You could also get a meter that you can plug between the wall socket and the power plug of your computer for pretty cheap, like this one. It tells you exactly how much energy you consumed.

Not really a conspiracy. It's a proven fact but all cell phone manuals have a warning saying to keep the cell phone a certain distance away from your body at all times. I don't think I've ever seen it discussed on this sub.

If you want to look into this further, watch "Generation Zapped" and "Resonance: Beings of Frequency".

http://www.saferphonezone.com/tools/cell-phone-warnings/

I bought a EMF detector recently to check my home and there were some areas with unsafe levels. I'd highly recommend that everyone buys one. You can use this to see how much magnetic, electric and RF levels your phone or WiFi gives off.

And every garage I've been in has 1 compact fluorescent bulb. Buy a nice LED shop light or 2 depending on how big your garage is. Buy all the tools you need to wire it in like a nice set of Klein strippers and a cheap multimeter.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000F9HIEC/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1495670572&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1495670627&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Multimeter&dpPl=1&dpID=417YqOjJ1mL&ref=plSrch

Cheap multimeters are fine for things around the house or troubleshooting most things on cars. You can also use the clamp yo measure current draw for some more advanced troubleshooting like seeing how much your AC compressor is drawing. If you do lots of tinkering with electronics I'd recommend dropping a few hundred on a Fluke.

Use this

Agree 100%. Encourage all to study EMFs and getting an EMF meter for home and family. You’d be surprised where the hot spots in your house are. Bedrooms should be as EMF free as possible. Take it to work and see if you’re being blasted at work. Also look into grounding mats to get voltage out your body. I know I know. Woo woo shit. 👽

The more electronics in your car dash the more you getting blasted. 1+ hour commutes eh? Roasting in EMFs in these new vehicles.

The only way I know to combat EMF from inside out is serious attention to natural health supplements. Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Turmeric are good. Obviously water and cardio. The idea is to get damaged cells repaired or out of the body quickly. So good blood flow, low BP, flexibility, all good.

We focus a lot on problems and rarely offer solutions or strategies.

5G will pass nationwide and it will be everywhere. There is too much money to be made. And not keeping pace with China is a national security threat. All we can do is prepare and educate ourselves.

I have one of these in my bag to prevent just such an occurrence. You don't realize how handy they are until you've used one and lost it.

He found it without a Fluke: http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-Volt-Alert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=pd_cp_hi_2

Turn off power at the circuit box. Test that the power is out on the outlet you're going to look at by plugging in a nightlight or something - it shouldn't turn on. Open up the outlet and look at the end of the wires connected to it. If they're silver they're probably aluminum, if they're copper they're probably copper.


Quick and easy, but not foolproof, as you're only looking at the one outlet. If your house has been remodeled it could have a mix.

​

edit: btw...if you own a house or condo you should probably just buy one of these. You put it in an outlet, or touch a wire (even a lamp cord or similar) and it'll glow/beep if there's electricity to it. Something like replacing an outlet or switch with the same kind is dead simple - although if often seems there's no way all those wires will fit back in the wall, they will. This makes it easier to avoid shocking yourself.

Definitely buy one of these. Some things are more important that siding or wiring or radon or whatever

Coreboot, a free(as in freedom) bios. It also makes your Thinkpad boot up much faster. That isn't a "car jumper wire", it is a SOIC 8 clip for flashing the bios chip, i used a raspberry pi as the spi flasher, but a bus pirate can also be used.

To me it sounds like electrical portions are being leached into a neighboring unit or something like that.

Since your unit is so small, I'd take a look at the breaker box. Turn off power to everything you have, then flip the breakers to turn everything off. Turn on each thing individually to power only the areas you reside in. If there are any remaining after you have your whole unit powered, they may go to other rooms/units in a past renovation.

It may not turn anything up, but it'd be an interesting experiment to see what turns up.
Edit; If you want to try monitoring some of your things, like your pc, try getting one of these.

I use and recommend this one for USB-A. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6

No. Double the budget and come back.

-----

servers draw Oh, I dunno 700W each typically, but can triple that under serious load.

A typical switch needs right around 200W.
A PoE switch needs 200W plus the PoE load.

I have no idea what "6-7 other network devices" means.

But lets be kind of safe and call them 300W each.

• Thats 2100W for servers.
  
• 900W for switches.
  
• 2100W for "other network devices".
  
• Lets add 1000W for things you forgot and/or surge capacity.
  
  Thats 6,100W of capacity using rough, approximate estimates.
  
  So for that base load you're looking at about an 8kVA UPS unit like this one:
  
  http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Smart-UPS-SRT-8000VA-RM-208V/P-SRT8KRMXLT
  
  He will run for 8 minutes at 6000W of load.
  
  http://www.apc.com/products/runtime_for_extendedruntime.cfm
  
  So we will need some extra batteries.
  
  http://www.apc.com/products/runtimegraph/runtime_graph.cfm?base_sku=SRT8KRMXLT&chartSize=large
  
  You're looking at two extra runtime battery packs like this one:
  
  http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Smart-UPS-SRT-192V-8-and-10kVA-RM-Battery-Pack/P-SRT192RMBP2?isCurrentSite=true
  
  -----
  
  So either:
  
  

1. Go find more money
   
2. Go find more accurate information on load requirements.
   

• A Clamp Meter is your friend: https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-MSR-C600-Digital-Multimeter-Resistance/dp/B00NWGZ4XC
  
  
  Clamp that on a power cable, and it will tell you the amps passing through.
  it might tell you the voltage too, or you will need to take a reading from an unused outlet using the two included probes.
  
  Volts times Amps equals watts.
  
  Total Wattage demand determines UPS size.
  
  WARNING: devices use more power during boot-up than they do at idle.
  
  
  Personally, at this size, I'd start thinking about a small Symmetra Frame like this:
  
  http://www.apc.com/shop/us/en/products/APC-Symmetra-LX-8kVA-Scalable-to-16kVA-N-1-Rack-mount-208-240V/P-SYA8K16RMP
  
  Yeah, its more expensive.
  But it offers N+1 redundancy / high-availability, and it can scale up to 16kVA by adding power modules.
  
  

Oscilloscope kits are great. I just did this one a little while back. It was a lot of fun and handy for the price. They sell an acrylic case kit separately too.

kuman 3O-IUX5-O0TZ DSO 138 DIY Kit Open Source 2.4" TFT 1MSPS Digital Oscilloscope Kit with DIY Parts + Probe 13803K, SMD pre-soldered https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0195ZIURK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LzIQDbP8TT31D

I also got this little signal generator kit to check the O-scope function.

Naravis Gelatinized Black Maca... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HM70CMY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

It's probably fine but considering it's electricity I'd stick with the tried and true. Any electrician in the US will tell you Fluke is the gold standard.

Edit- apparently "less than 20 dollars" is no longer true.

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1LAC-Voltage-Detector-1000V/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=klein%2Bnon%2Bcontact&qid=1566832341&s=gateway&sr=8-9&th=1

The Fluke 15B+'s finest resolution is 10pF. Which means that you might not be able to tell the difference between a 6pF and a 14pF capacitor. The only time I've see this as an issue is when dealing with crystal oscillator circuits, but I'm sure there are other things. If that's good enough for you, you should get it.

I've never heard a single bad word about Fluke meters.

As for links, here's one. This capacitance meter claims accuracy of 1pF, +/- .5% in the 200pF range. I've never used it, so I can't vouch for it, but it's just one of many, and this one is only $17.

I've got extra adderall in my system that I need to burn off, so you're going to get the benefit of a decade of mechanical engineering and prototyping work in defense, consumer products, aerospace and medical. Not all of this will apply to a senior design project, but it is my thought process when prototyping.

1. Capture the voice of the customer (what EXACTLY does it have to do). Write it down. Verify it with the customer. Make sure you know exactly what success looks like. Translate this into the minimum viable prototype to achieve this success. Example of tradeoffs you can make at the prototyping stage: If it's a small portable device, but to go from phase 1 to phase 2 you don't have time to miniaturize the power supply, microcontroller, and secure batteries, the first prototype will be on a power and data tether from a laptop. If it's something mechanical that eventually has to weigh less than X, it can be fabricated quick and dirty as a proof of concept before you start adding expensive lightness.
   
   
2. Minimize innovation. Read that again. Minimize innovation. Don't be innovate anywhere you don't have to. Reuse whatever you can from the next closest thing, and only invent something new or do something unique/custom/cool/fun where you are adding unique value. Don't assume it is cheaper or easier or better to make something yourself instead of applying an industry-standard solution unless you already comprehensively know the pros and cons of the next best competitors and have a good idea why they made the tradeoffs that they did.
   
   
3. Try to only have one miracle per prototype. If you are inventing a new remote control something-or-other, don't try to test the controls and the mechanics and the motors and the battery all at once. Take an existing product and switch the motors out, put it back to stock and work the bugs out of the control system, then do the control system AND the motors, and once ALL of that works, try the control system, motors, and your new chassis all together, since you will be able to pinpoint what is going wrong much easier.
   
   
4. Know what questions you are trying to answer when you are going to consult with the customer. If you have a design decision, build prototypes far enough to be able to show them the difference (do you want it to work with a twist knob or a pull tab? How does this feel in your hand compared to this? Is this easy enough to adjust or does it need more friction?). Know before you talk to the customer what questions you want to ask.
   
   
5. Rapid prototyping can make beautiful parts...if you get good at sanding, bondo, and spray paint. It is worth a day of prep time to make your final version parts look nice. Anything that needs threaded fittings should get pressed and glued-in brass inserts, threads into plastic in prototype parts will strip exactly when you don't want them to and ruin your day.
   
   
6. For any actual fabrication, it will take twice as long and cost three times as much as you think it will right now. Always order a spare of anything with a lead time of more than 20% of your total project timeline if you can afford to, and if you can't afford to, think hard about if you should buy it anyway because when it breaks, not only will you be buying a new one, you will be expediting it. Don't be afraid to buy something that is 50% of what you want to make and throw away half of it, it's probably cheaper in the long run and the process of stripping down something similar to what you want to build might spark some ideas.
   
   
7. Get an account on McMasterCarr for anything physical like bolts, valves, fittings, bearings, etc. Get an account on Protocam for anything you need made of plastic--upload your parts to them, fill out a quick form, and they will give you quotes on whether they can make it, out of what material, and with which combination of machining or additive manufacturing (3d-printing). McMaster and Protocam can get you parts quicker than anybody else. Get a Misumi catalog. They are expensive but they are the industry standard for one-off fabrication of benches, tables, test rigs, etc for a reason--they are precise, modular, and durable.
   
   
8. If you want to add any electronics to your project, try to find something that is close enough and make it work--example, do not program your own temperature or flow control modules, just buy them. There are a whole lot of processes that can be controlled 'good enough' by a $30 PID controller off of Amazon. or clever use of limit switches and timer relays. If you can't do that, find someone who is good with Arduino and then google aggressively for similar projects (whatever it is, it has been done before) and steal as much of their code as you can get away with and still have it do what you want it to do. You will almost never need anything more than an Arduino unless you are a very CS-heavy group in which case you should know what you want to use instead.
   
   If you have specific or more focused questions around your project, I can reply to PM's if you'd like.

