SmartDC · Data center power monitoring

The power behind your servers, measured end to end.

SmartDC is one place to see the electricity feeding your servers, from the utility connection through the UPS to the rack, and to catch what is going wrong while it is still an advisory and not an outage.

What this is

A window onto the power, not a remote control.

A data center depends on a long chain of electrical equipment: the utility connection, the UPS that converts power to DC and back, the batteries that carry the load through a failure, and the distribution that reaches every rack. A problem rarely starts where it finally shows up. A connection can run warm long before anything trips, and a disturbance on the incoming supply only matters if it gets through to the servers.

SmartDC measures that whole chain and brings it together in one place, on both independent power paths. It watches the electrical system, not the servers’ software or network: if you already monitor those, this is what watches the power underneath them.

  • 99Measurements defined
  • 15Disciplines
  • 2Independent paths
  • 2 sDashboard refresh
Where it measures

Five AC meters and a monitored DC link, on each path.

Power reaches a server through a chain, and each point on it answers a different question. This is one path. A second, independent copy runs beside it, with no DC tie between them, so losing one leaves the other carrying the load.

AC meter

Static bypass

Energized and unloaded in normal operation. It is measured anyway, because it is the way around the UPS.

  1. AC meter

    Utility incomer

    What the utility is delivering, before anything of ours touches it.

  2. AC meter

    UPS rectifier input

    What actually reaches the UPS, and how the rectifier loads the supply.

  3. AC meter

    UPS inverter output

    What the UPS is producing for the load, whatever the supply is doing upstream.

  4. AC meter

    PDU / rack feed

    What finally reaches the racks. This is the reading the servers live with.

BMS

Battery, through DC/DC

Charge, health, cell voltages, temperatures and estimated runtime.

The reference design

The numbers it is drawn around.

A reference, not a limit. Voltage class, grounding, ratings and sensor selection all get mapped to your installation.

AC distributionThree-phase, four-wire wye; 400/230 V · 50 Hz is also modeled
480/277 V · 60 Hz
UPS operating modeInput, rectifier, DC link, inverter, AC distribution; bypass energized and unloaded
Double conversion
UPS DC linkTwo-wire +/− with PE; floating IT; no neutral
800 VDC pole-to-pole
TopologySix inverter sections per path; no DC tie between A and B
Independent A / B
Bus continuous limitVerify installation derating
4,000 A per bus
Tap-off continuous limit12 monitored feeders in 6 pairs
800 A per feeder
RectifiersN+1 allowance of 3.2 MW, also limited by bus ampacity
9 × 400 kW per path
Redundant bus capacityOne surviving path, out of 6.4 MW installed across both
3.2 MW
AC power-quality meters5 locations on each of 2 paths
10
DC power meters2 DC mains and 12 inverter feeds
14
Thermal channels12 joints and 4 conductor channels
16
Insulation monitorsOne on each isolated bus
2
Residual-current sensorsDC-capable; AC+DC RMS
2
What it does

One system, from the utility to the rack.

It follows the power through every stage, tests readings against your limits, and shows how far each one can be trusted. All of it runs in the demo, on a simulated data center in your browser, and nothing you do there touches any equipment.

Site

  • Site overview

    The whole site in one view: the power chain from the utility to the rack on both paths, what is protected and how much margin is left, how long the batteries would last, and every active alarm.

    Open in the demo →

AC distribution

  • AC power quality

    The live state of the supply at whichever meter you choose: voltage, current, frequency, real and apparent power and power factor on each phase, with the conversion path, a phase diagram, line voltages, unbalance, neutral current and 24 hours of energy and demand.

    Open in the demo →
  • Harmonics & waveform

    Distortion broken down order by order, from the 2nd harmonic to the 50th, for voltage or current and for each phase. Alongside it, the shape of the waveform, neutral loading, crest factor and flicker, with waveform distortion kept apart from the demand-based figure a compliance study uses.

    Open in the demo →
  • Power quality events

    Every sag, swell, interruption and transient, with how deep it went, how long it lasted and which phases it touched. The disturbance upstream sits next to what the UPS output did at the same moment, so you can see whether it ever reached the load.

    Open in the demo →
  • PQ test workspace

    Take a reading from a meter or import one from a CSV file, and check it against limits you set: voltage, frequency, distortion, unbalance, power factor and phase rotation. Each run freezes its evidence and its limits, and exports as a CSV report or a JSON record.

    Open in the demo →

UPS DC bus

  • UPS DC overview

    Both 800 V buses at a glance: power, voltage, loading, a one-line diagram, demand trends and every feeder. Choose a feeder and you get its voltage, current, power and joint temperature, its breaker state, and what its load would become if its paired feed were lost.

    Open in the demo →
  • DC electrical

    Pole-to-pole and pole-to-earth voltage, current, ripple and power for each bus, the loss across the distribution, and triggered captures of the fast dips a slow display would never catch.

    Open in the demo →
  • Thermal health

    A map of every bus joint and tap-off, by temperature or by rise above ambient, with rate of rise, voltage drop and estimated resistance. A joint running hotter than its neighbours stands out, and a sensor that has stopped reporting shows as unknown, not as fine.

    Open in the demo →
  • Protection & alarms

    Active conditions explained in plain language, insulation and residual current, protective device status, alarm thresholds and event history. Acknowledging an alarm records that someone saw it, and the condition stays active until it actually clears.

    Open in the demo →
  • Energy & backup

    Energy and rolling demand, the capacity left if one path is lost, the status of every rectifier module, and each battery’s charge, health and estimated runtime.

