Flowmeter

Request new hardware or ideas for the controller
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erikweitzel
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 5:52 pm

Flowmeter

Post by erikweitzel »

First request: I have been recently struggling with the poor availability of reasonably priced flowmeters to regulate water flow through the uv filter etc. While reading up on this on reefcentral I ran across a thread which uses a paddle wheel style flowmeter with a reefangel: http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/g12-wa ... th=144_151
You may want to consider adding this as a standard feature.


Second request: On the wizard, can you add a time on/off on the delay option? I don't want my skimmer to run in the middle of the night and make noise but I need the delay feature. I'm kind of low tech so I rely entirely on the wizard to program my reefangel.


Thanks!
rimai
Posts: 12881
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:47 pm

Re: Flowmeter

Post by rimai »

There are a few people I know of that are using this meter with RA.
They are not really good though in my point of view and that's why I never pursued them.
They are too tiny and you have to divert flow from whatever you are measuring.
They also are prone to get clogged.
I've tested and wasn't too happy with performance, so I abandoned the project.
The wizard is not made for all scenarios, but for base codes to get you started.
If you want to do something that is more custom, you can hard code it or ask for help here :)
Roberto.
erikweitzel
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 5:52 pm

Re: Flowmeter

Post by erikweitzel »

Thanks. I just wanted to make sure you were alert to it. Measuring flow is quite a problem. The toms aquatic device can't handle much pressure and the next available models go up exponentially in price. I'll just have to keep looking.

I'll just be patient on the wizard updates. It's really great and I appreciate all your team's efforts on it. I've got too much going on to sort out the coding thing.

V/r
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jsclownfish
Posts: 378
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2011 7:52 pm
Location: Saint Louis

Re: Flowmeter

Post by jsclownfish »

I am using these on various returns to my tank, but they can't handle a lot of flow. I had to rig up a diverter so I can measure if the line is flowing and still handle the flow. I like them as they are a good test that things are working properly, but I don't really look for accuracy of flow rates. Here is a pic of how I divert the flow to the meters.
flowsensor.png
flowsensor.png (309.7 KiB) Viewed 6665 times
Its not elegant, but it works. I'd also agree with Roberto about their robustness, as I have already had to replace one less than a year old because it stopped working.

I think an option using a venturi valve and a vacuum sensor would be cleaner and handle more flow. I haven't had time to try it, but I think Roberto may have looked into that option as well.

-Jon
rimai
Posts: 12881
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:47 pm

Re: Flowmeter

Post by rimai »

Venturi with a vacuum sensor is a much better way of doing this.
I've done some preliminary tests, but was having a hard time finding the correct venturi that would not inject water in the tubing.
Although I was happy with how they could measure the vacuum, I never found the correct venturi and also abandoned the project.
The venturi method is not applicable for little flow rate though. Although, for little flow rate, you can certainly use one of the above mentioned flow meters, since they are designed for that anyway :)
Roberto.
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