You can also get a meter and show them. His estimate is good, but the wats would most likely be much lower. Without a GPU you probably hover around 80wats total system draw with peaks just over a 100.

https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

Dacă ai fast charge pe device-uri (adică un telefon modern, puternic sau o tabletă se încarcă în 1-2h), și nu ai cabluri normate la 2-2.5 amperi, ceva se va topi/mișca prin el. Idem dacă sunt niște chinezării care pot duce 5v, dar nu 9v. Trebuie să ții cont de cum le încarci. De exemplu, pe laptop/PC poți scoate cam 0.5A max, de pe încărcătoarele vechi 0.8-1A, și de pe încărcătoarele pentru telefoane moderne, cam 2-2.5A. Dacă schimbi modul de încărcare, de ex de pe charger pe laptop, e normal să se încarce mai lent

Ce pot păți cablurile (și nu prea le poți repara, pentru că sunt turnate):

1. Curgerea (deformarea plastică) a izolației dintre fire - în functie de fir, poate ajunge să apară ca rezistență între V+ și masă, adică o parte din energie va fi în scurt prin fir, o altă parte va ajunge în telefon. Cumva echivalent cu o rezistență electrică pe alimentare.
   
   
2. Fast-charge pe cabluri ieftine = căldură. Dacă simți că mufa dinspre telefon se încălzește când încarci, ori dezactivezi fast-charging, ori îți iei un cablu pe care scrie că e ok cu fast-charging (poate avea diferite denumiri: IQ, IQ+, IQ2, QuickCharge, etc) sau ăla de la producător. Dacă se încinge - ori topești izolația și scade rezistența între semnale (ie - pierzi din putere), ori se mișcă (foarte puțin) contactele între fir și mufă - gândește-te că le favorizezi o poziție si le tensionezi să stea așa, după ce se va răci.
   
   
3. Dacă ții telefonul de fir, scoți mufa din telefon scuturând firul și așteptând/aruncând telefonul sau "smucești" firul, dacă îl ții prin buzunar (de ex cu o baterie externă) sau îi faci noduri/bucle/etc e posibil să busești una sau ambele mufe: fie smulgi o parte din fire din contacte (daca un semnal e pe multifilar) - scăzând astfel puterea pe care ar putea-o livra, fie - din nou, faci izolația din interior să curgă.
   
   
4. Dacă viteza cu care se încarcă telefonul pe un cablu "folosit" + încărcător bun e egală cu viteza cu care se încarcă pe un cablu "bun" și port usb PC SIMPLU (nu e albastru, nu scrie high power pe el, sau are alte iconițe în afară de USB) ai o problemă foarte comună. Prima generație de smartphoneuri care au avut nevoie de putere mai mare decât aveai dintr-un port USB de PC/laptop au făcut mufe "de încărcare" și cabluri "de date"; mufa de încărcare punea în scurt semnalele de date (D+ și D-) astfel încât telefonul știa că nu e legat la un PC (un PC ar folosi semnalele de date, ca să poți să te "uiți" in telefon și să-l "vezi" în My Computer), dar un încărcător nu. Au apărut apoi cablurile "de încărcare" care aveau scurtul direct în ele, și mergeau cu orice fel de încărcatoare - dar nu mai mergeau să legi telefonul la PC. De multe ori însă, izolația pe D+/D- e foarte foarte nașpa, mult mai nașpa decât cea de pe firele "de alimentare" (V+ și GND), astfel încât se poate străpunge/face scurt cu altceva sau pur și simplu rămâne "în aer" (D+ nu mai e în scurt cu D-). Dacă se întâmplă asta, atunci telefonul vede că D+ nu mai e în scurt cu D-, și încarcă lent. Telefonul comută viteza de încărcare, ca să nu blocheze portul USB (dacă telefonul vrea mai multa putere decât îi permite portul USB de pe PC, PC-ul va considera că portul e în scurt-circuit și îl va bloca)
   
   Cum le poți repara?
   Nu prea poți.
   
   Cum le poți testa?
   Nu foarte ieftin. Fie cu o su]rsă de laborator, și cu câteva rezistențe (sau niște rezistențe decadice), fie cu niște jucării d-astea: sarcină și tester. Nu prea le poți testa înainte sa le cumperi
   
   Cum alegi cabluri și cum te comporți cu ele?
   În experiența mea, Anker și cele OEM.
   
   
5. Cu cât e mai lung, cu atât pierzi mai multă energie "pe drum" și ce încarci se încarcă mai lent.
   
   
6. Asta se întâmplă indiferent de material; când chiar contează, diferența de preț va fi mult mai mare (think: aliaj cu aur)
   
   2.5 Singurul caz in care poți avea cabluri și lungi și care încarcă rapidă e atunci când cablul e gros. Foarte gros. De exemplu cu tool-ul ăsta, pe 5V/2A și pierderi de 5% ai secțiune de cupru în cablu de 1.5mm^2 și pentru pierderi de 1%, ai secțiune de 5mm^2. Distanța între pinii din mufa USB micro e de 0.5-0.6mm. Ai nevoie de 4 fire d-astea într-un cablu
   
   
7. Nu brusca cablurile și nu le fă bucle. Dacă chiar trebuie să le faci bucle, nu mai mici de 8-10cm, și fixează bucla în 2-3 locuri cu "șoricei" sau panglică de cabluri.
   
   
8. Contează atât calitatea firelor, cât și a conectorilor.
   
   
9. Conectorii turnați sunt aproape mereu superiori celor cu carcasă de plastic care se asamblează (personal nu am găsit contraexemplu). Dacă mufa din cablul tau se "desface" în 2 piese de plastic, si vezi firele și mufa, atunci nu e turnat, e probabil lipit prin cu adeziv. Problema nu e neapărat asta, ci faptul că un chinez îți va lipi cablul de mufă, comparativ cu lipirea automată pe cablurile turnate. Suplimentar, mufele turnate "umplu" mufa cu material, astfel încât devin mai rezistente la smulgeri, îndoiri repetate, etc, și sarcina e preluată de fir, nu de mufă. Cum le deosebești: e turnată dacă e dintr-un material similar cu cauciucul la atingere, sau pe două laturi opuse, unde observi o linie - linia nu e în interior. Linia reprezintă planul unde se închid cele două părți ale matriței de injecție, și fie va fi o nuanță ușor diferită, fie va avea altă textură. Poate fi prin turnare și dacă nu are nici o linie vizibilă. Dacă linia respectivă e înăuntru, atunci e planul unde cele două piese ale mufei se închid - și mufa e din două piese.
   
   5.2 Excepția e lipirea prin ultrasonare când ai tot două piese, dar lipitura nu e prin adeziv, ci forțezi piesele să vibreze la frecvențe suficient de mari încât se topesc în punctul de contact și masele plastice se amestecă. Arată mult mai bine decât o mufă din două piese lipită cu adeziv, și lipitura nu se vede, ci pare că e dintr-o singură bucată.
   
   
10. Also, nu cumpăra cabluri prea ieftine. Dacă se încinge și ai sub cablu ceva ușor inflamabil, ai pus-o.

Add one of these and you can see how much USB power is coming out!

https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Capacitance-Charging/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469735078&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+amp+meter

Check out a clamp meter. You would need to be able to get to the wiring near the breaker to measure the amp draw there.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC

There are also ones you can put between the outlet and item, but that only measures that item, not the whole load. It only works on 110v items (not an electric dryer).
https://www.amazon.com/P4400-Kill-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

I saw this one on Big Clive's YouTube channel and it's served me very well.

Uni-T B4Q094 UT210E True RMS AC/DC Current Mini Clamp M W Capacitance Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_SCHenkNd6Avzz

Get a parts tester. There are tons of cheap clones out there. Or you can pay a few dollars more and get a model with a nicer case.

But ultimately, they are all the same thing and the differences are largely cosmetic. And they are all absolutely worth their money. It's a cheap but extremely useful tool to own.

I'm not a targeted individual, and frankly I don't think you are either, but I'll proceed in giving you the benefit of the doubt anyway.

First, you need undeniable physical evidence. Get a Geiger counter (you can find a relatively cheap and well-reviewed one on Amazon here) and read up on the measurements that a Geiger counter will give you with this chart. If the radiation is causing you significant physical harm like you've described then it is likely ionizing radiation, which a Geiger counter can accurately measure.

Your references towards being affected by electrical appliances sound more like elecromagnetic radiation though, which is quite different from ionizing radiation. A device like this can be used to measure ambient EMF radiation. Again, make video documentation to prove that you're being exposed to extremely high levels of it.

If you're concerned about the possibility of your video evidence being tampered with, as many TIs seem to be, you can upload that video evidence to a storage medium such as FreeNet (/r/freenet), which will split the video file into many, many pieces and distribute them to thousands of volunteers worldwide so that the original file can be retrieved later. The data in the pieces that are distributed to the volunteers is encrypted so they won't know what they're holding on to for you, so even if they were complicit in the alleged gang stalking they wouldn't know that you (as the uploader) were someone they needed to fuck with. (This is, of course, a very brief explanation of the inner workings of FreeNet which leaves a lot out, but you get the gist of it.)

Now for the suggestion you're not going to like. See a mental health specialist. If you're correct, and you have the evidence to back it up, you can get yourself a clean bill of mental health that you can present at future court proceedings to help validate the fact that there is a grand conspiracy against you. And if you're not correct, and you are mentally ill, you can get help.

You should travel a considerable distance from where you live to contact the mental health professional, because the conspiracy against you is certainly localized to some degree. However unlikely, it is possible to buy out local mental health professionals, but it is simply not feasible to buy out every mental health professional in the entire country on the off chance that they might have one particular person come in that they need to conspire against. You aren't a rambling nut job, so I am confident that you will agree that it's astronomically unlikely that a conspiracy against you would span more than a small network of a few towns. With this in mind, seeing a somewhat distant mental health professional seems like a logical option in a plan to fight this attack on you.

If you need any more guidance beyond what I've already typed up, just ask and I'll help you as much as I can.

We're redoing electric in our house, and the only advice I can give is do not trust any labels unless you've tested it yourself twice. We made an updated wiring map of our house using walkie-talkies and a no-touch tester. There was no logic to the map whatsoever. Half the house turned out to be wired from one 12A breaker. One room had outlets attached to 5 different breakers. Double-taps and duct-taped wires everywhere... It's going to be a long project.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ghost-Meter-EMF-Sensor/dp/B000ZH7G1E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300602728&sr=8-1


because I wanted to be a ghost hunter...

We have these in our college labs: https://www.amazon.com/Pomona-Holder-Slots-Black-Diameter/dp/B0000WU3U0

They are simple, but great. Seems like it would meet all of your criteria.

Great question!! I actually just posted instructions on how to make the stands over in a comment on /r/synthesizers ... here is the link.


As for the Cable management, I am using a Pomona Test Lead Holder found on Amazon here.

For future reference, they make circuit testers that work even through wiring insulation.

\> voltage detector is showing current on the parts that are not lit.

​

non-led christmas lights have a shunt that forms when the light's filament burns out, this is so if one bulb burnt out, the series continuity isn't broken and it doesn't take out the whole strand.

​

some of the shunts don't form, and that's how those lightkeeper pros are supposed to 'heal' a bad string....by making a big pulse, enough to melt and form those shunts that didn't quite make it.

​

http://www.ciphersbyritter.com/RADELECT/LITES/XMSLITES.HTM

​

actually, usually that lightkeeper pro voltage detector is pretty crappy, I use this:

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EJ332O

VO Mixes

Nigeria was pretty fun but Argentina was on a new level and fast became my favorite mix to do. Also tagging on r/vintageobscura is sometimes off and that is how a Brazillian MBP artist is on here. But besides that the Argentinan mix is a nice mix of progressive, psych and tango and cements my love for spanish as a premere language for dreamy music.