    Open in the demo →

Workspace

  • System health

    Which sensors are reporting, how the gateways and clocks are doing, which channels have gone stale, and what is still waiting on commissioning. It is how you know how far to trust every other reading.

    Open in the demo →
  • Measurement library

    Every measurement defined in one searchable, exportable place: its unit, its type, the instrument behind it and how to read it, with the standards and technical references behind them.

    Open in the demo →
  • Reports

    A daily operations report written from the same readings: energy, peak demand, capacity, backup, the hottest joints, power quality events and the alarm log, ready to print, save as a PDF or export.

    Open in the demo →
  • Fault simulator

    See what the system does on a bad day. Take out a utility feed or a whole UPS path, overheat a joint, fail a rectifier module or fault the insulation, and every reading, diagram and alarm responds.

    Open in the demo →
A worked example

A warm joint, start to finish.

01

A joint starts running warm

Joint J04-A climbs to about 63 °C, around 35 K above its local ambient, while its neighbours sit in the mid-40s. The voltage drop across it puts its estimated resistance at about twice theirs, and it is rising faster than any of them.

02

An advisory goes up

It crosses the 60 °C advisory limit. The advisory names the joint, the feeder and the reason, next to the current, the rate of rise and what its paired feed would carry if this one were lost. The system itself trips nothing.

03

Someone goes and looks

Acknowledging it records that someone saw it, and the condition stays active. The answer is an inspection arranged under the site’s own electrical work procedures, while it is still a maintenance job.

That joint is running in the demo.

Open Thermal health, choose J04-A, and follow it from the map to the feeder, the advisory and what its paired feed would carry.

See it for yourself

Break it on purpose.

The fault simulator takes out a utility feed or a whole UPS path, overheats a joint, fails a rectifier module or faults the insulation. Every reading, diagram and alarm responds, and nothing touches any equipment.

Run a fault
Alarms

Thresholds, delays and a way back.

An alarm that resets as soon as a reading dips is noise, so each limit comes with a delay and a separate reset point. These are starting points for monitoring, not protective relay or breaker settings, and they get reviewed against your equipment.

  • Connection temperature≥ 60 °CAdvisory after 30 s · resets below 55 °C
  • Temperature critical≥ 75 °C10 s delay · resets below 70 °C
  • Thermal sample age> 30 sStale until a fresh valid sample arrives
  • Insulation resistance< 0.50 MΩValid IMD result · 10 s delay · resets above 0.60 MΩ
  • Residual AC+DC RMS> 30 mADC–1 kHz · 10 s delay · resets below 25 mA
  • Bus undervoltage< 760 VDC500 ms delay · resets above 770 VDC
  • Bus overvoltage> 840 VDC500 ms delay · resets below 830 VDC
  • Bus loading> 80%60 s delay · resets below 75%
Everything it measures

Every measurement, defined.

Ninety-nine definitions across fifteen disciplines. Which ones apply depends on the sensors fitted at your site, and the cadences are targets. Open a group for the detail.

UPS DC bus and data quality

VoltageWhether the DC bus is where it should be, and whether the floating system is drifting relative to earth.6
  • Pole-to-pole DC voltage

    V01 · V DC

    Measured

    Mean voltage between positive and negative conductors at each main bus and feeder. The nominal system value is 800 V pole-to-pole.

    Instrument: Isolated DC voltage inputCadence: 1 s aggregate; 2 s display

  • Positive pole to PE

    V02 · V DC

    Measured

    Signed positive-conductor potential relative to protective earth. On a floating IT system this may drift; it is not a regulated +400 V rail.

    Instrument: High-impedance isolated voltage inputCadence: 1 s aggregate; 2 s display

  • Negative pole to PE

    V03 · V DC

    Measured

    Signed negative-conductor potential relative to protective earth. Together with positive-to-PE voltage, reveals displacement of the floating system.

    Instrument: High-impedance isolated voltage inputCadence: 1 s aggregate; 2 s display

  • Voltage minimum and maximum

    V04 · V DC · time

    Measured

    Lowest and highest pole-to-pole voltage in the selected period, with timestamps and the meter aggregation interval. Separate from waveform event extrema.

    Instrument: DC meter extrema registersCadence: 1 s extrema; retained history

  • Distribution voltage drop

    V05 · V · %

    Derived

    Upstream voltage minus feeder-end voltage; percent drop uses upstream voltage. Compare time-aligned readings under stable load and account for meter uncertainty.

    Instrument: Synchronized upstream/downstream metersCadence: 1 s calculation

  • Pole-to-earth displacement

    V06 · V DC

    Derived

    Common-mode potential = (Vpositive-to-PE + Vnegative-to-PE) / 2. Diagnostic only; a balanced value does not prove healthy insulation.

    Instrument: Signed pole-to-PE voltage inputsCadence: 1 s calculation

CurrentHow much current each bus, feeder and parallel conductor is carrying, and in which direction.5
  • Signed main-bus current

    I01 · A DC

    Measured

    Current through each independent bus. Positive denotes source-to-load flow; negative denotes reverse flow. Do not sum outgoing and returning conductor magnitudes as load current.

    Instrument: DC-rated Hall, zero-flux or isolated shunt sensorCadence: 1 s aggregate; 2 s display

  • Signed feeder current

    I02 · A DC

    Measured

    Branch current for each rack or zone. Retain the circuit rating and polarity convention alongside the measurement.

