In my previous post I started the electronics and software for an Arduino Sketch for an ESP8266 WiFi microprocessor and several MAX31820 temperature sensors, that will eventually estimate and upload the level of water in our well water tank.
Tag Archives: Maker
Well depth sensing: it begins
I’ve begun another Arduino/ESP8266 project: reporting the level of water in our well tank. This project will involve the ESP8266, MAX31820 temperature sensors, some mechanical work, sending data to a web-based database, and interpreting the temperature data to estimate the well water level.
Cost-Reducing the Lunar Clock: IoT really is here
I have to confess that sometimes I need a push to make the right design choice.
It’s been a long time – way too long – since I worked on my Lunar Clock project. In the meantime, Sparkfun has introduced new, inexpensive microcontrollers aimed at Internet-of-Things applications. I knew one of those new microcontrollers would be perfect for the Lunar Clock, but I dragged my feet.
Continue reading Cost-Reducing the Lunar Clock: IoT really is here
My first 3D printed Sundial
I’ve been interested in sundials for ages. Tracking the sun’s path by observing the shadow of a stick is an ancient form of astronomy, and a gateway into geometry (literally “measuring the earth”).
Super Glue and 3D Printing: a match made in heaven
Having recently finished reading Clifford Smyth’s excellent book, Functional Design for 3D Printing, I was anxious to try out his method of cutting a design into parts and gluing those parts together after printing. Continue reading Super Glue and 3D Printing: a match made in heaven
Dog Water Bowl Scale, Part 3: Final assembly and installation
In my previous post, I covered the mechanical construction of the scale. In this post, I finish assembling the scale, calibrating it, and installing it.
After painting I put feet on the scale so it won’t soak in water spilled on the floor.
…then bolted the Arduino 101, Load Cell, and Load Cell Amplifier to the bottom plate. Continue reading Dog Water Bowl Scale, Part 3: Final assembly and installation
Dog Water Bowl Scale, Part 2: Measure Twice; Cut Once
In my previous post, I started working on the scale. In this post, I finish the woodworking, and painfully re-learn the woodworker’s adage: “Measure twice; cut once”. Continue reading Dog Water Bowl Scale, Part 2: Measure Twice; Cut Once
Dog Water Bowl Scale, part 1: initial design work
Now that my Dog Bed Weight Scale is sending data, I’m going to have a go at a water bowl scale. The idea is that, like the bed, the bowl will periodically send its weight to a cloud. This data should tell me when Pippa drinks, when we refill her bowl, and (maybe) how much she drinks.
The work-in-progress sources on Github, contain the beginnings of the Arduino 101 Sketch, Bill of Materials (Parts List), mechanical design/construction details, and a day-by-day project diary. Continue reading Dog Water Bowl Scale, part 1: initial design work
Dog Weight Scale part 16: Data!
In my previous post I changed the uploader app to run when the Raspberry Pi turns on, and installed the scale under Pippa’s dog bed. In this post, I get interesting data from the scale.
The scale has been running for a little over a week now, and has been surprisingly reliable for a first version. There is some sort of bug in which, every few days, the scale stops supplying new data BLE notifications to the gateway. I plan to refactor the scale and gateway to avoid that, but that’s another post.
Today I looked at the data and saw some very interesting things. Continue reading Dog Weight Scale part 16: Data!
Dog Weight Scale part 15: scale is installed and uploading real data
In my previous post, I wrote the Raspberry Pi Node.js code to upload data from Pippa’s dog bed scale to data.sparkfun.com. This post covers how to make a Node.js program run automatically when the Pi is turned on. Oh, and at the end I installed the finished scale under Pippa’s bed.
Continue reading Dog Weight Scale part 15: scale is installed and uploading real data