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SmartPowerStrip
ColinYoung,TravisNewell,SamSorensen,JoeLutgen

Introduction
Background
DesignSpecifications
CircuitLayouts
BlockDiagrams
DetailedSchedule
ProjectCostsList
PowerConsumption
FutureDirections
PartsListforCompleteBuild
IndividualResponsibilities
Conclusions

Introduction
Asmoreandmoreoftheworldbecomesconcernedwithconservingelectricpowerand
thefuelsthatgenerateelectricity,thereisagrowingmarketforproductstohelpthe
conscientioushomeownerkeepaneyeonandminimizetheirpowerusage.
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OrganizationssuchasEnergyStarseektominimizepowerconsumptionatthe
manufacturerlevelbyprovidingbuyerrecognizablecertificationonelectronicdevices.
Thiscertificationisaneasywayforconsumerstodiscernenergyefficientproductswhen
shopping,providinganincentivetopurchaseEnergyStarproductsovertheirlessefficient
cousins.Thispotentialforincreasedrevenueprovidesincentivetocorporationstostrive
forenergyefficiency.OtherorganizationsandproductssuchasGoogle.orgs
PowerMeter,MicrosoftHohm,andP3InternationalsKilloWattaimtofacilitatepower
awarenessbyprovidingaframeworkformonitoringahomespowerconsumption.
PowerMeterandHohmprovideanintuitiveuserinterfaceforrecordingandanalyzing
trendsinpowerusage,whiletheKilloWatt,adevicethatsitsbetweenthewalloutletand
apieceofhardware,allowsformeasuringpowerconsumptionattheindividualdevice
level.ThediscontinuationofbothPowerMeterandHohmleavesanunfillednicheforan
easytouse,centralizedmonitoringsystem.Whenintegratedwithmonitoringhardware
similartotheKilloWatt,thismonitoringsystemprovidesaconvenientinterfacefor
measuring,controlling,andminimizingahomespowerconsumption.TheSmartPower
Stripisdesignedtofitthisnicheandmeettheneedsofenvironmentallyconscious
consumers.Thispowerstripwillworklikeanyothersixoutlet,surgeprotectedpower
strip,butwillhavethecapabilitytowirelesslytransmitstatisticsaboutpowerusageon
eachoutlet.Additionally,thewebbaseduserinterfacewillhelpmanagepoweruseby
controllingeachoutletselectively.
Vampireelectronicswasteroughly64Megawattsofpowerandcostconsumersnearly4
billiondollarsinwastedenergyperyearaccordingtotheUSDepartmentofEnergy.This
type of energy waste is what the Smart Power Strip will help to eliminate by giving
consumers a means to monitor their power usage and actively shut down electronics
completely when not in use. Also this device will have to be priced somewhere in the
medianbetweenmidrangepowerstrips,thatsenseswhensomeoneisgonefromaroom
for more than ten minutes and shuts everything down on the power strip, and the high
endofpowercontrolandmonitoring,whereaconsumercanhireanelectriciantoinstall
powermonitoringandcontrollingequipment.

Background
Vampireorstandbypowerislooselydefinedasthepowerusedorwastedby
electronicswhilenotinactiveuse.Somedevicesutilizevampirepowerinauseful
mannertoprovidepersistencefeaturessuchasmaintainingclocksettingsbetweenactive
sessions,conveniencefeaturessuchaspoweringthenecessaryhardwaretorespondto
remotecontrols,andtoeliminatelonginitializationtimesbykeepingthehardwareina
semipoweredstate,suchaspoweringthetubeheaterinCRTdisplays.Otherdevices
havenoadvantageoususeofvampirepower,suchasapoweredbutdisconnected
mobiledevicechargeroranuninterruptiblepowersupply(UPS)withnoactivesystem
connected.
TheCalifornianEnergyCommissionestimatedin2008thatstandbymodes
accountforapproximately22%ofahomespowerconsumption.TheUSDepartmentof
Energyadvisesthatbyeliminatingvampirepowerusage,averagesavingsonutilitybills
lieintheareaof$100yearly,howeverthisdependsonlocalelectricityrates.Asmost
electricityisgeneratedusingfossilfuelssuchasoilorcoalwhichproducecarbon
monoxideandotherpollutants,minimizingvampirepowerwillextendthelifetimeof
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existingfuelsupplies,reduceairpollutionandacidrain,andpotentiallydecreasetherate
ofglobalwarming,ofwhichincreasedlevelsofcarbonmonoxidehasbeenimplicatedas
amajorcontributor.
Whiletheeliminationofvampirepowerwillnotresolvetheimpendingfueland
climatecrises,itwillgrantmankindadditionaltimetoresearchandimplementsolutionsto
thesepotentiallyworldalteringcatastrophes.

