Logging voltage/current, maybe with Android

Thread Starter

Lectraplayer

Joined Jan 2, 2015
123
This is currently an unexplored idea for me, but I would like to know some ways of logging voltage and/or current over a 24 hour time refrence. While I will begin with my solar power experiment, I can think of at least 100 other projects to quickly put that capability to use. Being able to link to an old Android (Froyo) smartphone also sounds like it could prove useful. What would be some options to investigate, so that I don't spend countless hours hunting the wrong patern?

Solar power experiment: http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/how-to-figure-solar-capacity-as-added.113230/#post-879167
 

pwdixon

Joined Oct 11, 2012
488
You could use an arduino to read voltages and current with a bluetooth link to your smartphone. App inventor is a free environment to develop an android app that could accept your voltage data.
 

paulktreg

Joined Jun 2, 2008
833
I have a Precision Gold N56FU DMM with USB interface i bought from Maplin a while back. (No longer stocked by the look of it).

It came with PC software and will log voltage or current over time.

Worth looking into if you can find something similar.
 

DickCappels

Joined Aug 21, 2008
10,153
if you phone doesn't already have a voice memo recorder application, you can probably get one. Then, all you need is a voltage-to-frequency converter and a few other parts for recording, and a frequency-to-voltage converter for playback.

You could also the function of cycling among these three: 0V Full scale V, and the measured V. The playback circuit would use this information to assure calibration.
 

pwdixon

Joined Oct 11, 2012
488
if you phone doesn't already have a voice memo recorder application, you can probably get one. Then, all you need is a voltage-to-frequency converter and a few other parts for recording, and a frequency-to-voltage converter for playback.

You could also the function of cycling among these three: 0V Full scale V, and the measured V. The playback circuit would use this information to assure calibration.
I'm pretty sure that was a joke. At least I hope so.
 

sirch2

Joined Jan 21, 2013
1,037
I've mentioned this on here before but a couple of years ago I wrote an OCR application for reading and LCD in Android, point the phone's camera at a DMM display OCR the reading.

That said I also like Dick's idea.

The Arduino-Bluetooth-Android idea pwdixon suggests is also one I have used in the past, it is a bit more complex but probably the one that you will find most help on the web for and there are android apps available for bluetooth-serial data. If you have never written an Android app the learning curve is quite steep so having an example can be useful.
 
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