

S TOPP I H G P O WER ME TE R S ****
3rd Edition

By: John .1. WiUiam, MSEE
Pres?dent
Consumertronics Co.

Includes STOPPING POWER METERS 2ND EDITION, SPM ADDENDUM 
And More!!

STOPPING POWER METERS is divided into two distinct bodies. The first body 
covers watt-hour energy meters, how they work, how they are adjusted, and 
the errors they produce. The second body is devoted to various techniques of 
slowing do~,vn and stopping power meters.
This pamphlet is comprehensive, lengthy and full of valuable information. 
Indepth theoretical knowledge is not required to understand and utilize it. 
However, a very good practical electrical and electronic background and 
know-how is a must. NOTE: The utility meter attached to your home or 
business is a watthour meter - not a power meter.

CAUTIONS AND DISCLAIMERS

DO NOT USE THESE METHODS ON ANY METER BELONGING TO A UTILITY. 
Completely isolate your utility meter from your personal meter with an 
isolation transformer and/or heavy filtering. As hr as we know, the legality 
of applying load control methods that incidentally make the utilityowned 
meter underregister has not been legally tested. However, assume that the 
law will take as dim a View of doing this as it does if you actually physically 
tamper with the meter. It is ironic that many law enforcement agencies on 
one hand can't seem to do enough to plea# utility big-shots while blithely 
ignoring the many and extreme aimes committed by utilities upon the 
citizenry. Fortunately, most juries savvy this perversity of the law and act 
according-

We must firmly state that we are totally against breaking the law in any 
fashion and that WE FORBID ALL ILLEGAL APPLICATIONS..Also, no licence# 
is granted under the copyright and/or patent rights of Consumertronics Co. 
or anyone else. And, although we have made every reasonable effort to 
provide accurate, reliable and useful information, we assume no 
responsibility whatsoever for errors or omissions.
Be careful and know what you are doing. Induced currents can injure or kill 
and mistakes can also cause# property damage. All circuit diagrams are 
simplified; add fuses and circuit breakers as required.

WATTHOUR METERS

There is nothing magical or sacred about watthour meters.
Like any high-grade scientific instrument designed to accurately
measure an electrical parameter (energy, in kilo-watthours)
under specific operating conditions and an ideal environment,
they lose accuracy when their operating and environmental
conditions are less than ideal and thru the process of aging.
Watthour meters measure electrical energy consumed in a
dynamic load by using the principle of the 2-Phase induction
motor. IN FACT, IF THE ROTOR DISK WAS
RESTRAINED, THE WATTHOUR METER BECOMES A

CONSUMERTRONICS CO.

Copyright ~ 1979 John J. Williams ana

DYNAMOMETER-TYPE POWER METER.
Essential features of watthour meters are depicted in Fig. 1. The basic 
elements of the single phase meter are the stator assembly (electromagnet), 
the rotor assembly (includes disk) the retarding magnet(s), and the resister 
assembly.
The stator consists of a voltage (potential coil) with a compensatory winding, 
and two current coils. The stator is energized by the combined effects of the 
line voltage and load currents. Two torques acting in the same direction but 
~0 electrical degrees apart are generated. These sinusoidal rotor torques add 
to produce a resultant constant and steady torque. The first torque 
component results from the interaction of the useful current flux (dw to load 
current) with the voltage-induced eddy currents in the disk, and like the 
induction motor, rotor speed is proportional to line frequency. The second 
rotor torque results from the interaction of the useful voltage flux with the 
current-induced eddy currents in the disk. When the power factor (PF) is 
unity, both torques are always in the forward direction because the current 
(or voltage) flux is always of the same polarity as the voltage (or current)-
induced eddy currents. However, when the PF is less than unity (lag or lead~, 
there are different instances in the cydes of each torque component when 
the torques are reversed corresponding to those instances in which the line 
voltage and current are of different polarity. Although still initially constant, 
average torque is diminished.

As it turns out, the disk torque will be proportional to the product of RMS 
voltage, RMS current, and PF (cosine of the phase angle between voltage and 
current). Thus, you will b billed for the real, not imaginary, power consumed. 
Our LOADFINDER pamphlet, among other information, explains real, 
imaginary and apparent power and how to make PF corrections.
To translate the disk torque into disk sFed, permanent "braking" magnets 
must be provided, otherwise, the disk sFed would increase until arrested by 
very low air and dVot friction. These powerful magnets generate an eddy 
current in the aluminum disk whenever it is moving. This eddy current 
provides an opposing torque because its flux opposes that of the permanent 
magnets. This theoretically results in one constant sFed for every torque 
level. Thus, disk speed is then proportional to consumed real power. The 
register assembly consists of a gear train that connects the rotor worm gear 
to the pnged dials in the meter's faceplate. Thr~pha#, three-wire systems 
require two single-phase meters or one meter with two independent stators. 
Four-wire polyphase systems usually require three single-phase meters. For 
~I PF less than 0.5, one meter will always run BACKWARDS! Unless it is 
known for certain that PF is less than 0.5, the true energy reading cannot b 
accurately determined.

