Virtual Ammeter

[mryan23]

Like many of you I am planning on adding more lights for next year. Only problem is I wont be able to add more electrical circuits. Since I'm using incandescent bulbs I will have more lights than my 2 outdoor circuits can handle if I turned all the lights on at one time.

I've been working on this piece of software that can tell me if the sequences I have written will trip the circuit breaker. All you have to do is supply the program with amount of current each circuit draws, what outlet each controller is plugged into, and what the breaker level is for each outlet and it takes care of the rest. You only have to do this once because you can save a "profile" that allows you to use the same setup for multiple sequences. The program will tell you if your sequence ever causes any of your circuit breakers to trip and it will also provide a line graph of the current drawn from each outlet.

I hope someone will find this as useful as I do. If you find any bugs or have any ideas that could improve this please let me know, I've been debugging the last few days but I'm sure there is something that I missed.

Attached files LOR Virtual Ammeter.zip

[mryan23]

The default location to search for sequences is the location where the program itself is stored so it might be helpful to place the program in the LOR folder or in the sequences folder.

[Guest guest]

Nice little Virtual Ammeter tool you've created. I think this will help a lot of folks that use all incandescents, all L.E.D.'s or a combination of both!

Thanks for making this available to us crazy light decorators!

Going to be very useful!

[Aaron Maue]

Orville wrote:

Nice little Virtual Ammeter tool you've created. I think this will help a lot of folks that use all incandescents, all L.E.D.'s or a combination of both!

Thanks for making this available to us crazy light decorators!

Going to be very useful!

+1

[Guest guest]

BTW: I don't use the default LOR directories, so placing it in my sequence directory worked out perfectly.

[trafficman]

I sure need this for the show this year. Adding several outlets and not sure I can carry the load. Guess I better run a few test first.. LOL... Thanks Orville for your help.

[Guest guest]

trafficman wrote:

I sure need this for the show this year. Adding several outlets and not sure I can carry the load. Guess I better run a few test first.. LOL... Thanks Orville for your help.

It's not my tool, it's mryan23's. They created it and shared it.

I just happened to be the first to check it out. It was also their original suggestion to put it in the sequence directory for finding and loading your sequences.

I just agree with putting it in the sequence directory, especially if you don't use the LOR defaults and have set up your own directories for LOR, then you definitely want it in your sequence directory.

It just makes it easier to use without having to "go looking" for your sequences each time.

[mryan23]

I've found a small bug in the original program. It's been fixed in this version.

Attached files LOR Virtual Ammeter v2.zip

[Guest guest]

mryan23 wrote:

I've found a small bug in the original program. It's been fixed in this version.

Your new version isn't working. When I enter the outlet locations and then go to NEXT, I get "outlet is not used", it isn't allowing me to enter any info like your original program did. The first version seemed to work fine, so not sure what the bug you found was, but now it won't work at all. I'm using Windows XP Home Edition, again, first one worked fine, but this one seems to have an issue with the outlets.

[mryan23]

Orville wrote:

mryan23 wrote:

I've found a small bug in the original program. It's been fixed in this version.

Your new version isn't working.   When I enter the outlet locations and then go to NEXT, I get "outlet is not used", it isn't allowing me to enter any info like your original program did.  The first version seemed to work fine, so not sure what the bug you found was, but now it won't work at all.   I'm using Windows XP Home Edition, again, first one worked fine, but this one seems to have an issue with the outlets.

 

Does it say outlet is not used at the very end or when you hit next on the screen that asks where the outlets are and what the breaker level is?

The original program worked fine. The bug I found was that the option to change the sequence at the very end didn't open to the location where the program is stored.

[Guest guest]

BTW: tried to go back to your first version, but now it doesn't work either.

Before I got all the channels with descriptors and was able to enter the info, now I don't see that area of the program. Just keep getting my outlets are not used.

I've tried 1 outlet, 2 outlets, 4 outlets, 10 outlets and get the same results of all outlets are not used.

Previous version had been working great, wish I could go back to that, tried, but seems it won't revert back to that one from your original zip file.

[mryan23]

What is the wording of the error you're getting, and where exactly are you seeing the error?

[Guest guest]

mryan23 wrote:

Orville wrote:

mryan23 wrote:

I've found a small bug in the original program. It's been fixed in this version.

Your new version isn't working. When I enter the outlet locations and then go to NEXT, I get "outlet is not used", it isn't allowing me to enter any info like your original program did. The first version seemed to work fine, so not sure what the bug you found was, but now it won't work at all. I'm using Windows XP Home Edition, again, first one worked fine, but this one seems to have an issue with the outlets.

Does it say outlet is not used at the very end or when you hit next on the screen that asks where the outlets are and what the breaker level is?

The original program worked fine. The bug I found was that the option to change the sequence at the very end didn't open to the location where the program is stored.

