PRECISION MEASUREMENT AND LOGGING OF THE MAINS FREQUENCY

The article describes the design of a precision microcontroller-based device for measuring and logging the mains frequency. In general, the type of plugs and sockets used is not a problem, and passive adapters are available to convert between different varieties, as long as the voltage and frequency are correct for the electrical device to be used. As the demand on the electricity supply increases the frequency usually drops. The electricity suppliers monitor the mains frequency constantly and aim to keep it within the allowed tolerances. A Visual Basic program on the PC receives the frequency data, time stamps the data and then stores it in a file. The frequency data can be displayed by the Visual Basic program, or for more flexibility and statistical analysis it can easily be imported into Excel and analyzed or displayed.