Ghost Hunting

This weekend i my wedding anniversary and it is becoming a thing for my wife and I to go ghost hunting / ghost tours. We are staying in a supposedly haunted hotel and going to a colonial village for ghost tours. I think I talked about ghosts before and even a few weeks ago I shared my one phobia (besdies insects) which is death which I feel this interest stems from. I like to say I do not believe in ghosts or have yet to believe it but I would like to amend that to a strong belief in the possibility of the supernatural or unexplainable but as current ghost culture stands (haunted hospitals, castles, victorian houses) I feel that is just a composite of modern folklore. Regardless our tour will have EMF detectors so we can find anomalies which I am sure will be someones phone. Although I should have my own.

https://www.amazon.com/The-Ghost-Meter-EMF-Sensor/dp/B000ZH7G1E

The Disaster Artist

I am currently halfway through this book about the making of the cult film The Room written by one of the actors who played Mark. I am less into The Room and the fandom behind it but the book is a fascinating character study on the film's creator and adds l;ayers of complexity on an already baffling film.

Shows

So I finally got through Westworld and despite the show having everything I love (genre fiction, sci fi, philosophical undertones) I feel that it spent way too long patting itself on the back for being clever. I was actually more interested in the mundane details of the park (loops, cleanup, development, history) than I was about the overall story of hosts gaining sentience. The end of the first season was engaging but holy shit the second half of that first season was taken over by the guy in philosophy class that starts out his rant with a Matrix quote.

I am currently in search for a new show and I am debating on going through Black Mirror or the Leftovers. I have netflix and HBO if that narrows it down.

http://www.amazon.com/Honeytek-A6013L-Capacitor-Tester/dp/B0036FQ3FW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1394686851&sr=8-2&keywords=capacitance+meter

In order to answer this correctly, you need a little more information. You'll need to buy/borrow a power meter and see what your average power consumption is. The 1000w max number really doesn't mean much.

https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

​

Once you know how many amps or watts you draw, we can start sizing the system. How critical is it that this system be up and available 24/7? Are you trying to run a server that needs to have a 99.999% up time? Even with solar and batteries, there will be strings of cloudy days that may require you to stay plugged in, or if you can tie the alternator into the batteries, you'll have to run the engine or buy a generator to get you through bad weather days.

​

Standard components:

Batteries - Either 12 Volt deep cycle, or pairs of 6 Volts golf cart batteries. Golf cart batteries tend to allow deeper discharge than the 12 Volt deep cycle, but come with lower overall capacity. Two 12 Volts will get you ~400 amp-hour rated capacity, four 6 volts will get you the same capacity, but generally last longer before needing to be replaced.

​

120 volt Battery charger - can be a cheap pep-boys battery charger or a dedicated RV converter setup.

​

Solar system - Number of panels will be determined once your average usage is known.

​

Solar Charge Controller - size will be based on # of panels. Can be super cheap but not efficient, or expensive but efficient.

​

Inverter - Takes your 12 Volt battery power and turns it into 120 volt AC to run your computer. You'll need a pure sine wave inverter if you're running electronics. Size will be based on average power consumption of the computer.

​

Here's the numbers if you want to size to the full 2000 watt power draw:

​

If you want to run the system off of the battery for 14 hours, you'll need the following:

2000 watts for 14 hours equals 28,000 watt-hours, or 28kwh.

The Tesla Power Wall has a capacity of 13.5 kwh, so two of those will get you close.

Battery: https://www.tesla.com/powerwall

I believe the new powerwalls come with built in inverters, so they should be able to output 120 volts directly. Weight = approx 600 lbs with wire and connections, they cost $7,800 each, so you're looking at just over 15k for your batteries. Other industrial sized batteries may be available slightly cheaper.

​

Add as many solar panels as you can. You only get 4-7 equivalent hours a day of solar charging based on location:

https://www.nrel.gov/gis/assets/pdfs/solar_dni_2018_01.pdf

The Chevy Astro may be able to fit 4x100 watt panels on the roof. 400 watts for approx. 5 hours a day means you'll be able to charge the batteries about 2kwh per day minus any efficiently losses, so it would take 2 weeks to charge the batteries from dead to full on solar alone. You're basically buying yourself the full 28 kwh required capacity with the 4 solar panels and 2 power walls.

​

If the batteries were just about dead when you plugged in at night and you wanted to recharge them while keeping the system running for 10 hours, you would need 2000 / 120 = 16.67 amps to run the computer, and 23.33 amps for 10 hours to charge the batteries. That's 2.8 kw for 10 hours to fully charge the battery, unfortunately, during grid charging, the powerwall charges at a max rate of 1.7 kw. That's 14.16 amps to charge the powerwalls. You would need to max out a 30 amp RV hookup site for a minimum of 16 hours to charge the batteries to last you one day.

​

My suggestion, buy one of these, and carry enough gas to run it 24 hours a day.

https://www.amazon.com/Honda-EU3000iS-Starting-Portable-Inverter/dp/B0002XC0V2/

​

EDIT: Final suggestion, rent a server and travel with a laptop that will allow you to remote in to the more powerful computer.

​

​

Yep, I use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

There's all price ranges, but the principle is the same, you put it in-between your device and the wall socket, so all current goes through it, then it can show it on a screen. Some of them do real time calculations based on your local electricity prices.

I just let my timelapse script run last night until the 1500mAh battery powering it died. It probably wasn't fully charged, but a Pi model B with just a USB camera attached taking pics every 10 seconds went for 2.5 hours.


There's ways to turn off nonessential accessories on the pi to save power including the HDMI & USB ports. Also, shutting the pi down correctly instead of letting it die will help keep the sd card from being corrupted, some good info here. I've got one of these on the way to really tell how much power I'm using before I figure out a battery solution. Mopi is another option to manage power and automatically turn the pi off before it dies, and I think the mopi can turn the pi off and turn it back on at certain times to extend battery power even further with the addition of a real time clock.

I bought one of these to see when it was actually charging: USB Meter, DROK Digital... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I just keep plugging the gotcha into the cord until I get a reading on the screen.

you can measure resistance with a regular multimeter using the 4-wire method. If you have a regulated digital power supply (like a lithium battery charger with lcd) it's as simple as putting a constant current relatively high amp load on the wire, measuring the voltage drop and dividing by current. you could also use a good quality USB power meter ($10, amazon), or a dedicated ~15 watt meter. i've used an incandescent light bulb for this and got fairly accurate results.

you can also use the same process to test USB cables' resistances. I'll use 2x usb power meters (one on each end of the cable) and a powered off cell phone//other electronic as the load. most modern power banks will also display voltage out and current.

edit: here's some more info, and is quite accurate if done correctly.

I'll give a dollar to the first person who hooks up with one of these and reports on the open-circuit voltage, voltage under load, and whether it does at least 2A.

Here are things from my wishlist (past and present)

Wera Screwdrivers
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0085NTQJK/

Oscillating blade set:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0109SELWA/

Clamp multimeter:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/

Kreg Jig Jr.:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000J43A7W/

Angled Long Nose Pliers:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00N3VSS4S/

Groove Lock Pliers:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000FK1R0W/

11 ft wifi endoscope:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01MYTHWK4/

non contact voltage tester:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B001UAHZAM/

claw nail puller:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0015YPJMY/

Workmate portable work bench:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000077CQ0/

Cable snake fish tape:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000BP7WBO/

9 Outlet metal power bar:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00F8ZQY5M/

Spade drill bit set:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00099E7WE/

36" bubble level:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000UKMWMO/

I was concerned about drilling any holes in my roof. Being a born pessimist, I figured if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. The fewer holes in my roof the better.

I started looking for a roof rack. What I really wanted was a full-length roof rack with a diamond-pattern, "hardware cloth" platform surface upon which to mount my solar panels. All the racks I could find were around $600. Getting a rack custom built was estimated at $1300. Too much.

I finally found a very heavy-duty-looking rack made of black-painted round tubing for $311. "That's more like it," I thought. I ordered it off the internet.

When it arrived, I was annoyed to see that all the parts weren't there. Two long side panels seemed to be missing. I called the vendor, and after a very confusing conversation, it turned out that I had only ordered "half" the rack. The other part number was the side panels. Guess how much they cost? $300. ($611 for the whole rack. Dammit.)

Once I got the whole rack at my house, and started trying to install it, I realized that it's a two-or-three-man job. I finally got it installed, but Lord, what a pain in the ass!

I bolted a piece of 4x8 plywood to the rack tubing using large U-bolts. The PV panels bolt to the plywood.

I feel pretty sure that bolting the panels directly through the roof would work just as well, maybe better.

A really good book that describes solar panel installation is "Photovoltaic Design & Installation for Dummies" by Ryan Mayfield. He is the president of the Renewable Energy Associates solar power company.

A solid wire is called a "wire." A bundle of wires together covered with plastic insulation is called a "cable." You want cables of at least 6 gauge diameter. (The smaller the gauge number, the larger the cable. I know, it seems backwards.) A lot of solar power kits come with 8 gauge or even 10 gauge cable. TOO SMALL. Cable this small is inefficient for DC current, for our purposes.

You will need a "cable gland" (Amazon) and a good quantity of "Dicor self-sealing lap sealant." (Amazon). Be generous with the Dicor. Every time a cable goes through a steel bulkhead or floor you MUST put a grommet of some kind (rubber, plastic) there to protect the cable insulation. If you ground out a positive cable, it could cause a fire. Ground the negative (black) cable of the system TO THE VEHICLE'S FRAME, directly to clean steel (NOT PAINTED STEEL), through the floor. Bolt the ground cable connection securely to the frame. Don't forget the grommet.

https://www.amazon.com/Link-Solar-Weatherproof-Project-Campervan/dp/B0111RNZDY/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1506480381&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=double+cable+gland&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Scosche-WPG8-10-Gauge-Waterproof-Grommets/dp/B00OYGLP32/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1506480517&sr=8-12&keywords=8+gauge+cable+grommet

https://www.amazon.com/Auto-ranging-Multimeter-Resistance-Capacitance-Frequency/dp/B01N014USE/ref=sr_1_14_sspa?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1506480598&sr=1-14-spons&keywords=clamp+style+multimeter&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=dp_cerb_2

Always use BLACK cable for the negative (ground) side of the circuit and RED cable for the positive side. This will prevent you from screwing up and short-circuiting your system. Hopefully.

Do not hook up the PV panels until everything else is installed and you have tested it for continuity with a digital multimeter (DMM.) The kind that has a "clamp", automatic ranging, and an audible alarm is best. (It looks kind of like a lobster claw and doesn't necessitate puncturing the insulation of the cables.) You start wiring from the storage battery bank and work backwards to the PV panels. Keep in mind--if those panels are exposed to the sun, they are GENERATING ELECTRICAL CURRENT POTENTIAL. Cover them with cardboard or heavy paper and tape until you are ready to energize the system. You don't want to get electrocuted accidentally. The risk of shock is small, but it does exist.

You need either a fuse (good) or a DC breaker (better) between the positive cable between the PV panels and the charge controller, and also between the charge controller and the battery bank. If you install an inverter, you need a breaker on the positive cable between the battery bank and the inverter. (Inverters burn amps just sitting there hooked up. You need to be able to "turn off" the DC power supply to the inverter. Turn the power to the inverter back on to use it.)

https://www.amazon.com/MidNite-Solar-Photovoltaic-Circuit-Breaker/dp/B004EQK8SA/ref=sr_1_7?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1506481155&sr=1-7&keywords=DC+breaker

Try to make the cable runs as short and direct as possible, within reason. The longer the cable run, the more resistance and the more voltage drop. All cables should be secured to the bulkhead with cable clamps in a neat, tidy, workmanlike fashion. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing correctly.

