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Poniie PN2000 plug-in watt-hour meter

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by Gokhan, May 16, 2020.

  1. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    I've just got the Poniie PN2000 plug-in watt-hour meter from Amazon, and it seems very nice, with a very high precision (quite a few decimal places) and accuracy (Class 1.0). Its memory is not erased if you unplug it or if there is a power failure, which is an absolute must-have. There is an auto-off backlight. It is rated at 16 amperes. I've just started using it. It seems to be of high quality and comes with a short extension cord if you need it. It measures kilowatt-hours, watts, amperes, volts, power factor, frequency, and plug-in time.

    Poniie PN2000 plug-in watt-hour meter

    [​IMG]

    One occasional customer complaint about such plug-in watt-hour meters in general is that sometimes the area around the plug leads burns or melts. I've figured out that the reason is typically not a defective product but a loose connection between the outlet and the plug leads of the watt-hour meter. When there is a loose connection, there will be contact resistance, which will create heat when current passes. A contact resistance of 1 ohm would create 10² × 1 = 100 watts if 10 amperes pass, more than enough to melt or burn the device. Such loose connections can also cause sparking. Therefore, make sure that the watt-hour meter is plugged in tightly into the outlet.
     
    #1 Gokhan, May 16, 2020
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  2. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Have you used it with the L1 EVSE? I have used a cheaper copy of "Kill-a-watt" meter rated 15A, but got fried on the first use with 12A L1. I have been using P3 International's original Kill-A-Watt meter ever since. Continuous use for over 3 years, no problem so far.
    Power Monitor - Kill A Watt EZ | P3
     
    #2 Salamander_King, May 16, 2020
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  3. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Yes, I am using it with the Toyota OEM charging cable on a 120 V outlet. However, I am setting the current to 8 A because of a circuit limitation I have in my garage.
     
    #3 Gokhan, May 16, 2020
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  4. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    It's the outlet that provides the 'Pin Grip' / "Tightness".
    All you can do is push in your device all the way, correct?

    What more can one do?

    I'll tell you: Replace the outlet you are going to use at 12A, for hours on end, with a Brand New Quality outlet.
    Think the most expensive one down at the Depot. Go crazy and spend over $10! (y)
    And use the screw connections, never the 'push-in' wire connections.

    Then for peace of mind take an IR temp reading of the new outlet after hours of charging the car.
    It's always the outlet that causes 'overheat' problems, not the device plugged.
     
    #4 Bill Norton, May 17, 2020
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  5. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    A hand temperature check should suffice, Norton and Gokhan makes some great points.
     
    #5 Andyprius1, May 17, 2020
    Last edited: May 17, 2020
  6. Andyprius1

    Andyprius1 Senior Member

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    where’s Cancel?
     
    #6 Andyprius1, May 17, 2020
  7. Old Bear

    Old Bear Senior Member

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    That looks like a very well designed device. It's a far cry from the old and very expensive Dranetz 606 power line monitors that we used to use years ago.

    Dranetz-606-power-monitor.jpg

    When I installed L2 charging equipment in our garage right after buying our Prime in 2017, I installed an inexpensive power meter on the 220-volt circuit at the distribution panel. I recall that the meter itself was less than $15 and the various other items (box, cover, conduit, etc.) was about the same.

    Watt-Hour-meter+panel.jpg

    This installation has been trouble free including the back-lighted display on the meter.
     
    #7 Old Bear, May 17, 2020
    Last edited: May 17, 2020
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  8. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Looks just like mine. Similar price. Totally pleased except I wish it showed at least one decimal place after it got over 10 kW, preferably three. If I want to check how much it actually takes to charge my battery, I have to reset the meter and then add up the subtotals when I get gas to calculate my cost per mile. But I guess that's clearly a first world problem. LOL!
     
    #8 jerrymildred, May 17, 2020
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