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S TOPP I H G P O WER ME TE R S ****3rd Edition

By: John .1. WiUiam, MSEEPres?dent

Consumertronics Co.

Includes STOPPING POWER METERS 2ND EDITION, SPM ADDENDUMAnd More!!

STOPPING POWER METERS is divided into two distinct bodies. The first bodycovers watt-hour energy meters, how they work, how they are adjusted, andthe errors they produce. The second body is devoted to various techniques ofslowing do~,vn and stopping power meters.This pamphlet is comprehensive, lengthy and full of valuable information.Indepth theoretical knowledge is not required to understand and utilize it.However, a very good practical electrical and electronic background and

know-how is a must. NOTE: The utility meter attached to your home orbusiness is a watthour meter - not a power meter.

CAUTIONS AND DISCLAIMERS

DO NOT USE THESE METHODS ON ANY METER BELONGING TO A UTILITY.Completely isolate your utility meter from your personal meter with anisolation transformer and/or heavy filtering. As hr as we know, the legalityof applying load control methods that incidentally make the utilityownedmeter underregister has not been legally tested. However, assume that thelaw will take as dim a View of doing this as it does if you actually physicallytamper with the meter. It is ironic that many law enforcement agencies onone hand can't seem to do enough to plea# utility big-shots while blithely

ignoring the many and extreme aimes committed by utilities upon thecitizenry. Fortunately, most juries savvy this perversity of the law and actaccording-

We must firmly state that we are totally against breaking the law in anyfashion and that WE FORBID ALL ILLEGAL APPLICATIONS..Also, no licence#is granted under the copyright and/or patent rights of Consumertronics Co.or anyone else. And, although we have made every reasonable effort toprovide accurate, reliable and useful information, we assume noresponsibility whatsoever for errors or omissions.Be careful and know what you are doing. Induced currents can injure or killand mistakes can also cause# property damage. All circuit diagrams are

simplified; add fuses and circuit breakers as required.

WATTHOUR METERS

There is nothing magical or sacred about watthour meters.Like any high-grade scientific instrument designed to accuratelymeasure an electrical parameter (energy, in kilo-watthours)under specific operating conditions and an ideal environment,they lose accuracy when their operating and environmentalconditions are less than ideal and thru the process of aging.Watthour meters measure electrical energy consumed in adynamic load by using the principle of the 2-Phase inductionmotor. IN FACT, IF THE ROTOR DISK WAS

RESTRAINED, THE WATTHOUR METER BECOMES A

CONSUMERTRONICS CO.

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Copyright ~ 1979 John J. Williams ana

DYNAMOMETER-TYPE POWER METER.Essential features of watthour meters are depicted in Fig. 1. The basicelements of the single phase meter are the stator assembly (electromagnet),the rotor assembly (includes disk) the retarding magnet(s), and the resister

assembly.The stator consists of a voltage (potential coil) with a compensatory winding,and two current coils. The stator is energized by the combined effects of theline voltage and load currents. Two torques acting in the same direction but~0 electrical degrees apart are generated. These sinusoidal rotor torques addto produce a resultant constant and steady torque. The first torquecomponent results from the interaction of the useful current flux (dw to loadcurrent) with the voltage-induced eddy currents in the disk, and like theinduction motor, rotor speed is proportional to line frequency. The secondrotor torque results from the interaction of the useful voltage flux with thecurrent-induced eddy currents in the disk. When the power factor (PF) isunity, both torques are always in the forward direction because the current

(or voltage) flux is always of the same polarity as the voltage (or current)-induced eddy currents. However, when the PF is less than unity (lag or lead~,there are different instances in the cydes of each torque component whenthe torques are reversed corresponding to those instances in which the linevoltage and current are of different polarity. Although still initially constant,average torque is diminished.

As it turns out, the disk torque will be proportional to the product of RMSvoltage, RMS current, and PF (cosine of the phase angle between voltage andcurrent). Thus, you will b billed for the real, not imaginary, power consumed.Our LOADFINDER pamphlet, among other information, explains real,imaginary and apparent power and how to make PF corrections.

To translate the disk torque into disk sFed, permanent "braking" magnetsmust be provided, otherwise, the disk sFed would increase until arrested byvery low air and dVot friction. These powerful magnets generate an eddycurrent in the aluminum disk whenever it is moving. This eddy currentprovides an opposing torque because its flux opposes that of the permanentmagnets. This theoretically results in one constant sFed for every torquelevel. Thus, disk speed is then proportional to consumed real power. Theregister assembly consists of a gear train that connects the rotor worm gearto the pnged dials in the meter's faceplate. Thr~pha#, three-wire systemsrequire two single-phase meters or one meter with two independent stators.Four-wire polyphase systems usually require three single-phase meters. For~I PF less than 0.5, one meter will always run BACKWARDS! Unless it isknown for certain that PF is less than 0.5, the true energy reading cannot baccurately determined.

