Machine energy & health monitor

Is the machine healthy, producing, and using energy well?

McMonitor is a compact, ruggedised unit that turns any production machine into a connected, self-reporting asset. Mounted at the machine, it continuously measures electrical energy, temperature, running speed and machine state — shows them on a local touchscreen and web dashboard, records them to on-board storage, and forwards them to the cloud. One trustworthy view of how each machine is really performing, for operator, supervisor and plant manager alike.

One firmware, any machine. Parameters, sensors and thresholds are set in a simple on-device configuration — a new machine is commissioned by editing configuration, not re-programming.

KVAR Machine Monitor mounted on industrial control panel near pump

One device, three questions answered

Is the machine healthy? Is it producing? How much energy is it consuming — and is that energy being used productively?

Electrical monitoringFull 3-phase or single-phase metering: voltage, current, power factor, kW / kVA / kVAR, frequency, energy.

Thermal monitoringUp to 8 analog inputs — RTD and thermocouple (J/K/R/S/T) — plus ambient reference.

ProductivityMachine run / idle / break state, runtime, RPM, shift-wise accounting, stoppage analysis.

Health & eventsAutomatic detection of electrical faults, sensor faults, stalls, stoppages and abnormal conditions.

VisibilityLocal colour touchscreen + responsive web dashboard, live and historical.

ConnectivityWi-Fi, MQTT and HTTP cloud integration, on-board SD logging.

Configuration-driven. One firmware serves any machine; the parameters, sensors and thresholds are defined in a simple on-device configuration — no re-programming to commission a new installation, and a bad configuration can never disable the unit.

Technical specifications

Built for the shop floor

Platform & processing

Item	Specification
Controller	Industrial dual-core 32-bit processor, industrial temperature grade
Configuration	On-device configuration — parameters, sensors, thresholds; no firmware change to commission
Storage	On-board SD card for data and event logs; non-volatile storage for settings and event history
Real-time clock	Battery-backed — accurate time-stamping maintained across power cycles
Firmware update	Over-the-air (OTA) capable

Electrical measurement (via Modbus energy meter)

Parameter	Detail
Interface	Modbus RTU (RS-485) or Modbus TCP/IP
Phases	Single-phase or three-phase (auto-detected or configured)
Measured	Voltage (per phase), current (per phase), power factor, kW, kVA, kVAR, frequency, energy
Compatibility	Configurable per parameter — supports a wide range of energy meters and formats
Display slots	Up to 24 electrical parameters

Analog / thermal inputs

Parameter	Detail
Channels	8 universal analog inputs + ambient (cold-junction) reference
Sensor types	RTD, thermocouple J / K / R / S / T, 0–100 mV
Interface	RS-485, non-blocking acquisition (no impact on the control loop)
Per channel	Type, scaling, name and alarm limits individually configurable
Diagnostics	Open-sensor detection (broken wire) and uncalibrated-reading flagging

Digital inputs & speed

Parameter	Detail
Digital inputs	Up to 4 — machine run signal, break, general-purpose events
Polarity / debounce	Active-high or active-low, debounce configurable per input
Speed (RPM)	Pulse / tacho input, period-timing measurement, configurable pulses-per-revolution

Display, interface & connectivity

Item	Specification
Local display	Colour touchscreen — live values, status, settings and event history
Web dashboard	Built-in responsive web UI — live + historical, day / night theme, from phone or PC
Network	Wi-Fi (STA with AP fallback for commissioning)
Cloud	MQTT (encrypted) and HTTP — device registration, telemetry, remote configuration
On-site setup	Wi-Fi access-point mode for browser-based commissioning; no laptop software required

Key features

What sets McMonitor apart

⚙

One firmware, any machine

Every parameter, sensor, threshold and display slot is in a simple on-device configuration — commission by editing configuration, not rewriting firmware. A companion builder generates valid setups.

🛡

Fail-safe by design

A bad or partial configuration can never disable the unit. It validates on load, keeps a known-good backup, and always brings up its network and web interface — so a corrected configuration can be uploaded remotely.

📊

Productivity & OEE accounting

Run / idle / break state (debounced), shift-wise runtime accounting, stoppage capture with an auto-inferred reason, and micro-stop vs true-downtime separation — the availability half of OEE, made honest.

⚡

Energy intelligence

Beyond metering: energy is related to production, exposing idle-energy waste, power-factor penalties and demand peaks — energy spend tied to actual output, not just measured.