    Instrument: DC sensor at every monitored tap-offCadence: 1 s aggregate; 2 s display

  • Parallel conductor current

    I03 · A DC

    Measured

    Current in each parallel positive or negative conductor where sensors are fitted. Supports identification of uneven sharing and overloaded individual paths.

    Instrument: Individual DC sensors on parallel conductorsCadence: 1 s aggregate

  • Parallel conductor sharing error

    I04 · %

    Derived

    100 × maximum absolute deviation from the mean conductor current / absolute mean current, calculated for parallel conductors of the same pole. Suppress near zero load.

    Instrument: Time-aligned parallel conductor current inputsCadence: 1 s calculation

  • Peak current and event timestamp

    I05 · A · time

    Measured

    Highest current with capture interval and timestamp. High-speed event peaks are distinct from peaks of slow display aggregates.

    Instrument: DC meter peak register / waveform recorderCadence: Event capture plus 1 s aggregate

Power & energyWhat is being consumed, how close each bus and feeder is to its limit, and what is lost along the way.7
  • Signed DC active power

    P01 · kW

    Measured

    Mean of simultaneous instantaneous voltage × current samples. Positive is import to the load. Mean voltage × mean current is only a steady-state approximation when ripple correlation is negligible.

    Instrument: Synchronized DC power meterCadence: 1 s meter aggregate

  • 15-minute rolling demand

    P02 · kW

    Derived

    Average imported power over a rolling 15-minute window ending at each 5-minute sample boundary. The dashboard uses rolling demand rather than fixed demand blocks.

    Instrument: Meter or historianCadence: Recalculate at 5 min sample boundaries

  • Maximum 15-minute rolling demand

    P03 · kW · time

    Derived

    Largest rolling 15-minute demand in the selected period, evaluated at 5-minute sample boundaries, with interval start and end timestamps. Independent per-path maxima must not be added.

    Instrument: Historian demand archiveCadence: Evaluate at 5 min sample boundaries

  • Imported energy

    P04 · kWh

    Measured

    Time integral of positive active power. Keep cumulative, interval and daily totals distinct, with reset/rollover handling.

    Instrument: DC energy meter import registerCadence: 1 min history; 2 s display

  • Exported energy

    P05 · kWh

    Measured

    Time integral of negative active power, reported as a positive exported-energy quantity. Do not hide reverse energy inside a net-only register.

    Instrument: DC energy meter export registerCadence: 1 min history; 2 s display

  • Bus and feeder utilization

    P06 · % · A spare

    Derived

    Absolute current divided by the applicable continuous operating limit. A configured nameplate rating is not automatically the allowable installed operating limit.

    Instrument: Current inputs plus approved operating limitsCadence: 1 s calculation

  • Distribution loss and efficiency

    P07 · kW · %

    Derived

    Loss = input power minus summed downstream power, adjusted for storage and other branches. Efficiency = output/input. Flag results below combined meter uncertainty.

    Instrument: Synchronized input/output DC power metersCadence: 1 min average

DC qualityThe ripple sitting on top of the DC, and the fast sags and swells a slow display would miss.7
  • AC-component voltage ripple RMS

    Q01 · V RMS

    Measured

    RMS of v(t) minus its DC mean. Always retain the measurement bandwidth, window and sample rate; example design band is 10 Hz–20 kHz.

    Instrument: Isolated waveform analyzerCadence: 1 s result; ≥100 kS/s acquisition

  • Voltage ripple peak-to-peak

    Q02 · V p-p

    Measured

    Maximum minus minimum AC-component voltage over the stated capture window and bandwidth. Not interchangeable with RMS ripple.

    Instrument: Isolated waveform analyzerCadence: 1 s result; ≥100 kS/s acquisition

  • Voltage ripple factor

    Q03 · %

    Derived

    100 × AC-component voltage RMS / absolute DC mean voltage, using the same observation interval. State the bandwidth and suppress near zero DC voltage.

    Instrument: Ripple RMS and DC voltage inputsCadence: 1 s calculation

  • AC-component current ripple RMS

    Q04 · A RMS · %

    Measured

    RMS of current after removing its DC mean, with declared bandwidth. Relative ripple uses absolute mean current and is invalid near zero current.

    Instrument: DC-capable current sensor plus waveform analyzerCadence: 1 s result; ≥100 kS/s acquisition

  • Sag, swell and interruption captures

    Q05 · V · ms · count

    Measured

    Event type, threshold, start time, duration, minimum/maximum and pre/post-trigger waveform. Event duration comes from local fast acquisition, never inferred from 2-second dashboard polling.

    Instrument: Triggered voltage/current waveform recorderCadence: Hardware-triggered event capture

  • Voltage slew rate

    Q06 · V/ms

    Derived

    Maximum and minimum dV/dt over a specified event window. Derivative results must include sample interval and filtering to avoid presenting noise as a transient.

    Instrument: Filtered high-speed voltage waveformCadence: Triggered waveform calculation

  • Current slew rate

    Q07 · A/ms

    Derived

    Maximum and minimum dI/dt with capture interval, sensor bandwidth and filter settings. Useful for dynamic load and fault-event diagnostics.

    Instrument: Filtered high-speed current waveformCadence: Triggered waveform calculation

ThermalHot spots at bus joints and terminations, and the voltage drop that helps explain them.7
  • Joint and conductor temperature

    T01 · °C

    Measured

    Positive and negative bar joints, terminations and conductor temperatures with location identifiers. IR measurements require valid emissivity and line-of-sight assumptions.

    Instrument: Installed contact sensors / calibrated IR systemCadence: 5 s acquisition

  • Local ambient temperature

    T02 · °C

    Measured

    Local air temperature paired with each thermal zone. Use it to distinguish high room temperature from local connection heating.