P.O. Drawer537,- Alamogordo, N. M. 88310

Family, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Stopping Power Meters

STATOR LINE 240 VAC

CT~ToF~ ASSEMBLY ~ Worm Gear

Braking Maon~.

P. 2

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Comp~nsation Coil - ~ ~

\Volta9;C~ SCurrent Coil ~ ~ ~ ~;Wrent CojlLl L2

TO LOADS7~ ~Brskin~ M~n~t; --

ROTOR AEStM~

ROTOR ASSEMBLY ~_ Rotor Plate - -

Fig. 1: Basic Elements of the Typical Induction Watthour Meter. The fourmajor manufacturers of watthour meters are: 1 ) General Electric. 2)Sangamo. 3) Westinghouse. 4) Duncan.

The common inductance watthour meters design principle has remained

unchanged since 1925, but there have been some improvements in devoting,roil design compenr, tion, otc., since then. To maintain accuracy watthourmeters must b calibrated frequently. Utilities u ually limit this recallibration to: I) Full-Load Adjustment. 2) Light-Load Adjustment. 3) L~ Adjustment.I~ FULL-LOAD ADJUSTMENTThe Full-Load Adjustment rating of most home and small business m~rs is 5to 30 amps, printed on meter face. At a loss of some accuracy, most modemmeters are capable of measuring energies of up to 600% Full-Load Rabng.This adjustment is made at full load and unity PF. It is done by assuring thatthe braking magnets are of suitable strength. Then, by carefully varyingtheir positions, from thedisk or by adjusting the positions of the magneticshunts that lie between their Pob faces and the disk, by turning the

adjustment wh~l that has an "F" and "S" on it until disk speed is accurately ~t. NOTE: In some cases the "S" direction speeds the meter up while the "F"direction slows it down ~Duncan Meters). This opposite notation is designedto fool and Fnalize meter tamFrers. This is the main adjustment that theutility will make when either you or it is concerned about the meter'sccurac~2) LIGHT-LOAD ADJUSTMENTUnder light loads (10% of Full Load), meter performance becomes nonlinear.This results from friction, lack of linearity

~ ~ Registration Dials~

J ~

P ~

~REGISTER ASSEMBLY;

in the generation of driving torque as a function of load current;, and thepresence of torques due to the potential flux acting alone caused by the lackof symmetry of the stator with respect to the disk. Uncompensated, metersusually overregister under light loads. However, due to voltage coil fluxirregularities, it has not been uncommon for meters to run backwards underli~ht loads. Slots and holes have ben put in the disks of modern meters to

prevent the disk from moving at all under very light loads ~less than 1% FullLoad). This adjustment essentially adds a controlled torque due to the

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w~ n~- 1S151, l~tO~ ~o~ ISgl. ~, ~UI~I.ED OFF~ 1S61. dtscribt manl~other uulnerabilitie~

Nt-rd ~bout our shockin~ public~tion ~UTO~i~TIC ~L~ C~ E~ IS20l.or ~ FO' ~LLI~ IS201?

CoNsUMERTRoNIcs CO~ P.o. Draw~r537 of C~ ~0 IIII~UT~, mo~ordo.

N.M. 88310 N~nON~L ENQUII~EII, t~

Shppin~ Power Meters P. 3

voltage flux alone sufficient to provide the correct disk sFed for 10% unity PFloads. Compensation torque is provided by adding a shaded-pole loop knownas the Light-Load Plate. The necessity of this adjustment is apparent if thedisk turns in either direction when there is no load. This condition is knownas "meter aeeP- 3) LA~ AD,~USTMENT

Since the voltage coil has some resistance, the voltage flux lags line voltageby less than 90~. A compensatory lag coil (See Fig. 11 or plate is provided to

adjust the lag so that it is as close to 90as possible. This adjustment is madeat 0.5 lagging PF. When the lag is out of adjustment, it almost always resultsin underregistration, but it is hardly noticeable unless the PF is small. Anylag adjustment made to inaea# disk sFed at lagging PF will decrease its speedfor leading PF (capacitative load). Often, the Light- Load and LagAdjustments are provided by the same mechanism. A radial motion providesthe Lag Adjustment while a circumferential motion provides the Light-LoadAdjustment.

