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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : Pump Control Software.
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| Phil23 Guru  Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Hi all, Just wondering if anyone has written any pump control software. Situation is this. We are pumping from a well on my neighbour's opposite boundary to a storage tank on my side of the fence on the other side. 35m line of site. Pump is powered from his shed & the tank will have a float switch. Figure two MM's with HC-12's will do, but will require a bit of fail safe code in case the tank end one goes down. I do have 500m of Te15#%a underground 10 pair Cat3, could be easy to just bury that when we sink the high pressure poly, but inevitably some would end up exposed & venerable. Cheers. |
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bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2950 |
Hi Phil, The underground cable is usually VERY reliable. I assume it is the Gel filled stuff?? And you have 10 pair (ie 20 wires) to chose from if one does go open. I use underground cat5/6 as low voltage lighting garden cable with NO conduit protection except where it is in an area that could be stepped on/tripped over.. I would use conduit as a matter of course if you were going to the effort of digging a trench for your poly. And continue the conduit once the cable exits the ground and fit to an enclosure of some sort. You should have no issues IMHO using that cable for Low Voltage stuff. As to the software... I would leave that up to the GURUs Kind Regards, Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6283 |
I would use cable rather than RF but make sure that you have good isolation between the two AC supplies. It is not good when a fault occurs and the two AC supplies are on different phases. Electrical storms can also make life interesting without isolation. Jim VK7JH MMedit |
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Quazee137 Guru Joined: 07/08/2016 Location: United StatesPosts: 593 |
One Mite design have to do with pumps have to read sensors like temperature, PH, EC, flow. Based on the data I turn on a combination chemical pumps to bring the water back into required form. Another one that uses setable times over 28 days to open bleed/make up valves and two pumps for water treatment. And a water meter with battery backup that lets you set a number that when reached turns on a relay for a user set time. With long runs of wire I go for current looping over voltage. Here is a few DIY things I've use in the past.  the bottom left was a quick and dirty tester for my son Alan to move a valve and test a few other 4-20mA devices. the middle one was to monitor a room with the 20mA a fake tape across all windows so if closed it showed tampering. 18mA for opem door the rest open windows. in test the led shows loop active. The two top are basic loop receivers. The bottom right I added for you 4ma till float tops out then 20mA. But a magnet on on a float using the room one could show levels of intrest. One of the cheap 3 digit meters with a 240 ohm resistor would display the current. What do you need as far as control goes? May be something like monitor tank floats and turn pumps on/off. Saw another loop receiver.  |
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Turbo46 Guru Joined: 24/12/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1642 |
A cable would be the preferred method of comms. If you use a cable then maybe you don't need a micro. How about a relay at the float switch end with 2 changeover contacts wired to switch the polarity of the cable signal (say) -/+ when the float switch is open and +/- when the float switch is closed. A relay at the pump end with a series diode would be switched by the this voltage to operate the pump. Another relay connected to this voltage signal via a diode bridge with a capacitor across it would monitor the voltage signal over the cable to raise an alarm if that voltage fails. More relay logic could be used to detect if the pump is energised while the float valve is open to turn off the supply and also raise an alarm. I hope that is clear. Bill Keep safe. Live long and prosper. |
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| Phil23 Guru Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Wasn't expecting replies to this post as I got a server error when I posted it & the post seemed to fail. Seems Glenn may have found it for me; Thanks. So to get a few facts straight first, the box of cable I have is 5 pair 0.4mm gel filled. Quoted at about 140 Ohms per Km. To run down the fence line then across the yard to where the tank is would be about a 50m cable run. Did wonder just how reliable it would be to just have a 5V relay at the pump end & power that with a variable plug pack. Or even a typical Solid State relay with the 3-30V control input. The Relay would create a voltage drop across the 100m loop, but the SSR wouldn't. Taking a stab & saying the relay coil drew 75mA, that would be a be a 5.25V drop. Maybe even an unregulated 9VAC plug pack would do the job. Have a tub of surplus ones here... Or best just to go for a cheap SSR & eliminate mechanical failure? |
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| Phil23 Guru Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Opps, No Edit function yet. Make that voltage drop 10.5V not 5.25V. 0.075x140=10.5V. |
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| TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6283 |
140 ohms per km so 14 ohms for your 50M return. 1.05V which is more realistic and you can use all pairs to reduce it further. Using a SSR would be less resilient in storm season due to potential ground loops. Jim VK7JH MMedit |
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| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2950 |
Phil, You could pump 12v down to an OPTO-ISOLATOR that would drive your relay.. the 14Ohm would be negligible.. The good thing about CAT3 (and higher) is its noise rejection as any spike would be in both the wires (assuming you are using a pair...) We used CAT3 cabling to run up to 1km or slightly more transmitting data at 9600 baud at 0-5v levels Ran very reliably. Regards Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| bigmik Guru Joined: 20/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 2950 |
Phil, You could pump 12v down to an OPTO-ISOLATOR that would drive your relay.. the 14Ohm would be negligible.. The good thing about CAT3 (and higher) is its noise rejection as any spike would be in both the wires (assuming you are using a pair...) We used CAT3 cabling to run up to 1km or slightly more transmitting data at 9600 baud at 0-5v levels Ran very reliably. Regards Mick Mick's uMite Stuff can be found >>> HERE (Kindly hosted by Dontronics) <<< |
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| Phil23 Guru Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Is that relevant if I only have the SSR at the pump end & a mechanical float at my end? Or is it just spikes induced in the cable due to energy from nearby spikes. We don't get a lot of real close hit here, due to a fairly big area of magnetite about 5km out the road; used to be my "Dead Modem Alley". |
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| TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6283 |
A long run on the high impedance input would be very susceptible but no ground loop if it's just going to the float switch. I was thinking of powering from one end and controlling the other end which gives earth loops. Jim VK7JH MMedit |
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| Turbo46 Guru Joined: 24/12/2017 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1642 |
A nearby lightening strike can cause LARGE rises in ground potential with large voltage differentials. A strike near one end could lift the earth potential thousands of volts above that of the other end. MOVs could help but a relay with good isolation is safer. Bill Keep safe. Live long and prosper. |
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| TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6283 |
Have you given the float switch much thought yet? It needs to have a reasonable differential or the pump will cycle too often. Davey make a suitable switch: https://davey.com.au/media/custom/upload/DWP0347_Sub_Float_Switch.pdf Jim VK7JH MMedit |
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| PeterB Guru Joined: 05/02/2015 Location: AustraliaPosts: 655 |
Jim. I think your reference to ground loops with a SSR is misleading. An SSR can / should use opt-isolation. A conventional electromechanical relay also has good isolation. It seems to me Phil needs a float switch with hysteresis, a buried cable and a SSR. If he wants to be paranoid, he could use a second pair to bring back a monitoring signal. My 2 bobs worth. Peter |
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| Phil23 Guru Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Have ordered one of these. Basically I think it's pretty similar to the one you linked. Tank is a slimline 3000l & about 2m high. Figure I'll cycle the pump when it drops by about 1000l. The submersible is delivering 1000l in about 18 minutes. |
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| Phil23 Guru Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Still had that Doc open.... They could have done a little better with the 45° in their diagram.... |
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| Phil23 Guru Joined: 27/03/2016 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1667 |
Solid state relays..... Bloody eBay is flooded with fakes. Apparently there's even some 60A ones about that only have a [url=https://protosupplies.com/inferior-counterfeit-fotek-ssr-25-solid-state-relays-on-the-market/] 4A triac.[/url] Grrrr. |
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