The smart power strip reference designs offer three outputs to simplify the design process and speed up market entry, enhancing home automation, security, and energy management.
Smart power strips are essential tools for modern energy management, offering a multitude of benefits for both residential and commercial settings. These advanced devices enhance energy efficiency by automatically turning off outlets when connected devices are not in use, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption and electricity costs. With features like surge protection, remote control capabilities, and integration with home automation systems, smart power strips not only improve safety by protecting electronics from power surges but also provide convenience and flexibility in controlling power usage. Texas Instruments (TI) has launched three output smart power strip reference designs to simplify the design process.
The design features a high-accuracy, single-phase embedded metering smart power strip application utilizing an MSP430 microcontroller unit (MCU). It is engineered to support the measurement of various electrical parameters, including AC voltage, current, active power, reactive power, apparent power, frequency, and power factor, and it has the capability to measure these parameters individually across three sockets. Additional hardware components have been incorporated to extend its functionality and enable further development. These include relay control and options for both wired and wireless communication.
Featured applications for this technology include smart power strips, which enhance energy management and efficiency in homes and offices. Additionally, it is used in home security systems to improve safety and monitoring capabilities. Furthermore, it plays a significant role in home automation, allowing for streamlined and intelligent control over various household devices and contributing to a more connected and convenient living environment.
The power strip is equipped with several notable features. It measures AC frequency, RMS voltage, and RMS current and calculates active power, reactive power, apparent power, and power factor with an accuracy better than 0.5%. The device updates its readings every 8 AC cycles and can automatically report these measurements to UART, allowing for efficient data management and analysis. This integration of comprehensive measurement and communication capabilities makes the smart power strip an advanced tool for managing power efficiently in various applications.
This design measures the power and current of three individual socket outlets, providing methodology, testing, and design files to help users quickly evaluate and customize the system. To accelerate time to market, built-in features such as relays are included for further functionality expansion. For instance, users can switch off an output based on a set current limit or switch it on and off based on a user-set master current trigger level. Additional features include support for both latched and non-latched relays, a built-in power supply, and a debugging interface.
The hardware configuration also comprises relay driving circuits, enhancing the power strip’s functionality for a broader array of applications by utilizing voltage and current measurements. The design is further equipped to support both wired and wireless communication modules, expanding its adaptability.
TI has tested this reference design. It comes with a bill of materials (BOM), schematics, etc. You can find additional data about the reference design on the company’s website. To read more about this reference design, click here.
