Purpose
The starting point for the design of the measurement laboratory was to define its purpose. The laboratory was built primarily to measure the energy consumption of software under different conditions and for the various devices and their interconnections associated with the operation of the software system. A secondary objective was to develop the processes and practices to organise measurements in a practical way using this equipment.
In the design, we explored different types of equipment, as well as the measurement of equipment at the component level and different forms of energy use (DC, AC, battery, different voltage levels). The meters also differed in the quantities they measured (current (I), voltage (V), power (P), energy (E), integrating and direct measurement).
Physically the lab consists of a portable rack setup on wheels. If needed, the laboratory unit can be moved to a lecture hall in the research facilities in the Agora building of the University of Turku.
The section Evaluation of hardware meters discusses the criteria for purchasing laboratory equipment and the purpose of the techniques in more detail.
Devices
The section Acquired power meters contains a more in-depth description of each of the laboratory's measuring instruments and their use. There are also sections (summary of the parts, detailed part specifications) listing all the components acquired for the lab setup.
Software
The main software for organising measurements at the measurement laboratory is PowerGoblin, developed by the University of Turku, which has its own help website.
In order to use a laboratory, in addition to its equipment configuration, you need to know how the laboratory equipment is configured for use. The configuration section of the manual deals with these aspects. In addition, the final section of the manual deals with the use of the measurement laboratory.
Laboratory reservation
The laboratory is not currently connected to the university or departmental reservation systems. The laboratory will be added to these systems as a resource in the future, in a similar way to the MR laboratory.
At the moment, if you are interested in using the laboratory for research and teaching purposes or would like to participate in the development of the laboratory, please contact Tuomas MÀkilÀ or Jari-Matti MÀkelÀ.