    Instrument: Ambient sensor near each monitored enclosureCadence: 5 s acquisition

  • Temperature rise above ambient

    T03 · °C rise

    Derived

    Joint temperature minus local ambient temperature using aligned readings. Operating limits depend on the approved equipment, insulation and installation.

    Instrument: Joint and matching ambient sensorsCadence: 5 s calculation

  • Temperature rate of rise

    T04 · °C/min

    Derived

    Slope over a specified recent window, such as five minutes, with concurrent current/loading trend. A fast rise can matter before an absolute limit is reached.

    Instrument: Temperature historianCadence: 1 min calculation

  • Connection voltage drop

    T05 · mV

    Measured

    Small differential voltage across a defined connection under load. Measurement must tolerate the bus common-mode voltage and use suitable isolation.

    Instrument: Isolated differential input across instrumented jointCadence: 1 s aggregate

  • Estimated connection resistance

    T06 · µΩ

    Derived

    R = 1000 × joint voltage drop in mV / current in A. Valid only at sufficient, stable current after offset compensation; this is an online estimate, not an offline micro-ohmmeter test.

    Instrument: Joint mV drop and matching current sensorCadence: 1 min stable-load estimate

  • Estimated connection heating loss

    T07 · W

    Derived

    Approximate resistive loss = I RMS squared × R. With R in µΩ divide by 1,000,000. Distinguish this local estimate from metered whole-path losses.

    Instrument: Estimated joint resistance and RMS currentCadence: 1 min stable-load estimate

InsulationWhether the floating system is still properly isolated from earth, and where a fault is if one appears.6
  • System insulation resistance

    G01 · MΩ

    Measured

    Effective resistance of the connected active system to PE. Trend each independent bus and retain response time, self-test status and lowest recorded value.

    Instrument: Insulation monitoring device for floating IT DCCadence: Native IMD update; display age explicitly

  • Pole-specific insulation estimate

    G02 · MΩ

    Derived

    Positive-to-PE and negative-to-PE estimates only if the selected IMD provides valid pole-specific data. Never infer an exact insulation resistance from pole voltage alone.

    Instrument: Compatible IMD diagnostic registers, if availableCadence: Native device update; otherwise N/A

  • System leakage capacitance

    G03 · µF

    Measured

    Connected system capacitance to PE. It affects insulation-monitor response and fault behavior; retain the IMD permitted capacitance and response characteristics.

    Instrument: Compatible IMD capacitance measurementCadence: Native IMD update

  • Residual / earth-leakage current

    G04 · mA DC / RMS

    Measured

    Residual current around all active conductors, with bandwidth and DC/RMS basis stated. On a floating system this complements the IMD; it does not replace insulation-resistance monitoring.

    Instrument: DC-capable zero-flux residual sensorCadence: 1 s aggregate; local event detection

  • IMD health and connection status

    G05 · state · time

    Status

    Device healthy/fault, test result and measuring-lead continuity. If buses are coupled, coordinate IMDs according to the approved architecture; do not assume independent monitors can operate on one connected system.

    Instrument: IMD self-test and connection monitoringCadence: Device event; 2 s status poll

  • Located insulation fault

    G06 · circuit · state

    Status

    Identified feeder, locator confidence/status and event time when a fault-locator is installed. Show Not instrumented if unavailable; residual current alone does not prove the location of an IT insulation fault.

    Instrument: Compatible insulation-fault location systemCadence: Native locator scan / event

ProtectionWhat breakers, trip units, contactors and surge devices report, kept separate from their configured ratings.7
  • Breaker position and trip state

    R01 · state

    Status

    Closed, open, tripped or unknown for every main and branch device. Distinguish position feedback from commands and from current flowing through the circuit.

    Instrument: Independent breaker auxiliary/trip contactsCadence: Event-driven; 2 s display

  • Trip cause and sequence of events

    R02 · cause · time

    Status

    Latched cause, trip timestamp, operation sequence and captured fault data where supported. Preserve acknowledged versus cleared states and source timestamp quality.

    Instrument: Protection relay / trip-unit event recordCadence: Device event; source resolution retained

  • Protection and trip circuit health

    R03 · state

    Status

    Trip-unit healthy, auxiliary supply healthy and trip-circuit continuity where supervised. No status may be labelled healthy when the channel is stale or absent.

    Instrument: Trip-unit diagnostics and supervision contactsCadence: Device event; 2 s status poll

  • DC device ratings

    R04 · V DC · A · kA

    Configured

    Rated DC voltage/current and applicable interrupting/withstand ratings, with required pole configuration and conditions. These are engineering metadata, not measured fault current or a live safety margin.

    Instrument: Approved manufacturer nameplate and coordination studyCadence: Engineering change control

  • Protection and alarm settings

    R05 · A · V · ms · °C · MΩ

    Configured

    Pickup, time delay, hysteresis, latching and reset rules, separately identifying hardware protection and dashboard alarms. Example dashboard thresholds are not approved equipment settings.

    Instrument: Approved device settings / alarm configurationCadence: Engineering change control

  • Fuse, contactor, precharge and SPD health

    R06 · state

    Status

    Show each fitted fuse alarm, contactor position, precharge ready/fault and surge protective device condition separately. Use Not instrumented for devices without feedback.

    Instrument: Instrumented auxiliary contacts and controller registersCadence: Event-driven; 2 s status poll

  • Arc detection status

    R07 · state · time

    Status

    Detector health and alarm record only where an appropriate detector is installed. An absent alarm, normal bus telemetry or dashboard status cannot establish absence of arcing.

