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    zboblamont

    @zboblamont

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    Best posts made by zboblamont

    • Temperature sensor housing DS18B20

      Hadn't seen this mentioned but perhaps I missed it, more plumbing hardware than electronic, but perhaps useful for others.
      Having tried a variety of plates and heat-sink compounds and tie-wraps to hold these little chips in position on small sections of metal pipe (my rads are fed with fused plastic pipe), I came up with the solution of using pipe clips, the cheap plastic variety from DIY stores and hardware merchants.
      The first problem hit was with attaching plated sensor the the boiler clamp nut, it was off by 10c and no way could I get a more accurate reading, presumably angle? Finally found a pipe clip which got hacked in half to fit in the tiny gap in the photo... Some hacking with a Dremel, some soldering to a pin connector, some fiddling around with epoxy and voici....
      20200212_0917332.jpg
      The gap 20200212_094248.jpg
      The tie wrap in the top of the photo is the original plate mounted version which was "off"..

      Having scored on that front with more reliable readings I looked at the roving radiator test kit and realised the same solution might apply so epoxied the chip on the end of some telephone line in a 22mm clamp and it works a treat. Cable and chip fit neatly into the screw-hole, flood with epoxy and done. The pipe it fits is 21.5mm so tighter than a duck's rear end...
      20200218_173908.jpg
      As said, a tight fit to a twinwall radiator feed pipe, and a complete swine to get back off even with pliers, but no broken wires or oopsies to contend with, and so much faster to fit.
      For those looking to measure metal pipe temperatures, possibly an unusual if fiddly solution, but no need of tie-wraps in the latter case...

      posted in Hardware
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: What did you build today (Pictures) ?

      Not so much a MySensors build as an example of how even the most basic information can inform changes for the better, in this case space heating.

      The system here is fairly basic, an array of DS18B20s, some ultrasonic tank probes and a gas reed sensor, temperature is updated every 5 minutes, the gas updates every 0.05m3...
      With winters here down to -20, the first priority last year was insulation, and even though a modern house, the gas bills essentially halved over the year, effectively funding not only the insulation, but replacement axial radiator valves and thermostat heads (Heimeier) to replace the typical arrangement of unknown origin, with spare... But now the MySensors impact..
      This autumn's attention turned to the central heating unit, a modern combi unit of good manufacture, installed by a 'certified' heating engineer, but aside what little I knew about condensation boilers and the steep learning curve that followed, I was bemused by the return from the radiator loop almost burning my finger within 10 minutes of the system being fired up. This did not make sense for what I understood of a condensing boilers, which compelled a look inside for the first time, the manual and some googling.

      The boiler is a 25kW combi with minimum output 7.6kW, the radiators account for ca 13kW at Delta 60 set for 15c drop (previously set ca 20c drop), settings since day one were 65c and the pump was set at max output of 3, last year's -20 resulted in 13.5m3/day gas consumed, not crazy by historical records, but hmmm.
      So now comes tinkering with data from MySensors via Domoticz to inform...
      Currently the boiler is set at 55c, the pump is on Low (40 v 84w), but the results are surprising - Slower rising temperature when ON, 42 minutes v 25, but gas use dropped from 0.75 to 0.6m3, but here's the kicker from that longer heating time, not only less energy used per cycle, but longer and thereby fewer cycles per day. Current evaluations are between 15 and 20% savings, so thank you to all the MySensors community and contributors.. 😉

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • An ultrasonic measurement saga finally over...

      Surprised I'm not bald will all the hair pulling and failed attempts to get there but after a year it is finally working...
      The task was simple enough, to measure fluid depth in two tanks, one a sewage holding tank, the other a bulk water tank. Just figuring out which method worked with which board was an exercise in frustration, but the JSN-SR04-2.0 turned out the only one of the two I could get to reliably work.

      Despite the industrial look, these waterproof light switch enclosures proved ideal, as the batteries in holders fitted beneath the clear plastic. A little hacking out of the switch 'fingers' with a Dremel gives plenty of space in the base area.
      Battery holders are held in plastic conduit which are hot glued to the back of the box poking through the front section aperture.

