u/cyberyard

Hey all, I work in precision instrumentation, and lately I've been kicking around the idea of building a low-cost energy monitoring device for commercial panels (3-phase power, PF, kWh, DIN-rail mount, reporting over Modbus). Before I actually build anything I wanted to get a reality check from people who deal with this stuff for a living.

1. what do you all actually use for submetering or panel-level monitoring? Is it working well, or is there something about it that bugs you every time you spec a job? I keep seeing names like Veris, eGauge, and Accuenergy come up, so if you've used any of those I'd love to hear the good and the bad.

2. if a device like this even gets chosen on a project, is that usually the integrator's call, or does the engineer/owner already have something in mind before you show up?

3. on the protocol side, I was assuming Modbus RTU over RS-485 as the baseline, but have things basically moved to BACnet or Modbus TCP at this point?

If the honest answer is "this is a solved problem, don't bother," genuinely tell me that. I'd rather hear it now. Appreciate any input.

Hello r/PLC. I work in precision instrumentation and I'm scoping a low-cost, DIN-rail mounted power monitoring devce for commercial panels: 3-phase RMS voltage/current, real/reactive/apparent power, PF, frequency, kWh, reporting over Modbus RTU (RS-485).

Before I commit to a PCB, I'd really appreciate input from people who actually integrate this kind of thing into real systems:

• When you've pulled power/energy data into a PLC or SCADA system, what device did you use, and what worked or didn't work about it?
• Is Modbus RTU over RS-485 still the right baseline, or are your projects mostly asking for Modbus TCP / other protocols at this point?
• What's a dealbreaker for you in a device like this (register map documentation, polling speed, wiring/CT setup, brand trust, something else)?
• Any devices in this space you'd actively recomend avoiding, or ones you keep coming back to?

Not selling anything, I am just trying to get the integration side right before I build. Thanks in advance

Hey all. I work in precision instrumentation and I'm doing early research on a low-cost energy monitoring device (DIN-rail mount, measures voltage/current/power per phase, reports over Modbus) aimed at commercial panels. Before I sink time into building anything, I wanted to hear from people who actually work on these panels day to day.

A few things I'm curious about:

• Have you installed submetering or energy monitoring equipment before? What brands/models do you usually see specified?
• What makes that kind of install easy or annoying... CT sizing, wiring access, panel space, documentation?
• If a customer or contractor asked you to install a new energy monitoring device, what would make you trust it (certifications, brand reputation, install docs, etc.) vs. avoid it?
• Any horror stories with monitoring equipment specifically (bad CTs, sketchy wiring instructions, devices that didn't hold calibration, etc.)?

Not selling anything, I am genuinely trying to understand the install side before I design something, since a device that's a pain to install is dead on arrival no matter how good the accuracy is. Happy to share what I learn if people are curious. Appreciate any input.