DesignSpecifications
1.Electrical
a.Typeofoutlets
i.120Voutlets
b.Numberofoutlets
i.Mustbeenoughtocoverareasonableamountofelectronic
equipment
ii.Thetypicalentertainmentcenterwillneedsixoutlets.OneforTV,
DVDplayer,stereo,andsubwoofer.
c.SurgeProtection
i.MetalOxideVarister(MOV)isacheapeasyandsafewayto
providesurgeprotection
d.DataTransmission
i.ZigbeeWireless,2.4GHztransmissionfromthepowerstriptoPC
orMac
e.Microcontroller
i.Amicrocontrollerisgoingtobethebrainsofthesmartpowerstrip.
1.monitorssensors
2.recordsdata
3.controlselectronicswitches
4.outputsdatatouserinterface
5.Powerefficientatrunningthedesiredfeatures
f.CurrentandVoltagesensors
ii.acurrenttransducerforeachoutletwillbeconnectedtoanA/Don
themicrocontroller
iii.voltagewillbeestimatedat120Vgiventhatpowermustbe
maintainedwithinatolerable5%whichdoesntaffecttheoverall
powerusageestimation.
g.ElectronicSwitches
i.LatchedRelayselectromechanicalswitchesthatturnpoweronand
offthroughstimulationofacoilandareabletoholdlastpowered
stimulationevenafterpowerisdisconnected.
ii.Aphysicalon/offswitchwillactivateorcutoffpowertotheentire
system
2.Software
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h.Smartpowerstripprogram
i.Amicrocontrollerwillneedprogrammingtointerfacewiththe
varioussensorsandswitchesonthepowerstrip
ii.Themicrocontrollerwillneedprogrammingtotransmitdatain
waysdescribedabovetoaPCorMac
i.PCorMacgraphicaluserinterface
i.Agraphicaluserinterface(GUI)willhavetobeprogrammedintoa
webbasedinterface.
ii.ThisGUIwillbetheportalfortheuser.Itwilldisplaypowerusage
andcostaswellasgivetheusercontroloftimersassociatedwith
turningindividualoutletson/off.
3.Physicaldesign
j.Casedesign
i.Casingwithprotectioninmind,mustbeabletogroundanyvoltage
spikesandbeabletoreducestaticvoltageemissions.
ii.Abletowithstandforcesfrombeingsteppedon.
iii.Indooruseonly.
iv.Designedaroundmultiple120Voutletsandaphysicalon/off
switch.

DesignRequirements
1.FunctionalrequirementsThesmartpowerstripshouldbeableto:
a.ProvideatleasttheminimumnumberofstandardACoutletstopowera
homeentertainmentsystem.Atypicalmodernhomeentertainmentsystem
hasthefollowingcomponents:
i.Television
ii.Soundsystem
iii.DVD/BluRayplayer
iv.HomeTheaterPC
v.Videogameconsole
vi.Settoptelevisionbox(cabletunerorsatellitereceiver)
b.Providethehardwareforcharginghandhelddevices,suchastabletsor
smartphonesusedasremotecontrolsfortheentertainmentcenter
i.TwoUSBportsrunningatorabovetheUSBspecification,1ampat
5.15volts
c.Capabilitytomonitorthepowerusageonaperoutletbasis
i.Currentand/orvoltagesensorsoneachoutlet
1.Measurablebytheanalogtodigitalconvertercomponenton
mostmicrocontrollers.
d.Capabilitytocontrolindividualoutlets

