Shelly 3EM transformer calibration

  • Hi,

    Is the calibration of the 3EM transformers specific to the combination of the individual transformer and 3EM device?

    I recently had an electrician install two Shelly 3EMs on my house's mains and solar connections. I don't think she paid attention to which transformer came with which 3EM, so they got mixed around a bit. Do I need to recalibrate them? The instructions say "Use this option ONLY if you have to replace the current transformer with a new one", which isn't the case for me, but I imagine it probably applies anyway, in this case. And/or is there any easy way to work out which transformers were calibrated with which 3EM (so I can move them back to their original intended device)?

    Also, the instructions I linked above don't mention anything about needing to have the transformers clamped to a wire when calibrating, but I imagine they both need to be clamped on the same wire during the calibration process, right? Does the voltage input need to be the same for them too (i.e. on the same phase), or is that irrelevant for calibration? How about neutral?

    Thanks for your help and advice!

  • Welcome to the forum!

    Yes - the current clamps are calibrated with each Shelly 3EM separately. Thus, clamps and device should be handled and mounted together. Unfortunately, there is no individual marking at the clamps and the device. The marking of each clamp with the MAC address of the Shelly device after the factory calibration process would be brilliant…

    Would it be possible to identify at least one clamp to its Shelly device? In this case, a re-calibration would be possible. Calibration is recommended with a single phase circuit connected to the three pins VA, VB and VC and a minimum load of 500 W.

    „Habt Geduld. Alle Dinge sind schwierig, bevor sie einfach werden!“ (aus Frankreich)

    „Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.“ (Marie Curie, 1867-1934)

    „Es reicht nicht“, rief Schiller, „Gedankenfreiheit zu fordern, man muß auch denken können, sonst fordert man Gedankenlosigkeitsfreiheit und die ist die Freiheit zur Dummheit, welche wiederum die schlimmste Unfreiheit überhaupt ist!“
    (Aus „Besuch aus Weimar“ von Gert Heidenreich, Schriftsteller, *1944 in Eberswalde)

  • Thanks for your answer. It makes sense, but I wanted to double-check before getting it all ripped back out of the switchboard, re-calibrating it, and then installing it all again ;(

    I'm not sure how to work out which (if any) of the clamps are attached to their original Shelly. Perhaps I'll attach all six clamps to one cable and see if any of them manage to agree on a measurement. (And, if not, switch them all to the opposite device and then try again.)

    How much inaccuracy would you expect to see from an incorrectly calibrated transformer? If it's only a few percent maybe I'll just live with it. And is it reasonable to assume that even an incorrectly calibrated transformer would still measure zero accurately?

  • Sources of error are:

    (a) The current clamp with its (possibly different) number of windings and the magnetic characteristic of core material,

    (b) the resistance (with deviations) of the burden resistors, placed in the Shelly 3EM,

    (c) the resistance (with deviations) of the voltage dividers at each pin VA, VB and VC, and

    (d) the precision and the deviation of the reference voltage in the “Energy Meter”-IC ADE7880.

    These four parameters are subject of the calibration process, resulting in a Shelly 3EM with energy meter precision. Interchanging the current clamps disturbs ONE item only. Nevertheless, it seems to me impossible to give a level of uncertainty.

    „Habt Geduld. Alle Dinge sind schwierig, bevor sie einfach werden!“ (aus Frankreich)

    „Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.“ (Marie Curie, 1867-1934)

    „Es reicht nicht“, rief Schiller, „Gedankenfreiheit zu fordern, man muß auch denken können, sonst fordert man Gedankenlosigkeitsfreiheit und die ist die Freiheit zur Dummheit, welche wiederum die schlimmste Unfreiheit überhaupt ist!“
    (Aus „Besuch aus Weimar“ von Gert Heidenreich, Schriftsteller, *1944 in Eberswalde)