Smart metering: choosing the components
A smart electricity meter divides into six blocks: the metering front end and MCU, isolation, the power supply, sensing, the wireless link and the display. This guide shows which J.P. Electronics manufacturer lines serve each block.
Which of our lines serves each block?
| Block | Our lines | What decides the choice |
|---|---|---|
| Metering MCU & front end | Microchip NXP | Accuracy class, tamper features, certification requirements |
| Isolation | Novosense Cosmo | Isolation rating, creepage, lifetime |
| Power supply | Chipown On-Bright Bel | Standby power, surge immunity, cost |
| Current sensing | Allegro MicroSystems Novosense | Shunt, CT or Hall approach, anti-tamper |
| Wireless link | Quectel | NB-IoT, LTE-M or cellular, antenna and certification |
| Display & timing | Yeebo AV Display RDM Technology | Segment or matrix display, RTC accuracy |
What drives the sensing choice in a meter?
Tamper immunity and cost. A shunt is cheapest but sits at line potential; a current transformer isolates but can be saturated by a magnet; Hall-based sensing resists magnetic tamper when designed for it. Many meters combine two methods and compare.
Why does standby power matter so much?
A meter runs for fifteen years on the grid it measures. Every milliwatt of its own consumption is registered energy the utility pays for, multiplied by millions of meters, so the supply is designed around standby first.
Working on a smart metering design?
Email your specification and we will map it to the right families across our lines, with samples for the ones you shortlist.