Great work! You've basically made a bombe calorimeter of sorts.

Your figures might be a little low because I don't see any mention of the mass of the light/battery. That is at least 85 grams of stuff also being heated with the 300 grams of water.

(The UT210E is a great cheap clamp meter for this.)

Where are you measuring the AC voltage, at the battery? Any ripple will read as AC voltage, 40millivolt ripple isn't much.

If you have a DC clamp meter, put that on the alternator cable and you can easily read if thats the cause. If you don't own one, they're handy and this ones nice for the price: link. Another option is to measure the other circuits in your car like this with a regular meter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRcj1fQcWwU

Unfortunately the alternator is the one thing that cant be measured this way since it doesn't go through the fuse box. But you can eliminate everything else this way.

Here are some links for you to read and learn from people that have gone before you....

Handy Bob, kind of grumpy but knows how to make solar work, will give you the basics. It is getting dated but a good place to start.

Voltage Drop Calculator,you need to know how much loss will be in the wires and compensate for it or else watts are just heating wires and not charging batteries.

A Multimeter so that you can troubleshoot and verify that your system is working.

Ohm's law, you should at least understand the concept and relationship between voltage, amperage, and watts. Watts are universal. a 1,000 watt device be it Ac or Dc is always 1,000 watts. But 1,000 watts at 12 VDC draws 84 amps (lots of current. AT 120 VAC 1,000 watts draws 8.4 amps. See the relationship there? Volts x amps = watts.

Depending on the amplitude you need you may be able to use something that generates audio to do what you want. For example: this; note that I've not tried it and that one is DIY assemble. If you want to test in general you could try outputting an audio signal from your phone or computer for the same purpose. I have used a 0.01hz sine wave from my MPC to function as a CV LFO in the past.

Clips!

It's on my Add-On wishlist!

cowpox

Thanks for the contest!

You'll want to invest in some alligator clips like these to make your life easier: https://www.amazon.com/SE-TL10-10-Piece-Alligator-Clips/dp/B0002KRABU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1519111473&sr=8-3&keywords=alligator+clips

And maybe a visit to https://www.taydaelectronics.com/ to find switches and knobs and things. You can also harvest these from old, busted electronics you find here and there. Getting started is more of an art than a science - you start touching things to other things and see what happens. Good luck!

I feel like this is the equivalent of taking a pair of alligator clips on the plug of the thing you want to plug in and hooking them to two paperclips and shoving them in the socket.

Here, I found where you can get 5 adapters for only $10.27

https://www.amazon.com/SE-TL10-10-Piece-Alligator-Clips/dp/B0002KRABU

https://www.amazon.com/ACCO-Paper-Clips-Economy-Non-skid/dp/B001B0D5T6

If you’re looking for a non contact voltage tester ( tick tracer) my personal favorite is the fluke.

Fluke 1AC-A1-II VoltAlert Non-Contact Voltage Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_PMRkDb24ADV56

If you’re looking for a wiggy to check actual voltage I would recommend buying a volt meter. I currently use this one and love it.

Fluke T5600 Electrical Voltage, Continuity and Current Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006Z3GZU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rPRkDbNV768AZ

> I'd at least take it apart and use a multi-meter to see if the wires are hot.

I would NOT recommend using a multi-meter to see if the wires are hot. Get yourself one of these things. I consider them an absolute essential for any homeowner or DIY'er. It's a very easy, and relatively safe, way to test for a live cable.

> I would NOT recommend using a multi-meter to see if the wires are hot.

Why not? Also, you can use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EJ332O as the url, you don't have to add all that extra crap to it

For 80% of hardware work you just need a good, solid multi-tipped magnetic screwdriver and a pez dispenser full of excedrin.

Toss in a power supply tester like a Dr. Power II and you have nearly all hardware tools you need.

Just be aware that many software tools on Hirens are only licensed for personal use, using them for professional use would be a violation of license agreement.

If you're going to be checking networks, you're going to want a good fluke toner, and a fluke voltage tester so you don't kill yourself

You're also going to want a cat5 crimper that won't break

If you're troubleshooting big networks then pick up a fluke microscanner II, but only if it will save you several thousand bucks in effort.

I should also mention I like this one best because the Klein ones can be sensitive to bumping and give off false positives: Fluke 1AC-A1-II VoltAlert Non-Contact Voltage Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5HP2Db6VTSXP3

It looks like you're trying to format a word into a link. Try this instead:

> [this](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EJ332O)

Result: this

Got it fixed? Downvote to delete.

***

^^Note: ^^Edits ^^appear ^^invisible ^^if ^^made ^^soon ^^after ^^posting. ^^| ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Contact ^^me ^^| ^^Opt-out ^^| ^^Feedback

You can use one of these to test if the line in the wall is still live. Push it in the hole you made and it should light up. Then turn off breakers one by one until the light on the sensor turns off.

Non-contact voltage tester is what I'd use. I linked a Fluke, but you should be able to pick up something comparable for around the house usage for around $20.

I'd bet it's 120v, and if a doorbell doesn't sound inside the house when you press the button, it's probably disconnected.

If not, there's a wire shoved in the walls or ceiling somewhere that's going hot every time you press the button.

Good luck.

Hmm, that link should take you directly to a voltage tester. Here's another one off Amazon that appears to be getting good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-Volt-Alert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343538975&sr=8-1&keywords=voltage+tester

> classic Fluke

You mean this one?

It's possible that there is high EMF (electromagnetic fluctuations) in that area which could be affecting your brain. Might be due to loose wires in the wall, water pipes in weird orientations, etc. If you want to check out that possibility buy an $18 EMF meter (http://smile.amazon.com/The-Ghost-Meter-EMF-Sensor/dp/B000ZH7G1E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1464192135&sr=8-4&keywords=emf+meter). Maybe your body is acting as some kind of antenna, which is why it only appears while you're there.

Alternatively it could be something there. If you want someone to come and check it out, look for a local paranormal investigation group. If you're in New York www.ghosthotline.com is one

I see no problems with that meter for general use. I have an earlier model of that meter (Fluke 12B) that I keep on my bench at home for double checking resistor values. You might want to consider an ESR meter for checking capacitors. Here is a cheap one with good reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Honeytek-A6013L-Capacitor-Tester/dp/B0036FQ3FW

I thought about getting into building them but shipping them would be a huge pain. I used Amazon for the 395nm LEDs, a 120v to 12v converter from eBay and I just switched to this timer:

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Digital-Switch-110-220V-IDT-E2RH/dp/B008KV65MS

Hi there, I have experienced something like this twice. If you are sure that everything is in order and there are no obvious billing errors, I strongly suggest you get a clamp ammeter like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-323-True-RMS-Clamp-Meter/dp/B00AQKIEXY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1500148644&sr=8-7&keywords=power+meter+clamp

Power all circuits down in your house, switch everything off. Put the clamp over the inlet cable and see if there is power running through, if there is, something is broken or wrong, call an electrician. If not, then power each device or item up, one at a time and look for things that are drawing excessive electricity.

I had a beer fridge fail one day, but it did not die, the motor decided to run 24/7 somehow not freeze the beer, but just keep drawing. I've also dealt with a faulty fluorescent basalt that was drawing way more power than it should have been, even while seemingly working fine. In both cases, there was a sudden cost spike and my utilisation increased significantly.

Clamp meters allow you to measure the power without exposing the cables, so this is safest if you're not electrically savvy. I would also suggest a device like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Excelvan-Display-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E1E1XA2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1500148919&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=power+meter+plug&psc=1

You can use this occasionally to test and check equipment or appliances are not over drawing. Some of these plugs have the ability to state the cost of the electricity being used, a useful tool to gauge the cost of running or owning appliances.

First thing - Check the voltage range of your non-contact tester.

If the low end is less than 90v, toss that thing in the back of the toolbox. For working with house electricity, if your tester picks up voltages less than 90v you're going to run into problems with the tester picking up voltages that may or not be running through the wire you're testing. (I've had signaling on a dead wire, but the tester was picking up from another wire about a foot away.) I've picked the Fluke Volt-Alert with the 90-1000v range so that it won't pick up transient voltages.




Next - If you're testing outlets, pick up a receptacle tester. This will let you know if any problems exist. Or you can break out a Multimeter and follow these instructions.

Compra uma merda destas e vai percorrendo as tomadas da tua casa todas até encontrares o que é responsável pelo consumo elevado. Se não é a pelas tomadas é pelas lâmpadas. Algo aí está a gastar um exagero de energia desnecessariamente.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E945SJG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_d79GDbEETPCEW


Pretty cheap, very useful. It's going to be hard for you to just anecdotally measure. And your property manager is more likely to listen if you send in a problem stating "the fridge is averaging X kwh a day, which is Y kwh over what the manufacturer says is it's normal operating time"

Most hardware stores should have them. Or even Amazon. The kill a watt is a popular brand.

You should use something like this https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

Then you plugit in to the wall, and plug your rig to the power meter, then you can see how much watt your rig is using

An Arduino Uno is an ATMega328p with header pins attached and a USB programmer.

If you don't know what you're doing, you really shouldn't be messing with mains power.

Here's a commercial power meter.

Here's a project where someone uses that for the purpose you've described.

Okay let's use logic here, every part of the computer has been swapped or changed so we can eliminate the components from the equation.

3 things are left.

1. Peripherals.
   
2. Power to the computer (your house alternative current might fluctuate too much, try one of these)
   
3. Error 18. ^(error that happens 18 inches in front of the screen, (that means : You))
   
   Try with a different set of peripherals, clean instal using different keyboard, mouse and monitor.
   
   ​
   
   Check the voltage that your outlet outputs into your PSU, I know these units are meant to regulate voltage and this should not be an issue but if it's too important of a variations, even for split seconds, it can damage/render unusable certain components.
   
   ​
   
   Make sure you plug everything properly, motherboard 24pins are hard to plug in, make sure it's all the way in there.
   
   Standoffs behind motherboard? Proper power cables to graphics card? PSU strong enough to drive all components?
   
   Any overheating component ^(try) HWMonitor?
   
   ​
   
   Maybe formatting isn't getting rid of a ferocious virus created by the lord of pain in the ass himself.
   
   ​
   
   So many things can be at cause here, hope this helps, never stop trying you magnificent warrior, those 3 years weren't for nothing!
   
   ​
   
   EDIT : My girlfriend mentioned : internet connection. try clean install offline and see if it only happens when online maybe ?

I would almost guarantee it's power related. Especially if you are mining Ethash etc. You will be amazed how different algos draw power. Ethash burns almost 30% more power on the same GPU as Crytponight. Get two of these outlet watt meters $14 each https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E945SJG/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00E945SJG&pd_rd_wg=QooCB&pd_rd_r=MM75D80Z5KP5PVS680GJ&pd_rd_w=pV3wH the best money you will spend. Put on each powersupply, remember that you really don't want to run more than 75% of the stated power. If you have 1000W don't pull more than 750-800 max and that is if you are using a top quality power supply. Make sure the power is spread equally, you may need to mix the power to the cards to balance out the power.

my biggest advice - try picking up an appliance power meter and running it on different applicances (especially TVs and washer/dryer) for a day at a time, this will tell you a lot about which appliances are using the most power and will almost certainly pay for itself when you can be more mindful of the biggest users. My suspicion is the electric dryer, especially if it's on the older side.

Both of these devices will let you monitor how much energy your whole house is using, but the big thing about the Neurio device is it can supposedly detect which device is causing the spike in usage. As I understand from reviews it's a work in progress - it doesn't magically work out of the box, but you need to train it against your devices.