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ii.Relays,powerMOSFETs,triacs,thyristors,andphysicalswitches
allprovidethiscapability.
1.RelaysareeasytocontrolwithbasicI/Osignalsfroma
microcontroller,andaresimplisticenoughtofunction
reliably.
e.Provideaframeworkforschedulingwhenoutletsarepoweredordead
iii.Timerfunctionalityavailableinmostmicrocontrollersallowsfor
timerbasedinterruptswhichwilltriggertogglingthestateofthe
outletswitchingdevice.
f.Easytouseinterfaceforobservingmeasuredpowerusage,andcontrolling
outlets
i.Webbasedinterfacesarebecomingmoreandmorepopularon
homeelectronics
1.Byincorporatingawebserverintothesmartpowerstripand
amoduletointerfacewithahomenetwork,aneasily
accessibleinterfacecanbeviewedusingastandardweb
browser.
g.Usermustbeabletoplacethepowerstripinadesiredlocation,
independentofexistingnetworkinfrastructure
ii.WirelesscommunicationthroughZigbeemodulesbetweenthe
powerstripandanetworkenabledgroundstationwillallow
placementofthepowerstripinthedesiredlocationwhile
maintainingnetworkconnectivity.
2.Performancerequirements
h.Thesmartpowerstripmustnotdrawmorevampirepowerthanit
eliminates.
i.Lowpowercomponentsmustbeused.
i.Realtimeusagedata
i.Thewirelesscommunicationmustbesufficientlyexpedienttoallow
fornearrealtimemonitoringofoutlets.
1.Thisrequiresminimalandefficientdatatransmissionfrom
powerstriptogroundstation.
ii.Thewebuserinterfaceneedstobesufficientlylightweighttoallow
forrapidupdatingofdisplayedinformation.
3.Interfacerequirements
j.Powerconsumptionmonitoring
i.Themonitoringpageneedstodisplayrealtimeusagedataalong
withhistoricaltrendsforanasofyetundecidedlengthoftime,
possiblyintherangeofoneweektoonemonth.
k.Hardwareswitches
i.Ifauserdesirestoturnanoutletonoroffoutsidetheschedule,this
shouldbepossiblewithoutenteringthewebuserinterface.Physical
switchesforeachoutletwouldbetheeasiesttoimplement.
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l.Plugnplayfunctionality
i.Powerstripshouldjustworkuponinitialinstallation.
1.Defaultstatetooutletson,ratherthanoutletsoffuntiluser
configuresotherwise.
4.ArchitecturaldesignrequirementsspecifiedinUMLorsomeothersuitabledesign
language:
m.Seeincludeddiagrams.
5.Developmentstandards
a.Revisioncontrolwillbeusedtopreserveworkingsetsofcode.
b.Similarcodefunctionalitybetweenwebserverandpowerstripshallbe
madeasportableaspossible.
c.CodewillbecompliantwithestablishedHTTP,Zigbee,andother
standards,aswellasanyapplicablelicensing.
d.Striveforreliabilityandhighavailability.

CircuitLayouts
Figure1:Overviewofentiresmartpowerstrip

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Figure2:DetailedSchematicofpowerstripmicrocontroller

Figure3:Detailedschematicofswitchingcircuit

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Figure4:DetailedschematicoftheconnectionbetweentheMicrocontrollerandthe
relaysinvolvingtheinvertergoingtothetransistors

Figure5:Detailedschematicofcurrentsensor.Thecurrentsensortakestheline
currentanddividesitby1000andthentheOpampamplifiesitby28andthenthepeak
isconvertedtoaDCoutput.Thissignalfeedsintothemicrocontroller.Themicro
controllerusesanequationtogetRMSpowerPrms=120*Vdc*0.707*1000*28.The120
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isthelinevoltagewhichissimplyapproximatedbecausetheelectricutilityisrequiredto
give120Vrmswithin5%attheoutlet.

Figure6:DetailedschematicoftheAVRwebserver/Ethernetcontroller

BlockDiagrams

Figure7:Thefigureaboveshowstheflowofinformationpassingfromtheusertothe
powerstrip.

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Figure8:Inthissectiontheuserrequirementsarelookedatwithmoredepth.Figure2
aboveshowsahighlevelflowofthepowerinformationandcontroloftheSmartPower
Strip.

