Design of a Power Quality Monitoring System Based on IOIO and Android Application

Abstract

This study describes the design of the complete electrical sensing system, comprising of an IOIO Microcontroller Unit which connects to an Android Smartphone and the GSM network that can be adopted for power quality monitoring by the electric distribution networks (in this case the Tanzania Electric Supply Company , TANESCO was used as a case study) in order that the primary power faults parameters can be communicated to respective control centres and electronically stored for further analysis.

This system is designed to improve the accessibility of power-quality information and to increase understanding of the growing importance of electricity reliability and power quality to the economy.

The prototype was implemented using the Input-Output (IOIO) board, an Android SmartPhone, the Global System for Mobile Communications (originally Groupe Spécial Mobile – GSM) network and a cell phone, as control centre. The study focused on how to communicate an alert of an event that cause fault in the electric distribution line to a control centre .

Currently, TANESCO’s distribution network has no fault parameter being communicated (relayed) to control centre. Control centres rely on the information from customers. Say there is low voltage at customer end, unless customer informs customer’s service desk, the fault go unreported. Communication of faults at distribution networks is imperative because its absence leads to disruption and damage to electrical appliances and equipment coupled to the power system, and hence, to economic losses and even danger to life and health of service staff.

Keywords: IOIO board, PQ, PLC, GSM, GPS, SCADA. Android Smartphone