P.O. Drawer537,
       -    Alamogordo, N. M. 88310

 Family, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Stopping Power Meters

STATOR LINE 240 VAC

  CT~ToF~ ASSEMBLY ~	Worm Gear
Braking Maon~.

P. 2

Comp~nsation Coil - ~ ~

\Volta9;C~ S
Current Coil ~ ~ ~ ~;Wrent Cojl
Ll L2

TO LOADS
7~      ~Brskin~ M~n~t; --

ROTOR AEStM~

ROTOR ASSEMBLY ~_ Rotor Plate - -

Fig. 1: Basic Elements of the Typical Induction Watthour Meter. The four 
major manufacturers of watthour meters are: 1 ) General Electric. 2) 
Sangamo. 3) Westinghouse. 4) Duncan.

The common inductance watthour meters design principle has remained 
unchanged since 1925, but there have been some improvements in devoting, 
roil design compenr, tion, otc., since then. To maintain accuracy watthour 
meters must b calibrated frequently. Utilities u ually limit this recallibration 
to: I) Full-Load Adjustment. 2) Light-Load Adjustment. 3) L~ Adjustment.
I~ FULL-LOAD ADJUSTMENT
The Full-Load Adjustment rating of most home and small business m~rs is 5 
to 30 amps, printed on meter face. At a loss of some accuracy, most modem 
meters are capable of measuring energies of up to 600% Full-Load Rabng. 
This adjustment is made at full load and unity PF. It is done by assuring that 
the braking magnets are of suitable strength. Then, by carefully varying 
their positions, from thedisk or by adjusting the positions of the magnetic 
shunts that lie between their Pob faces and the disk, by turning the 
adjustment wh~l that has an "F" and "S" on it until disk speed is accurately ~t. 
NOTE: In some cases the "S" direction speeds the meter up while the "F" 
direction slows it down ~Duncan Meters). This opposite notation is designed 
to fool and Fnalize meter tamFrers. This is the main adjustment that the 
utility will make when either you or it is concerned about the meter's 
ccurac~
2) LIGHT-LOAD ADJUSTMENT
Under light loads (10% of Full Load), meter performance becomes nonlinear. 
This results from friction, lack of linearity

~          ~ Registration Dials~

J ~

P ~

~REGISTER ASSEMBLY;

in the generation of driving torque as a function of load current;, and the 
presence of torques due to the potential flux acting alone caused by the lack 
of symmetry of the stator with respect to the disk. Uncompensated, meters 
usually overregister under light loads. However, due to voltage coil flux 
irregularities, it has not been uncommon for meters to run backwards under 
li~ht loads. Slots and holes have ben put in the disks of modern meters to 
prevent the disk from moving at all under very light loads ~less than 1% Full 
Load). This adjustment essentially adds a controlled torque due to the

w~     n~- 1S151, l~tO~ ~o~    ISgl. ~, ~UI~I.ED OFF~ 1S61. dtscribt manl~ 
other uulnerabilitie~

Nt-rd ~bout our shockin~ public~tion ~UTO~i~TIC ~L~      C~ E~ IS20l. 
or ~ FO' ~LLI~ IS201?

CoNsUMERTRoNIcs CO~ P.o. Draw~r537         of C~ ~0 IIII~UT~, mo~ordo. 
N.M. 88310 N~nON~L ENQUII~EII, t~

Shppin~ Power Meters	P. 3

voltage flux alone sufficient to provide the correct disk sFed for 10% unity PF 
loads. Compensation torque is provided by adding a shaded-pole loop known 
as the Light-Load Plate. The necessity of this adjustment is apparent if the 
disk turns in either direction when there is no load. This condition is known 
as "meter aeeP- 3) LA~ AD,~USTMENT

Since the voltage coil has some resistance, the voltage flux lags line voltage 
by less than 90~. A compensatory lag coil (See Fig. 11 or plate is provided to 
adjust the lag so that it is as close to 90as possible. This adjustment is made 
at 0.5 lagging PF. When the lag is out of adjustment, it almost always results 
in underregistration, but it is hardly noticeable unless the PF is small. Any 
lag adjustment made to inaea# disk sFed at lagging PF will decrease its speed 
for leading PF (capacitative load). Often, the Light- Load and Lag 
Adjustments are provided by the same mechanism. A radial motion provides 
the Lag Adjustment while a circumferential motion provides the Light-Load 
Adjustment.

