This is an IoT project for our Instrumentation Course. The intent of this project was to incorporate three separate Argon boards with three sensors that can communicate through the internet.
Our choice was to create a water dispensing system that could allow for controlled input of water through its own filtration system for drinking. The system would monitor for maximum holding capacity and control water let into the filter; furthermore, a TDS sensor that measures the ppm of the stored water can be accessed through ThingSpeak graphics.
The structure around this system is two 16x16 pegboards that are fastened together with some simple 3D printed handles and legs. All of the components are simply fastened onto the pegboard with zip ties, with flexible tubing connecting the components within the space of the pegboards. The three Argons are attached, via breadboards glued to the inside of one pegboard. One Argon controls only the inlet valve, one Argon handles the fill sensor and ppm test, and a third Argon deals with the cup IR sensor and outlet valve.
We expected the water pressure of the faucet or spigot to feed the water properly through the filter, and gravity when dispensing into a drinking cup (like a cooler), so no pump was involved. 1/2" barbed Hose fittings (male) were attached to the filter for tubing, and a solenoid inlet valve was installed at the inlet port on the filter. This valve communicates through the cloud to the fill-level sensor in the storage tank, which determines when the valve should be open to allow water to enter the filter.
Notably, attaching the hosing to a house faucet generates enough water pressure to leak through the barbed fittings. While we encountered some sealing issues with the tubing and adapters, the inlet valve was successful in communicating with the storage tank sensor to know when to pass water through the filter and into the storage tanks for dispensing.
Storage Bottle and DispenserTwo sensors are involved in monitoring the storage tank, also seen to be a 2 liter Coke bottle (cleaned). The fill sensor is simply two open wires located at the top of the bottle which become a completed circuit when the water rises above a certain volume. This completed circuit tells the sensor's Argon to flag to the inlet valve-Argon to close its valve and halt the flow of water into the bottle.
The cup sensor is a single IR distance gauge that is connected to the third Argon that controls the outlet solenoid valve. A ppm sensor is inserted at the bottom of the bottle to test the quality of the water before it can be dispensed for drinking. This value is referenced by the third Argon with the cup sensor and outlet valve every time before dispensing water. If the ppm sensor detects a value that is too great, the water is considered not safe for drinking and does not allow the outlet valve to open.
https://youtu.be/Z2lNCzRG1lY
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