RBgrid

Hardware & sensors

Overview

The Hardware Configuration page allows you to configure sensor connections for the RBgrid power measurement device. This page manages both required system sensors and additional measurement channels for comprehensive electrical monitoring.

🔧 v1.1.0: all measurement is by the rbAmp I²C modules — voltage and current both come from the modules, which handle synchronisation and digitisation. Channels are configured by their CT model under Points; see Measurement model and Module cards below.

Settings Edit Process

Activating Edit Mode

  1. Click the EDIT CONFIGURATION button to enter edit mode
  2. Configurable sensor fields will become editable
  3. Configure sensor parameters as needed

Saving Changes

  1. After configuration, click the SAVE button
  2. The system will prompt for a software reboot to apply new sensor configuration
  3. Options:
    • Reboot now - immediately apply sensor configuration
    • Postpone reboot - continue configuring other settings before rebooting
Note: IMPORTANT Sensor configuration is saved to the hub's internal flash and persists across reboots; no external memory module is required in v1.1.x.

Measurement model (rbAmp I²C modules)

All voltage and current measurement is performed by the rbAmp modules on the I²C bus; each module handles synchronisation and digitisation itself. Channels are configured by their CT model (below).

Each module exposes a voltage input (U) and current channels (I0, I1, …); a module card summarises this as 1U + 7I, 3U + 3I, and so on (see Module cards below).

  • Voltage comes from the module's U input. There is no separate, user-selectable voltage sensor. In the points list the voltage input appears as a Voltage bus point (channel V). Like the main input, it cannot be removed: "The main input and the voltage bus cannot be deleted."
  • Current comes from a current transformer on a channel. The point shows the channel's CT model and its range.
  • Three-phase module (STD-U3I3) exposes three voltages and three currents; a single point is bound across all three phases (channel L1–L3) and shows each phase — one three-phase measurement point with per-phase readings.
  • Frequency is reported by the hub (the overview card's Frequency) and is not configurable.

Binding a channel to a point is done under Points (see the Units Configuration page); the Module cards section below describes what each card shows.

Channel CT model

For SCT-series channels the CT model is chosen in the point's settings — the SCT-013 code for the clamp actually fitted. Changing it replaces the channel's factory calibration with the calibration for that model, so set it only to the clamp in use. CT-series (factory-paired) modules are not writable — their channel model is fixed at the factory.

Representative SCT-013 codes:

  • SCT-013-005 · SCT-013-010 · SCT-013-015 · SCT-013-020 · SCT-013-030 · SCT-013-050 · SCT-013-100

Module cards (Points → rbAmp modules)

In v1.1.0 each connected rbAmp module appears as a module card under Points → rbAmp modules. The card header reads, for example:

module 0 · 0x50 · 1U + 7I · 6 of 7 in use

— the module index, its I²C address, its channel make-up (1U voltage + 7I current), and how many current channels are bound.

Per-channel lines

Each channel shows its sensor model, range, and what it is bound to:

I2: SCT-013-010, 10 A · accurate range (module-reported) → Water heater

An unbound channel ends in free instead of a point name:

I2: SCT-013-010, 10 A · accurate range (module-reported) · free

The accurate-range figure on the line is the channel's own, reported by the rbAmp module for the fitted CT — a property of the module and its CT, not of RBgrid. The exact per-CT range is shown on the device; see the module's specification on rbamp.com.

SCT correction status

A current channel shows whether the module applied its SCT correction:

  • Corrected — the channel shows correction ×k (the factor it applied).
  • Not corrected — ⚠ readings not corrected: followed by the reason:
    • the channel is not calibrated
  • the channel gain does not match the CT model
  • the module does not know this CT model

Channel that is not on the module

If a point is bound to a channel the module does not have, the point shows:

no such channel on the module

CT at its limit

On the tile and in Needs attention, a channel near its limit is flagged:

  • clipping — the current is being clipped; the reading is under-counted.
  • sensor limit — the current is at or above 85 % of the sensor's range.

Unbinding a point

Unbinding (removing a point from a channel) warns:

The point stops being metered and leaves the overview. Its history on the hub is deleted for good — download it first in History (CSV) if you need it. The sensor stays free and can be bound again.

Chart refresh

Charts refresh themselves: the hour view once a minute, the day view once every 5 minutes, and longer ranges once every 15 minutes.