WATTHOUR METER INACCURACIES

Utilities are fond of boasting that watthour meters are accurate to within ~1% 
of actual consumption under conditions where load currents vary from 0.3% 
to 400% and voltage from 80% to 120% of rated values, PF from 0.2 lagging 
to 0.2 leading, and temperatures from -40 C to ~75 C. In my opinion, that 
claim is utterly false. In reality, this is the very best case error for precisely 
calibrated meters under laboratory conditions. Under the above "field" 
conditions, cumulative error for a calibrated meter can be as high as 10096 
under small loading conditions and higher than 10% under normal 
home/business loads WITHOUT having made any effort to "fool" the meter.
These errors can result in either your or the utility's favor. When it favors 
the utility, you'll never hear about it, and you will undoubtedly never collect 
a dime for past overpayments. When the error is in your favor, if the utility 
notices, you probably will b billed on a guessed-estimate arbitrarily 
determined by the utility to adjust your costs upwards. And your meter will 
b recalibrated or replaced by one more favorably calibrated for the utility, 
andlor you may b monitored by a pole meter. However, unless you take the 
initiative and even chronically complain, the utility will seldomly adjust an 
overregistering meter to read the correct amounts.
Meter errors are caused by a number of factors, many of them interrelated. 
These errors exist even when the meter is precisely calibrated. They are 
accentuated when the Full-Load, Light Load and/or Lag adjustments are 
required. No scientific instrument remains accurate if not frequently and 
precisely calibrated, particularly an instrument in continuous outdoor use. 
Wear, deterioration, temperature, humidity, dirt, electromagnetic fields and 
vibration always take their toll. Meters usually spend years in operation, 
AND SOMETIMES EVEN DECADES, between calibrations. Errors didn't matter 
so much when rates were fair, such as in the 1960s and early 1970s. 
However, few people can now afford to pay for their actual consumption - 
much less for errors that are compounded by the Fuel Adjustment rip-off.

METER ERROR SOURCES

I) TEMPERATURE ERROR
Meters read high between O and 8~F and low thereafter. Error accentuates 
with decreasing PF and alone can be as high as 4% at 0.5 PF. The main cause# 
of this error is the increase in the voltage coil lag at low temperatures 
(temporary error) and demagnetization of the braking magnets permanent 
error) at high temperatures. ALL PERMANENT MAGNETS DEMAGNETIZE 
WITH TIME, THE RATE OF WHICH IS DETERMINED BY TEMPERATURE, TIME, 
QUALITY, AND ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE. The demagnetization of 
braking magnets ALWAYS results in rotor speed-up and over registration I
2) FREQUENCY ERROR
Lille frequency seldomly varies more than ~ IX from 60 ~or 50) Hz. a 10% 
variation of line frequency can result in a 1% or more error, particularly for 
high PFs. Meter reads high at low frequencies ~to a point) and low at high 
frequencies. Meter ~can perform erratically when harmonically rich 
waveforms ~eg rectified sine wave) is applied to it at appreciable energy 
levels. Error is higher for low PF loads at low frequency.
3) VOLTAGE ERROR
Generally, line voltage k stable to within+10% of rated. In cases of 
overvoltage, watthour meters read substantially low due to significant AC 
damping that results in some braking. This phenomenon is called "overload 
droop" and is slightly higher for low PF. Watthour meters read slightly high 
when voltage is low.
- 4) VERY HIGH OR VERY LOW LOADING
Very low loading almost always favors the utility, even for compensated 
meters, up to the point where the meter stops turning. This error can 
possibly be as much as 100% of actual consumption. Very high loading of 
meter results in 'overload droop." For low PF, the meter almost always 
reads high no matter the actual consumption.
6) METER DISSIPATION
Meters dissipate about IA watts on a continuous basis. Furthermore, if the 
disk stops turning, 22-24 watts is required just to restart it. For the dubious 
privilege of letting the utility monitor your electrical consumption, it costs 
you about one KWH Fr month in meter dissipation alone.
6) VIBRATION AND SHOCK
Vibration and shock will uncalibrate any scientific instrument - including 
watthour meters, causing it to either underregister or overregister. Thus, if 
your meter is located where earthquakes have occurred, near heavy 
machinery, or near high traffic flows, your meter may be put out of 
calibration in a very short period of time.

The effects of most of these error mechanism are summarized in Fig. 2.

This section is dedicated to slowing down, even stopping power meters 
without physically tampering with them or applying externally pnerated 
power, and~ while consuming substantial power. WE MUST STATE 
CATEGORICALLY THAT NO METHOD IS PROVIDED FOR ILLEGAL 
APPLICATION WHATSOEVER. THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED FOR 
EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PU RPOSES ONLY. WE ARE 
ABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY AGAINST BREAKING THE LAW IN ANY FASHION. 
Any attempt to tamper with a utility meter is almost definitely illegal. It is 
unclear to me whether the legal definition of tampering includes load control 
methods. Some utilities define it ~:

"Tampering means any unauthorized interference with the Company's 
equipment, including meters or other property, which would reduce the 
accuracy of the measurement, or eliminate the measurement of the 
electricity taken by any Customer or person on the premises, or any 
unauthorized connection of a meter."

utilities maintain easement rights over virtually every property they 
service. Thus, if you break into the meter attached to your property while 
standing on your property you could go

Stoppin~ Pow~r Met~rs

to jail for TRESPASSING! If your utility notices a sudden drop in usage or 
very low usage that cannot be
 explained,they will probably sudd nly appear to examine the situation. 
Broken meters and seals, meter bypasses, attached magnets, etc., are very 
obvious. Don't be like the old farmer who shot a hole in the side of his meter 
glass with 9 B-B gun. He would then slaN the meter da~n by inserting a piece 
of straw between the rotor disk and braking magnet, at night. The hole was 
discovered by a meter retder five years later. He blamed the hole on, 
"Vandals shooting up the place last weekend." See our infamous but 
delightful GOOSY MOTHA'S FAIRY TALES publication ~$1.95).

