Arduino enthusiast Koltykov A.V. has created a relatively simple and accurate method of measuring power, voltage and current of a signal based around an Arduino and a small external circuit. Naturally an Arduino can't make the measurements itself, so the creator has used a ZXCT1010 high-side current sense monitor IC - which allows for an input voltage of between 2.5 and 20 V DC and current measurement up to 2 A. The voltage is returned via a simple resistor voltage divider back to an analogue input pin, and the current is returned via the IC to a second analogue input. The final calculatations take place in the sketch, with the results displayed on a graphic LCD, for example:
Naturally you can use other methods to display the data. This would be a handy project to add battery or power monitoring to projects or just as the basis for a different piece of test equipment on the bench. Either way, all the details are available on the project page. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
When adding external circuitry such as the measurement circuit described above to your next Arduino project, and need to make it more permanent than using a solderless breadboard - consider our range of ProtoShields. From the tiny LeoStick to the Mega range, we offer a complete range for you to work with.