WATTHOUR METER INACCURACIES

Utilities are fond of boasting that watthour meters are accurate to within ~1%of actual consumption under conditions where load currents vary from 0.3%

to 400% and voltage from 80% to 120% of rated values, PF from 0.2 laggingto 0.2 leading, and temperatures from -40 C to ~75 C. In my opinion, thatclaim is utterly false. In reality, this is the very best case error for preciselycalibrated meters under laboratory conditions. Under the above "field"conditions, cumulative error for a calibrated meter can be as high as 10096under small loading conditions and higher than 10% under normalhome/business loads WITHOUT having made any effort to "fool" the meter.These errors can result in either your or the utility's favor. When it favorsthe utility, you'll never hear about it, and you will undoubtedly never collecta dime for past overpayments. When the error is in your favor, if the utilitynotices, you probably will b billed on a guessed-estimate arbitrarilydetermined by the utility to adjust your costs upwards. And your meter willb recalibrated or replaced by one more favorably calibrated for the utility,andlor you may b monitored by a pole meter. However, unless you take theinitiative and even chronically complain, the utility will seldomly adjust anoverregistering meter to read the correct amounts.Meter errors are caused by a number of factors, many of them interrelated.These errors exist even when the meter is precisely calibrated. They areaccentuated when the Full-Load, Light Load and/or Lag adjustments arerequired. No scientific instrument remains accurate if not frequently andprecisely calibrated, particularly an instrument in continuous outdoor use.Wear, deterioration, temperature, humidity, dirt, electromagnetic fields andvibration always take their toll. Meters usually spend years in operation,AND SOMETIMES EVEN DECADES, between calibrations. Errors didn't matter

so much when rates were fair, such as in the 1960s and early 1970s.However, few people can now afford to pay for their actual consumption -much less for errors that are compounded by the Fuel Adjustment rip-off.

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METER ERROR SOURCES

I) TEMPERATURE ERRORMeters read high between O and 8~F and low thereafter. Error accentuateswith decreasing PF and alone can be as high as 4% at 0.5 PF. The main cause#of this error is the increase in the voltage coil lag at low temperatures

(temporary error) and demagnetization of the braking magnets permanenterror) at high temperatures. ALL PERMANENT MAGNETS DEMAGNETIZEWITH TIME, THE RATE OF WHICH IS DETERMINED BY TEMPERATURE, TIME,QUALITY, AND ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE. The demagnetization ofbraking magnets ALWAYS results in rotor speed-up and over registration I2) FREQUENCY ERRORLille frequency seldomly varies more than ~ IX from 60 ~or 50) Hz. a 10%variation of line frequency can result in a 1% or more error, particularly forhigh PFs. Meter reads high at low frequencies ~to a point) and low at highfrequencies. Meter ~can perform erratically when harmonically richwaveforms ~eg rectified sine wave) is applied to it at appreciable energylevels. Error is higher for low PF loads at low frequency.

3) VOLTAGE ERRORGenerally, line voltage k stable to within+10% of rated. In cases ofovervoltage, watthour meters read substantially low due to significant ACdamping that results in some braking. This phenomenon is called "overloaddroop" and is slightly higher for low PF. Watthour meters read slightly highwhen voltage is low.- 4) VERY HIGH OR VERY LOW LOADINGVery low loading almost always favors the utility, even for compensatedmeters, up to the point where the meter stops turning. This error canpossibly be as much as 100% of actual consumption. Very high loading ofmeter results in 'overload droop." For low PF, the meter almost alwaysreads high no matter the actual consumption.6) METER DISSIPATION

Meters dissipate about IA watts on a continuous basis. Furthermore, if thedisk stops turning, 22-24 watts is required just to restart it. For the dubiousprivilege of letting the utility monitor your electrical consumption, it costsyou about one KWH Fr month in meter dissipation alone.6) VIBRATION AND SHOCKVibration and shock will uncalibrate any scientific instrument - includingwatthour meters, causing it to either underregister or overregister. Thus, ifyour meter is located where earthquakes have occurred, near heavymachinery, or near high traffic flows, your meter may be put out ofcalibration in a very short period of time.

The effects of most of these error mechanism are summarized in Fig. 2.

This section is dedicated to slowing down, even stopping power meterswithout physically tampering with them or applying externally pneratedpower, and~ while consuming substantial power. WE MUST STATECATEGORICALLY THAT NO METHOD IS PROVIDED FOR ILLEGALAPPLICATION WHATSOEVER. THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOREDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PU RPOSES ONLY. WE AREABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY AGAINST BREAKING THE LAW IN ANY FASHION.Any attempt to tamper with a utility meter is almost definitely illegal. It isunclear to me whether the legal definition of tampering includes load controlmethods. Some utilities define it ~:

"Tampering means any unauthorized interference with the Company's

equipment, including meters or other property, which would reduce theaccuracy of the measurement, or eliminate the measurement of theelectricity taken by any Customer or person on the premises, or any

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unauthorized connection of a meter."

utilities maintain easement rights over virtually every property theyservice. Thus, if you break into the meter attached to your property whilestanding on your property you could go

Stoppin~ Pow~r Met~rs

to jail for TRESPASSING! If your utility notices a sudden drop in usage orvery low usage that cannot beexplained,they will probably sudd nly appear to examine the situation.Broken meters and seals, meter bypasses, attached magnets, etc., are veryobvious. Don't be like the old farmer who shot a hole in the side of his meterglass with 9 B-B gun. He would then slaN the meter da~n by inserting a pieceof straw between the rotor disk and braking magnet, at night. The hole wasdiscovered by a meter retder five years later. He blamed the hole on,"Vandals shooting up the place last weekend." See our infamous butdelightful GOOSY MOTHA'S FAIRY TALES publication ~$1.95).