Non of these are going to magically help you save energy, I think you'd be better off just trying to figure out yourself what is using so much power (and put the money towards buying more energy efficient devices if you need to). If you want to measure how much power a device is using over a day, something like this will do (and even calculate the cost): https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00E945SJG

Your usage works out to be an average of 5kW which seems quite high (US average is about 1/10 of that) but without more details who knows. How big is your house? How many people live there? Do you have electric heating? AC on most of the year? A pool?

CPT-063 Test Clip SOIC8 Pomona 5250

OP, it’s possible your current sensor isn’t getting data through properly. How fast does it actually charge? It may be useful to pick up a cheap USB current & voltage meter. I got a nice one and I have used it countless times.

[Cheap](USB Meter, DROK Digital Multimeter USB 2.0, Multifunctional Electrical Tester, Capacity Voltage, Current Power Meter Detector Reader with Dual USB Ports, LED Displahttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ss8IDbE6C7JCJ)

[The one I have with unlimited useful tools. ](AVHzY USB Meter Tester Multimeter USB Load Current Tester Voltage Detector DC 26.0000V 6.0000A Test Speed of Charger Cables Capacity of https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073R7YRM9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_Gc6nVKprYh32G)

It sounds like you need a USB meter.

Can you move to a different port? Maybe the RTL is drawing too much power? These's a USB test tool that will show you the voltage/current of a device. I use https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Capacitance/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1492270966&sr=8-6&keywords=usb%2Bvoltage%2Bcurrent&th=1

Usually different USB ports on the same external battery have completely different amperage outputs. I guess just make sure that you are always using the highest amperage output. One thing that you could do is buy a voltage and current meter from Amazon they're like $7 to watch the power flow through your USB and you could test.

DROK® Dual USB 2.0 Digital Multimeter Ampere Voltage Capacity Power Meter 7 Modes Monitor for Fast Charging Data Sync DC 3.2-15V 0-3A Volt Amp Charger Detector Mobile Solar Panel Alignment Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_XzJDwb5JV4VB4

You mentioned the basics... how about electricity? I'm specifically thinking of a portable solar arrays, and some multipurpose chargers, batteries devices. Here are a few links of interest:

Super portable 21Watt version that has USB outs:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012YUJJM8/

Bigger model but capable of charging 12Volt batteries (I'm thinking trickle charging a car battery):
http://www.amazon.com/Charger-Backpacking-Battery-Foldable-Cellphone/dp/B00VBSFT74/

Multimeter for displaying power output:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/
(useful for positioning the solar cells for best power)

ThruNite U1 charger and battery; acts as not only a charger for NiCad, NiMH, and Li-Ion cells of varying sizes, but also (drum roll) can be used as a USB powerpack:

http://www.amazon.com/ThruNite-Charger-1x3400mAh-Multifunction-Portable/dp/B00WFXWUOE/

Then, standardize on lights that use 18650 cells as they're way, way better than NiMH (higher power, better capacity, longer life):

http://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Nitecore-Rechargeable-Flashlight-EASTSHINE/dp/B00VG1J8S2/

Oh, random idea... small stove that'll burn wood and comes with a backup alcohol burner:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088FVZZI/

These are pretty handy and not too expensive.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J3JSEG6/

The hub working simply just as a hub, adding more ports and a conduit for the signals, is different from powering external devices. And so any hub will work with the pi. That being said, I run non powered $4 4 port hubs on a pi zeros and it can run keyboard, mouse, wifi dongle and web cam. I have never needed a hub for my B+, 2's and 3's doing all that as well. Short of running a dvd burner or charging other devices how much power do you really need? You can figure it out with one of these DROK meters. So all hubs work with the pi, the question is really how much power you actually need.

Get yourself one of these if you want to know what your charger is doing. Use a current monitoring widget to see if it is getting to the phone. I have had good luck with Anker chargers in general, but for a Quick Charge capable device it has to be the real thing. Qi chargers are cool, just watch the temperature. They can get hot. Letting you phone sit around at 100% too much is not great for the long time life of your battery.

Tl/Dr: video of what i just wrote out (video is not mine as I would start at the wall first. I had that beaten into me as an apprentice)

first invest in an inexpensive meter. heres an auto ranging clamp meter

then test the outlet. going by this pic check Line to line it should be 240v then line to neutral and line to ground 120v on both lines. and ground to neutral 0v

if all is good with the outlet, meter the connection on the unit the same way
l

Instead of flipping each breaker for an hour, try this. Get a multimeter that tests amperage. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC

You'll have to carefully remove the panel cover from your circuit breaker panel. Set the meter to amps and put the clamp around the black wire coming off each breaker. You'll be able to tell pretty quickly what circuit is using all the power, and you won't have to shut anything off.

There is a link in the FAQ on the page for how to do this. If it's an AC device (plugs into a household wall), then the most accurate thing to do is buy a Kill-a-watt meter and actually measure it.

Most devices list their max power draw, either in watts or amps. If it's in watts, just plug that into the calculator. If it's in amps, we have the converter at the top of the page to get the watts. If you can't find the power listed on your device, but own the device, you can get an ammeter (like this one) and measure as it's being used.

I read the same warnings and had the same concerns about the sata cables. So I bought one of these: Uni-T B4Q094 UT210E True RMS AC/DC Current Mini Clamp M W Capacitance Tester https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ and measured the current. Each of my GPUs pulls 0.3A from the sata connector, which is well within spec for sata.

Battery could still be severely shorted but it sounds unlikely. If that were the case you would notice a very large spark when connecting the jumper cables and possibly see a reaction from the second car. Everyone should own a good multimeter, you can get pretty good ones in the $40 range, or crap ones for like $5 at harbor freight.

I'm thinking most likely warranty will come into play for you, but if it ends up being battery after all the dealer battery prices are surprisingly reasonable. So you could have it towed there if you want.

Edit: BTW, I like this Uni-T UT210E clamp meter for the price: https://www.amazon.com/Uni-T-B4Q094-UT210E-Current-Capacitance/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ.

I've had one of these for years and it works pretty well, but it is unnecessarily big and clunky. Personally, I would go with this one instead. I bought it a little over a year ago and it has been a very good meter. I would honestly take it over pretty much any of the Ames meters we sell. If you need one with a current clamp on it, this one will probably do it for you. I don't have one personally, but Big Clive on YouTube does and he seems to like it.

​

If you don't already have a meter, don't even bother getting the $4 one. I have a couple that I got with a free coupon and they are all junk. The leads are downright trash. The only time I use one is if I am doing current measurement and I don't want to risk blowing a fuse in one of my good meters.

There are some decent Arduino based open o-scopes like this one. SainSmart DSO Pocket Size Portable Handheld Mini Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO202)

Not as good as a big bench scope but decent enough for tinker work. I have one and I love it. I end up using it more than my bench scope actually.

I googled and found...this guy and also this guy and a few more in related products. Yes, I know you can also use a multimeter as well this just looked like another fun gadget.

Was it this one? I was considering buying it just yesterday. Is there any documentation/firmware to be found for this kit?

I have an elotromagnetic detector that can be set to microwave frequency range.

We tested the radiation near a microwave and it really set the detector off. I was a little surprised because I thought microwaves were sealed.

Edit: detector like this TriField EMF Meter Model TF2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078T2R64C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PjJFDbREEGA62

A mobile phone was never designed to measure static and oscillating magnetic fields to the precision that we would like to measure, nor does it accurately depict the dimensions that the field is oscillating in.

​

Get a good starter meter, like ( https://www.amazon.com/TriField-EMF-Meter-Model-TF2/dp/B078T2R64C/ ) << that one. You will be able to measure much more accuretely standard fields from home AC, to wifi microwave oven cell tower (maybe bluetooth), all kinds of stuff. If you want to look for an EMF meter or RF meter or something that measures down closer to 2Hz magnetic and electric be my guest because I've been looking for one.

​

I have a cheapo $80 meter that only has a bar and no measurements, but I can tell that wifi's SSID broadcast beacon is a lot stronger than any kind of idle signal it puts out, and the SSID broadcasts are set to 10x per second or more by default. I might have to lower mine down to once every 10 seconds or something.

​

I'm sure there is a great way to use that 10/sec broadcast to compile a point-cloud image of the interior of your house.

​

Also, you should take good care of yourself, man. Gotta stay clean and healthy or the magnetic and electric fields will be the least of your worries.

This is what I like to use:
https://www.amazon.com/Pomona-4408-POM-Holder-Diameter/dp/B0000WU3U0/

As a bonus after they hang for a while they straighten out.

Cable hangers like these are always useful. I've got the one I linked and a 14 slot on the way for eurorack cables, but you may need to go a size larger for 1/4".

Yes, I have been doing it for years now. You have to replace the pie pans every once in a while, but I started using rechargeable 6v batteries instead of lantern batteries and they work great.

http://www.amazon.com/Wildgame-Innovations-eDRENALINE-Rechargeable-Battery/dp/B004ZWRO30

http://www.amazon.com/Wildgame-Innovations-12-Volt-eDRENALINE-Battery/dp/B002JLE5DG/ref=pd_sim_sg_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1SZY8XPBY0N4BRG7QA51

http://www.amazon.com/SE-TL10-Clip-Test-10-Piece/dp/B0002KRABU/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1421290221&sr=1-2&keywords=test+leads

The Kaito T-1 antenna uses an optional clip adapter like the Sangean ANT-60. Neither sell the clip separately. Alligator clip test leads will also work.

also I think this setup is cheap enough to try. The Antenna as you can see is 7.20 and I got alligator clips set for 5.50 the price recently went up you might could get a comparable version for cheaper https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KRABU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (this is what I got but their is others). So you are talking about 14 dollars if you need to get both. Don't waste your money on a cheap shortwave reel. Also the height in my case maybe making the big difference. I tried several setups like putting the wire over the roof but going through the tree and then the swing set really seemed to get good results. So you may need to play around with it and try to find something high like a nearby tree that has some height to it.

oh my goodness!!! what a great little gadget. I had no idea something like this even exists. I checked Amazon Canada but there are so many of these, and the instruction videos shows them sticking it into the hole of the wall plug. Yeah of course it has electricity inside. Will it work on any surface like a lets say a metal countertop that is "live" for whatever reasons???

I am going to buy the one a little expensive because it seems to be a reliable brand as per the reviews. Please let me know what you think and tell me if it will work on any conducting surfaces??

https://www.amazon.ca/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-Volt-Alert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1518252273&sr=1-5&keywords=non+contact+voltage+tester

How about that one please??

These are great too.

For non contact testers fluke makes one of the best ones.
http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O

This one will let you isolate the exact wire in the panel/box that is on, versus other testers that are so sensitive it will tic on wires that are merely around other wires that are hot.

In any case all electricians need to have a non contact tester in their bag, it helps keep everyone alive.

yup, knipex is good. He probably already has a multimeter and hot stick, but I like having multiple hot sticks around as they go bad.

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475250851&sr=8-1&keywords=fluke+hot+stick

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006Z3GZU/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Replacing them is extremely simple. It's just a matter of turning off the power at the electrical panel, unscrewing the plate and switch/outlet, disconnecting the wires from the old switch/outlet, and reconnecting them to the new one. Three way switches just have one extra wire. This video gives a good overview of the process.

The only tool you might want to grab is a non-contact voltage tester to make sure the power is definitely turned off before you start handling the wires. A regular DMM would work as well if you already own one.

