Home » FAQs » How do I set up Meters in CBAS?

How do I set up Meters in CBAS?

First, the metering hardware should be revenue grade to ensure accuracy.

Many meters give you the ability to adjust the pulse rate and multiplier. It is more desirable to have a high pulse rate and low multiplier, because in that case, if a pulse is missed or not counted, there is a lesser impact on the total Kilowatts.

Hawkeye Meters

The most preferable meters to use with a Computrols CBAS system are the Hawkeye 8035 and 8036 models, made by Veris. These meters communicate by Modbus protocol and all programming is included with the CBAS 2003 software. To use these meters, you first create a Modbus RTU channel on the Host or Secondary channel of an 8X, 16X, 32X, or 64X. These meters can send a variety of information to CBAS, including KWH Consumption, KWH Demand, Voltage, Average Current, and many others.

To do this, in Hardware View:

  1. Locate the controller that will be acting as the Modbus host.
  2. Click on the controller and click Channels.
  3. Click on “Add a Channel” next to RS485 Host or RS485 Secondary.
  4. Give the channel a descriptive name and choose Modbus RTU over TCP/IP for the configuration.
  5. Click Add Channel Now.

To add the controllers to the channel:

  1. Right-click twice and locate the Modbus channel you just created.
  2. Click on the channel, click Controllers, and locate the line that has the address that you want to give the Hawkeye meter.
  3. Click Add a Modbus Controller on that line and give the controller a descriptive name. Choose the Hawkeye controller from the list under “Select Configuration”.
  4. Click Add Controller Now and you are finished.

To add points to the Hawkeye:

  1. Click on the controller and click Points. You will see a long list of points that say Add A Point to the right.
  2. Add the points you want to use by clicking on Add a Point and giving each point a descriptive name. If you have more than one Hawkeye meter, you will want to include the name of the controller in the point’s name.

Pulse Meters

Other meters send out a simple electrical pulse only. Each model has a corresponding multiplier that must be used to get the KW value of each pulse. This is done in CBAS using a Meter point that looks at a Counter point. The Counter point increments the number of pulses as they are received from the meter. A second meter point can be setup to calculate the amount of KW over a period of time

To setup a pulse meter in CBAS:

  1. Go to Hardware View and click on the controller that will host the Pulse Counter point.
  2. Click Points and find the point you want to use for the counter.
  3. Click Add a Point and give the Point a descriptive name that includes Counter.
  4. Choose Counter Point under Select Configuration.
  5. Click Add Point Now and you will see your point listed.
  6. Scroll to the bottom of the points list and click on Add a Software Point
  7. Give the point a descriptive name that includes Meter.
  8. Under Select Configuration, choose Meter.
  9. Click Add Point Now and you will see your point listed.
  10. Click Add a Software Point again.
  11. Under Select Configuration, choose Meter Total.
  12. Click Add Point Now. Now you must configure the points.

The only thing that might need to be configured on the Counter Point is Resolution. This determines how many pulses are counted before the status changes in CBAS. The default is 10, which means that the status will only change every 10 pulses counted.

The Meter point can be configured two ways. One displays changes over a unit of time multiplied by the multiplier to get KW/ time period. The second displays a running total of counts, resetting after a period of time. The Meter Editor screen is shown below.

The Meter Type section is self-explanatory. If you select to create a Running Total Meter Point, the multiplier field will not be present. However, you would not want to make this type of point unless you need a running total for some reason. The default Change of Input will work in conjunction with the third meter point created, the Meter Total.

In Metering Parameters, click on Unknown Meter Point and select the Counter point from the list. Enter the multiplier in the field next to “Multiply by”. Adjust the Evaluation Period, which is 5 minutes by default. The KWH status of this point will be 00 until the first evaluation period has passed.

The Meter Total point is used for reporting purposes. If configured properly, this point will count up to 999,999 and roll over to 0. These numbers a stored for use in the Meter Report.

To configure a Meter Total point, click on the one you created and click Configure Meter to get to the following screen.

Select “Meter point displays running total of input without resetting” for the Meter Type. Click on Unknown Counter Point, and select the meter point you just finished configuring. Leave the “Reset At” value at 999,999.

Meter Report

To print a report of total KWH usage over a period of time, go to the Reports menu on the Main Menu. Choose a starting date and time. Press escape and choose an ending date and time. Press escape and CBAS will scan for meter data during that time period and will show the report on the screen. Click on Print and the report will be printed.

  • Was this article helpful?
  • Yes 0 people found this article helpful.
  • No 0 people did not find this article helpful.
  • Give us feedback

How do I set up Meters in CBAS?