1. Everactive
  2. Industrial Monitoring (Full Stack Applications)
  3. General Installation Troubleshooting

Harvester Power Gauge Quick Start Guide

Updated
Peter Woodman
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Harvester Power Gauge (HPG or simply Power Gauge) is a portable tool for Eversensor charging and in-field harvesting diagnostics. When configured as a power charger, the tool can fully charge a SVG Eversensor from an external battery pack. When configured for harvesting diagnostics, the tool provides a simple assessment of harvesting conditions for either SVG Thermal Harvesters (also called TEG Harvesters) or SVG Light Harvesters (also called PV Harvesters).

 

The HPG consists of a Power Gauge PCB within a ruggedized enclosure. The rear of the HPG has a battery pack mount to attach an external battery pack for portability. The battery pack connects to the HPG via a micro-USB Battery Pack Cable at the bottom of the unit.

 

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Of note, the battery pack may have its own buttons and LED indicator. See the operating instructions that came with the battery pack for more details.

 

 

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The HPG has three push buttons, two slider switches, and four ports for user interaction and interfacing. The buttons include:

  • RESET SVG – Resets a Silverglade Eversensor if it is attached to the HPG via the Eversensor port at the top

  • RESET HPG – Resets the Power Gauge itself

  • RUN TEST – Starts a test of the current energy harvesting conditions

The switches include:

  • CHARGE ON/OFF – Charges an Eversensor. When the switch is on, a LED indicator is lit.

  • POWER ON/OFF – Powers the Power Gauge itself. When the switch is on, a LED indicator is lit.

The ports include:

  • A custom USB-C port for connecting to a Silverglade Eversensor on the top left

  • A legacy HR-30 connector for connecting to a legacy STM 1.0 Thermal Harvester on the top right

  • A custom USB-C port for connecting to a Silverglade Thermal Harvester or Light Harvester on the left

  • A micro-USB port for connecting to an external battery pack on the bottom

The custom USB-C ports and cables have a required orientation. The correct orientation for interfacing with the Harvester Cable and the Eversensor Cable are shown below.

 

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Power Meter LED Levels

The HPG has two LED power meters. They provide an assessment of the harvesting conditions from either a Thermal Harvester or a Light Harvester. The LED levels can be interpreted as follows:

 
 

Description
1

Insufficient harvest power to function or charge SCAP
2

Might have sufficient harvest power to function but not to fully charge SCAP
3

Sufficient harvest power to function and might be able to fully charge SCAP
4

Sufficient harvest power to function and fully charge SCAP
5

Excess harvest power to function and fully charge SCAP

 

 

Measuring MHM Thermal Harvesting Power

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To assess thermal harvesting conditions, configure the HPG to measure the power of a MHM Thermal Harvester as follows:

  1. Turn on the battery pack. Instructions will vary depending on the battery pack being used.

    1. For the battery packs provided by Everactive, press and hold the power button of the battery pack to turn it on. A green light on the side of the battery pack will indicate the battery pack is on.

  2. Connect the right angle end of the Harvester Cable to the Harvester Port on the left side of the HPG

  3. Connect the straight end of the Harvester Cable to the sensor side of the TEG Harvester

  4. Slide the Power Gauge POWER ON/OFF switch to the ON position

  5. Press the Power Gauge RUN TEST button to start the test

  6. The POWER LED will blink while it is taking a measurement.

  7. Readout the LED level on the power meter

 

Measuring Light Harvesting Power

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To assess light harvesting conditions, configure the HPG to measure the power of a Light Harvester as follows:

  1. Turn on the battery pack. Instructions will vary depending on the battery pack being used.

    1. For the battery packs provided by Everactive, press and hold the power button of the battery pack to turn it on. A green light on the side of the battery pack will indicate the battery pack is on.

  2. Connect the right angle end of the Harvester Cable to the Harvester Port on the left side of the HPG

  3. Connect the straight end of the Harvester Cable into the Light Harvester

  4. Slide the Power Gauge POWER ON/OFF switch to the ON position

  5. Press the Power Gauge RUN TEST button to start the test

  6. The POWER LED will blink while it is taking a measurement.

  7. Readout the LED level on the power meter

 

Measuring Thermal + Light Harvesting Power

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To assess thermal and light harvesting conditions at the same time, configure the HPG to measure the power of a MHM Thermal Harvester and Light Harvester as follows:

  1. Turn on the battery pack. Instructions will vary depending on the battery pack being used.

    1. For the battery packs provided by Everactive, press and hold the power button of the battery pack to turn it on. A green light on the side of the battery pack will indicate the battery pack is on.

  2. Connect the right angle end of the 1st Harvester Cable to the Harvester Port on the left side of the HPG

  3. Connect the straight end of the 1st Harvester Cable to the sensor side of the TEG Harvester

  4. Connect the straight end of a 2nd Harvester Cable to the PV side of the TEG Harvester

  5. Connect the right angle end of the 2nd Harvester Cable into the Light Harvester

  6. Slide the Power Gauge POWER ON/OFF switch to the ON position

  7. Press the Power Gauge RUN TEST button to start the test

  8. The POWER LED will blink while it is taking a measurement.

  9. Readout the LED level on the power meter

 

Charging an Eversensor

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To charge a Silverglade Eversensor with an HPG, connect the HPG to the Eversensor through the Eversensor Port as follows:

  1. Connect the straight end of the Eversensor Cable to the Eversensor Port on the top side of the HPG

  2. Connect the right angle end of the Eversensor Cable to the Silverglade Eversensor

  3. Slide the Power Gauge CHARGE ON/OFF switch to the ON position to enable charging

  4. Wait 5 minutes to ensure the Silverglade Eversensor is fully charged

  5. The red LED will turn on showing that the unit is charging.

The RESET SVG button must be pressed while disconnecting the Silverglade Eversensor.

 

 

Charging an Eversensor Through a Thermal Harvester

 

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  1. Connect the straight end of the 1st Eversensor Cable to the Eversensor Port on the top side of the HPG

  2. Connect the right angle end of the 1st Eversensor Cable to the sensor side of the Thermal Harvester

  3. Connect the straight end of a 2nd Eversensor Cable to the PV side of the Thermal Harvester

  4. Connect the right angle end of the 2nd Eversensor Cable to the Silverglade Eversensor

  5. Slide the Power Gauge CHARGE ON/OFF switch to the ON position to enable charging

  6. Wait 5 minutes to ensure the Silverglade Eversensor is fully charged

  7. The red LED will turn on showing that the unit is charging.

 

If the CHARGE switch LED doesn’t turn on during charging, then the cables aren’t oriented correctly.

Confirm proper connection and charging by resetting the SVG unit with the RESET SVG button of the HPG. This should cause the LED on the SVG to flash after a few seconds.

 

The RESET SVG button must be pressed while disconnecting the Silverglade Eversensor.

After disconnecting the SVG Eversensor, the CHARGE switch LED will flash to indicate a proper reset. If not, reconnect and try again while holding the RESET SVG button.

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