I’d want to determine which of those wires is hot and which is neutral. Like with a Non-contact voltage sensor.

I would recommend getting one of these non-contact voltage testers (or similar). They work great and you don't need to have physical contact like a multi-meter. That's very handy if the wires are not exposed.

Mine saved my bacon when I was replacing the outlet in the bathroom. I shut off the breaker for the bathroom, but still tested the outlet to be sure. To my surprise, it was still live (must be a different circuit to handle hair dryers).

Here are two tools that help:

Tells you if an outlit or wire is hot before you touch it:
http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-Volt-Alert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O

Allows you to find the circuit for an unlabeled outlet:
http://www.amazon.com/Sperry-CS550A-Circuit-Breaker-Finder/dp/B000ET403A

I have a a backpack for LD (various MIDI interfaces, USB-DMX dongle, laptops, AA Maglite) or a Bum bag for more hands-on electrics (where I say Knippex, Lindstrom, Fluke. And Maglite.). And a toolbox with the all important hammer (nicknamed "sweetness"), big-ass wrenches and so on.

I try not to forget this, ever.

Also a Wera of sort, but damn this one is elegant, I wasn't aware of it.

That thingy when used responsibly is a huge help, but do NOT use it as a safety controller.

Speaking of which, I tend to get people mad by insisting on using this before starting actual work. 400mA diff NOT working anyone? It happens.

Looking at how things are organised here, I couldn't get it in one bag; long jobs end up filling my car actually: Gels, and spares, and backups, and adapters, and an actual toolbox... And the cordless drill... when I do festivals or street theatre or such, my car end up the Tool-chest, you can't possibly carry it all while on the move, but you can organise your trunk so that everything comes easily at hand.

I used this, an idiot stick apparently lol.

Without knowing what he's already got it's hard to say. He's probably already got all the basics. I'm just assuming he's already got boardsaws, tape measures, screwdriver sets, plier sets and so forth.

I'll list off a couple of things I would rather not live without:

[Irwin wire strippers] (http://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Industrial-Tools-2078300-Self-Adjusting/dp/B000OQ21CA) These are totally awesome.

[Non contact voltage detector] (http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1449993757&sr=1-3&keywords=Non+contact+voltage+detector)

Stubby ratchet screwdriver

I'll parrot my usual recommendation.

Stick it against all sides of a wire, no beep no problem.

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-1AC-A1-II-VoltAlert-Non-Contact-Voltage/dp/B000EJ332O/

This is a higher quality one and it's still pretty affordable, these would indeed be pretty helpful. Sure, hidden cameras are inherently hidden but they require some basic stuff (Power, a point of view) and based on that you can surmise where they would be should they exist.

Someone who wants to creep you would want to get you naked so bathrooms and bedrooms, aimed at toilet/shower and bed/closet areas, from there you go for POV, where could a camera be that faces these areas. There are ultra small wifi cameras but most people would go with the easiest possible installation (i.e. wired to existing power sources and so on) so it's not as hard as it sounds.

I'll second the call from /u/Cheech47 that you should get a multi-meter. I'll go even further and say you should also get a non-contact voltage tester. The one linked is my preference, but just don't pick up whatever cheapy they have at Home Depot or Lowes. You want one that will work in a marginally crowded box without just going off because *something* in there is hot. =)

Funny you should ask, just wired these up today. I killed the circuit, pulled out the boxes (leave them wired up), turned on the circuit again, turned on the light, and used a non-contact voltage tester (like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EJ332O/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to determine which box had no power out when the light is turned on. That's where the companion goes. Now kill the circuit again and follow the wiring diagrams that come with the switches. Note: after wiring it up you may have 2 extra black leads in the companion box - they should be wired together (not to the switch). Also, traveler is generally red. In this set-up the companion is just wired to the master via the red traveler wire (not to the load/light, as with standard 3-way set-ups).

Or, check the labels on the old switches (mine said "two pole" where the master goes but where the companion went it was just a standard switch).

That Klein non contact tester is garbage, go with the tried and tested fluke

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EJ332O?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000EJ332O&linkCode=xm2&tag=vrefid-20

Brand? Believe it or not the one called Ghost Meter $25. (See link) Worked the best for me. It has light and sound. The k2 is ok but had some kinks. And the more complex was just that.
Recorders vary. The best is Tascam Dr recorders.
But regular works just fine.



https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000ZH7G1E/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1503930134&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=emf+meter&dpPl=1&dpID=41xP%2ByPv9VL&ref=plSrch

Get yourself one of these, cheap but effective:
http://www.amazon.com/Honeytek-A6013L-Capacitor-Tester/dp/B0036FQ3FW

It won't tell you ESR though. For best performance, you should change all the electrolytics in the amp. Don't re-cap the AM or FM sections! Without proper equipment and expertise, you won't be able to get the radio aligned again.

As /u/pigpen said, do not count on visual inspection. Caps often fail without any change in appearance.

audiokarma.org is the place to go if you need help.

Well, it was likely an issue with the power circuitry. At least, that is most likely the culprit. The filtering caps in there get hammered a good bit. You will need to get a cap tester. Another not so technical test is to see if the tops of any of your caps are bulging. This typically means they are failing. Once you find the bad one(s) write down the voltage and capacitance then either order online (I use digikey.com a lot) or go to radio shack or something.

Have you ever soldered before? If not, you are going to need a decent soldering iron, some solder, and some desoldering wick. The wick will remove the solder holding in the current caps. This allows them to be freed. Before removing make note which hole the negative lead is in (electrolytic caps are polarized) so if you reverse it they will go pop when you turn it back on. Once your new caps are properly positioned go ahead and solder them in. Then sit back and pat yourself on the back for saving a shitload of money.

Sounds complicated, but it is actually pretty simple to do.

Will this work @Tufts_Student : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036FQ3FW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Relay Timer: https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Digital-Switch-110-220V-IDT-E2RH/dp/B008KV65MS

Pressure Switch: https://www.coleparmer.com/i/dwyer-cxa-s3-water-pump-pressure-switch-nc-range-35-150-psig-2-4-10-3-bar/6806346

Pump: https://www.kleen-ritecorp.com/p-58407-aquatec-58-flc-220-pump-with-220-psi-pressure-swich-internal-bypass-12-motor-leads-115-vac.aspx

Solenoid valve: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007N0J98E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are perfect. There's also a 4-cycle one, but this one does the job. Two intervals, each programmable.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008KV65MS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

The same thing is available on US Amazon.

So you just want a current meter?

[Fluke 323 True-RMS Clamp Meter ~$100 on amazon](
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00AQKIEXY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_pTavzbJDCH1BV)

Two options - use the kW rating on the name plate or buy a [clamp meter] ( http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-323-True-RMS-Clamp-Meter/dp/B00AQKIEXY) which goes completely around the wiring and measures how many amps you're actually using at that moment. Amps multiplied by voltage equals watts. Watts multiplied by 1,000 equals kilowatts.

Edit: learn2math.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MXDW677/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-323-True-RMS-Clamp-Meter/dp/B00AQKIEXY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1MAZW8VU0SD6R&keywords=fluke+clamp+multimeter&qid=1556112802&s=industrial&sprefix=FLuke+clamp%2Cindustrial%2C196&sr=1-3

A nice fancy multimeter perhaps?

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-323-True-RMS-Clamp-Meter/dp/B00AQKIEXY?ref_=ast_sto_dp

These circuits are located in event halls. The events are pretty small so we only risk the 20amp circuits but I like to think a few steps ahead to avoid power loss in the middle of a tournament.

The biggest issue is computers. Most of the lower end ones are not a problem but when you have 1k watt to 1.5k watt power supplies the amps add up quick. I figured if I was able to monitor the power I could proactively make sure we are not getting close to tripping circuits.

Do you know if meters such as this work accurately? Do you think it would work for what I am trying to do even if I have to manually go up to it and test it? https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-323-True-RMS-Clamp-Meter/dp/B00AQKIEXY/

What about this one? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AQKIEXY?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Voltage-Detector-1000V-AC/dp/B00ATGPRRQ

$26 bucks at Amazon, cheaper at your local hardware store.

You can get a free multi meter at Harbor Freight with purchase.

I keep a small bag in my main bag that I can clip to my belt. I mostly use it when I know I'm going to be working in a panel for a while but in general this covers 75% of my needs. Here's the bag.

Here is what I keep in it.

Wire Stripper / Needle Nose I haven't had these for too long but I really like them.

Small meter I like this one for a lot of reasons. One is that will fit in the bag and is good enough to use under 480 in my opinion.

Voltage Detector The meter has non-contact voltage detection, but I like this one more.

Crescent Wrench I like this one because it also has the monkey wrench on it so it's good for tightening air lines from time to time. Though in reality I don't use that feature much.

A couple larger screwdrivers #2 phillips and a flat head big enough to open panels easily.

Controls Screwdriver For terminals and such. I sometimes use the ones with the rotating end.

Flashlight These are not the best, but they're cheap and work as a penlight and they can do area illumination with a magnetic base.

I have seconds (and in the case of the meter and flashlights - a higher quality version) of all these in my main bag, but I mostly use this little pouch.

Not only that, bit live cables? Ffs get one of these at least https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-Voltage-Detector-1000V-AC/dp/B00ATGPRRQ

Honestly, i just use a Kill-a-wattVery similar to the one in the link.

Since the things you have plugged in don't generally change a whole lot, you could use something like a [plug in energy meter] (https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG/) to measure those sorts of devices and a [clamp on amp meter] (https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-CL200-Clamp-Temperature/dp/B003LDFVBG/) to measure the ones that don't. It is obviously not real time, but it'd be quite a bit cheaper than monitoring every circuit in real time. Once you know how much power your large appliances use, it isn't going to change. ;)

60 watt bulbs hardly touch the electric bill. Anything with motors is what kills your power bills.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E945SJG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1WTKxbEMKP24B

http://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1463748772&sr=8-2&keywords=power+monitor

I can say it's either a driver problem or a hardware problem - I know it sounds vague, but without taking a 1st hand look I can only speculate


doesn't help that you have 2 cards in your system by different manufacturers; you also say you noticed GPU % usage fluctuations


---


can you get your hands on a power measuring unit gizmo?


I have a feeling that you might hit the limit on that PSU; I haven't yet found power specs for 290, but 2x 290X will draw 750W in full load at the wall


edit: according to this Guru 3D article, they recommend a 800W PSU as minimum


> AMD Radeon R9 290 Crossfire - On your average system the cards require you to have a 800 Watt power supply unit as minimum.

Everyone else commmented on the obvious toxic situation you are in. I am just gonna try to help you with a way to quatify how much electricity you are using.

https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

plug this in, and then plug in what you want to measure. You can do some easy math and figure how much electricity anything uses and do some basic math to calculate how much that cost if you have an electric bill laying around.

I use outlet meter like this
https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

that is most precise way to measure power, software solutions are not reliable

The voltage in Norway is 240v. I used a plug-in electricity meter (or plug load meter) to read the wattage & ampere.

• Here's one from Amazon
  
  
• Here's the exact one from a Norwegian store
  
  I'll update when the server is up and running.

If you're averaging 2kW/h you might just need to find the source of that. Maybe get one of these guys and troubleshoot?

I bought a few of these power meters from AliExpress at about $12 each, but it took a while to get here.

​

You can't. You can rig up something and use an amp probe or buy a plug-in power meter but what you're asking for doesn't exist, at least not cheaply.

