UK HELP REQUIERD with Raspberry Pie

[GoGreenElectrics]

Raspberry Pie Expert wanted !!

I am from an older generation of electronics hobbyists. I am familiar with solid state electronics such as Transistors, Capacitors, Transformers, chokes... etc. As well as assembling my own PC from off the shelf parts, but that is as far as things go.

I need a Raspberry Pie based controller for my Excess Solar Energy Battery charger. It needs to be able to monitor the current flow in the incoming mains supply for my home using a Hall Effect Transducer. Detecting either positive or negative flows and the value of that flow. This will provide data as to how much excess (unused within the home) Solar Power is being generated. Additionally a second sensor will be required to monitor the DC current flow to the batteries. As this can vary depending upon the state of charge.

Using data from these two sensors, the Raspberry Pie will need to be able to output very short low voltage dc control pulses to a solid state relay. These pulses should increase in frequency when more power is available and lower frequency when less power is available. The SSR relay will then send pulses of high current AC power to my smart battery charger which I have already designed to accept this type of input.

I am happy to pay for someone to assist me with this project Or if they would like to become part of the project for commercial purposes, I am willing to be partners.

Please call me on; 07779 615354

Thanks
Rob

[Will Welker]

Hi Rob,
I think you will be able to find all the information you need without paying anybody. If you do a search on Youtube for "getting started with Raspberry Pi" you will find many videos. Once you get the Pi set up and running. Do a search for "using pi GPIO pins". This will bring up many videos on how to use the Pi's input/output pins to sense data and issue signals. You may also want to become familiar with Arduino. It is more simple than a Pi. Basically you write you commands on a regular PC and upload them to the Arduino. Both the Pi and Arduino can sense data and issue signals like pulse width modulation (PWM) to control things. Pi owners love making Youtube videos! Any question you can imagine is answered there if you can put in the right search term

[FlyingScotsman]

I'm working on a controller to switch on loads at home when I have abundant solar power. Not intending to store energy, because I think its still too expensive {even with free power, the cost per kw-hour is something like (battery cost per kw-hour + charger + inverter cost) / (battery cycle life)}. So far, I have tested a means of measuring power in (from the panels) and power in (from mains) using just a phototransistor and a resistor (the LED on the power meters flashes once every watt-hour, so timing it gives the power). I'm at an early stage yet, so apart from that I can't answer very much. I'm using PiGPIO to read the phototransistors. From some earlier projects with my Pi, I have instrumented a number of things with an array of DS18B20 temperature sensors, using the modprobe w1-gpio method, which eliminates using sudo for the logging software. I'm currently planning to do the minimum processing with a PiGPIO code to read the meters, and set pins that switch on loads, and use shared memory to allow more general processing in a separate program without superuser privileges. Have worked through setting up shared memory and got that working. Next am about to experiment with reading phototransistors and DS18B20's in the same code. I'm slightly afraid that the GPIO control from modprobe will conflict with alternately reading phototransistors, so may have to find a way of reading temperature sensors from PiGPIO.

[GoGreenElectrics]

Hello

Like I have stated in my initial post, I am completely lost with these little micro computers. 30 years ago, I could program a BBC Mirco in BASIC. But with these modern devices, I really have no idea where to start. Frankly rather than sprain my brain, I would prefer to pay someone who is fluent with these devices and earn the money back doing other work that I do understand.

If there is anyone from Dorset or Somerset in the UK, who can help me for a fee. Then please call or text me on 07779 615354.

Thanks
Rob