Development of a single phase prepaid Electrical Energy Meter using 89S8252 microcontroller architecture
The Electricity Company implements the `Prepaid Electrical Energy Meter (PEM)' scheme among the electricity consumers to meet the objectives of: (i) collecting advance money and (ii) motivating the customers to make conservative use of electricity. The 2nd objective can be effectively achieved with an indoor type PEM fitted with 7-segment bright display unit. The meter designer aims, using appropriate hardware modules and software routines, to guide the PEM for cycling through the following steps: (i) deduct cost of every 0.01kwhr energy consumed, (ii) display balance, (iii) check balance, (iv) disconnect load at zero balance, (v) issue alarm signal to engage correct prepaid card, (vi) read the prepaid card, (vii) zeroing the prepaid card, (viii) update balance, (ix) save balance in nonvolatile EEPROM at power failure, and (x) retrieve balance from EEPROM at power resumption. This paper has described, based on extensive experiments on real hardware using AT89S8252-ADE7755-AT90S2313 chip set, the implementation methodology of a PEM with bright display unit. A prototype meter has been built, tested and found to work as per standard specifications.
IoT Based Prepaid/ Post-paid Energy Metering System
The currently existing domestic energy meters in India had some swift technological advancements when the static meters were introduced which could calculate the power consumed without any rotary motion by using a discrete IC. This was a remarkable step in the field of electronic metering which reduced a few blemishes of the previously used dynamic meters. Despite this improvement, the procedure carried out to read the energy meters and get the billing details is done manually by an authorized member of the board at the beginning of every month. The metering we propose here automatically senses the used energy, records these readings and stores it in a cloud network where it can be monitored continuously in real time constraints. A system which will provide duteous billing info and monthly usage statistics to the user through a web server will be more suitable in the information age we are today. In addition to this, the system is made flexible by giving the user an option to renovate his conventional post-paid meter to work as a prepaid one. IOT is the technology used to make this interconnected system work in a smart and resourceful way. The system not only solves the problem of manual meter reading but also provide additional features such as power disconnection due to outstanding dues, power reconnection after making the necessary payments, power cut alert, tampering alert etc. instantly. General Terms Automatically, Web server, duteous billing, flexible.
THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND COLONIALISM: REASONS FOR AFRICA’S UNDERDEVELOPMENT?
It is probably an understatement to assert that Africa, the world’s second largest continent, is underdeveloped compared with other continents. Two major exogenous factors often cited for Africa’s development crisis are the so called ‘dual historical injustices’ – the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism. It is often pointed out that while the former almost completely arrested and retarded Africa’s demographical growth for more than three centuries, evoked a perennial state of acrimony and warfare and created a tense and unprecedented atmosphere of insecurity which hindered economic activities and stifled local entrepreneurship and technological drive and dislocated Africa’s socio-economic and political structures and institutions; the latter tied African countries to the apron strings of western imperial powers thereby rendering the pre-conditions necessary for socio-economic and political transformation unachievable. This paper contends that while the history of Africa’s underdevelopment may be traceable to the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism, African leaders had made enormous contributions to the continent’s underdevelopment and backwardness. The paper concludes that irresponsible and irresponsive leadership, vampirism and prodigality, corruption, lack of respect for democratic ideals, insecurity, endemic civil wars, nepotism, etc are the fundamental causes of Africa’s underdevelopment.