The utility may slap a pole meter on your line. A pole'J meter may be a meter similar to yours or it may be acurrentscJuared-hour (~SH) meter. These are located on thetop of or near to your service pole and are generally placedJust where your service drop connects into the main lines.They are usually easy to spot. They may be the hook on tyF,which has a folding hook that loops around the wire and closesto look like a folded question mark. Or they may bhard-wired. No matter how precise they claim these meters tobe, as well as your meter, a 10% or so difference in readings canoccur just from nominal differences between the meters, linedroppage, and different environments. Since a CSH meter doesnot indicate line voltage fluctuations, the error can be

substantially greater than that of a pole meter watthour meter.Furthermore, if your PF is extremely low, which can bemeasured accurately by a utility PF meter, the utility willlikely personalize you for this condition.Few people dispute the need of a utility to get a fair retum solely based uponthe service provided (but not upon the utility's investments~. However, mostpeople believe that public (?) utilities have been swindling them. Electrical'costs have soared several times what they should be. Many people believethat if the untampered watthour meter provided by the utility is unable toadequately measure the amount of usage required by their particulardesired loads, then that is their problem. ExFa to be hassled if they everdiscover this. Don't brag.No method of slowing or stopping a power meter should be based uponbreaking a line neutral or fusing one. These practices are deadlyll Virtuallyevery method that will slow or stop the meter employs loading that requiresDC or frequency components somewhat removed from 6~ Hz. Fig. 2demonstrates the- susceptibility of watthour meters to suchconditions.Power meters behave similarly. Note: As the line frequencyapproaches either DC or high frequency, the watt-hour reading tends to zero(disk stops turning). A meter with only DC or RF energy imposed on it willnot turn no matter how much energy is applied, it will burn out first. In theRF case, there are certain tones that do this best, largly dependent uponmeter and wiring. Any DC will brake a meter similarly to the brakingmagnets. DC brakes are, in fact, commonly applied to induction motors ingeneral. Even a powerful induction motor can be made to practically stop on

a dime when DC is applied. Even a little DC will eventually magnetizepermanently the stator if applied long enough to provide lasting effects evenafter it is removed.

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High frequency components will simply underregister due to the impedancesand hysteresis of the coils and rotor inertia. Since meter voltage is hard toalter, frequency techniques are applied to the current thru the mster. Mixedfrequencies, ie rectified sine wave, will cause the rotor to behave erratically,and if its energy is high enough, rotor sFed will drastically slow down andmay evenstop. Harmonically-rich waveforms require more energy to stop ameter than DC or RF, simpy bcause most of its harmonic energy is in

freqwncies not very far from 60 Hz. Fast load surges will be farunderr~istered primarily due to he rotor inertia.

CAUTION: Line and induced volta~s can killl For all ehctrical projocts, becertain that all circuit components induding wiring, can more than handleworse case voltages currents and powers before proceeding to construct anydrcuit. U# sensible, safe and accurate wiring techniques and procedures, aswell as good judgment, at all times. YOUR SAFETY IS TOTALLY UP TO YOU.If you do not have a power or KW-HR meter to practice on, either can beobtained legally. KW-HR meters can be obtained by mail from ENGINEERINGASSOCIATES, 7567 Rt. 49A East, Dept. C, Arcanum, OH 453C4. They sell a realnice, rebuilt. Iike-new, GE 1-14, 5 Amp, 115 VAC KW-HR meter for ONLY

$2011 Owner's narne is Charles C. Littell, Jr.. (513) 692-5641 .