Some battery backups provide this built-in, otherwise you can get a plug that sits behind the battery backup in the elec socket and shows how much you are using. Like this here

If you have budget left, I know I can find benchmarks of this online. But please buy a kill-a-watt to check the wattage your PC will output. Preferably when stress testing both the CPU and GPU with furmark, intel burn test, OCCT. You might be surprised at how little this system pulls from the wall. I estimate between 450-500W depending on how high your overclocks are.

I suggest windforce cards a lot and I am slightly afraid to suggest a 650W PSU despite the fact that the benchmarks show that 2 GTX970s pull 439 watts when in full stress. Add a 111-140 for the CPU and like 5 for the HDD/SSD and you get to a roudhly 550W.

The kill-a-watt can also be used for other stuff! So not a terrible buy, handy tool to have.

You can use a device like this:

https://www.amazon.ca/Display-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

Test each device plugged in and see if anything is using a high amount of electricity.

> It's 40 more watts on an overclocked R9 390. Most overclocked GTX 970s will exceed 210 watts when overclocked. Your "30-40%" number is a gross hyperbole, as 40w is actually 19% out of 210w.

Ok so now you are using overclocked cards, your efficiency goes down the drain if you overclock past a certain point.
Let's compare the numbers for factory overclocks on average gaming power draw:
 

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_970_Gaming/25.html
MSI GTX 970: 168W vs R9 290 in the same test: 239W -> 42.3%

 

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/R9_390_Nitro/21.html
Here is an Sapphire R9 390 Nitro: 261W vs 168W for the MSI 970 -> 55.4%

 

We could compare maximum power draw instead of average but that doesn't really help your case:
MSI 970 213W vs Sapphire 390 365W -> 71.4%

 

Let's look at a slower clocked R9 390:
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/R9_390_PCS_Plus/28.html
Average gameing power draw 231W vs 168W for the MSI 970 -> 37.5%

So I would not call that hyperbole, I would call that me being generous with the numbers ;).

> One, it can vary based on the displays used (of which they do not disclose), resolution, refresh rate, ect. There is not nearly enough data to call this an issue and not even the review you linked itself goes as far as to call it that because there simply isn't enough data.

How about that data, I, me personally have 3 different monitors, 3 different resolutions.
I usually don't throw away all my monitors and replace all of them, I usually upgrade one at a time.
I bet a lot of people use their old monitor as a secondary when upgrading, so they measure this power draws scenario for a reason.
Anyways, in my case the Sapphire R9 390 drew almost 90W when "idle" my MSI 970 draws about 16W.
It's night and day difference in noise and heat output. That R9 pulls more idle than my i7 at max torture load.

 

> This doesn't really prove anything. I've had loud GTX 970s and loud R9 390s. The only thing it proves is that some designs are better than others.

While I generally agree that this does not universally prove anything, keep in mind that all the 3 cards I tested have exceptional cooling solutions.
I run a silent PC that is almost inaudible if idle, and because I work 8 hours a day using this PC that's important to me personally. I choose those cards for a reason.
My case is not an ideal scenario for a high power card because the ventilation is limited (only 1 input fan on low RPM on idle + case is noise isolated does not have a lot of open air vents).

Still my scenario especially shows how much heat a card puts into a case because I like to keep the ventilation (noise) to a minimum.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/R9_390_Nitro/22.html
The Sapphire Nitro is a fantastic R9 variant.
0db when "idle" like the MSI 970 (which is why the Sapphire 390 was my first choice and the first card I tested as an upgrade in my current system).
Unfortunately in my case the card never really is "idle" because of the 3 monitors.
Like I said before, the gaming noise wasn't bad at all. The extra noise this card produces in my scenario is mostly due to the excess heat my case fans have to get out of my case.
Again I wouldn't really mind the noise level during gaming, or the extra power draw in that situation.
What killed this particular card for me was the idle power draw with my 3 monitors.

 

> Where are you even getting these numbers from? Every review I have seen has R9 390s at under 10w during idle.

I have something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG
I measured my system power draw with my iGPU vs the power draw with the R9 390. Difference was almost 90w with all monitors attached.
This test has the R9 390 at 71 W idle with multiple monitors attached:
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/R9_390_Nitro/21.html
I gladly admit that my measurement might not be super accurate and something like +-5W inaccuracy of measurement is possible.
I only had two monitors attached to the iGPU because it only has two connectors ;).
If you want we can call it 70W at idle with multiple monitors.

 

> Just going to point out that there are R9 390s with fans that don't turn on until 76c as well....

Yes and the Sapphire I tested is one of them. Sadly the card does not stay under 76 due to the power draw ;).
If I only had one monitor, or if they would fix the multi monitor issue,
the Sapphire 390 would be the better card compared e.g. with my 970.
If you don't mind the extra heat and electricity bill. (which is reasonable if you don't game that much or live where electricity is cheap).

 

> No one here was arguing otherwise but there is only so many shits that can be given about power consumption. If I wanted to worry about power usage I would buy a Nintendo switch.

Well this whole thread started when I addressed the claim of "AMD sucks because they run hot!!!!!!!1!".
If you care about power draw depends on where you live. Where I live, with my usage scenario (at least 8 hours a day drawing ~70 extra watts).
The extra cost of running the Sapphire 390 is 146kWh per year or roughly 40€ a year.
Let's assume you use your card for at least 2-3 years so that's 80-120€ extra cost.
That was the extra cost of a 980 back when I was looking for a new card. The 390 would lose that duel.
I realize, that if you live in the US or somewhere with low energy cost, the difference is much lower. (The national average was 12.99 cents per kwh).
$20 per year or 40-80$ for a 3 year period. Now if you remove the extra monitors, of if you only use the PC for gaming this will be even lower.
I'm fine with you not caring about it. I do.

 

> Low power consumption is nice, to a point. It stops becoming important when companies like Nvidia simply continue to cut down their die sizes to stave off performance improvements.

Whut? You cut down die size, because you can due to the 16nm process, to increase yield because that's how you make money. It's also more efficient :D.
Which is why Nvidia could improve perf/Watt immensely.
50% more efficient going from a 980Ti to a 1080Ti,
something like 70% more efficient going from a 970 to 1070,
up to 100% if you look the most favorable gains on the lower end.
On the other hand Vega 64 gives you barely more perf/Watt over a Fury X...

 

I don't agree that they starve off performance improvements. At least not unreasonably so.
Again, die size means profit. The smaller you can go while still improving performance the better.
Now if only AMD could bring a competitive card in the higher end... that would force Nvidia to give up more of their profits by cutting price or increasing die sizes again to stay competitive.
Again I came from an AMD card and I wanted to buy one again but I had to go with the 970.
Looking at Vega right now I have to say I'm not impressed yet.
Ryzen is a different story though, let's hope they can counter Intels next Hexacore line. Maybe I can go full AMD again, on my next machine.

 

My i7 3770 is starting to show its age, but only in some of my work tasks and the 970 is holding up surprisingly well at 1440p@60Hz during gaming.
I can probably wait for Zen 2, which should roughly come out around the same time as Volta and hopefully Navi is not too far away either.

Who knows, maybe by then AMD gets some support from the major deep learning frameworks, it looks like Vega would be a good card for that.

For ~12-15 bucks you can see how much stuff really uses.

Just buy something like this

When you say "safety fuse", is this something in your PC or something in your home?

If it's something in your home, you should get one of these to test what your computer is drawing from the wall: https://www.amazon.com/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B00E945SJG

It's possible that your drawing too many amps from the wall.

You can get a watt meter that plugs into the outlet and you plug your PC into that and it will tell you real time how much your PC is drawing.

https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

Yes, I'm talking about watts in both situations. I have a meter similar to this one
https://www.amazon.com/d/Industrial-Power-Meters/TS-836A-Energy-Voltage-Electricity-Monitor/B00E945SJG

Pomona 5250. It grabs securely. I'm happy with it.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HHH65T4/

Is that the Pomona clip? I am thinking of doing this but with a cheap one I bought from ebay (the black one).

From the reviews, this is the one people consider the best:

​

https://www.amazon.com/CPT-063-Test-Clip-SOIC8-Pomona/dp/B00HHH65T4/

I suppose this homeassistant needs speaker, microphone, maybe a screen or lights? You want to make sure that EVERYTHING drawing power from a 2.5A supply fits within that at all times, and try to keep a margin like 2.3A max just to be sure. There are some nice USB power meters that can help confirm this.

I don't have a complete time from 0-100%, but I did measure the current draw using one of these when I first took the phone out of the box. The phone itself was around 60% charged and I charged it using a Samsung 2A charger, a thick micro USB cable, and a micro USB to type C adapter. When I plugged the phone in, the multimeter showed that it was drawing 1.8A. It's possible that the phone might draw more current if I use a charger with higher output, but I haven't tested that yet. I plan to test the draw with the OEM charger and cable when I drain the battery enough, but I tend to leave my phone on the charger when I'm not using it, so I haven't had the opportunity yet (this is only my second day using the phone).

I saw in this review that the OP3 starts substantially limiting the Dash charging rate when it reaches about 80% (or 2400mAh out of the total 3000mAh for the battery). If we apply the same charging curve to non-Dash charging, then it would take about 80 minutes to charge from 0-80% at 1.8A.

Try powering off your phone and charging it. This will all but rule out a software problem. Also, one of these things might come in handy; I haven't found Ampere to be too accurate.

This is the particular one I used... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_1os3Ab1K742KB

Can you borrow someone else's charger to test with? Perhaps your charger is losing its strength and needs replacing.

There are inexpensive little gadgets that you can plug into the USB to show the voltage and current. It would show if the power is "drooping" lower than what the 2i2 likes.

USB Meter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J3JSEG6/

The Bosch solid state voltage regs aren't all that expensive, CIP1 has them for $20.99

Sounds like the camera is a little flaky, but in theory the usb adapters should be protecting it.. might pick up one of these and see how well the USB adapters are doing delivering the 5V they're spec'd for.

Could always try one of these, I don't think those dashcams typically draw too much power.

Adapters have different amp ratings. Purchase one of these usb testers to know exactly what’s going on.

I use it all the time on chargers attached to my iPad, iPhone and watch. It’s interesting how different they all are.

> My Pi has connected 1 USB mobile 3g modem, 1 motion sensor over gpio, and (hopefully) 2 i2c sensors.

I'll assume you don't have a USB inline meter doodad to measure the current draw? (they can be had for $3-4 if you can wait 4-6 weeks for shipping from China)

In that case, could you please provide the manufacturer/model numbers for the 3G modem, the motion sensor and the i2c sensors so I can find their datasheets and figure out their maximum current draw?

I'm hopeful 24 hours is doable with a cheaper USB battery, say in the $25 range rather than $50.

USB Volt/Ammeter's are surprisingly useful.

Just something to consider.

Try and plug your Wyze power adapter into a different electrical circuit in your home and also try a different brand of charger into other electrical circuits not controlled by the same circuit breaker. Sometimes a home electrical outlet may not have 110 volts due to various issues, which would result in a lower power output for two Wyze cams to operate when chained together with the line-losses from the two usb cables.

To verify, you need a device to measure the USB power with under load conditions.

Something like this:

From Amazon

USB Meter, DROK Digital Multimeter USB 2.0, Multifunctional Electrical Tester, Capacity Voltage, Current Power Reader with Dual USB Ports, 7 Modes

https://smile.amazon.com/DROK-Multimeter-Multifunctional-Electrical-Capacity/dp/B00J3JSEG6/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=USB+voltage&qid=1574890447&sr=8-6

I wound up buying this one. I think it's the older model, but was about the same price, had a ton more reviews and showed voltage on same screen.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J3JSEG6/

5 should be safe. 10 probably work ok too. The elite-c has the same chip as a Pro Micro, it will draw the same amount of current.

