if you have time.

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