Behind the Scenes: How the Sense Monitor is Made

A lot goes into making Sense capable of delivering high resolution energy monitoring and device detection. There’s development of machine-learning device detection algorithms, an app that allows you to navigate vast amounts of data, and then of course there’s the Sense monitor itself.

This monitor serves as the brains of the whole operation and so it’s crucial that every monitor that comes off the line meets the precise design specifications that our hardware engineers laid out. With this in mind, and with our Director of Manufacturing, Jeff Weinstein, at the helm, we’ve developed a robust assembly process to ensure that even with increasing demand, every monitor meets our and our customer’s expectations.

The Circuit Board

To build the electronics inside the monitor, we use state of the art, Surface Mount circuit board assembly methods (SMT). SMT involves rapidly placing tiny electronic components on a bed of solder paste, and then, using a series of ovens, heating the paste and thus permanently affixing the components to the board. After each step of this process we perform automated inspections using a series of optical, x-ray, and in-circuit testing. This helps ensure that all the micro-components are placed properly and are individually performing to spec. Once the circuit boards are ready, we program the logic controller board with our embedded operating system, which controls the monitor’s functions. This software takes the board from a collection of components to a system ready to handle millions of data points each second.

The Mechanical Build

Once the circuit boards are ready, they proceed to the mechanical build part of the process. This involves mating the logic and power boards to each other and inserting them into their plastic casing. As the build proceeds through each of these steps, it is tested for functionality and is inspected by the next operator on the line.

After the monitor has been completely built, we pair it with a unique set of current sensors using our calibration process. Our current sensors are custom designed to ensure that Sense takes the most accurate and precise measurements and to ensure safety when installing the monitor.

With this rigorous process in place, we’re confident that the Sense monitor that we dreamed up, is the same one delivered to your door.