📱

Local + remote, always in sync

Touchscreen and web dashboard are two views of one device — a setting changed on the screen is the setting the web shows. Live values, historical trends and the event log on both.

🔒

Secure, resilient connectivity

Encrypted MQTT and HTTP with server-driven registration. Data logs to SD regardless of connectivity, so a network outage never loses data.

Intelligent event & alarm system

It doesn’t just show numbers — it interprets them

A unified event engine watches every signal and raises a time-stamped event the moment something meaningful happens — routed to the on-screen log, the web dashboard, on-board storage and the cloud at once. Events survive power cycles, so the history before any incident is preserved. Events serve three purposes: predict breakdowns, maximise uptime, manage energy.

Operational & productivity events Available

Event	Purpose
Machine ON / OFF	Track every start and stop
Break start / end	Planned-break accounting
Shift start / over	Shift boundaries with runtime / idle / break summary
Stoppage start / end	Duration + auto-inferred reason (break / gap / fault / unclassified)
Minor-stop vs downtime	Micro-stop detection separate from true downtime
RPM stall	Machine running but shaft not turning — belt break, jam, locked rotor
Communication lost / restored	Meter or sensor link health
Power-on / boot	Detect unexpected restarts, with configuration-source record

Electrical & sensor-health events Available

Event	Detects
Phase loss	A supply phase dropping while others remain (three-phase)
Phase imbalance	Voltage or current imbalance across phases beyond a set limit
Over- / under-voltage	Sustained supply excursions that stress and shorten motor life
Over-current	Overload conditions
Over-speed	Shaft speed beyond a safe configured limit
Sensor fault	Open thermocouple / RTD (broken wire) and uncalibrated readings
Channel alarm set / clear	Any monitored value crossing its configured limit

Predictive & energy-analytics events Roadmap

Analytical events that build on the same engine and each machine’s own operating history.

Event	Predictive value
Energy per shift / per day	Energy consumption tied to each shift’s output
Idle-energy waste	Energy consumed while running but not producing — a key efficiency KPI
Peak-demand alert	Demand approaching a contracted or penalty threshold
Power-factor penalty	Sustained low PF that attracts utility penalties
Current / load drift	Rising running current vs learned baseline — bearing wear, friction
Power-factor decline trend	Gradual motor degradation
Baseline learning	The unit learns each machine’s normal, then flags departures

Available shipping in current firmware · Roadmap designed on the same event engine, delivered in a subsequent release.

Applications

Any electrically-driven machine where uptime, energy and condition matter

Machining & metalworkingCNC, lathes, presses, grinders — runtime, spindle speed, motor load and stoppage capture.

Plastics & rubberInjection moulding, extrusion — barrel / zone temperatures via thermocouples plus energy per cycle.

TextilesMotor health, running speed, shift-wise production and downtime accounting.

Food, pharma & processRTD temperature monitoring, energy metering and event logging for traceability.

Pumping, HVAC & utilitiesMotor condition, power factor, phase health and energy on critical rotating equipment.

General manufacturingAny machine where an OEE / availability picture and energy visibility are wanted without a full SCADA rollout.

CNC & machine toolsInjection mouldingExtrusionTextiles Food & beveragePharma & processPumps & HVACUtilitiesGeneral manufacturing

Industry benefits

Why it pays for itself

✓

Reduce unplanned downtime — automatic stoppage capture with inferred reasons turns “it keeps stopping” into a ranked, quantified picture; RPM-stall, phase-loss and sensor-fault events surface problems early.

✓

Cut energy cost — relating energy to production exposes idle-energy waste, power-factor penalties and demand peaks — the three most common avoidable costs.

✓

Improve productivity & OEE — shift-wise runtime, idle and stoppage accounting delivers the availability half of OEE, with honest reason-coding.

✓

Extend equipment life — under-voltage, phase-imbalance, over-current and (roadmap) current-drift detection catch the conditions that quietly shorten motor and drive life.

✓

Fast, low-risk deployment — configuration-driven, browser-based on-site commissioning, fail-safe configuration, value at the machine on day one.

✓

Local + cloud — useful standalone at the machine, with cloud analytics when you want them.

From a machine that just runs — to one that tells you its health, its output and its energy, every minute.

Machine Monitor (McMonitor) is configured to each machine — parameters, sensors, thresholds and display are set on-device. “Available” features ship in the current firmware; “roadmap” analytics are built on the same event engine and delivered in a subsequent release. Electrical measurement is via a Modbus energy meter. Contact KVAR Technologies for a demonstration and a configuration matched to your machines.