As REhub started getting sold in different parts of India – one request we kept getting was the need for a display – it does not surprise me at all . I jog regularly and need the iPod Nano telling me the minutes I took to run each kilometer and the calories I presumably burnt to both make the run feel real and to keep me honest.
Having installed Solar PV – there is the urge to know the Units of electricity produced by the installed PV. That number tells us if the unit is actually delivering power from the Sun and makes us feel good about this little positive contribution to Earth !
So we now have a LCD screen with our newest product REhub PWM. The LCD makes it easy to know what the unit is doing, if Solar power is available, the state of charge of the batteries and if Power is available from the utility Mains. The unit keeps a running cumulative count of the total energy produced from Solar. We see an added benefit from the LCD. Now remote debugging of issues would be easier and we hope our support would be better with the LCD present .
The next step is to have the data accessible on the net. I can already hear the requests coming in !
Update : This article on Newyorker about how fitbit took over this persons life. Start measuring something and it becomes an obsession! http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/06/30/140630fa_fact_sedaris?currentPage=all