Abstract: A design of data concentrator in automatic meter reading system is described in this paper. The implementation of its local and remote data transmission are presented in detail. The data concentrator is based on uPD78F0881 MCU, employing infrared communication and CAN bus techniques. The test shows that the meter acquisition terminal has the characters of high stability, low-power, which has reached the demand of the design. Keywords: data concentrator; uPD78F0881; CAN bus; infrared communication