    Instrument: Qualified DC arc detection system, if fittedCadence: Detector event; otherwise Not instrumented

SourcesRectifiers, batteries, and what remains available if one complete path is lost.10
  • Rectifier module availability

    S01 · online / total · state

    Status

    Available, failed, standby and current-limited modules, including controller health. Available output capacity must reflect failed modules and operating derating.

    Instrument: Rectifier controllerCadence: Event-driven; 2 s poll

  • Rectifier current sharing

    S02 · A / module · %

    Derived

    Individual module output currents and maximum deviation from the mean among active modules. Evaluate at sufficient load and account for differing module ratings.

    Instrument: Rectifier per-module DC current registersCadence: 1 s aggregate

  • Rectifier conversion efficiency

    S03 · %

    Derived

    100 × DC output active power / AC input active power over the same interval. AC power quality belongs to the upstream meter view; it is not a DC bus measurement.

    Instrument: Synchronized AC input and DC output power metersCadence: 1 min average

  • Battery state of charge

    S04 · %

    Derived

    BMS-reported remaining charge fraction with data age and BMS estimation quality. State of charge is an estimate, not a direct guarantee of available runtime.

    Instrument: Battery management system estimateCadence: Native BMS update; 5 s display

  • Battery state of health

    S05 · %

    Derived

    BMS-reported health using the manufacturer definition and reference capacity. Track test date and estimator availability.

    Instrument: Battery management system estimateCadence: Native BMS update

  • Battery power and discharge limit

    S06 · kW · A

    Measured

    Signed charge/discharge power and current, permitted discharge power/current, temperature derating and contactor readiness. Show polarity convention explicitly.

    Instrument: BMS / DC-DC converter and battery DC meterCadence: 1 s aggregate; native limit update

  • Usable battery energy and runtime

    S07 · kWh · min

    Derived

    Estimated runtime = bus-side usable energy / protected load × 60. Apply conversion efficiency only if energy is specified upstream of the converter. BMS discharge limits and actual contingency load still apply.

    Instrument: BMS, approved reserve policy and load meteringCadence: 5 s estimate

  • Battery cell and temperature extrema

    S08 · V · mV · °C

    Measured

    Lowest/highest cell voltage, cell spread, hottest/coldest temperature and sensor location. Include BMS warning and fault states.

    Instrument: BMS cell-level telemetryCadence: Native BMS update; 5 s display

  • Independent path availability

    S09 · A/B state

    Status

    Availability of each complete source-to-load path, including module, breaker and dual-input load readiness. A closed main breaker alone does not prove redundancy.

    Instrument: Source, breaker and distribution status modelCadence: Event-driven state evaluation

  • Post-contingency capacity and headroom

    S10 · MW · %

    Derived

    Evaluate surviving source, bus, feeder and load-input limits after one path is lost. For two 800 V / 4000 A buses, nominal per-path power is 3.2 MW; 6.4 MW installed is not 6.4 MW redundant capacity.

    Instrument: Approved topology, operating limits and actual loadCadence: 1 s estimate; topology changes revalidated

Data qualityHow far each reading can be trusted: its age, clock sync, calibration and coverage.5
  • Sample age and validity

    D01 · s · quality

    Status

    Good, stale, missing, out-of-range or substituted flags per measurement. Suppress derived healthy conclusions when any required input is invalid.

    Instrument: Telemetry gateway and source timestampsCadence: Every received sample

  • Time synchronization quality

    D02 · ms · state

    Measured

    Clock source, offset and synchronization state for meters, gateways and event recorders. Unsynchronized readings cannot support precise event ordering or small loss calculations.

    Instrument: PTP/NTP status and clock offset diagnosticsCadence: 10 s health update

  • Calibration and measurement uncertainty

    D03 · date · % / absolute

    Configured

    Sensor/meter identification, range, accuracy, calibration date and due date. Include voltage-divider and current-sensor uncertainty when judging small changes or calculated losses.

    Instrument: Calibration records and complete measurement chainCadence: Calibration / engineering record update

  • Acquisition and historian configuration

    D04 · S/s · Hz · s

    Configured

    Acquisition sample rate, analog bandwidth, filters, averaging window, dashboard refresh and retention. These are distinct; slow polling cannot reconstruct fast electrical transients.

    Instrument: Meter and historian configurationCadence: Configuration change control

  • Communications and sensor availability

    D05 · online / total · ms

    Status

    Expected versus reporting channels, link latency, packet loss and gateway state. Coverage must be calculated against the configured inventory, not only devices that happen to report.

    Instrument: Gateway diagnostics and expected-device inventoryCadence: 2 s status update

AC distribution

AC voltagePhase and line voltage, frequency, rotation and unbalance at each AC meter.6
  • Phase-to-neutral RMS voltage

    AC-V01 · V RMS

    Measured

    Total true-RMS L1-N, L2-N and L3-N voltages for a configured three-phase four-wire wye system. Profiles use 480/√3 V at 60 Hz or 400/√3 V at 50 Hz; line-to-neutral values are not assumed identical.

    Instrument: Three isolated AC voltage channelsCadence: Local cycle aggregates; 2 s display

  • Line-to-line RMS voltage

    AC-V02 · V RMS

    Measured

    RMS of L1-L2, L2-L3 and L3-L1 differential waveforms, including modeled harmonics. Under unbalance, calculate each line voltage from its actual phase waveforms rather than multiplying an average by √3.