Figure9:Theabovefigureshowshowthecurrentsensorsandelectronicswitching
devicescorrelatewiththemicrocontrollers.

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Figure10:ThisUMLcomponentdiagrammodelstheinterfacesprovidedandusedby
thevariousmodulesinthesmartpowerstrip.

Figure11:TheaboveUMLdiagramdescribestheinteractionsofthevariouscomponents
onthewebserver.

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Figure12:TheaboveUMLdiagramdescribesahighlevelviewoftheinteractionsofthe
variouscomponentsonthepowerstrip.

FutureDirections
Thisprojecthaspotentialpossibilitiesinthefuture.Calendarscouldbeaddedtocontrol
onandofftimeofeachoutlet,optimizationsuggestionscouldbemadetotheuser
throughanalgorithmtosavepower,thecurrentsensorscouldbeupgradedtotrueRMS
detectorstoreducepowerrecordingerror,multipleSmartPowerStripscouldbelinked
togetherthroughonewebbrowser.Theelectronicscouldbeshrunkintoasmallercase
foramorecompactlook.

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ProjectCostList
QTY

PartDescription

Partnumber/location

PricexQuantity

Zigbeewirelessantenna

sparkfun.com/8665

45.90

AVRwebserver

shop.tuxgraphics.org

39.98

Ethernetcontroller

ENC28J60

3.86

ATmega328p

LatchingRelays

Z2598NDdigikey

47.58

Doughnutcurrent
sensor(20kHz)1:1000

5531546NDdigikey

2.97

Doughnutcurrent
sensor(60Hz)1:1000

TE2274ND

8.93

BreakoutBoardforXBee
module

BOB08276

9.46

2GBSDcard

TransendTS2GSDC
newegg.com

7.99

SurfacemountSDsocket

1010040575digikey

3.74

120VAC/12VDCwallwart

SK3386skycraftsurplus

5.00

14AWGACplug

CCM1819digikey

10.44

15ampGFCI120VACwall
outlet

GF15WLAgrainger.com

19.10

10

1N4006FSCTNDDiodes

digikey

2.23

9.98

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10

2N7000FSNDMOSFET
transistors

digikey

3.02

SPDTRelay

DigikeyZ2598ND

39.65

17x6x3AluminumCase

Digikey3771022NDAC
433

32.80

6x5x4AluminumCase

DigikeyL118ND

13.53

CurrentTransformer

TE2274ND

44.65

SPDTRelay

DigikeyZ2598

23.78

LM3940

Brentsstockroom

4.00

ATmega328microcontroller

TuxGraphics

13.07

Opampquad

49729805ND

7.62

TrueRMSdetector

AD8436ACPZR7CTND

11.36

AVRwebserver&
enc28i60dip

Digikey

48.60

XBee1mWAntenna&
breakoutboard

Digikey

29.54

2mm10pinXBeesocket

Digikey

5.64

Total

$494.42

Figure13Totalprojectcostswith$500.00budget

Results
TheenergyconsumptionoftheSmartPowerStripcomesinatabout13.14kWhperyear
basedontheconstant1.5WinFigure13.TheaverageUShomeconsumes1100kWh
ofvampireenergyperyearaccordingtotheU.S.EnergyInformationAdministration.The
powerstripconsumeslessthan1%oftheenergywastedintheaveragehome.Ifthe
averagepersonspends8hoursadaysleepingand8hoursatwork,thatis16hours
whenthoseoutletscanbeturnedoff.Ifeverydevicecontributingtothe1100kWh
vampireenergywereregulatedbytheSmartPowerStripandwasturnedoffwhenthe
homeownerisntusingthem,thiswouldcutbackon66%oftheirwastedenergy,acost
savingsof$63.30peryearatarateof8.72centsperkWhinMontana.

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Figure13PowerconsumptionoftheSmartPowerStrip.

Limitations
Duetotheincompletenessofthemicrocontrolleronthepowerstrip,thefunctionalityof
thesystemasawholeisratherlimited.Inourtests,wehaveshownthatwecancontrol
outlets,thecurrentsensormeasurementsareaccurate,thewebservercansendand
receivecommandsoverthewirelessmodule,andthosecommandscanbetriggeredbya
userfromthewebinterface.Thecalendarschedulingandlongtermdatalogging
capabilitiesweredeemedsecondtierwithrespecttothecorefunctionalitylistedabove.