I have one of these cheap USB power meters. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J3JSEG6 Useful to see how much power is being drawn.

Yeah you even said that you changed it... My bad.

To the onboard diagnostics, there is no real difference between a magic box (sensor) and the magic pathway going to it. What kind of line goes to the sensor? Is it just a regular wire? Coax type line? Something else fancy? Do you have a multimeter? If so can you disconnect both ends and check resistance (ohms) through the wire?

For anything that plugs in, you can use a smart plug like this to track its energy usage. For anything hardwired, you could use a meter with a clamp like this to measure instantaneous current.

So with the plug, rotate it around the biggest appliances in the house. Keep the fridge plugged in for a day, see what the average draw is, etc.

But you are right that heating/cooling is likely to be the culprit. The clamp meter will help you gauge its impact. Despite how it seems though, a 1990's air conditioner isn't dramatically less efficient than a new one...assuming it's in good working order. Make sure the condenser outside is all clear, no leaves piled up against it, dirt clogging the fins, etc. Then inside, follow the ducts wherever you can to make sure nothing came disconnected and is dumping conditioned air into you attic or something.

If it helps as a point of reference, our 2,400 sf house has central air from the 80's that is set for 75 when we're home and 82 when we're not, and our power bill for the July-Aug cycle when we were using AC consistently was $104. We're in coastal New England/ag zone 6b.

Then as the other commenter mentioned, your power company may offer free energy consultations where they come test your house for efficiency in a variety of ways, give you free LED bulbs and programmable thermostats, and make recommendations for how to reduce energy use.

There's proper voltmeters that can test it better than just a pen. I got this one.

Etekcity Auto Ranging Clamp Meter, Digital Multimeter with Amp,Volt,Ohm,Diode and Resistance Test https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_NLKtDbMQ00KZ3

Multimeter

Sorry lots of electronics technical stuff I just spat out there... this video might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWA9WqSEjg8

The issue is it's a bit of "chicken and egg" problem, you need a powerful enough supply (high enough amp output) to make sure the load has as many amps as it will draw if the power supply can't supply enough current then your current you measure will be that limit instead of what the device actually wants to draw. If the power supply isn't able to supply enough amps for a given load (a device drawing current like the raspi) then it may overheat or shut off to protect itself or switch on and off depending on the power supply design.

Regarding a bench power supply this video shows how to DIY and compares with bought version and shows how they work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI-KYRdmx-E

Basically any multi-meter can measure voltage and amperage:
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-R500-Electronic-Multimeters/dp/B01N9QW620/

For higher current stuff or measuring AC current without hooking the meter physically into the circuit can use a clamp meter like this instead:
https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Multimeter-MSR-C600-Auto-Ranging-Multimeters/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/

^^ second one also does auto-ranging so it works out what the right unit is to show you is based on the power going through it (shows mV or V or A and mA or milli-ohms, ohms, kilo-ohms, and mega-ohms depending on what you're measuring)

A simpler video just covering the whole concept of "load" and current here too (youtube suggestions did a good job)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxkVxi9P0EA

OLA is Open Lighting Architecture .. lets you convert one type to another .. but generally it has an ArtNet interface and lots of fun output interfaces including SPI. For some thoughts: last year I built 4 4'x8x16' steps we used on stage. We drove them with SPI Controllers .. that worked great .. but was expensive. The reason I went pi is the pi itself is $35 and built in wireless .. fadecandy is $22 .. can drive a pixel set of 64x8. This year we're building 12 steps 8'x8"x9" with 6 rows of 64 px driving off the QLC. I have githubs of the ansible code I use for all of this .. happy to share.

Some things to consider:

• PI - there is raspberry pi zero form factor .. which is quite small ;) I am experimenting with those now as full replacements for the Pi-B's and C's I have ( I used to teach with PIs so I have a bunch of em )
  
• interference - 802.11 can be impacted by bad dimmers .. things near by ( high amperag fryer, microwave), channel collisions with existing APs and most easily .. if it's visible lots of things will try to connect even with a password. Set your wifi to NOT broadcast the BSSID. And check the wifi spectrum when you get to a venue ;)
  
• amperage .. make sure you have enough to drive your px .. specifically something north of 80 px in a single strand you'll wanna inject power on the other end. The overall power supply doesn't have to be crazy .. but investing in a good volt-ohm-amp meter meter is worth it for testing and validation.
  
• universes .. I've successfully transmitted 4-6 U over a single SSID of 802.11bng . If each px is individually addressed .. and you're using RGB .. then each px is 3 DMX channels. Each U is 512 channels .. that gives you 170 px in a single U and QLC doesn't handle crossing U in a single fixture.. but does handle things with matrixes .. so you'll have to play around with the config and layout. You can always use the same channel(s) for multiple fixtures of the same type.
  
• road-rash .. touring with such a rig .. plan spares of everything and have a test program you can run to make sure it looks right. The LED strips don't handle LOTS of bending .. but some. The "Sticky" on the back is for shit. plan clear tape or something else to make sure they stay mounted whereever you're putting them. Also .. the "joining" kits you can to connect 2 strips work reasonably well .. BUT they dont' like to move alot. We've started soldering them on to the strips once we have the design set.
  
  Please feel free to reach out any time .. do lots of work in this space and always willing to help ;)

Anything like this, also referred to as a clamp meter:

Etekcity Digital Multimeter, MSR-C600 Auto-Ranging Clamp Meter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_W9eQCb7BVGEM3

You run it over one half of a circuit to see the real time usage. For most devices you just grab one of those flat extension cords and carefully separate the insulated wires, or clamp it over the wires in the breaker box.

I bought this one a year ago and I use it all the time, it's been great so far.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NWGZ4XC/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1500249073&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=etekcity+multimeter&dpPl=1&dpID=417YqOjJ1mL&ref=plSrch

Take the time to learn how to use a multi meter. It will help you for the rest of your life. Electricity and electronics should be taught in primary school and everyone should know how to use a multimeter. A multimeter is simply a combination various meters and testers into one device: a voltmeter to measure volts, ohmmeter to measure resistance in ohms, an ammeter to measure current in amps, and various other things like electrical connection continuity, temperature (with temp probes).

You can purchase a simple multimeter for less than $10, however for your specific electrical problems, I recommend one that has a DC clamp-on ammeter like this one. That lets you clamp the meter around a wire to measure how much current is flowing, like on brake light circuit to see if it's drawing the correct current needed for the light bulb, or whether there's a short circuit that's drawing a lot more current than it should be doing.

If you aren't willing to learn how to use a multimeter, then don't bother attempting to fix this problem by yourself. Find another mechanic. You need to know basic electronics to diagnose and fix most electrical problems, and it can be dangerous to you and to others for you to mess with electrical things without that knowledge.

are you using one of these to measure?
https://www.amazon.com/Uni-T-B4Q094-UT210E-Current-Capacitance/dp/B00O1Q2HOQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1499406313&sr=8-5&keywords=current+clamp

As an RV owner, you should consider getting one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O1Q2HOQ/

I promise I'm not an amazon shill, and I'm RVing my way back from Rocky Mountain National Park. I was with 4 other RVs and we were all using this meter to track how much current our batteries were taking in & putting out. We only had limited time in the park to run generators to recharge the batteries, so we wanted to know exactly what was going on.

If you get this meter, you can clamp it onto a wire and it will tell you what amount of current is going through the wire. It measures other things as well such as voltage, continuity, etc. It's great to keep in the RV.

If you do buy it, and want some explanation on how to use it, shoot me a message.

I do not have a scope and I've never used one but I'm not going to let that stop me.

I've found some on kijiji in the range of $250 CDN, but with nearly no experience with scopes I wouldn't know how to size one up.

What are your thoughts on something like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/SainSmart-Portable-Handheld-Digital-Oscilloscope/dp/B00SXVUETU/ref=pd_cp_328_2?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=EM24BM53XBQSEHMWX17C&th=1

I’m terribly curious about this. However I don’t have access to an oscilloscope so I’m limited in my ability to investigate.

You’d think by now someone would’ve invented a smartphone oscilloscope adapter of some sort, maybe with Bluetooth or usb.

Instead this seems to be the cheapest option on Amazon: SainSmart DSO Pocket Size Portable Handheld Mini Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO202) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SXVUETU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GsaeBbKQQTB2V

Or there’s this one which seems to make a lot more sense for $20 less:
Oscilloscope Multimeter, LIUMY Professional Handheld LED Scopemeter Oscilloscope Multimeter with 200ksps A/D Automatic Waveform Capture Function, DC/AC Voltage /Current, Resistance Test with Backlight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F1H3PG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4uaeBbMKPB5A9

Very tempting. But I realize not exactly economically prudent to throw more money at investigating something that what the thing is worth. Then again a multimeter with a digital oscope built in would probably be a great tool to have while maintaining an old RV.

This is definitely not going to end without me buying an oscope. I’ve wanted one for many years and as I poke around I keep finding cheaper and cheaper options. There’s a lot you assemble yourself for $40, that looks fun. And for $60 there’s a pretty basic one that almost looks like a toy but is probably good enough. Hmm. So many choices!

https://www.amazon.com/JYE-DSO-138-Open-Source/dp/B00WAQGGZA

Get a chepo pocket o-scope if you are just getting into electronics for fun.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/468

or even a goofy DIY kit.

https://www.amazon.com/JYE-DSO-138-Open-Source/dp/B00WAQGGZA/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_328_lp_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9JTRDYN25MFPEP76CF98

Then, if you're still interested and having fun, get a proper scope.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/681

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00WAQGGZA/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1500403429&sr=8-7&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=dso138

I know a couple guys who have tried turings, and given up. I'd suggest something easier first.

Try this 20$ oscilloscope:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WAQGGZA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Looks like the XR2206 based function generator. Neat little kit. Not the most precise generator out there but it's useful.
https://www.amazon.com/KKmoon-Precision-Generator-Adjustable-Frequency/dp/B01HM70CMY/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1524886358&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=xr2206+function+generator&psc=1

> same rate

Exactly the same rate? Generate a single stream of pulses, feed the same stream of pulses to both stepper drivers.

You don't need a micro. All you need is a pulse generator or signal generator like this one.

It's simple to measure power draw if you have multi-meter and willing to cut open a short extension USB cable to measure current and voltage at the point near the sensors usb connector.

You can also use these devices, but they aren't as accurate.
https://www.amazon.com/Multimeter-YZXstudio-KAAYEE-Recognition-Resistance/dp/B01KTV9RHQ/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1485270055&sr=8-8&keywords=usb+power+meter

Some people are sensitive to high levels of EMF. It can give you vertigo, paranoia, etc. This EMF meter can give you an idea of your exposure. In a server room, I expect it to be pretty high anyway.

Others have already covered the other sources: CO, air pressure, white noise, etc.

A faraday cage will block electromagnetic fields (EMF). You can make one with simple chicken wire or similar. Any conductive material in a mesh configuration (or solid like aluminum foil).

The real question is why are you worried about it? Is it causing interference with equipment of some kind?

Keep in mind that you can measure the electromagnetic fields with a Gaussmeter. Unless you're standing directly underneath high-voltage power lines or are right up next to it, your exposure is about the same as as normal backround EMF levels in your house just from having power, sockets, devices, etc. in your house.

They have used em meters since the 18th or 19th century in seances and like hauntings. This gives their bullshit a scientific garb.

To anyone interested, similar multimeters go on sale for $1-3 every now and then. I've gotten two from different brands from watching SlickDeals.