The utility may slap a pole meter on your line. A pole
'J	meter may be a meter similar to yours or it may be a
currentscJuared-hour (~SH) meter. These are located on the
top of or near to your service pole and are generally placed
Just where your service drop connects into the main lines.
They are usually easy to spot. They may be the hook on tyF,
which has a folding hook that loops around the wire and closes
to look like a folded question mark. Or they may b
hard-wired. No matter how precise they claim these meters to
be, as well as your meter, a 10% or so difference in readings can
occur just from nominal differences between the meters, line
droppage, and different environments. Since a CSH meter does
not indicate line voltage fluctuations, the error can be
substantially greater than that of a pole meter watthour meter.
Furthermore, if your PF is extremely low, which can be
measured accurately by a utility PF meter, the utility will
likely personalize you for this condition.
Few people dispute the need of a utility to get a fair retum solely based upon 
the service provided (but not upon the utility's investments~. However, most 
people believe that public (?) utilities have been swindling them. Electrical' 
costs have soared several times what they should be. Many people believe 
that if the untampered watthour meter provided by the utility is unable to 
adequately measure the amount of usage required by their particular 
desired loads, then that is their problem. ExFa to be hassled if they ever 
discover this. Don't brag.
No method of slowing or stopping a power meter should be based upon 
breaking a line neutral or fusing one. These practices are deadlyll Virtually 
every method that will slow or stop the meter employs loading that requires 
DC or frequency components somewhat removed from 6~ Hz. Fig. 2 
demonstrates the- susceptibility of watthour meters to such 
conditions.Power meters behave similarly. Note: As the line frequency 
approaches either DC or high frequency, the watt-hour reading tends to zero 
(disk stops turning). A meter with only DC or RF energy imposed on it will 
not turn no matter how much energy is applied, it will burn out first. In the 
RF case, there are certain tones that do this best, largly dependent upon 
meter and wiring. Any DC will brake a meter similarly to the braking 
magnets. DC brakes are, in fact, commonly applied to induction motors in 
general. Even a powerful induction motor can be made to practically stop on 
a dime when DC is applied. Even a little DC will eventually magnetize 
permanently the stator if applied long enough to provide lasting effects even 
after it is removed.
High frequency components will simply underregister due to the impedances 
and hysteresis of the coils and rotor inertia. Since meter voltage is hard to 
alter, frequency techniques are applied to the current thru the mster. Mixed 
frequencies, ie rectified sine wave, will cause the rotor to behave erratically,
 and if its energy is high enough, rotor sFed will drastically slow down and 
may evenstop. Harmonically-rich waveforms require more energy to stop a 
meter than DC or RF, simpy bcause most of its harmonic energy is in 
freqwncies not very far from 60 Hz. Fast load surges will be far 
underr~istered primarily due to he rotor inertia.

CAUTION: Line and induced volta~s can killl For all ehctrical projocts, be 
certain that all circuit components induding wiring, can more than handle 
worse case voltages currents and powers before proceeding to construct any 
drcuit. U# sensible, safe and accurate wiring techniques and procedures, as 
well as good judgment, at all times. YOUR SAFETY IS TOTALLY UP TO YOU.
If you do not have a power or KW-HR meter to practice on, either can be 
obtained legally. KW-HR meters can be obtained by mail from ENGINEERING 
ASSOCIATES, 7567 Rt. 49A East, Dept. C, Arcanum, OH 453C4. They sell a real 
nice, rebuilt. Iike-new, GE 1-14, 5 Amp, 115 VAC KW-HR meter for ONLY 
$2011 Owner's narne is Charles C. Littell, Jr.. (513) 692-5641 .

