The Customer
This company has been a US manufacturer of high quality generators for nearly 100 years and is one of the most well-respected brands in the industry. They pride themselves in continuous improvement, and were upgrading their leading portable AC power generator model, which is used for power backup in remote locations.
The Challenge
The customer required a power meter that could:
- Monitor both voltage and current
- Work with both single and split phase generator models
- Minimize cost to ensure commercial viability
The Solution
A dedicated project manager and our engineering team worked in close collaboration with the customer from concept to manufacturing.
Our engineering team developed a three-piece system consisting of a sensor module, a power meter display module and a connecting cable. We integrated a current transformer (CT) into the sensor module to measure AC current without adding the cost of a traditional CT. The design includes alarms to warn the user when an oil change is required and records overload time and events. It also makes configuration shortcuts like setting max load available via the DIP switches.
At Trumeter, we are big on verification and validation, and these designs went through a comprehensive Design For Manufacturability (DFM) review to ensure we could manufacture them at the desired cost. Throughout the final manufacturing process, we worked closely with the customer to make sure they hit their market entry date on budget and with sufficient inventory.
The Benefits
Everyone wins with custom product development!
- Operators are safer and better able to protect equipment from damage
- The end consumer received an improved product without added cost
- The customer was able to differentiate their products from competitors
The Story
We first presented concepts to the customer to ensure alignment on vision. During this phase we established that the new meter would measure voltage, current, % load and hours on both single and split phases. Previously, the customer’s system was only able to measure hours and volts on one phase.
After ensuring alignment on this vision, we developed a detailed product specification with careful attention to manufacturing implications. At Trumeter, we recognize that every design decision must be planned with manufacturing in mind in order to effectively project and manage costs.