      The top case is a 3v3 WhisperNode with onboard RTC and RFM69, and tucked under the spaghetti in the top left back corner is a level converter. The RTC wakens the Node every hour to initiate readings, and despite a few hiccups seems to be reliable. The WhisperNode is allegedly capable of draining the 2 AA cells down to 0.9v, time will tell...
      0_1528540226816_20180609_124626[1].jpg
      The lower box holds the 5v ProMini, a small latching relay, and the ultrasonic board, the button type ultrasonic (like parking sensor) is mounted on the end of a 3/4" collar to 1/2" galvanised steel tube drilled centrally through the roof of the 1.34m x 1.67m tank area.
      0_1528540340305_20180609_124611[1].jpg
      Connection between the cases is via Cat5e in 16mm conduit, 2 cores for I2C, 3 cores for relay control and 3.3v power, 2 cores for 5v and ground to the level converter.
      0_1528540419630_20180609_124653[1].jpg
      Despite worries over echoes in the resulting space, the tank was emptied last night, and the reading is coming in with the occasional glitch at 1620mm depth from the head, which I believe has a cone angle of 45 degrees.
      The Node control of a Relay by On/Off pins to Mosfets may seem wasteful, but I had them anyway. The 5ms on/off of this small latching signal relay boots up the ProMini and seems reliable.
      Still to incorporate a WDT/Reset on the 5v as it periodically hangs, and a time limiter on the Node to complete the task, but glad it is all all working semi-reliably, even if some of the programming side I still don't understand...
      The 5v tests for 2 consecutive identical readings, the 3.3v tests that it fits within acceptable range, and if not calls for a further reading.

      Once delivery of a second identical board from China is done, the water tank should be a lot easier. This one is the more important, as ran out of water previously due to corrosion of the level probes in the tank (3 core cable and short bolts) which stopped the borehole pump topping up the tank, and the hidrofor hit it's cut-off electrode. The level monitoring will give early warning to go investigate long before the bulk tank is 'empty'...

      Postscript 12/7/18 - Water tank worked flawlessly from first deployment, but led to concerns over dropping battery voltage.. The problem appeared to lie with the Master sinking power through the I2C lines, but a routine to null the SDA/SCL lines prior to sleeping seems to have halted the decay.
      One of the unexpected results of the Sewage Tank deployment was detecting a dramatic rise in level during a heavy storm (85mm in 24 hours) initially thought to be ground water intrusion.
      Excavation to the incoming pipe connection to the tank found a round pipe in a square hole (not exactly an unexpected building practice here, now packed out and sealed.
      Losing 30% of storage capacity would otherwise never have been detected, so it the deployment has already paid for itself handsomely...

      posted in My Project
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: 💬 Arduino Pro Mini Shield for RFM69(H)W

      @pepson This reminds of that famous quotation "Any ship can be a Minesweeper..."
      "Once...."

      posted in OpenHardware.io
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: What did you build today (Pictures) ?

      @neverdie Would this work ?0_1515601479151_25004235-474d-4c6e-9a85-5a60dc350f58-image.png

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: What did you build today (Pictures) ?

      @sundberg84 Yeah, this brings back memories, particularly of quite a few hangovers.
      I used 3 and four wide fireclay pipes for bottle storage, they were used for ducts back in the day before plastics took over, cable went optic fibre. I noticed recently here they are back in stock in stores as....yep...wine storage racks.... but wacko pricing relatively...
      The beauty of the fireclay was it's slow temperature and humidity change, and this formed the bulk of the thermal mass in the cellar I made below the floor.
      I used a 150mm glazed ceramic drainage pipe dug in under the garden as a loop (rope caulked joints - anybody remember them), from memory down about 1.5m, both avoiding frosts and baking sun, don't think the temperature varied over a degree all year round, the ground acting as a massive heatsink which maintained a constant temperature all year round.
      Only when the hatch was opened did the temperature jump, a small fan kicked in when the hatch was closed and ran for 30 minutes, a second contact switched on the lights and shut them off, long before LEDs were so prevalent, old reliable (until you were depending on them) incandescent bulbs.
      That was it really.
      Biggest problem I found was humidity in the early days, probably the fresh construction...

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: Fewer home automation postings? What's behind it?

      @tbowmo Hah, you were lucky, I finally upgraded from the monochrome to colour...
      0_1525331364710_d5c5d792-8ab2-479d-a01e-31f43f794f0b-image.png

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: What did you build today (Pictures) ?

      @sundberg84 Easy, one is disconnected... 😂 At 90 degrees? 😜

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: What did you build today (Pictures) ?

      Finally the round-tuit UPS got built after the last power cut clobbered the Controller/Gateway system, lesson learned...
      Meanwell AD-55A, 7.2Ah Acid gel battery, two usb 5v buck converters, a spare socket for raw volts, and a 15 euro IP66 box from the local shops.. Some drilling and filing to the lid, couple of brackets, spare bolts, banding, soldering and hot glue...
      A bit bulky, but disappears in a void under the stairs, two tiny drill holes let the buck converter leds shine threw...
      No monitoring as yet, but sailed through a power cut this morning and the Pi didn't skip a beat.. First up is the Pi's RTC then can put the cover back on the Controller...
      0_1563789698294_20190721_074129[1].jpg
      0_1563789869238_20190722_001114[1].jpg

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: What did you build today (Pictures) ?