In our figurss, ~ represents line neutral, and ~7 represents earth ground 
(ussd to ground cases in three wire 120 VAC systems). PIV designates peak 
inverse or reverse voltap, or DC working voltap for capacitors. All figures are 
simplified circuit diagrams. Add fu#/drcuit breaker protection as required. 
In addition, all meters should have tNnsient suppression. Cl of Fi~s. 6 and 7 
do a good job. For better transient suppression, GE, Schenectady, NY, does 
excellent work in this area with very good GEMOV 19 Varistors. Transient 
suppression is required to assure long lasting,rare-free psrformanres of 
semiconductors, capacitors and other components. Even without our 
methods, good transient and riwle eliminstion protects induction motors and 
transformers, and shields applianres from utility ripde control of them. Our 
RIPPLED OFF pamphlet explains transients, ripde, and utility apdiance and 
Peak Demand Meter control in detail.
I) DC LOADS
DC Loading is the hardest to accomplish but it is the most effective method. 
If you have induction motors or transformers~ they will also be adversely 
affected by any DC that reaches them. C=500 uf, 25 PIV min. L=1000 turns 
rriin., insulated wire on'about a l" soft-iron core. As with all suggested home-
made inductors, keepwell insulated and don't U# a core that can be touched 
(eg leg of a drill press). Cl are PaFr-Oil typss or Fig. 1 lelectrolytics, and are 
1000 to 100,000 uf, 400 PIV, depandin~ upon load reactance. See Fiq. 3.
With the DC Method, three major problem areas have ari#n. Some are finding 
that the Cl (Blocking Capacitors) are very expensive, overly bulky or difficult 
to realize, even with the Fig.ll arrangement. The# capacitors are required 
ONLY IF you apply the DC Method with other loads #nsitive to DC excitation 
(induction motors and tNnsformers tend to saturate) simultaneously running 
off the same meter. This problem is simply solved by running all your DC 
experiments with all the #nsitive loads disconnected. With a DC current of 
about 5 Amps, a substantial permanent decrea# in meter indication will 
result with time due to permanentlyinduced malfunctions.
Problems involving the kickback of rectified AC into the DC power supply are 
evident. We u#d a very heavy duty charger (like that found in garages) and 
didn't ob#rve any malfunctions. Fig. 4 illustrates two approaches of 
overcoming this problem, making it possible to realize this method with a 
smaller, home-type auto-battery charger.
The Fig. 3 circuit only affeas the current coils of the meter. This is becau# the 
meter's voltage coil is across the outputs of the two rectifiers. To get the 
voltage coil into the act, we used the circuit of Fig. 5. We obtained 
satisfactory results with both approaches, but customers prefer the Fig. 5 
approach.
Be careful when using the DC mathod. Other meters sharing the same power 
transformer #condary will also be slowed down. However, becau# the loads 
on any other meters will probably not be DC isolated, havoc could result in 
their operations.

Stoppin~ Power Meters

		P	~						Gt~ rl~tor
									IN~ _ n

				I Uni~er~					~br
12-24 VDC~L	lR1198~			    1	1	hlc~d~	ht-	1	24) ~C

B-ttery 6 ~
ch-rs~r.	C	~;~ ~	SFii9. I3nDocf +allHaapproaches~ Each oth~r~[ ~=

			load block above repre#nts two ~ Lo~d~

r~L,		~ I I ~
L~		Blocl~U c p~cltor

Cl~ ~DC
~ ~C Lo d- anly      Lo d4

Fig. 3: Direct Current Method. Inductor must be large, L=1000 turns 
minimum. See text.

approximately equal l;~U vAC loads in #ries. See text.

~Rect

   T ~rRect. ~' a. T ~ Rect. |X.	

$~ II	~	Fig. 9: Alternate Harmonic Method, suggested by many
	'''	readers but resulting in no real reduction in our experiments.
		Rect. are two t N 11 98A. See text.
Fig. 4: Two ways to overcome the back voltaging problem of	O

Fig. 3 (SPM) DC Method. Cs, Ls and Rects. (1N1198A) are
the same as for Fig. 3. R is a 120 Volt heater element load. See
text.

	~	r~ 
DC ~ r-\~R ~
$Rect . Rect-
S~ppl~

Xf rmr     ~
~-~IC1
Fig. 5: Alternate DC Method. Voltage Coil (VC) is in the Q DC circuit. CCs are 
Current Coils of meter. C and C1s, same as n Fig. 3. Rs are 120V heater 
elements. Rect. is 1N1198A. See ~S
teYt

Fig. 6: Frequency Method using capacitative coupling. C is between 0.01 and 
0.001 uf, 400 PIV. C1=2' uf polypropylene. L=100 turns. See text.

~,~ RG SB or 5 ~, ~

~i~l ~3 1

Other   C~ _
Clr

Fig. 7: Alternate Frequency Method using inductive coupling. L1=100 turns. 
All other values are the same as Fig. 6. See text.