    Instrument: Synchronized phase-voltage channelsCadence: Local cycle aggregates; 2 s display

  • Frequency and extrema

    AC-V03 · Hz · time

    Measured

    Measured fundamental frequency with timestamped minimum and maximum over an explicitly defined interval. Frequency and 50/60 Hz belong to the AC-side measurement points, not the internal 800 VDC link.

    Instrument: AC power-quality meter / PLLCadence: Native meter frequency interval

  • Phase rotation

    AC-V04 · sequence

    Status

    Positive sequence L1 → L2 → L3, reverse sequence or unknown. Keep phase labels and sensor polarity consistent through commissioning; a missing or invalid phase must invalidate the sequence conclusion.

    Instrument: Three-phase voltage phasorsCadence: Local phasor update

  • Negative-sequence voltage unbalance

    AC-V05 · %

    Derived

    100 × magnitude of negative-sequence voltage / magnitude of positive-sequence voltage. This differs from maximum RMS magnitude deviation from the three-phase mean; label both definitions separately.

    Instrument: Synchronized fundamental voltage phasorsCadence: Fundamental phasor interval

  • Neutral-to-PE voltage

    AC-V06 · V RMS

    Measured

    Neutral-to-protective-earth potential at the monitored AC point, with connection and bandwidth stated. This requires its own measurement channel and is not inferred from phase-voltage unbalance.

    Instrument: Additional isolated voltage channelCadence: If fitted: local RMS aggregate

AC currentPhase and neutral current, unbalance, crest factor and phase angles.6
  • Phase RMS current

    AC-I01 · A RMS

    Measured

    Total true-RMS current per phase, including harmonic components. Current-sensor ratio, polarity, bandwidth, burden and saturation performance must match the application.

    Instrument: Three suitable CTs or isolated current sensorsCadence: Local cycle aggregates; 2 s display

  • Neutral RMS current

    AC-I02 · A RMS

    Measured

    Neutral current includes phase unbalance and triplen harmonics. It can be measured directly or derived by summing the three instantaneous phase currents, and the display should say which.

    Instrument: Neutral current sensor; synchronized phasor estimate optionalCadence: Local cycle aggregates; 2 s display

  • Negative-sequence current unbalance

    AC-I03 · %

    Derived

    100 × negative-sequence current magnitude / positive-sequence current magnitude. Suppress ratios at insufficient current and distinguish sequence unbalance from simple phase-current magnitude spread.

    Instrument: Synchronized fundamental current phasorsCadence: Fundamental phasor interval

  • Voltage and current crest factors

    AC-I04 · ratio

    Derived

    Absolute waveform peak divided by total RMS over the same capture interval. A distorted waveform may exceed the sinusoidal √2 ratio. Current crest factor is undefined on the unloaded bypass.

    Instrument: Time-aligned waveform samplesCadence: Native waveform interval

  • Voltage/current phasors

    AC-I05 · V · A · degrees

    Derived

    Per-phase fundamental RMS magnitude and phase angle on a common reference. Current displacement from its own voltage establishes fundamental lead/lag; phasors do not depict total harmonic distortion.

    Instrument: Fundamental-frequency phasor estimatorCadence: Synchronized fundamental intervals

  • Residual / protective-earth current

    AC-I06 · mA RMS · bandwidth

    Status

    Residual current measured around all live conductors is separate from load neutral current. Converter loads require a sensor suited to the possible AC/DC components. Preserve sensor type and bandwidth.

    Instrument: Dedicated residual-current sensor, if fittedCadence: If fitted

AC power & energyActive, apparent and reactive power, power factor, energy and demand.7
  • AC active power

    AC-P01 · kW

    Measured

    Mean instantaneous voltage × current per phase, summed for total power. Includes real harmonic power where both voltage and current harmonics exist. Positive denotes import from source toward the load.

    Instrument: Synchronized multiphase power meterCadence: Local waveform aggregate; 2 s display

  • Apparent power

    AC-P02 · kVA

    Derived

    This dashboard defines total apparent power as the arithmetic sum of per-phase Vrms × Irms. Other effective-apparent-power conventions exist; preserve the meter definition when integrating real equipment.

    Instrument: Synchronized RMS voltage/current meterCadence: Same interval as active power

  • Fundamental reactive power Q1

    AC-P03 · kvar

    Derived

    Sum of per-phase V1 × I1 × sin(displacement angle). Positive is lagging. Q1 excludes harmonic and distortion contributions; do not assume kVA² = kW² + Q1² under distorted conditions.

    Instrument: Fundamental voltage/current phasorsCadence: Fundamental phasor interval

  • True power factor

    AC-P04 · ratio

    Derived

    True PF = active power / apparent power using the stated total-kVA convention. Includes waveform distortion effects and is undefined when the monitored bypass carries zero apparent power.

    Instrument: AC active and apparent powerCadence: Same interval as power

  • Displacement power factor

    AC-P05 · ratio · lead/lag

    Derived

    Cosine of the fundamental voltage-current displacement angle per phase. Total DPF here is total fundamental active power / summed fundamental apparent power. It is distinct from true PF on nonlinear loads.

    Instrument: Fundamental voltage/current phasorsCadence: Fundamental phasor interval

  • AC imported and exported energy

    AC-P06 · kWh

    Measured

    Accumulate positive and negative active energy separately; net energy is import minus export. Totals derived from other meters are not billing-grade registers.

