Yes, it is a sad shame. There are alternatives out there, it takes some research to find them. Buying direct from Iotawatt is one of the alternatives, then source the 9v and 5v power supplies locally in AU.
But it still comes back to the issue of " I want to support and be supplied by an Aussie firm that can help me with information, when needed".
My understanding was that IoTaWatt was no longer selling individual items, only the 120V kit with reference power and usb power supplies and 14 CTs. I have no need for all that extra equipment as only have a small number of circuits to monitor and the power supplies would end up in the bin.
Australia has very strict electrical standards and certification of any device plugged into our mains. A lot of other boards that I have found are plugged directly into an AC supply for reference voltage so if they are not Australian certified it is illegal to plug them into a grid connected AC source.
I am currently using an ancient Openenergymonitor device which has done sterling service but is now at the point where it is extremely difficult to update both the sensing side and the receiving device as the Arduino sketches and libraries are no longer either available or supported.
I’ll keep looking.
Have look at this page, it will tell you everything you need to know. Just remember IotaWatt is plug in device, not a wired in device.
PS Yes, extra costs. Shame about the SmartGuys.
A bit of an update, I found SmartGuys have an eBay AU store, IoTaWatt Open WiFi Electric Monitor | eBay.
I have sent them a question via eBay, “Hi, can you describe what is in this kit? ie power supply yes or no, reference voltage supply yes or no, current transformer sizes 100amp 50amp etc.”
Fingers crossed I get a reply.
Bit of an update as well.
After trying multiple times to contact by email I decided to take the risk and order the unit from their website. I could pay with Paypal so did that as I thought it may give better protection if the transaction was not honoured or shipped.
Good news! Got a confirmation order email and then today received shipping notice and an Australia Post shipping number.
Strongly implies they are still active. Will report back when I receive the item.
Were you able to get any CT’s or 9vac VT from the SmartGuys?
Didn’t bother. Can get 9VAC from local Jaycar and CTs from Amazon. Already have some and will test before installing. Going to be a long process.
I too took a punt 2 weeks ago and ordered from their website (despite zero communication when I asked about stock levels and availability of CTs etc). Anyway unit arrived 2 days after ordering. Don’t know why they don’t respond to potential purchaser’s questions - certainly doesn’t inspire confidence….
Wow. In Australia? They/he/she are certainly not advocates off open communication. Did you get Express post your were in Australia?
Yes, express post to NSW
Same experience here. Tried contacting them re: CT availability etc. Nothing.
Purchased an Iotawatt and it arrived just fine.
Odd way to run a business.
Snail mail here. Should be delivered tomorrow or Monday. So between 5 and 6 business days. Not bad NSW to QLD.
They responded to me when I asked about the out-of-stock 50A CTs
We have changed suppliers recently and as such will only be selling 100amp CTs from now on. If purchasing more than 10 please get in touch and we can arrange a discount for you.
I’ll confirm - recently bought 2 x IoTaWatts from them after receiving no email reply to an enquiry, along with some 100A CTs - packaged turned up in a few days.
Their web site points consumers towards the Jaycar 9V AC (MP 3027) which is good - though I had to go to two different Jaycar shops because they only seem to like to stock one of these uncommon transformers.
They never responded to my follow-up questions, and as you point out in the other thread the CTs are available for cheaper elsewhere so I’ll just order the iotawatt by itself and cross my fingers.
I ordered my iotawatt from smartguys, still no email response but it’s in the post
This store has the exact same CT they sell (the “output current” type) for $20+gst. They did me a deal for ordering 10, knocked the price down to $18.
Just a heads up, the link indicates that the current output is 33mA. The SCT013-000 has always been 50mA output. Might be a typo, but looks like a factory table. You may need to modify the turns from 2000 to 3000 to match 33mA and the phase shift will not be the same as the 50mA version.
Ooh thank you for checking that. I’ll ask the store, they told me these were identical before I ordered. If I’d seen the difference I might’ve gone for voltage type instead
I already have a zappi monitoring my power so I’ll be able to see if the iotawatt is reporting wildly inaccurate values. I may need help adjusting it, I’ll make a new thread if that happens.
I purchased these for a 3-phase upgrade which is happening in a month or two, if the phase shift is different can I adjust that configuration as well?
They’re 50! It’s written on the device but not shown in the store photos. The 33 is a typo, it will be corrected
Hi All,
It seems getting CT’s locally above 100A in Australia is problematic. Smart Guys don’t have the CT’s in stock generally of late and the IoTaWatt website doesn’t ship to Australia (it only ships to 4 x countries now it would seem).
Does anyone have recommendations/suppliers to get 200A and 400A CT’s with the stereo jack already installed?