DC Pa~e ~
supply ~:

Calp~

IIC l~d-

Fig. 10: Momentary Current Surge Method. See text.
_

~ ~ ~ ~1+ ~l~

Fig. 11: An equivalent circuit for using electrolytic capacitors to do the job of 
SCR or paper-oil types. The big advantage here is that electrolytics are 
considerably cheaper and smaller and more available for large capacitances. 
However, DC rated electrolytics are not recommended by manufacturers for 
this type of application, but we have had good results using them. Suitable 
capacitors may have to be found by a trial and error process. Some may 
overheat, swell and possibly even explode under these conditions. Use 
Cautionl

2) HIGH FREQUENCY LOADS -

High frequency loading is more easily accompished but less effective and 
consistent than the DC Method and will require "tuning." Tone generators are 
also called signal, audio, frequency or function generators. Most well 
designed units with shorted output protection and the ability to deliver at 
least 5 amF (if necessary, couple with an audio amplifier) to the meter. Tones 
may be steady or in bursts. Our TONE DEAF pamphlet conbins many useful 
designs. See FiF. 6 and 7. Optimum frequency is emdrially determined. Meter 
will stop at certain "resonant" tones but run at higher tones. The signal an be 
either hardwired to the meter, Fig. 6. or transformer ooupled to it, Fig. 7. The 
former appears more effective, the latter, more safe. Very good shielding 
should be

NOTE: All figures are simplified circuit diagrams. Add fu#s or circuit 
breakers where necessary.

~ ShppinS~

provided and all signal lines should b of minimal len~th and ~with good 
impedanoe matchin~. Radiated RFpowerbyonda small amount pnerally 
roquires prior FCC approval. We found in certain cases that by using the Fig. 
6 circuit with the rn~r passing only a few 60 Hz amps, the meter will indicate 
in reverse at everal frequency points. Why? We are not absolutely certain 
about the mechanism involved but believe that the revelsals are caused by a 
combination of voltage coil flux irregularities and voltage to current phase 
relationships. a arel 2 uf (non41ectrolytic) polypropylene capacitors. If 
polypropybne capacitors are not available, use polyc~rbonate or polyester 
capacitors. We recommend 400 PIV ratings, unless you are in a high 
lightning strike area, then 8~0 PIV ue better. LslOO turns, 2" dia., be sure to 
use heavy enough wiring to withstand.loading. Ll inductors are made from at 
least 100 turns each of both insulated meter lines and insulated tone 
pnerator lines, tightly packed. Ferrite coras are preferred, air cores are not 
nearly as good but will work if tone generator voltage and windings are high.
In our Ist Edition of SPM, we recommended RF signals of 1 KHz to 1~0 KHz 
~Figs. 6 and 7). Frequency components below 1 KHz are difficul~-to filter ~ut 
without significantly attenuat;ng tho 60 Hz Line comPonent. even though 
some

~ower Meters                  P. 7

fre~uencies, phasos and amditudes. Whan a 60 Hz sine wave is half wave 
rectified, DC and 60 Hz components are produced
' along with an infinite number of harmonics that raddly diminish in power 
content. The DC component will brake the meter movament while the 
harmonics will diminish tha total mater reading by making the meter 
bahave in an e~rrabc fashion.~ Rectifier must be rated such that its steadY 
state current ratin~ is at least twica the sum of all universal or DC motors, 
incandescant lighting and heater elemant steady state load currents. Rectifier 
surge current rating should b at least three times the combined sur~e 
currents for all loads. Minimum PIV should b 800 volts. Transient 
suppression is highly recommended. If there is a lot of motor brush 
sparking, filter out all AC components for a DC motor, and all harmonics fw 
an AC motor. Use a 2 uf non electrolytic, 400 PIV capacitor across the motor 
terminals. DC may haw to be filtered out for some univarsal motors.
USE GREAT CARE IN APPLYING THE CIRCUIT OF FIG. 8 BECAUSE IT RESULTS 
IN A FLOATED LINE NEUTRAL. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS, POSSI8LY 
RESULTING IN SHOCK OR FIRE.
' ' A number of people wggested the circuit of Fig. 9 as an
easier alternative because it raquires only single 120 VAC/DC frequency 
points btl,veen 100 Hz and 1 KHz are vcry effec- ~ loads. We tested it and 
found no observable nat reduction in

  tive in reducing meter indication. However, because of custo ~	 metar indication even thous~h someomers more by it.
  mer feedback on successes of the 100 Hz to 1 KHz 'are-, we -	 The circuit of Fig. 8 90t mixed reviecau# some custo-
  changed our limit frQm 100 Irlz to 10 KHz- (to accommodate	mer~ noticed a net INCREASE in meter inion by using it.
  audio generators~ in our ?rd ;Edition. This resulted in custo-	 I have not yet been able to pinpoiy particular meter type
  mer complaints of filtering'pro~lems! Therefore, choose what-	 or circuit factor that explains therant differences be-
  ever range suits YOll beR. rhis method has no observable-	 tween our results and the results of ot I do believe that
  permanent effects on meters.,	 the answer lies in the different effects on different meter tyFs
The DC method problem of adver#lY affecting ~o~er '- I ~nder different loads 
to yross violations of Blondel's Theorem
meters on the same transformer is usually nota problemwitH '~ ~See our~ 
KW-HR METERS book for an explanation of
~this method. The power lines and transformer will dissipate 
Blondel~s'Theorem). This method has very little effect on the
~most high frequency energy components very affectivelv. ~ ~r-egistration 
for loads NOT in the rectifier circuit.

