diy aquarium controller

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11034012#post11034012 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stugray
Bean,

Check out the X9241A at intersil.com

The Xicor devices have been discontinued but the replacement parts are now made by intersil. They are not directly controllable from 1-wire, but could be controlled by 1-wire switching device.

Have you looked at the closure of the 1-wire switches? Are they clean ( debounced )?

I do not have a scope. I keep meaining to buy one but never get around to it. I want a 100mhz unit and just can't come to grips with the cost... even used :D

Sadly if i ever get one, I am not sure who is going to show me how to use it. It has been years since I played with one for anything meaningful.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11034547#post11034547 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by A.T.T.R
so far i like the pic launguage oly 37 terms to really learn lol


so far my plans include pump speed control and thats about it,.... dont want to start out to big
i belive i have most of the external stuff down. i just need to learn the programing ( i used to know some basic c++ and was able to make some decent text based stuff with many variables) so the fact that this uses assembely is great

im pretty good at figuring stuff out
and have much of the programing drawn down in a chart ( not yet in the real launguage yet)
but i am quickly learning that a plc would of been easyier for alot of the stuff that has inputs then responds to inputs



blaaa anyways.. im gonna type more out when im not half asleep mainly about how i plan to make this work

Are you familiar with assembly? If not yopu can use high level languages like C or Basic to program micros.

The bad news is that single phase AC motor speed control is certainly not a basic or beginers project.
 
i am familiar to things similar to assembaly.
anyways i know the project i chose isnt easy but i ment im going to start out with osmthing that performs one task instead of many.

i know i can use c but what are going to be the benefits of c in a project like this. ( plus i dont know much if any c any more) altho i do know a few ppl who do :)
 
I plan on making my barracuda pump a variable speed, but that plan just includes buying a new 3 phase motor ( $200 ), and a used VFD (~$100 ) to drive at less than 1/2 HP from single phase 120 Input.

The 555 timer I was speaking about was in a variable speed stepper driver, but I have also used them as PWM drivers for a power mosfet. I intend to build one in the next couple of weeks as a variable current source for driving high power LEDs.

The variable speed stepper driver is simple. We could build one to drive a controllable sea swirl.

Stu
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11035382#post11035382 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by A.T.T.R

i know i can use c but what are going to be the benefits of c in a project like this. ( plus i dont know much if any c any more) altho i do know a few ppl who do :)

The key to a project like this is to use something that you are comfortable with, both hardware and software. C would work, but probably not the easiest to program in unless you do it all the time. Any programming language would work, even shell scripts or batch files. There are even more hardware options out there than programming languages. Myself, I chose an old mini-itx system (came out of a slot machine) with Linux, Java, and 1-wire for I/O. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
 
what was this about icecap dimming :O if some one has a diy for that I WANT IT as the solar dimmer is a pos
 
Here is one person trying to BUILD something usefull meanwhile others trying to destroy it from the beginning.

Don´t talk too much and do it!

The only coherent thing I have found here is to get out cause this is useless, a german forum must be better.
 
A. Iosue--> Since you're such a self proclaimed 'expert' on the subject why aren't you helping the poster out? All I've heard from you is a 2nd grade whine about others not knowing what they're talking about. But yet you refuse to give up any information regarding what you know....??

If you're going to contribute to the thread and the OP's questions do so. If you're gonna whine like a little 5yr old all day maybe you do need to go to your little German forum where you can hold hands and sing Kumbaya together.
 
The arrogance is astounding! Yes, please do go to another forum and grace them with your personality. I think we will survive without you.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11040106#post11040106 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by A. Iosue

Don´t talk too much and do it!

Yeah!! No advice or instruction needed!! I'll just start soldering wires, chips and resistors together... I'm sure it will work. :D


This guy KILLS ME!! :D
 
Rusty, he is a Venezuelan Systems Engineer. We are so far beneath his intellect that he is unable to have a dialog with us. After all we are just dumb, rude, arrogant Americans.
 
A. Iosue

"Don´t talk too much and do it!"

Arrogant SOB....

I just got confirmation TODAY that my 1-wire parts have shipped.

Order date: 9/11/2007 Ship date: 10/24/2007

I suppose I should have started building before I had any parts.

You can bet there will be some progress soon.


A.T.T.R

Here is my plan:

1 - Using a protoboard ( you can get them cheap at radio shack, or buy a cheap used self-powered unit on ebay ), I plan on testing all the separate 1-wire devices ( temp sensors, 4 port switches, Analog to Digital sensors ) individually.

2 - Once I get them all working nicely, I will build tiny circuit boards to attach them and any associated circuitry. I will fab those myself using the circuit board manufacturing kits from radio shack or a local electronics distributor. I have used the laser printer transfer sheets before, but these circuits should be so simple ( 2-5 components & 1 connector each ) that I will probably just used the rub on traces and etch myself. Finally I will pot the circuits to make them resistant to salt water ( espescially for the temp sensors ).

3 - Next I will need to build the wiring harness for the 1-wire network. Since some of my devices will use externally supplied power ( instead of the purely parisitic power ), I will need 3 wires. I havent decided if I should twist them or just shield them. Some of the harness might be 30 feet long.

4 - I have already started working on the Labview interface for monitoring during the initial experimental phase.

5 - I have also gotten an extra PC and installed Fedora linux on it. I intend on using it as my controller. Next is figuring out how to use the One Wire Filesystem ( OWFS ) for linux and the 1-wire devices. I will also need to minimize the linux install to only put the critical SW on it to maximize reliability.

6 - Finally I would like to use the 1-wire AtoD devices to read my ph & ORP probes. Previous discussions on this topic have shown that the 1-wire devices cannot read the probes directly. I will have to experiment to see why. If they cannot, I will just add instrumentation Op amps to the output of the probes. If all else fails, I will use my national instrument DAQ board to read the probes, but I was trying to make the whole system work from USB.

7 - Next is the power control center. I plan on making my 10 outlet power center controllable from the 1-wire switches. Each outlet will be controled by a 1-wire switch that sets a latching relay which, in turn, controls the on/off state of a SSR. This way, the state of all the AC power will stay in the last commanded state through a power cycle. That way, if the PC goes out to lunch, or reboots, the system will be fine until control is restored.

8 - When all the above is finished, I plan on getting some of my Software friends to help do the whole system in C++ and compile for the linux platform.

I will keep you posted or start a separate thread.

Stu
 
whats this about one wire.? im sure i know what it is im problobly used to caling it somthing different ( you know dumb person terms)
 
A.T.T.R

check out:

http://www.maxim-ic.com/products/1-wire/

They have various devices that can be operated or communicated with from just 2 wires of a standard serial port, or across USB. They can all be daisy chained together and still be operated independently. Some of the devices dont even need a power line ( although it's optional ) and 'steal' power from the serial line.

They are also very cheap.

I ordered the USB evaluation kit just to make development easier.

Stu
 
Sounds like a good plan Stu. I have been very pleased with the 1-wire stuff. My problem is doing the CRC stuff in VB. The OWFS will have all of tha tbuilt in :)
 
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