Disc1 Arduino Doser

[disc1]

This repo has a good schematic in the documentation folder about how the LCD and rotary encoder are wired up. The pumps aren't there, but just about everything else is.

https://github.com/delta-G/REBL_UI

 

[GlassReef]

Thank you for the update, David. I look forward to jumping into your code and I'll make every effort to do it justice.

BTW: I thought I'd take a look at trying out the $37 stepper heads (with motor) that are available on ebay. I ordered one, just "for to look". Seems pretty solid, although the Nema 17 motors could be a weak link. I found the heads w/o motor at $12 and decent motors are available for < $15, so....

 

[disc1]

Thank you for the update, David. I look forward to jumping into your code and I'll make every effort to do it justice.

BTW: I thought I'd take a look at trying out the $37 stepper heads (with motor) that are available on ebay. I ordered one, just "for to look". Seems pretty solid, although the Nema 17 motors could be a weak link. I found the heads w/o motor at $12 and decent motors are available for < $15, so....

Got links? I'd love to go to stepper heads. I think that would give much better control over the flow from the dosers. The heads I have now run way too fast so I've been PWMing them. But it seems to be not very consistent.

 

[GlassReef]

Got links? I'd love to go to stepper heads. I think that would give much better control over the flow from the dosers. The heads I have now run way too fast so I've been PWMing them. But it seems to be not very consistent.

Here ya go: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.TRS0&_nkw=Peristaltic+Pump+Dosing+Pump+With+42+Stepper&_sacat=0

These require 200 steps (1.8 deg per step) for 1 revolution. Like the Masterflex Easy Load heads, they accept a range of smaller size tubing.

 

[disc1]

Thanks. When I get home (if that ever happens again) I might get some. It wouldn't be too hard to alter the code to work with a stepper. Might be a while, but if I get it I'll post the changes on that github repo.

 

[GlassReef]

Thanks. When I get home (if that ever happens again) I might get some. It wouldn't be too hard to alter the code to work with a stepper. Might be a while, but if I get it I'll post the changes on that github repo.

I'll definitely be looking out for it - but no hurry.

I played around with the ebay head and stepper. I was using a DRV8825 microstepping driver at 1/16 step. Tubing was OD 4mm ID 2mm, a little small but it worked. Looks promising for micro dosing. You can't really measure per 1/16 step - the amount is too small, but raise it to 2 full steps and the amount (in my 20 tries) was always the same.

 

[GlassReef]

David - quick question. I got a successful compile (1.6.5) after I renamed Disco_Doser.cpp to .ino. Not a problem?

BTW: pleasantly surprised at the small amount of memory used considering the functionality: "Sketch uses 28,968 bytes (11%) of program storage space. Maximum is 253,952 bytes.
Global variables use 820 bytes (10%) of dynamic memory, leaving 7,372 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 8,192 bytes."

 

[disc1]

after I renamed Disco_Doser.cpp to .ino.

Oh, I probably should have mentioned that this was all written and compiled using the Arduino plugin on Eclipse. So you are right to rename that one file to a .ino. You may also need to pull in some pieces from the .h file with the same name.

Another way to compile it is to make a new .ino file and call it whatever you'd like and just put #includes for each of those headers and nothing else. It will find setup and loop in the Disco_Doser.h file and should compile that way without any problems as well.

I hate the re-arranging that the Arduino IDE does with the sketches, so I tend to do like this and put everything in .h and .cpp files and not let the IDE touch my code. I've had too many weird errors that I can't track down that turn out not to be my code but rather something that the IDE added in or moved in its build process.

If you get very much into coding with the Arduino, I highly recommend using Eclipse with the Arduino plugin. It has a few quirks to get used to, but it is definitely a much easier and friendlier IDE to use.

 

[GlassReef]

I'll take a look at Eclipse with the plugin. I'm well on my way to developing dislikes for the native Arduino IDE.

 

[xgchhj]

Let's see if I can just upload the code here. You will need to move the libraries into you library folder. You will also need the latest version of the Time library from the arduino site.

 

[disc1]

I would suggest not putting the headers in this code into your libraries folder. Put them instead into the same folder with the sketch. I think if you try to put them into the libraries folder you will get a number of errors related to the different headers not being able to include one another.

 

[GlassReef]

Quick question for anyone who has been working with the last version of the project code David provided. I could swear that when I was in the menus at Set Schedule > Choose Schedule, there was always a cursor defining the input position for numeric data (Start Time:, End Time, etc.) Now, all of a sudden, the cursor is gone. I guess I managed to delete some code although, after hours of searching, I haven't been able to find the problem.

So... can anyone verify that they have a cursor under the circumstances, as described?

Thanks.

 

[Peculiarreef]

Hi
Amazing project!
I read the thread about your build and I'm just wondering if you are still using this code and how stable it is? I'm also thinking about remake to use with stepper motor pumps.

Peter