    Instrument: Bidirectional AC energy registersCadence: Native registers; 1 min history

  • Rolling demand and peak demand

    AC-P07 · kW · time

    Derived

    Rolling 15-minute average active power evaluated at 5-minute sample boundaries, plus its maximum over the stated history window. Per-path peaks are not added unless their demand intervals coincide.

    Instrument: Meter or synchronized historianCadence: 5 min sample boundaries

AC harmonicsDistortion order by order, kept apart from the demand-based figures used in compliance studies.6
  • Voltage THD-F

    AC-H01 · %

    Derived

    100 × root-sum-square voltage RMS in harmonic orders 2–50 / fundamental voltage RMS, separately by phase. This excludes interharmonics and components above order 50; it is not a universal compliance verdict.

    Instrument: Harmonic analyzer with defined order rangeCadence: Specified harmonic analysis window

  • Current THD-F

    AC-H02 · %

    Derived

    100 × root-sum-square current RMS in orders 2–50 / fundamental current RMS. High THD at light load needs context. THD is undefined on the unloaded bypass and must not be substituted for TDD.

    Instrument: Harmonic current analyzer and suitable sensorsCadence: Specified harmonic analysis window

  • Individual voltage/current harmonics

    AC-H03 · % fundamental · V · A

    Measured

    Per-phase magnitude and phase for each harmonic order, with percent values referenced to that phase’s fundamental, across orders 2 through 50.

    Instrument: Synchronized voltage/current harmonic analyzerCadence: Native spectral window and grouping

  • Total demand distortion TDD

    AC-H04 · %

    Derived

    100 × harmonic current RMS / maximum-demand fundamental current IL. Initially unavailable until a valid IL is configured. A configured IL, a snapshot value or an arbitrary current-THD threshold does not establish IEEE 519 compliance.

    Instrument: Harmonic current plus configured demand-current basisCadence: Harmonic interval; demand basis under change control

  • Interharmonics

    AC-H05 · V / A · Hz

    Status

    Components between integer harmonics require suitable spectral grouping, windowing and instrument capability. A zero placeholder must not imply that interharmonics are absent.

    Instrument: Compatible interharmonic analyzer, if fittedCadence: If fitted

  • Conducted components from 2–150 kHz

    AC-H06 · V / A · kHz

    Status

    High-frequency conducted components require defined bandwidth, grouping, transducers and measurement methods. An orders-2–50 spectrum does not establish coverage of the 2–150 kHz band.

    Instrument: Suitable wideband analyzer and probes, if fittedCadence: If fitted

AC events & flickerSags, swells, interruptions and transients, compared upstream and downstream, plus flicker.8
  • Voltage sag

    AC-Q01 · % nominal · ms · phase

    Measured

    Store residual RMS voltage, affected phases, start/end time, duration and threshold basis.

    Instrument: Locally triggered power-quality event recorderCadence: Local event detection and retained capture

  • Voltage swell

    AC-Q02 · % nominal · ms · phase

    Measured

    Store elevated RMS voltage, event duration, affected phases and synchronized waveform/envelope. Compare to the configured nominal system voltage and documented operational threshold.

    Instrument: Locally triggered power-quality event recorderCadence: Local event detection and retained capture

  • Voltage interruption

    AC-Q03 · % nominal · ms · location

    Measured

    Record residual voltage, affected measurement point and duration. An interruption on an idle bypass source is distinct from loss of the inverter output or a load outage.

    Instrument: Locally triggered voltage recorderCadence: Local event detection and retained capture

  • Oscillatory / impulsive transient

    AC-Q04 · V peak · µs / ms

    Measured

    Instantaneous peak voltage, polarity, ringing frequency and duration from an adequately sampled capture. A transient peak is not an RMS residual percentage.

    Instrument: Appropriate high-speed transient recorderCadence: Hardware-triggered high-speed acquisition

  • Correlated input/output waveforms

    AC-Q05 · V · A · ms

    Measured

    Compare disturbance timing at the UPS input, bypass and inverter output. Retain mode, pre/post-trigger windows and clock uncertainty. A maintained output in one event does not prove equipment ride-through or transfer performance.

    Instrument: Time-synchronized upstream/downstream event recordersCadence: Local triggered buffers with synchronized clocks

  • Short-term flicker Pst

    AC-Q06 · index · 10 min

    Measured

    Short-term flicker severity from a completed 10-minute instrument interval. Pst cannot be calculated from a short snapshot waveform or a simple voltage-RMS spread.

    Instrument: Compatible IEC flickermeterCadence: Completed 10 min intervals

  • Long-term flicker Plt

    AC-Q07 · index · 2 h

    Derived

    Cube root of the mean of the cubes of 12 consecutive 10-minute Pst values. Retain all interval timestamps and validity.

    Instrument: Twelve valid consecutive Pst valuesCadence: Trailing 12 completed 10 min intervals

  • Rapid voltage changes

    AC-Q08 · % nominal · time

    Status

    Identify rapid changes in RMS voltage using the adopted measurement method, thresholds, hysteresis and event flags. Sag/swell examples do not by themselves provide RVC coverage.

    Instrument: Compatible local RVC detector, if fittedCadence: If fitted

AC system & dataUPS mode, conversion losses, ratings, and the evidence behind each meter.6
  • UPS mode and source state

    AC-S01 · state · time

    Status

    Normal double conversion, static bypass, battery operation or maintenance state from the installed system. Read-only: the monitoring system provides no switching commands.

    Instrument: UPS controller and independent position feedbackCadence: Event-driven controller status

  • Conversion-boundary power and loss

    AC-S02 · kW · %

    Derived

    Rectifier AC input, 800 VDC link, DC-fed inverter sections, inverter AC output and downstream PDU output. Calculate losses using aligned meters; do not count the same energy at successive boundaries as separate facility load.