In our figurss, ~ represents line neutral, and ~7 represents earth ground(ussd to ground cases in three wire 120 VAC systems). PIV designates peakinverse or reverse voltap, or DC working voltap for capacitors. All figures aresimplified circuit diagrams. Add fu#/drcuit breaker protection as required.In addition, all meters should have tNnsient suppression. Cl of Fi~s. 6 and 7do a good job. For better transient suppression, GE, Schenectady, NY, doesexcellent work in this area with very good GEMOV 19 Varistors. Transientsuppression is required to assure long lasting,rare-free psrformanres ofsemiconductors, capacitors and other components. Even without ourmethods, good transient and riwle eliminstion protects induction motors andtransformers, and shields applianres from utility ripde control of them. Our

RIPPLED OFF pamphlet explains transients, ripde, and utility apdiance andPeak Demand Meter control in detail.I) DC LOADSDC Loading is the hardest to accomplish but it is the most effective method.If you have induction motors or transformers~ they will also be adverselyaffected by any DC that reaches them. C=500 uf, 25 PIV min. L=1000 turnsrriin., insulated wire on'about a l" soft-iron core. As with all suggested home-made inductors, keepwell insulated and don't U# a core that can be touched(eg leg of a drill press). Cl are PaFr-Oil typss or Fig. 1 lelectrolytics, and are1000 to 100,000 uf, 400 PIV, depandin~ upon load reactance. See Fiq. 3.With the DC Method, three major problem areas have ari#n. Some are findingthat the Cl (Blocking Capacitors) are very expensive, overly bulky or difficultto realize, even with the Fig.ll arrangement. The# capacitors are requiredONLY IF you apply the DC Method with other loads #nsitive to DC excitation(induction motors and tNnsformers tend to saturate) simultaneously runningoff the same meter. This problem is simply solved by running all your DCexperiments with all the #nsitive loads disconnected. With a DC current ofabout 5 Amps, a substantial permanent decrea# in meter indication willresult with time due to permanentlyinduced malfunctions.Problems involving the kickback of rectified AC into the DC power supply areevident. We u#d a very heavy duty charger (like that found in garages) anddidn't ob#rve any malfunctions. Fig. 4 illustrates two approaches ofovercoming this problem, making it possible to realize this method with asmaller, home-type auto-battery charger.

The Fig. 3 circuit only affeas the current coils of the meter. This is becau# themeter's voltage coil is across the outputs of the two rectifiers. To get the

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voltage coil into the act, we used the circuit of Fig. 5. We obtainedsatisfactory results with both approaches, but customers prefer the Fig. 5approach.Be careful when using the DC mathod. Other meters sharing the same powertransformer #condary will also be slowed down. However, becau# the loadson any other meters will probably not be DC isolated, havoc could result intheir operations.

Stoppin~ Power Meters

P ~ Gt~ rl~tor

IN~ _ n

I Uni~er~~br12-24 VDC~L lR1198~ 1 1 hlc~d~ ht- 124) ~C

B-ttery 6 ~ch-rs~r. C ~;~ ~ SFii9. I3nDocf +allHaapproaches~ Each oth~r~[ ~=

load block above repre#nts two ~ Lo~d~

r~L, ~ I I ~L~ Blocl~U c p~cltor

Cl~ ~DC~ ~C Lo d- anly Lo d4

Fig. 3: Direct Current Method. Inductor must be large, L=1000 turnsminimum. See text.

approximately equal l;~U vAC loads in #ries. See text.

~Rect

T ~rRect. ~' a. T ~ Rect. X.

$~ II ~ Fig. 9: Alternate Harmonic Method, suggested by many''' readers but resulting in no real reduction in our experiments.

Rect. are two t N 11 98A. See text.Fig. 4: Two ways to overcome the back voltaging problem of O

Fig. 3 (SPM) DC Method. Cs, Ls and Rects. (1N1198A) arethe same as for Fig. 3. R is a 120 Volt heater element load. Seetext.

~ r~DC ~ r-\~R ~$Rect . Rect-S~ppl~

Xf rmr ~~-~IC1Fig. 5: Alternate DC Method. Voltage Coil (VC) is in the Q DC circuit. CCs areCurrent Coils of meter. C and C1s, same as n Fig. 3. Rs are 120V heater

elements. Rect. is 1N1198A. See ~SteYt

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Fig. 6: Frequency Method using capacitative coupling. C is between 0.01 and0.001 uf, 400 PIV. C1=2' uf polypropylene. L=100 turns. See text.

~,~ RG SB or 5 ~, ~

~i~l ~3 1

Other C~ _ Clr

Fig. 7: Alternate Frequency Method using inductive coupling. L1=100 turns.All other values are the same as Fig. 6. See text.

DC Pa~e ~supply ~:

Calp~

IIC l~d-

Fig. 10: Momentary Current Surge Method. See text. _

~ ~ ~ ~1+ ~l~

Fig. 11: An equivalent circuit for using electrolytic capacitors to do the job ofSCR or paper-oil types. The big advantage here is that electrolytics areconsiderably cheaper and smaller and more available for large capacitances.However, DC rated electrolytics are not recommended by manufacturers forthis type of application, but we have had good results using them. Suitablecapacitors may have to be found by a trial and error process. Some may

overheat, swell and possibly even explode under these conditions. UseCautionl

2) HIGH FREQUENCY LOADS -

High frequency loading is more easily accompished but less effective andconsistent than the DC Method and will require "tuning." Tone generators arealso called signal, audio, frequency or function generators. Most welldesigned units with shorted output protection and the ability to deliver atleast 5 amF (if necessary, couple with an audio amplifier) to the meter. Tonesmay be steady or in bursts. Our TONE DEAF pamphlet conbins many usefuldesigns. See FiF. 6 and 7. Optimum frequency is emdrially determined. Meterwill stop at certain "resonant" tones but run at higher tones. The signal an beeither hardwired to the meter, Fig. 6. or transformer ooupled to it, Fig. 7. The former appears more effective, the latter, more safe. Very good shieldingshould be