    A nurr~ar of firms today are peddling trarlsient elimina-	 '' 4~ HIGH SURGE, LOW DURATION LOADS
  tors as energy savers. They state that by filtering out line	     ~ -
  transients (usin~ their 0ossly overpric~d c~rcuits, of 'coursej '	   Fig. 10 depicts several powertchin~ circuits. The timers
  "the meter runs more slowly becaus~ transients cause meters	- can be adiUSted in combination with ener diodes for load
  to overregister.~ If this were so the frequency method des-	~ conditioning, either manuallv or autcally (more circuitry
  aibed herein would cause your;neters to overregistul ~Ow_	~ JS required), to provide switching charistics that will
  ever, -their rflasoning is tDtally false ~usin~ theit owri-h~gicl1:	 minimize the power meter readhile also minimizing load
    ~iltering~wt all line transients on the -meter'~ LOAD side	 Variations. This same effect is prodin spot weldin~
  simply means that ALL of the incomin~ transient energy ~	 operations and it is a fact that utilitick on an extra use fee
  dissipated BY THE METER ALONEI In fact~ the tran~ient	; for spot welders simdy because their watthneters
  energV then absorbed by the' neter- would be rnuch groater	 substantially underre8ister. This methquires the mnst
  than that absorbed by the meter and the load without tra~	 knowledge, time and money to effect, anoodly amount of
  sient removal because transient eliminators much reduce~the
  total impedance as seen by the incoming transiNlts - thus
  greatly increasing transient current levels inside the metcr.
    In fact, the meter DOES SLOW DOWN USING JRAN c
  SIENT ELIMINATORS - because such filterinD INCREASES-~ -
  and not decreases - meter transientsll Thus, under a very
  high transient environment, load side line filtering essentially
  duplicates our Frequency Method. Other substantial enerDy
  savings result because induction motors and transformers
  operate far more efficiently with clean electrical inputs, and
  their reliability and longevity also substantially increases.
    Our RIPPLED OFF 11 pamphlet (S3.95~ describes
  transient and ripple eliminator circuits, costing under S20 for
  you tn make, that are as good - if not better - than the $200
  or $12w ones peddled by these firms.

             3~ HARMONIC LOADS

     This method is most practical and easiest toachieve,and it
~loes not require special equipment or filtering of other loads.
  See Fig. 8. However, much greater h~rmonic power is required
  for the same effects. According to Fourier Theory, all
  waveforms are composites of simple sine waves of certain

time to maintain.Fig. lUls a su~ested circuit, others will work, drcuit should b 
desi8ned to best fit Vour needs. C-lOvv uf 400 PIV rn,inimum. SCRs or Motor 
Star~r Relays should have minimum of 25 amp surge current rating. R~ watt 
minimum heater elements or incandescem bulbs.
The author has received only one input from this method a person claiming 
that this method could permanently slow down meters by causing damage to 
the meter's current coils.

MAGNO-BRAKE TECHNIQUE

An anonymous contributor, whom I alll "The Flasher" (See our KW-HR 
METERS Book), made us aware of the technique described in Fig. 12 . This 
technique is easier to apply than the DC Method and can be more effective. 
In fact, it can be made so effective that it would permanently wreck your 
meter by disrupting its carefully balanced mechanical system and/or by 
shorting out the voltage coil windings. The result of this damage can usually 
be physically observed - the meter either fails to indicate or its action is 
erratic often with scraping sounds. "The Flasher" managed to accidentally 
wreck his utility meter in this fashion. Why utilities would react to this in an 
hysterical

manner is beyond me since they cavalierly inject line ripple onto your power 
line with no regard to the destructive effects it has on YOUR equipment and 
on YOUR lifel
As with the DC Method, we suggest that you disconnect all other AC loads 
from the rneter's circuit.
We used a commercial photoflash unit alled a SYNCHRO TESTER (National 
Camera, Inc., 2000 West Union Ave., Englewood, Colo.). Check with your 
amera store on vsrieties. Our unit outputs about 400 Volts, 1 to 50 msec. 
duration per "flash."

The circuit of Fig. 13 would work just as well. Plate transformers are cheap 
surplus items. You should be able to control voltage level with a rheostat. 
The storage capacitor discharge can be controlled by an electromechanical or 
solid state relay (SSR~ or even a telegrapher's key. The former two can be 
electronically controlled to provide consistent and programmable results. 
Voltage level duration and repetition rate should initially be low anri slowly 
inaeased until the desired results are realized. Patience and perserverance 
are musts to get optimum results and to gain valuable experience and 
knowledge about meters.
Mkter

240 V~C

Photo-
Fln~h
CircUl t

Fig. 12: Our infamous Magno-Brake Technique. C-5.0 uf 600 PIV. Ls are same 
as Fig. 6.   C1=50 uf, 600 PIV polypropylene or other "poly" type upacitors. 
R211~wirewound with bolt insert, 50 Watts. See text.

z . 1 H ~ r

lOK ~ lOW~tt 0.02 ufl

n U ~	C~p. Control	t
	~nk Circuit

Xfrm~.