    Instrument: Synchronized AC/DC meters at matching boundariesCadence: Aligned 1 min averages

  • AC ratings and protection metadata

    AC-S03 · V · A · kA · curve

    Configured

    Continuous limits, CT/PT ratios, short-circuit interrupting/withstand ratings and protection settings. Prospective fault current cannot be inferred from normal operating current.

    Instrument: Approved device nameplates and coordination studyCadence: Engineering change control

  • AC meter quality and commissioning state

    AC-S04 · quality · time · date

    Status

    Source timestamp, freshness, missing channels, synchronization, calibration, polarity and instrument-class evidence. A mathematically valid snapshot does not establish real meter availability or calibration.

    Instrument: Meter, gateway and commissioning recordsCadence: Every received sample and status change

  • PCC and assessment basis

    AC-S05 · configuration · evidence

    Configured

    Identify the actual point of common coupling, demand-current IL basis, fault-level basis and applicable measurement duration/statistics. Operational thresholds provide advisories only; no IEEE 519 or IEC compliance pass is implied.

    Instrument: Approved connection study and measurement planCadence: Engineering assessment; not an instantaneous reading

  • Bypass synchronization and transfer permissive

    AC-S06 · V · Hz · degrees · state

    Status

    Retain voltage, frequency and phase-angle differences plus manufacturer-reported transfer permitted/inhibited. An energized bypass alone does not prove availability for a safe transfer.

    Instrument: UPS controller and synchronized source/output measurementsCadence: Controller status and native synchronism intervals

How it behaves

The rules it is built on.

A monitoring system is only useful if you can believe it, so most of the design is about being honest with what it knows and what it does not.

  • 01

    It watches. It does not switch.

    There are no switching or trip controls anywhere in the system. It can show you what the equipment is doing, and it cannot tell the equipment what to do.

  • 02

    Protection stays where it is

    Breakers, relays and the installed control system keep doing the protecting, and any trip is theirs. Monitoring sits beside them and does not replace them.

  • 03

    Missing data stays visible

    A last-known value never poses as a current one. A stale channel is labelled and left out of the totals, and an instrument that is not fitted says “Not instrumented”, not zero.

  • 04

    Every reading shows its basis

    Each value carries its source timestamp, its quality flag and how it was acquired, and a calculated result inherits the age and quality of what went into it.

  • 05

    Fast events need fast hardware

    A display refreshing every 2 seconds cannot see a 12 ms dip. Fast events come from recorders at the equipment, with their own sampling, and never from the dashboard’s polling.

  • 06

    Estimates are called estimates

    Measured, derived, status and configured values are kept apart. A live joint resistance is an estimate under load, not a four-wire micro-ohmmeter test on a de-energized joint.

  • 07

    A reading is not a certificate

    Checks run against limits you set. IEEE 519 and IEC 61000-4-30 need a defined point of common coupling, a demand basis, documented instruments and proper observation periods, so a spot reading earns no pass or fail.

  • 08

    Installed is not redundant

    Two 3.2 MW paths are 6.4 MW installed and 3.2 MW redundant. The number that matters is what one surviving path can carry, so that is the number the system reports.

How the data travels

From the sensor to the screen.

01

Field instruments

Power-quality meters at the incomer, rectifier input, bypass, UPS output and PDU, plus isolated DC meters, thermal sensors, insulation monitors and the BMS. Acquisition stays local to each device.

02

Edge gateways

Read compatible Modbus RTU/TCP registers, then normalize units, device identity, timestamps and quality flags.

03

Site data platform

Publish through an approved MQTT, OPC UA or HTTPS integration into the historian and the facility’s monitoring system.

04

Operator dashboard

Read-only measurements, trends and an alarm workflow, showing the freshness and coverage of every channel.

Commissioning

What goes into going live.

Software alone cannot make a reading trustworthy, so commissioning builds these records with you before it goes live on your equipment. The workspace evaluates records; it does not create disturbances, run a load bank or switch your UPS.

  • 01

    Instrument inventory

    Meter and sensor IDs, serial numbers, firmware, locations, ratios, ranges and polarity.

  • 02

    Measurement chain

    CT and VT ratios, polarity, the neutral channel and phase mapping, checked through to the display.

  • 03

    Alarm configuration

    Approved thresholds, delays, hysteresis and reset policy, reviewed for the actual equipment.

  • 04

    Time and calibration

    Clock source and accuracy, calibration and due dates, and transducer uncertainty.

  • 05

    Coverage and retention

    Which points are expected, how quality is flagged, and how data is acquired and stored.

  • 06

    An approved test plan

    Load steps, battery and bypass transfers, with synchronized recordings of input and output.

Why us

This is electrical work before it is software.

Most of what is on this page has to be wired into the electrical system: current sensors on the bus and feeders, isolated voltage inputs, thermal sensors on the joints, insulation monitors on each bus. Fitted afterwards, that work competes with live equipment for space and access. Planned from the start, it goes on the same drawings as everything else.

That is why it belongs with our work on the TPI partnership. We already plan the switchboards, the switchgear and the crew that installs them as one job from the first drawing. Monitoring belongs in that same conversation.

Answers

Frequently asked questions.

Still unsure about something? Call +1 (305) 205-6409 and talk it through with someone who will be on the job.

Data centers

Plan SmartDC with the power.

Planning or upgrading a data center anywhere in South Florida? Tell us what you are building, and we will show you how it fits.