NOTE: All figures are simplified circuit diagrams. Add fu#s or circuitbreakers where necessary.

~ ShppinS~

provided and all signal lines should b of minimal len~th and ~with goodimpedanoe matchin~. Radiated RFpowerbyonda small amount pnerally

roquires prior FCC approval. We found in certain cases that by using the Fig.6 circuit with the rn~r passing only a few 60 Hz amps, the meter will indicatein reverse at everal frequency points. Why? We are not absolutely certain

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about the mechanism involved but believe that the revelsals are caused by acombination of voltage coil flux irregularities and voltage to current phaserelationships. a arel 2 uf (non41ectrolytic) polypropylene capacitors. Ifpolypropybne capacitors are not available, use polyc~rbonate or polyestercapacitors. We recommend 400 PIV ratings, unless you are in a highlightning strike area, then 8~0 PIV ue better. LslOO turns, 2" dia., be sure touse heavy enough wiring to withstand.loading. Ll inductors are made from at

least 100 turns each of both insulated meter lines and insulated tonepnerator lines, tightly packed. Ferrite coras are preferred, air cores are notnearly as good but will work if tone generator voltage and windings are high.In our Ist Edition of SPM, we recommended RF signals of 1 KHz to 1~0 KHz~Figs. 6 and 7). Frequency components below 1 KHz are difficul~-to filter ~utwithout significantly attenuat;ng tho 60 Hz Line comPonent. even thoughsome

~ower Meters P. 7

fre~uencies, phasos and amditudes. Whan a 60 Hz sine wave is half waverectified, DC and 60 Hz components are produced

' along with an infinite number of harmonics that raddly diminish in powercontent. The DC component will brake the meter movament while theharmonics will diminish tha total mater reading by making the meterbahave in an e~rrabc fashion.~ Rectifier must be rated such that its steadYstate current ratin~ is at least twica the sum of all universal or DC motors,incandescant lighting and heater elemant steady state load currents. Rectifiersurge current rating should b at least three times the combined sur~ecurrents for all loads. Minimum PIV should b 800 volts. Transientsuppression is highly recommended. If there is a lot of motor brushsparking, filter out all AC components for a DC motor, and all harmonics fwan AC motor. Use a 2 uf non electrolytic, 400 PIV capacitor across the motorterminals. DC may haw to be filtered out for some univarsal motors.USE GREAT CARE IN APPLYING THE CIRCUIT OF FIG. 8 BECAUSE IT RESULTS

IN A FLOATED LINE NEUTRAL. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS, POSSI8LYRESULTING IN SHOCK OR FIRE.' ' A number of people wggested the circuit of Fig. 9 as aneasier alternative because it raquires only single 120 VAC/DC frequencypoints btl,veen 100 Hz and 1 KHz are vcry effec- ~ loads. We tested it andfound no observable nat reduction in

tive in reducing meter indication. However, because of custo ~ metar indication even thous~h someomers more by it.mer feedback on successes of the 100 Hz to 1 KHz 'are-, we - The circuit of

Fig. 8 90t mixed reviecau# some custo-changed our limit frQm 100 Irlz to 10 KHz- (to accommodate mer~ noticed a n

et INCREASE in meter inion by using it.audio generators~ in our ?rd ;Edition. This resulted in custo- I have

not yet been able to pinpoiy particular meter typemer complaints of filtering'pro~lems! Therefore, choose what- or circuit fact

or that explains therant differences be-ever range suits YOll beR. rhis method has no observable- tween our resul

ts and the results of ot I do believe thatpermanent effects on meters., the answer lies in the different effects on dif

ferent meter tyFsThe DC method problem of adver#lY affecting ~o~er '- I ~nder different loadsto yross violations of Blondel's Theoremmeters on the same transformer is usually nota problemwitH '~ ~See our~KW-HR METERS book for an explanation of

~this method. The power lines and transformer will dissipateBlondel~s'Theorem). This method has very little effect on the~most high frequency energy components very affectivelv. ~ ~r-egistration

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for loads NOT in the rectifier circuit.

