Power Monitoring Expert (PME) How to achieve Time Synchronization
Issue
Summary on how to configure time syncing from the Power Monitoring Expert application, and the differences in the time displayed between the PME Vista application and the PME web application. How to achieve time synchronization between the devices & PME applications.
Product line
Power Monitoring Expert 8.x
Power Monitoring Expert 9.x
Power Monitoring Expert 2020
Power Monitoring Expert 2021
Power Monitoring Expert 2022
Power Monitoring Expert 2023
Power Monitoring Expert 2024
Environment
PME Web Applications
PME Vista
PME Management Console
ION Setup Software
Resolution
As noted in the PME system guide, time syncing through PME:
- Must be configured for ION protocol devices both in the PME management console & in the device’s ION clock module. Steps to configure can be found in the PME system guide here.
- For the Modbus device native to PME, it time syncs every one hour by default
- Is dependent on the device & device driver for 3rd party devices
The way time is displayed can also be divided into:
- What is displayed in the PME web application (alarms, dashboards, diagrams, etc.)? For more information, see the attached page from the PME 2024 Web Applications guide.
- PME Vista application
- Front display of the device
What is displayed in the PME web application is dependent on the time zone settings configured in the Management console. What is on the physical front display of the device & what is shown in the PME Vista application, depends on what is programmed into the device – for ION devices, it is programmed into the ION clock module. Similarly, for native Modbus devices, there are time settings that can be configured directly on the meter (or through ION Setup). It is possible to achieve time synchronization between the front display and the PME application if the settings all align.
Example device that uses the ION protocol is in the screenshot below. The time shown in the web application diagrams correctly syncs to the server time (EST), and this is also what is set in the PME management console. Using the ION setup (or PME Designer), you can see what is programmed into the device clock module, which is also EST time, and the device is being synced via the ION protocol. So, the time shown in the PME web app and PME Vista should match the front display (5:19 pm).
Second example: For a PM5500 meter (native modbus device), the time zone setting was set as EST in Management Console, and the Web apps diagram shows the correct time, matching the server time. However, this time would NOT show in the front panel, because the time in the meter’s clock is 4 hours ahead (see the second screenshot from ION Setup below). For the device to be synchronized with PME, the time would need to be updated in the ION Setup/front panel.
In the case of 3rd party devices, it will require investigation into the device driver and the device instruction manual.