Solutions — Pulse counters
S0 pulse counters, read every quarter hour
Carmilla reads pulse-counter totalisers through a 4G DTU and turns them into a 15-minute load profile with ARERA bands and monthly billing data: the simplest way to bring an existing meter into remote reading.
01 — What it solves
From four pulse counters to a load profile
Absolute totalisers, no estimates
The device sends the four totalisers A+, A−, R+, R−: the platform computes the deltas per quarter and converts them to kWh and kvarh with the point constant.
Rollover handled, peaks avoided
Counters are 16-bit and wrap every few hours: the delta is aware of the full scale and an anomalous jump yields zero pulses, not a false peak.
Monthly billing data
Totaliser snapshot at midnight on the first of the month, interpolated if it falls in a gap: the basis for settlement, with full history per device.
02 — How it works
How it works
01
Meter with S0 output
Any electricity meter with an S0 pulse output and a known constant (pulses per kWh), even one already installed.
02
4G DTU
A 4G module with a SIM polls the pulse-counter registers every quarter hour and sends them over a reverse connection to the collection server.
03
Processing
Quarter alignment, per-channel delta with rollover handling, gaps spread and flagged as reconstructed, constant applied per sample.
04
Profile, billing, exports
15-minute profile and monthly data through the API with the same aggregations as DLMS meters; CSV, Excel, PDF exports and distributor reports in the portal.
03 — Specifications
Under the hood
- Devices
- S0 pulse counters with 4G DTU (SIM), automatic registration on first contact
- Data
- 15-min A+/A−/R+/R− profile in kWh/kvarh with ARERA band, reconstructed-sample flag, monthly billing data
- Rollover
- 16-bit totalisers: delta modulo 65536, small backward jump = 0 pulses
- Integration
- REST API /v1/pulse: profile and billing with the DLMS meter aggregations; CSV/Excel/PDF exports in the portal
04 — Regulation and obligations
A pulse counter is part of the metering obligations too
ARERA, Resolution 458/2016/R/eel — TIME
Responsibility and availability of metering data: the 15-minute profile with the trace of reconstructed samples makes transparent what is measured and what is estimated.
Italian D.Lgs. 102/2014, art. 8 — energy audit
The monitoring plan required by the ENEA guidelines starts from existing measuring points: a pulse counter is the cheapest way to bring them into remote reading.
ARERA time bands F1/F2/F3 (Resolution 181/06)
The quarter-hour profile with the band stamped on every sample allows a direct comparison with the bill and a check of costs per band.
Directive 2014/32/EU (MID)
The MID meter remains the legal instrument: the pulse counter replicates its totalisers without replacing it, and the transformation constant documented in the registry links the two values.
Indicative references, current at publication date: they do not replace a regulatory check for your case.
05 — Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions on pulse counters
Which meters can I connect?
Any electricity meter with an S0 output and a known constant. Meters from different manufacturers are in the field on the same DTU.
What if the DTU loses coverage for hours?
On return the accumulated delta is spread evenly over the missing quarters and those samples are flagged as reconstructed, so they stay distinguishable from real ones.
How is the meter constant set?
In the registry, with validity over time: if you replace the meter or the transformation ratio, the new value applies to samples from the right date without touching history.
Does the data reach my system?
Yes, through the REST API with per-tenant tokens, in the same shape as the DLMS meter profiles: whoever already integrates those changes nothing.