Aquarium Temperature and Event Log Monitor

A Particle based system for monitoring temperature remotely with an included ant-tamper log

IntermediateShowcase (no instructions)24 hours63

Aquarium Temperature and Event Log Monitor

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Particle Argon

Resistor 1k ohm

Resistor 10k ohm

Breadboard (generic)

Omron Electronic Components LLC GLS-S1 Magnetic Proximity Sensor

Adafruit 3950 NTC Thermistor

Software apps and online services

ThingSpeak API

Particle Build Web IDE

IFTTT

Story

About

Consumer monitoring systems for aquariums are cheap, but can get expensive real quick if you desire something that can be viewed remotely. Typical systems can costs hundreds of dollars, and are stripped down in features compared to commercial solutions.

This Particle-based temperature monitoring system costs less than $100 and allows temperature data to be viewed from anywhere in the world. It includes an event log for the opening and closing of the fish tank lid, allowing you to keep track of feeding habits and ensure your tank inhabitants are well taken care of.

An inexpensive, waterproof epoxy thermistor is used to accurately measure a wide temperature range with a 1% tolerance. A simple magnetic sensor is used to detect whether the lid has been opened or closed, with one end fixed to the lid and the other fixed to the tank body. An LED indicator is affixed to the magnetic sensor system to ensure the magnetic sensor state and mobile app push notifications are in line and accurate.

Physical Circuits

Physical Thermistor Circuit

Physical Magnetic Sensor Circuit

Flowchart of Communications

Communications Flowchart

The thermistor Argon sends periodic information to IFTTT, which is tied to a mobile app. When the thermistor Argon receives information from the magnetic sensor system, it is sent to IFTTT, sending the user a push notification whether the lid of the tank has been closed or opened. It then stores these events in a viewable event log for the user to view over time, which is useful for tracking long term feeding habits, or checking to make sure a trusted caretaker is doing their job correctly.

Applet Event Log

The data from the thermistor Argon is taken and converted into degrees Celsius, and sent to Thingspeak to graph over time. This allows the user to monitor the safety and optimal temperature of the tank, and detect whether any harmful fluctuations or system defects are present in the temperature regulation system.

Thermistor Output Over Time

Demonstration Video

Code

int inputPin = D3; //defined particles inputs      
int light = D4;
int val = 0;                    


void setup() {
    pinMode(light, OUTPUT); //pin modes
    pinMode(inputPin, INPUT);  
    
}

void loop() {

val = digitalRead(inputPin);

if (val == HIGH){ // if loop to determine position of gate
    Particle.publish("tank", "tankopen"); //publish pos if open
    digitalWrite (light,HIGH);
    Particle.variable("gate", 1);
    delay (3000);
    }
if (val == LOW){
    Particle.publish("tank","tankclosed"); //publish pos if closed
    digitalWrite (light,LOW);
    Particle.variable("gate", 0);
   
    delay (3000);
    
}

delay (1000);


}

#include <ThingSpeak.h>
#include "ThingSpeak.h"

#include <math.h> //include library for math calc

//#include <ThingSpeak_h>

TCPClient client;


int ThermPin = A5; //defining var and pin locations
int Vo;
//double RT;
//double ln;
//double VR;
double R1 = 9870; //describing var
double logR;
double R2;
double T;
double value;
double c1 = 0.001129438;// coefficents of thermistor based on known tested values and data sheet
double c2 = 0.0002333512;
double c3 = 0.0000000893741;
//const char * temp = "0";


;
void setup() {
    
    ThingSpeak.begin(client); //int thingspeak w/ webhook
    Serial.begin(9600); 
    pinMode(ThermPin, INPUT); //set particle inputs and output vars
    Particle.variable("temp", value);
   
   
  
    
}

void loop() {



Vo = analogRead(ThermPin); //themistor equation to turn delta v into temperature in degrees C
R2 = R1*(2240/((double)Vo-1)); 
logR = log(R2);
T = (1.0 / (c1 + (c2 * logR) + c3 *( logR * logR * logR)));
double value = T - 273.15;


Particle.publish("value", String::format("%.4f", value));

if Particle.subscribe("gate", 1 , ALL_DEVICES){ // If gate is open particle turns indicator light on
  Particle.publish( digitalWrite (light,HIGH));
}
  
delay(20000);
}

Credits

Thomas Nemanich

1 project • 0 followers

Alex Mender

1 project • 0 followers

Aquarium Temperature and Event Log Monitor