A nurr~ar of firms today are peddling trarlsient elimina- '' 4~ HIGH SURGE, LOW DURATION LOADStors as energy savers. They state that by filtering out line ~ -transients (usin~ their 0ossly overpric~d c~rcuits, of 'coursej ' Fig.

10 depicts several powertchin~ circuits. The timers

"the meter runs more slowly becaus~ transients cause meters - can be adiUSted in combination with ener diodes for loadto overregister.~ If this were so the frequency method des- ~ conditioning,

either manuallv or autcally (more circuitryaibed herein would cause your;neters to overregistul ~Ow_ ~ JS required),

to provide switching charistics that willever, -their rflasoning is tDtally false ~usin~ theit owri-h~gicl1: minimiz

e the power meter readhile also minimizing load~iltering~wt all line transients on the -meter'~ LOAD side Variations. Thi

s same effect is prodin spot weldin~simply means that ALL of the incomin~ transient energy ~ operations and

it is a fact that utilitick on an extra use fee

dissipated BY THE METER ALONEI In fact~ the tran~ient ; for spot welders simdybecause their watthnetersenergV then absorbed by the' neter- would be rnuch groater substantially u

nderre8ister. This methquires the mnstthan that absorbed by the meter and the load without tra~ knowledge, timeand money to effect, anoodly amount ofsient removal because transient eliminators much reduce~thetotal impedance as seen by the incoming transiNlts - thusgreatly increasing transient current levels inside the metcr.In fact, the meter DOES SLOW DOWN USING JRAN c

SIENT ELIMINATORS - because such filterinD INCREASES-~ -and not decreases - meter transientsll Thus, under a veryhigh transient environment, load side line filtering essentially

duplicates our Frequency Method. Other substantial enerDysavings result because induction motors and transformersoperate far more efficiently with clean electrical inputs, andtheir reliability and longevity also substantially increases.Our RIPPLED OFF 11 pamphlet (S3.95~ describes

transient and ripple eliminator circuits, costing under S20 foryou tn make, that are as good - if not better - than the $200or $12w ones peddled by these firms.

3~ HARMONIC LOADS

This method is most practical and easiest toachieve,and it~loes not require special equipment or filtering of other loads.See Fig. 8. However, much greater h~rmonic power is requiredfor the same effects. According to Fourier Theory, allwaveforms are composites of simple sine waves of certain

time to maintain.Fig. lUls a su~ested circuit, others will work, drcuit should b desi8ned to best fit Vour needs. C-lOvv uf 400 PIV rn,inimum. SCRs or MotorStar~r Relays should have minimum of 25 amp surge current rating. R~ wattminimum heater elements or incandescem bulbs.The author has received only one input from this method a person claimingthat this method could permanently slow down meters by causing damage tothe meter's current coils.

MAGNO-BRAKE TECHNIQUE

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An anonymous contributor, whom I alll "The Flasher" (See our KW-HRMETERS Book), made us aware of the technique described in Fig. 12 . Thistechnique is easier to apply than the DC Method and can be more effective.In fact, it can be made so effective that it would permanently wreck yourmeter by disrupting its carefully balanced mechanical system and/or byshorting out the voltage coil windings. The result of this damage can usuallybe physically observed - the meter either fails to indicate or its action is

erratic often with scraping sounds. "The Flasher" managed to accidentallywreck his utility meter in this fashion. Why utilities would react to this in an hysterical

manner is beyond me since they cavalierly inject line ripple onto your powerline with no regard to the destructive effects it has on YOUR equipment andon YOUR lifelAs with the DC Method, we suggest that you disconnect all other AC loadsfrom the rneter's circuit.We used a commercial photoflash unit alled a SYNCHRO TESTER (NationalCamera, Inc., 2000 West Union Ave., Englewood, Colo.). Check with your

amera store on vsrieties. Our unit outputs about 400 Volts, 1 to 50 msec.duration per "flash."

The circuit of Fig. 13 would work just as well. Plate transformers are cheapsurplus items. You should be able to control voltage level with a rheostat.The storage capacitor discharge can be controlled by an electromechanical orsolid state relay (SSR~ or even a telegrapher's key. The former two can beelectronically controlled to provide consistent and programmable results.Voltage level duration and repetition rate should initially be low anri slowlyinaeased until the desired results are realized. Patience and perserveranceare musts to get optimum results and to gain valuable experience andknowledge about meters.Mkter

240 V~C

Photo-Fln~hCircUl t

Fig. 12: Our infamous Magno-Brake Technique. C-5.0 uf 600 PIV. Ls are sameas Fig. 6. C1=50 uf, 600 PIV polypropylene or other "poly" type upacitors.R211~wirewound with bolt insert, 50 Watts. See text.

z . 1 H ~ r

lOK ~ lOW~tt 0.02 ufl

n U ~ C~p. Control t~nk Circuit

Xfrm~.