Ope program, load sequence, tell it no on loading default profile, then I tell it how many outlets I have and then their location and breaker type, once I hit next, I get outlets not used on all I had entered. Then it asks if I want to save current profile, no matter if I say Yes or No, it tells me the outlets are no used.

[Guest guest]

I also have to click the next button twice to get it to go to the next screen, seems to require me to click the yes or no buttons twice before it registers where I want it to go.

Tried loading existing profile, tried not loading a profile, tried just hitting the next button, keep ending up with outlet not used, no matter how many outlets and amps rated I put in.

Before I got the screen that gave details about the sequence after entering the outlet and breaker info. Not it seems to bypass that screen completely and doesn't bring it up at all now and goes directly to the save profile screen, again, no matter if I click yes, no or the next button, I always get "outlet not used" messages.

[mryan23]

Orville wrote:

mryan23 wrote:

Orville wrote:

mryan23 wrote:

I've found a small bug in the original program. It's been fixed in this version.

Your new version isn't working.   When I enter the outlet locations and then go to NEXT, I get "outlet is not used", it isn't allowing me to enter any info like your original program did.  The first version seemed to work fine, so not sure what the bug you found was, but now it won't work at all.   I'm using Windows XP Home Edition, again, first one worked fine, but this one seems to have an issue with the outlets.

 

Does it say outlet is not used at the very end or when you hit next on the screen that asks where the outlets are and what the breaker level is?

The original program worked fine. The bug I found was that the option to change the sequence at the very end didn't open to the location where the program is stored.

Ope program, load sequence, tell it no on loading default profile, then I tell it how many outlets I have and then their location and breaker type, once I hit next, I get outlets not used on all I had entered.   Then it asks if I want to save current profile, no matter if I say Yes or No, it tells me the outlets are no used.

Does it show the screen that allows you to set the current for each channel?

On the page that has the drop down menu's to select where controllers are plugged in have you selected the outlets that say they are not used?

[mryan23]

Orville wrote:

mryan23 wrote:

Orville wrote:

mryan23 wrote:

I've found a small bug in the original program. It's been fixed in this version.

Your new version isn't working.   When I enter the outlet locations and then go to NEXT, I get "outlet is not used", it isn't allowing me to enter any info like your original program did.  The first version seemed to work fine, so not sure what the bug you found was, but now it won't work at all.   I'm using Windows XP Home Edition, again, first one worked fine, but this one seems to have an issue with the outlets.

 

Does it say outlet is not used at the very end or when you hit next on the screen that asks where the outlets are and what the breaker level is?

The original program worked fine. The bug I found was that the option to change the sequence at the very end didn't open to the location where the program is stored.

Ope program, load sequence, tell it no on loading default profile, then I tell it how many outlets I have and then their location and breaker type, once I hit next, I get outlets not used on all I had entered.   Then it asks if I want to save current profile, no matter if I say Yes or No, it tells me the outlets are no used.

Does it show the screen that allows you to set the current for each channel?

On the page that has the drop down menu's to select where controllers are plugged in have you selected the outlets that say they are not used?

[Guest guest]

Not sure how to do a screen capture but this is the wording I get directly after the save profile yes/no page:

Outlet outside garage is not used

Outlet inside garage is not used

I have tried loading in different sequences, 16 channel, 48 channel, 64 channel and 80 channel, get the same results on every one. And these same sequences worked and loaded fine in the original version of the Ammeter software.

[Guest guest]

mryan23 wrote:

Orville wrote:

mryan23 wrote:

Orville wrote:

mryan23 wrote:

I've found a small bug in the original program. It's been fixed in this version.

Your new version isn't working. When I enter the outlet locations and then go to NEXT, I get "outlet is not used", it isn't allowing me to enter any info like your original program did. The first version seemed to work fine, so not sure what the bug you found was, but now it won't work at all. I'm using Windows XP Home Edition, again, first one worked fine, but this one seems to have an issue with the outlets.

Does it say outlet is not used at the very end or when you hit next on the screen that asks where the outlets are and what the breaker level is?

The original program worked fine. The bug I found was that the option to change the sequence at the very end didn't open to the location where the program is stored.

Ope program, load sequence, tell it no on loading default profile, then I tell it how many outlets I have and then their location and breaker type, once I hit next, I get outlets not used on all I had entered. Then it asks if I want to save current profile, no matter if I say Yes or No, it tells me the outlets are no used.

Does it show the screen that allows you to set the current for each channel?

On the page that has the drop down menu's to select where controllers are plugged in have you selected the outlets that say they are not used?

No I never see that screen. I did in the original version, but now I can't get to that screen.

[mryan23]

On the page right before the saving profile it should allow you to "plug in" controllers to the outlets. Do you have anything plugged into those outlets?

[mryan23]

Orville wrote:

No I never see that screen.   I did in the original version, but now I can't get to that screen.

Which screen do you not see?