[Help] Looking for a 3D scan of a Utility Gas meter in Ontario. (lemmy.world)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by NarrativeBear@lemmy.world to c/3dprinting@lemmy.world

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I am hoping someone may have the ability to scan the front and top of a utility gas meter that looks like the one above.

I would like the use this scan to model a front cover similar to the one shown in this link below, but suited for this type of meter.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4845512

The purpose of this project is to hold a esp32 board to get consistent meter readings and feed them into home assistant. Here is the project below.

https://github.com/jomjol/AI-on-the-edge-device

Any help would be appreciated.

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[-] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 18 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Why wouldn’t you just make a camera mount that can clamp onto one of the two gas pipes and can gimbal for a good view? Seems a lot more flexible and easier to get right the first print.

[-] NarrativeBear@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago

That's actually not a half bad idea, thanks for that!

[-] Thorry84@feddit.nl 7 points 7 months ago

I don't know this exact meter, but I had a little optical sensor on my meter for years. There was a dial that rotated once per a given volume, it had a black part and a white part. This way a single led and light detector could measure exact revolutions and be able to read out the value. This way it didn't have to read the numbers, which is much harder and can't measure small increments very well.

My meter got replaced with a smart kind years ago, so now I simply have a port that can be read out directly with way more information. But my janky led and light detector thing worked very well for years. Since this was years ago it ran a very simple PIC micro, nothing like a full fledged ESP platform.

[-] nyan@lemmy.cafe 4 points 7 months ago

This model on Thingiverse looks like it might be fairly close.

[-] GentriFriedRice@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

If you're already using an esp32 why not just get a simple ultrasonic sensor and measure flow on an indoor inlet pipe? You may need to know the pressure (probably 1.7 kPa) and temperature but that should be possible to calibrate against your meter readings

Then your project just becomes a simple pipe clamp that can be indoors

[-] rambos@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago

Afaik scanning will require extra tuning steps. Alternatively you can take rough measurements of few cross sections, then print them on paper, cut the contours and check how it fits, make adjustments and repeat until you are satisfied

[-] EmoDuck@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Damn ngl that thing looks thicc af 🥵💦

[-] tagginator@utter.online -3 points 7 months ago

New Lemmy Post: [Help] Looking for a 3D scan of a Utility Gas meter in Ontario. (https://lemmy.world/post/9198864)
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[+] doctorcrimson@lemmy.today -36 points 7 months ago

Electricity and Gas Inspection Act R.S.C., 1985, c. E-4

Offences and Punishment
Marginal note: Falsification and meter frauds

30 Every person who

(a) except as authorized by or under this Act, makes, causes or procures to be made, or assists in making any certificate required under this Act or purporting to be a certificate so required or any stamp, seal, label, tag or mark prescribed for the purposes of this Act or purporting to be a stamp, seal, label, tag or mark so prescribed,

(b) knowingly sells, utters or disposes of, lets, uses, lends or exposes for sale any meter with any stamp, seal, label, tag or mark thereon made or obtained by means of the commission of an offence under paragraph (a) or section 32 or made or affixed by way of the use of anything so obtained,

(c) in relation to the administration of this Act, knowingly

(i) makes any false representation,

(ii) makes or causes to be made any false entry in any register or record,

(iii) makes or causes to be made any false document or makes any alteration, false in a material respect, to the form of a copy of any document, or

(iv) produces or tenders any document containing false information,

(d) for a fraudulent purpose,

(i) repairs or alters, or causes to be repaired or altered, or tampers with or does any other act in relation to a meter, or any wires or pipes leading to a meter, so as to cause the meter to register with an error, or

(ii) replaces any meter with a meter calculated to mislead, or

(e) with intent to defraud, obtains, consumes, uses, supplies or sells electricity or gas in relation to which any meter

(i) registers with an error caused by an offence under paragraph (d), or

(ii) in the case of commission therewith of an offence under subparagraph (d)(ii), is calculated to mislead,

is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

1980-81-82-83, c. 87, s. 30

Hope you get the scans you need, and that it's worth 5 years for whatever you're trying to do.

[-] theRealBassist@lemmy.world 19 points 7 months ago

The law you posted doesn't disallow this.

The repairs or alters section is following from "for a fraudulant purpose".

[+] doctorcrimson@lemmy.today -42 points 7 months ago

Right *WINK WINK

We're definitely modifying our meters for good reasons within the confines of the law *WINK WINK

And the Contractor and Owners of the Meter definitely considers this action to be reasonable *WINK WINK

[-] NarrativeBear@lemmy.world 19 points 7 months ago

A esp32 board is a micro-board with a camera on it, it along with the proper software will allow to see and read the digits on a dial and send them to home assistant.

Think of it like holding a camera with your hands and taking a picture of your meter readings.

[-] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

Yeah not sure how your request got misunderstood. Now if you'd said "and a display" then... Well.

[+] doctorcrimson@lemmy.today -13 points 7 months ago

So to clarify you're only trying to attach something to the outside of the meter? Because from the post it comes off as you wanting to change out part of the casing for something custom. Either way, I think this project is not worth the trouble unless you get permission from the owners of the meter, this is not the sort of waters we want to test.

[-] RubberElectrons@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

It's difficult to conclude he meant anything but that. You are more worried about the opinion of your gas company than the rest of us are, and that's fine.

You've made your point, now please hush while the rest of us live more exciting lives.

[-] PeachMan@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Lollll dude what do you think OP is doing here exactly? "Hacking" the meter? He's just trying to get an accurate reading remotely, don't be so dramatic.

[+] doctorcrimson@lemmy.today -15 points 7 months ago

I'm being helpful to OP. When he disassembles and adds or replaces parts to the meter the company will inevitably find out, they will schedule repairs to the meter (even if it isn't really "broken"), and OP will face consequences for messing with their property.

Fuck corporate, sure, but I don't think OP is going to get much value out of this.

[-] h3ndrik@feddit.de 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

You're not really helpful because you misunderstood what they're trying to do. Look at the Thingiverse link. They want to place a camera in front of the meter. Not disassemble it or touch the meter at all, except for attaching a mount that holds that camera. Not touching a meter (just barely touching the casing) and pointing a camera at it should be allowed in most countries.

But you're right, you shouldn't mess with your meters. Or rewind the mileage on your car, or swap price-tags in the store. That's all fraud and not allowed.

Btw, we have meters that have a magnet inside of the dial, so you can read it with a reed-switch.

[-] PeachMan@lemmy.world 1 points 7 months ago

It's only fraud if you're doing it to defraud somebody (like taking their money). OP is not.

[-] KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 7 months ago

When he disassembles and adds or replaces parts to the meter

TIL a fridge magnet is “disassembling, adding or replacing parts” to a refrigerator.

The fix would be lightly grasping the 3D printed part, and giving it a slight pull. There’s no disassembly, no part replacement, and no adding parts. It’s essentially a clip on camera mount.

[-] nyan@lemmy.cafe 0 points 7 months ago

A clearly-labeled plastic box smaller than the actual metal meter is not likely to cause this law to be invoked, since there is no way in hell that a reasonable person could mistake it for the real thing. It would be like mistaking a Tonka toy for actual construction equipment.

this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2023

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