FutureDirections
Thisprojectinvestigatedandmadeaproductthatlookedatandattemptedtosolvethe
issueofvampireelectricityinmoderndayelectronics.Thisprojectcouldbeexpandedin
thefuturetoaccommodatemultiplepowerstripsinahome,aswellas,incorporateUSB
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poweroutlets.Thewebpagecouldaddacalendar,andoptimizationrecommendationsfor
moreefficientoutletusage.

IndividualAccomplishments
JoeLutgenwasresponsiblefordesigning,assembling,andprogrammingthe
microcontrollerinthepowerstrip.ThismicrocontrollerreadsfromColinscurrentsensors
andthecurrentstateoftheoutlets,turnsoutletsonoroffbycommandofthewebserver,
andtransmitspowerconsumptiondatabacktothewebserverforstorageordisplay.
SamSorensenworkedontheSmartPowerStripswebserver,enablingittodisplay
differentwebpagesandtriggerdifferentcommandsbasedonincomingHTTPdata.The
webserverisalsocapableoftransmittingandreceivingdatathroughtheUART
connectiontotheZigbeewirelessmodule.Thesentdataconsistsofcommandstothe
powerstrip,andthereceiveddataissensormeasurementsfromthepowerstrip,whichis
thendisplayedintheappropriatewebpage.
TravisNewellsresponsibilitiesincludeeverythingpertainingtothephysicalswitchingof
theoutletsonandoff.Thisincludesbuilding6identicalswitchingcircuitsforeachoutlet
andwillincludepoweringallofthetransistorsandrelaysincludedineachcircuit.Each
oneofthesecircuitswillhavetobeabletotakeavoltagestimulationfromJoes
microcontrollerinordertoturnoneachrelay,andthuseachoutlet.Traviswillalsobe
workingalongsideColinincasedesigntobuildasuitablehousingforthesmartpower
stripthataddressessafetyandeaseoftroubleshooting.
ColinYoungbuiltthecurrentsensorsthattooklinecurrentvalues,andheconvertedthem
toaDCvoltagethatthemicrocontrollercouldinterpret.Colinbuiltthepowersystemto
supplypowertoalloftheelectronicsintheSmartPowerStripcase.Healsoworkedon
controllingthe$500.00budget,buildingthecase,designingtheelectronicslayoutinthe
case,andmountingtheoutletsandincoming120VACpowerline.

Conclusions
TheSmartPowerStripcouldbedevelopedintoamainstreamproductiffurtherworkwas
donetoreducethesizeandcostoftheunit.Thisprojectservedthestudentsworkingon
itbyteachingthemdesignskills,implementationskills,andteambuilding.Someofthe
lessonslearnedbytheteamarethatcommunicationiskey,stayingonscheduleisa
Herculeantask,andalwaysoverestimatehowlongeachsectionwilltaketocomplete.It
isbettertocomeoutaheadofschedulethantogetbehindschedule.

References
"EnergyUseofHouseholdElectronics:TamingtheWildGrowth."CaliforniaEnergy
Commission.CaliforniaStateGovernment,Sept.2008.Web.15Nov.2011.
<http://www.energy.ca.gov/2008publications/CEC5002008064/CEC5002008
064FS.PDF>.
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Raphael,Jr."UnplugforDollars:Stop'VampirePower'Waste|PCWorld."PCWorld
ReviewsandNewsonTechProducts,SoftwareandDownloads|PCWorld.
PCWorld,09Nov.2008.Web.15Nov.2011.
<http://www.pcworld.com/article/153245/unplug_for_dollars_stop_vampire_power_waste.html>.
Schueler,John."AreEnergyVampiresSuckingYouDry?|DepartmentofEnergy."
Energy.gov|DepartmentofEnergy.U.S.DepartmentofEnergy,31Oct.2011.
Web.15Nov.2011.<http://energy.gov/articles/areenergyvampiressuckingyou
dry>.

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