latest Arduino projects

[markxengineerin]

In addition to programmable alternator regulator, I have added a "Toilet Flush Counter" and "Chain Counter". The flush counter is to fix a problem I had with never knowing when the holding tank was full. The SCAD tm2 system works great on my water tanks, but was never consistent on the holding tank, I think due to humidity and poor access to the very top of tank(where it matters most) when mounting the sensor.


This works great and has been within +/- 10 pumps to full on my tests (of 410 total).

The chain counter uses the same proximity sensor and very similar code to measure the rotation of the gypsy. Every 25 feet I set off a car alarm buzzer for 1 second, and light up a LED on a panel bedded in epoxy that's visible from foredeck. That one isn't working well yet, picking up some noise from the windlass motor I think, but I'll keep working on it. Some will say "Why complicate things?" but I think this should be an improvement in visibility at night, and better than re-painting and replacing zip ties.

Both projects are very cheap, maybe $50 in parts, and easy projects to do on a boat compared to the mechanical work I'm used to. If anyone is interested in the code PM me, happy to share it.

[CaptTom]

On CF's sister site, Trawler Forum, there was a discussion about automating fog signaling. I thought that would be a great project for a simple ESP relay board and Arduino. There are so many possibilities for stuff like this on a boat! I've also thought about a chain counter. It would be great if there were a common place we could post projects like this.

[markxengineerin]

That's a good idea on the repository of sorts. I have never used GitHub, but maybe they have a way of curating a public sub-community. I'll look into it. To be most useful, I think it would be topic/discussion based, like this forum, but also have the codes and schematics associated with "threads". I imagine this is a common desire people have and a solved problem (?)

[Artey]

I wish someone would come up with a good arduino based capacitive water level sensor for tanks. You say the SCAD system is good, but man do I feel like its over priced for what you get, given the number of complains I have seen about them not working consistently.

[markxengineerin]

I can't imagine a big improvement over the SCAD system unless someone knows of better sensors. The brain (Arduino part) seems easy once sensors are installed giving a signal proportional to liquid level.

[CaptTom]

Ahh, the eternal problem of tank level sensing. The off-the-shelf options are grossly overpriced. And yes, the brain is the easy part. Deciding which type of sensor and actually getting one which works and is easy to install is the hard part. I built an ultrasonic level sensor for my home heating oil tank using an ESP8266 and it works great. But that tank doesn't move.

My thoughts lately have been straying toward the old-school "tank tender" (I think it's called) system which uses fish tank style air hoses. Put one in the tank, pump some air down it, and see how much pressure the liquid exerts pushing it back. It's reliable, but it always feels like taking an exam to interpret the results. Again the problem would be picking a pressure sensor with the correct range for whatever depth of liquid you're measuring.

GitHub would work as a repository. I use Home Assistant for monitoring and controlling my dirt house and they use it a lot. There are even some people using HA on their boats. HA has an add-on called ESPHome which is fantastic for creating sensors using ESP devices with zero coding. I think it's based on Arduino but frankly it works so well that I haven't bothered to get into the details.

[wholybee]

This is a repository worth looking at:
https://open-boat-projects.org/en/

I am toying with a holding tank sensor for my unique holding tank(in the keel). The sides of the tank are not accessible, and the port for the sensor is 1.25" NPT. I had similar issues with the SCAD monitor. It worked fine if my bilge was dry, but with an inch of water it gave erratic readings. I think any type of capacitive measurement is too sensitive for use in a bilge. My project uses 5 prongs cut to different length to detect 25%,50%,75%, and 100%(in reality 90%). The Arduino takes a measurement for a few seconds every 10 minutes. This minimizes damage to the SS probes from current flow in salt water. Once full, it will beep every few minutes to alarm, with a silence button to stop the alarm until the next time the tank is emptied. It is still early in design phase and I have not prototyped it yet but will soon.

The esp32 has capacitive input pins but I have not messed with them. It should be trivial to make a capacitive measurement with it. My issue, and I think Mark's, is that a capacitive sensor is sensitive to the environment it is installed it. That is why I abandoned the idea. I give up the precision and and gain reliability. And really, all you need is "lots of room left, not a lot left, and we need to empty it now!"

I am also working on and have a working prototype of a battery SOC meter that connects to an Overkill Solar or JBD BMS via bluetooth. Uses esp32 as I couldn't get reliable ble comms to the BMS with an Arduino. It gives the normal data, SOC, Voltage, Current, voltage of each cell, and also provides an audible alarm prior to BMS disconnect. It answers one of the primary arguments against using an inexpensive BMS and provides cell level information on a panel meter instead of needing a phone. Because it is bluetooth, you don't have to give up bluetooth on the BMS. A direct connection was MUCH easier to implement, but required disconnecting the bluetooth module.

[Bellinghamster]

I want to know some details about the alternator regulator mentioned in the first post!
That's been on my list of projects for quite awhile.

[markxengineerin]

I should do a separate documentation for it, now that it's working, but there are some details in this thread:
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...gn-267329.html
Prototype before it was enclosed and still with some problems:

This design uses an old "Heart Interface Regulator" as a basis, a product possibly from the 90's and cheap on ebay. Those regulators had controlled charging setpoints with little trim potentiometers. I have replaced the main pot with a programmable version, controlled by arduino over SPI, and setpoint adjusts based on voltage, current, and alternator temp in any way desired. In practice, I haven't needed an alternator at all due to solar, and usually only run it at 20 amps, but it was a fun project, and might be useful someday in a rainy/winter climate where I'm trying to hit the sweet spot for quick charging and alternator durability.

I don't think it would be difficult to eliminate the Heart Interface from the equation, but this was a safer option for the hobbyist that I am, and I had 3 of them that came w/ boat.

[markxengineerin]

This is a repository worth looking at:
https://open-boat-projects.org/en/

Awesome, great ideas in here