Gas meter from Xiaomi/Aqara door sensor (ZigBee)

[teleksterling (Rick)]

Hi Beatle,
Thank you for posting all this information here. While you’re looking for solutions to your step of the problem, you may have helped me with mine, sort of…

This page:

@BeatleUK

my gas meter which is a U6P Diaphragm Gas Meter which was installed in 2015.

has this:

Suffix P indicates a meter with a pulse facility; a pulse module and lead is not supplied with this meter.

Which is quite significant for me, as my gas meter here in Australia which looks identical to yours is conspicuously labeled U8. It took my mind back to the email from the Aussie meter supplier EDMI who said that they hadn’t supplied meters with pulse capability because there wasn’t enough demand for them from the gas companies here. And I was confused at the time, because I said I could see the little magnet going around on the cog. But now I’m wondering if it’s just a piece of metal or plastic to keep the mass of the cog within specs. And if so, it’s no wonder I’m having such trouble detecting it with a reed switch - there’s no blooming magnet!!

@teleksterling

I’m also looking for a solution to do this.

Mine is an EDMI U8 gas meter, which has a distinctly visible magnet that circles around a cog in the lower right corner. Which is also where there are slots that look intended to hold an attached external sensor.

But I called/messaged EDMI and Australian Gas Networks and got the answer that the meters sold in Australia (or to AGN, I can’t recall) don’t have the modification to allow local measurement.

From EDMI:

The EDMI U8 meter was previously available with the “pulse ready” option, as described in the brochure on our website. With this offering a sensor was fitted inside the tamper proof index (register dials), to provide the pulse output to a pulse pickup.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of demand and interest from the gas network utilities in Australia, the “pulse ready” option was never offered and therefore discontinued. In that regard, we will need to update the information on that brochure.
We have been working with the gas network utilities to offer a smart gas meter. However as an end customer you will need to contact your gas network provider for suitability.

When I followed up with these photos and asking what I was looking at, I didn’t get a further response (for just under 2 months). I’ve sent a nudge email today.

I also spoke to a couple different people at my gas provider. They were very helpful, but of course wary of anyone slapping electronics around gas meters.
The specialist/technician I spoke to urged me to ensure that anything I did find/fit was certified with IECEX Zone 0 or 1, not 2. I haven’t explored further on that front.

The other day I did attempt fitting an Aqara door sensor below the wheel (with blutac!), but the small magnet (or metal?) mustn’t be strong enough to trigger it.

In any case, I’ve since tried just the guts of the aqara door sensor, without success, and my next attempt is going to be a hall effect sensor + esp32. If it isn’t a magnet attached to that cog, I can only hope its ferrous metal so I have a chance of picking up a wiggle…