Fig. 13: Simple, effective home made "photoflash" circuit. Points A and B 
correspond to Fig. 12. The minimum stepup value of the plate transformer is 
250 VAC. Transformers with higher step-up voltages result in a greater 
dramatic effect on meters. Be sure that other circuit components can easily 
and safely handle the voltage and power produced by whatever transformer 
you choose. See text.

When using any of the four methods desaibed, different timing schemes can 
be used. For instance, there may be some Friods that you find it highly 
advantageous to stop or even reverse your power meter while restoring it to 
normal opeNtions during other Friods. Commerically available AC timers are 
excellent here. Or you may feel more oontent to remove your circuit 
completely between applications.
SORRYI We do not make or sell any of the described circuits. Also, we do not 
answer questions presented us, or provide more detail on the sFcifics of 
these circuits. Several past customers, whom, upon their request, we 
INNOCENTLY provided more detailed information tried to rip us off with the 
complaint that we provided them "how to" info. on ripping off the utilities, 
even though we have reFatedly stated that we absolutely are against any 
illegal applications whatsoeverl
Many electronic retail outlets do not carry an adequate supply or selection of 
capacitors and many SPM lcustomers have written to us to supply them 
information on the

SrOPPING POWER ME~ERS               P. 8

capacitor tyFs suggested in our applications. We recommend the follnwing 
sources (of the many available) for capacitor information - sFcifications, 
costs, distri_utors, etc. (It is usually helpful if you provide them with the 
capacitor types and sFcifications needed, and the electrical parameters of the 
applia~tinn~ v~-- h~ in mind.)

ELPAC Components Div.
ELPAC Electronics Inc.
313t S. Standard Ave.
&nta Clara, CA 92705

Sprague Electric Co.
645 Marshall St., N.
Adams, MA 01247

Corning Glass Works
Electronics~Prod. Div.
Houghton Park A2
Corning, NY 14830

Panasonic Co.
Industrial Components
1 Panasonic Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094

Del Electronics Corp.
250 E. Sandford
Mt. Vernon, NY 10550

Cornell Dubilier Elec. t 50 Avenue L Newark, NJ 071-1

Most of the awlications described herein require power inductDrs - some 
very heavy. The author has found that surplus sources are a good start. 
However, the values you need are not commonly available, in which ca# you 
will need magnet wire to wrap your own. Magnet wire is available in various 
coatings, gaups and lengths, but magnet wire heavier than 18 gauge is 
almost never available in stores. Listed below are some very good sources of 
magnet wire of virtually any gauge, length or coating.

Daburn Elect. & Cable Corp.	Belden CorD. Elect. Div.
70 0ak St.	P. O. Box 13i7
Norwood, NJ 07648	Richmond, IN 47374

Essex Magnet Wire & Insul. Div.	McGraw Edison Co., Edis. Elec.
1510 Wall St.	Grenier Fld., Munip. AirpDrt
Ft. Wayne, IN 46804	Manchester, NH 03101

Rea Magnet Wire Co., Inc. '	Phelps Dodge Magnet Wire Co.
3600 E.Pontiac St.	Box 600
Ft. Wayne, IN 46806	Ft. Wayne, IN 46801

STOPPING POWER METERS 3rd Edition is the culmination of years of work in 
the vital area of meter re#arch,' design and testing. Many customer 
contributions, insights and experiences have been integrated into it.
This 3rd Edition contains all of the information found in the 2nd Edition 
(Copyrighted 1977) and STOPPING POWER METERS ADDENDUM (Copyrighted 
1979), including our infamous MAGNO-BRAKE TECHNIQUE. The first edition 
of STOPPING POWER METERS W85 copyrighted in March 1976. Since then, 
well over 10,000 copies have sold nationwide and it continues - with ever 
increasing popularity to be our very best #ller. It resulted in the author's 
infamous CBS "60 MINUTES" interview with Mike Wallace (March 5, 1978, 
"Power Pilferage"~ and many important subsequent media coverages.

STOPPING POWER METERS is brought to you by:

CONSUMERl~RONlCS GO.
P.O. DrawerS37, Alamogordo, N.M. 88310

It is but one of the very informative, useful and money saving publications 
we offer.
Our other energy publications include: KW-HR METERS Book, MDVR Book, 
RIPPLED OFF, LOADFINDER, LIBERATE GAS AND WATER, GOOSY MOTHA'S 
FAIRY TALES, KILLER WATTS, FIREBREATHER, VORTEX GENERATOR and our 
newest and most controversial one of all: IRON GONADS.
Other topics include: SURVIVAL GUNS & AMMO, SILENCE IS GOLDEN 
(Silencers), V.A. - 2ND TO NONE?, F.D.I.C. - FACT OR FAIRY TALE?, THE TESLA 
CONNECTION, HOLOCAUST AMERICA, X-RAY TO DEATH, etc. Send for our 
brochure with $.30 in stamps or coin. Lots of luck and greates?of successes.




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