Fig. 13: Simple, effective home made "photoflash" circuit. Points A and Bcorrespond to Fig. 12. The minimum stepup value of the plate transformer is250 VAC. Transformers with higher step-up voltages result in a greaterdramatic effect on meters. Be sure that other circuit components can easilyand safely handle the voltage and power produced by whatever transformer

you choose. See text.

When using any of the four methods desaibed, different timing schemes can

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be used. For instance, there may be some Friods that you find it highlyadvantageous to stop or even reverse your power meter while restoring it tonormal opeNtions during other Friods. Commerically available AC timers areexcellent here. Or you may feel more oontent to remove your circuitcompletely between applications.SORRYI We do not make or sell any of the described circuits. Also, we do notanswer questions presented us, or provide more detail on the sFcifics of

these circuits. Several past customers, whom, upon their request, weINNOCENTLY provided more detailed information tried to rip us off with thecomplaint that we provided them "how to" info. on ripping off the utilities,even though we have reFatedly stated that we absolutely are against anyillegal applications whatsoeverlMany electronic retail outlets do not carry an adequate supply or selection ofcapacitors and many SPM lcustomers have written to us to supply theminformation on the

SrOPPING POWER ME~ERS P. 8

capacitor tyFs suggested in our applications. We recommend the follnwing

sources (of the many available) for capacitor information - sFcifications,costs, distri_utors, etc. (It is usually helpful if you provide them with thecapacitor types and sFcifications needed, and the electrical parameters of theapplia~tinn~ v~-- h~ in mind.)

ELPAC Components Div.ELPAC Electronics Inc.313t S. Standard Ave.&nta Clara, CA 92705

Sprague Electric Co.645 Marshall St., N.Adams, MA 01247

Corning Glass WorksElectronics~Prod. Div.Houghton Park A2Corning, NY 14830

Panasonic Co.Industrial Components1 Panasonic WaySecaucus, NJ 07094

Del Electronics Corp.250 E. SandfordMt. Vernon, NY 10550

Cornell Dubilier Elec. t 50 Avenue L Newark, NJ 071-1

Most of the awlications described herein require power inductDrs - somevery heavy. The author has found that surplus sources are a good start.However, the values you need are not commonly available, in which ca# youwill need magnet wire to wrap your own. Magnet wire is available in variouscoatings, gaups and lengths, but magnet wire heavier than 18 gauge isalmost never available in stores. Listed below are some very good sources ofmagnet wire of virtually any gauge, length or coating.

Daburn Elect. & Cable Corp. Belden CorD. Elect. Div.70 0ak St. P. O. Box 13i7Norwood, NJ 07648 Richmond, IN 47374

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Essex Magnet Wire & Insul. Div. McGraw Edison Co., Edis. Elec.1510 Wall St. Grenier Fld., Munip. AirpDrtFt. Wayne, IN 46804 Manchester, NH 03101

Rea Magnet Wire Co., Inc. ' Phelps Dodge Magnet Wire Co.3600 E.Pontiac St. Box 600

Ft. Wayne, IN 46806 Ft. Wayne, IN 46801

STOPPING POWER METERS 3rd Edition is the culmination of years of work inthe vital area of meter re#arch,' design and testing. Many customercontributions, insights and experiences have been integrated into it.This 3rd Edition contains all of the information found in the 2nd Edition(Copyrighted 1977) and STOPPING POWER METERS ADDENDUM (Copyrighted1979), including our infamous MAGNO-BRAKE TECHNIQUE. The first editionof STOPPING POWER METERS W85 copyrighted in March 1976. Since then,well over 10,000 copies have sold nationwide and it continues - with everincreasing popularity to be our very best #ller. It resulted in the author'sinfamous CBS "60 MINUTES" interview with Mike Wallace (March 5, 1978,

"Power Pilferage"~ and many important subsequent media coverages.

STOPPING POWER METERS is brought to you by:

CONSUMERl~RONlCS GO.P.O. DrawerS37, Alamogordo, N.M. 88310

It is but one of the very informative, useful and money saving publicationswe offer.Our other energy publications include: KW-HR METERS Book, MDVR Book,RIPPLED OFF, LOADFINDER, LIBERATE GAS AND WATER, GOOSY MOTHA'SFAIRY TALES, KILLER WATTS, FIREBREATHER, VORTEX GENERATOR and ournewest and most controversial one of all: IRON GONADS.

Other topics include: SURVIVAL GUNS & AMMO, SILENCE IS GOLDEN(Silencers), V.A. - 2ND TO NONE?, F.D.I.C. - FACT OR FAIRY TALE?, THE TESLACONNECTION, HOLOCAUST AMERICA, X-RAY TO DEATH, etc. Send for ourbrochure with $.30 in stamps or coin. Lots of luck and greates?of successes.

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