INA219 / INA226 power monitor
The power monitor built into boneIO Black controllers, which measures the controller's own voltage, current and power.
The power monitor inside the controller measures the controller's own supply: voltage (V), current (A) and power (W). Each of the three appears as a separate sensor in the panel and in Home Assistant. Which chip your controller has depends on its version:
| Controller version | Power monitor |
|---|---|
| 0.2, 0.3 | none |
| 0.4 – 0.8 | INA219, at I2C address 0x40 |
| 1.0, 1.1 | INA226, at I2C address 0x40 |
The version is printed on the label on the side of the housing; see boneIO for what each version contains. Both chips are set up the same way; this page covers both.
A controller set up from the factory configuration already has the right one. You only need this page to rename the measurements, change how often they are read, or add the monitor back after removing it.
Where it is in the panel
Open Settings → Device → Board Sensors. The list holds all sensors built into the controller: the power monitor and the temperature sensor (LM75 or MCP9808).
The section has the restart badge: a change takes effect only after the application restarts.
Adding or editing the power monitor
- Open Settings → Device → Board Sensors and click Add New (or the edit icon next to the existing entry).
- Set Sensor Type to INA219 or INA226, the one your controller version has (see the table above).
- Choose the I2C Address.
0x40is the address used in boneIO Black. The magnifier button next to it (Scan I2C bus) looks for sensors on the bus and marks the addresses it finds as detected. - Under INA Sensors, rename the three measurements if you like.
- Set the Update Interval if 60 s does not suit you.
- Click Add Item (Save Changes when editing), then Save.
- The panel shows App restart required. Click Restart Now.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Sensor Type | INA219 or INA226. It cannot be changed on an existing entry: to change the type, delete the entry and add a new one. |
| Name / ID | Optional. Put in front of each measurement's ID in MQTT: Main gives MainBoardCurrent, MainBoardPower and MainBoardVoltage. The names shown in Home Assistant do not change. |
| I2C Address | 0x40 (default), 0x41, 0x44 or 0x45. An address can be used by only one sensor in this list, of any type; the panel marks taken addresses in use. |
| Update Interval | How often the values are read: from 15 s to 5 min. On a new entry the field shows 0; left like that, the default 60 s is used. |
| INA Sensors | The three measurements: current, power and voltage, named Board Current, Board Power and Board Voltage by default. You can rename them, but not remove or add any. |
The values are rounded to 2 decimals. Other filters can be set only in YAML (see below). The Power (INA) screen of the OLED display shows the same values, and has nothing to show until the power monitor is set up here.
Changing Name / ID or a name under INA Sensors changes the measurement's ID, so Home Assistant sees a new entity: dashboards, automations and history that use the old one have to be pointed at the new one.
Both chips sit at the same address, so a scan cannot tell them apart: pick the type from your controller version. If the chip does not answer at the chosen address, the controller does not create it and the panel lists it in Settings → Maintenance → Hardware errors.