      First of the winter projects done, just the programming to finish and replacement temperature chips to get (broke the legs off both DS18B20s through clumsiness).
      With mains/battery backup and RTC, it will record boiler start/stop and run times as well as feed/return temperatures, and as an aside the inevitable power cuts which plague this part of the world.
      The MCU plugs into a socketed backplane hot-glued to the back of the box should removal prove necessary, but quite pleased it is sturdy and all fitted into a slim 25mm deep standard (cheap) box.
      0_1572107113418_20191026_182803[1].jpg

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont

    Latest posts made by zboblamont

    • RE: JSN-SR04T (distance sensor) Reliability Issue Fix?

      @rvendrame Timely - I haven't put it into operation yet as only just finished the plumbing mods in the pump well for a 5psi water pressure sensor. Because I've saddled the sensor to the pump suction line I'll have to inhibit readings when the pump runs, hence delayed operation.

      5psi is equivalent to 3.516m head, so you will measure over 80% of the ADC range giving a resolution of 4.25mm..

      My 3,000 litre underground water tank suffers the same issue over condensation when winters drop below -5.

      Hope this helps.

      posted in Troubleshooting
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: Floor Cooling in my House

      @Julie-Adam Have you considered disconnecting the air-line from the controller and reconnecting it to the air-head ?
      The cranium woodframe is probably interrupting signals which possibly
      explains the coupon fascination...

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: How to manage dynamic number of sensors?

      @tssk I hope I've not misunderstood what you intend, but possibly a further consideration ?
      I have 14 sensors defined in an array with their digital addresses.

      During presentation a similar "for" loop to the above ties each sensor digital address with a dedicated "i" to the Controller as in your sketch. That way the sensor location is fixed - if one goes faulty it only requires that specific address edited in the array for the replacement device and reprogram the Node.

      In reality the last 2 devices in the array (Boiler) are on a separate data line to the first 12 (Spaces), but it is relatively simple to call each defined data line and address them by altering the "i" and "MAX_ATTACHED..." for each instance.

      posted in Development
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: 💬 Battery Powered Sensors

      @nekitoss No problems with alkaline power, 6 - 18 months now on 2xAA down to ca -15c, battery voltage reported ca 2 or 3 times per day.
      I vaguely recall reading an article on lithium and alkaline battery behaviour in extreme cold weather, the alkalines were the better performers.

      Note that the pro-minis here use onboard booster and LDO which provide stable 3.3v all the way down to ca 1.8v battery death, so battery voltage is unrelated to system voltage unlike your setup. They also use rfm69s (433MHz) which are better able to penetrate structural obstacles.
      Bear in mind that if you have comms problems this can substantially reduce battery life as it does not quickly waken, perform the task and go back to deep sleep

      posted in Announcements
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: Raspberry Pi Ethernet Gateway with local sensors

      @jvdk I agree with the point made by @evb , why would you want to wire connect the ultrasonic node rather than the usual radio connection ? You are adding levels of complexity and power demands for what reason ?

      My ultrasonic water tank node (pro-mini+rfm69) is now 2 years on the same 2xAA batteries sending in levels every hour (RTC), the only problem encountered - condensation forming a drip on the face of the ultrasonic head during very low temperatures.

      posted in Hardware
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: Measuring battery voltage, which way is best?

      @skywatch Rounding up to the nearest int ?

      posted in General Discussion
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: 💬 Battery Powered Sensors

      @tssk My misconception.

      posted in Announcements
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: 💬 Battery Powered Sensors

      @tssk Most of these boosters have a grounded backplane, perhaps trying to re-orientate the inductor so the backplane acts a shield to direct RF may be an option to try ?
      If the noise in on the power line I've heard of some managing to block it with a VR circuit if the voltage drop is acceptable, but never tried it.

      posted in Announcements
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: Lack of service continutity after power failure

      @skywatch Perhaps of interest, this possibility (lots of power cuts here in the early days) led me not only interface serial but power for the Gateway from the Pi header rather than separately, the current draw is tiny.
      The power cuts I later solved with a UPS but even before that it rebooted and went to work without issues, since the two reboot in sequence under the control of the Pi.
      As @Yveaux however has highlighted all my Nodes are fixed IDs.

      posted in Troubleshooting
      zboblamont
      zboblamont
    • RE: Temperature serial sketch

      @Olaf-Jacobs Good.
      I did read short spurs CAN work and the waterproof versions are on pre-made cables, but not sure of the limit.
      If you hit occasional problems it may be worth trying cross wiring the Cat5e to maintain a series connection and see if that fixes it, that's what I did to stitch in an intermediate sensor and it worked fine.
      Good luck.

      posted in Troubleshooting
      zboblamont
      zboblamont