Defender Arduino Design
Posted by beads
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Re: Defender Arduino Design May 17, 2020 12:18AM |
MEGA DEFENDER REV1
It's 2020 and the new mosquito season is upon us, though the well below average temps in the mid-Atlantic have delayed the need to restart the Mega Defender until now. At the end of last year I acquired two vintage, non-working Defenders through eBay for $180, and decided to re-build an entire system. The original system from last year will go to work for a friend near the water, so that will be a true test of reliability and effectiveness.
When the old Defender case was opened on the second build, the reason it was non-working was immediately apparent: the nylon screw head that was supposed to secure the original thermistor was sheared off, and the thermistor was dangling free. Quite a bit of effort was spent prying apart the hot section to give it a good clean (it was in bad shape), then RTV was used to create a new gasket seal when screwed back together.
Based on inputs from a couple interested parties last year, there are some pretty significant changes to the last design:
1. A dimmer function was added to the igniter sequence to slowly ramp up to full power to reduce stress on the igniter over an 18 second period
2. An MQ-2 propane gas detector was added to pin A0 to measure gas levels near the valve solenoid
3. The working thermistor was wired into an analog pin on the Mega via a voltage divider
4. The Serial and Bluetooth functions were deconflicted allowing the code could to always run as is, so plugging the USB cable into a laptop provides detailed data to be seen during operation
5. The existing power switch was used instead of adding another switch on the bottom of the case
The new system fired up perfectly on the first try with propane. It took some work in the workshop running tests and the revised Arduino code to get the new functionality up and running. It is so nice having both Bluetooth and the serial monitor available on the same code, unlike last year.
The updated wiring diagram is included below, as well as updated pictures and the new code (Version 17) at the end of this post. The code is not elegant, but it is functional. 10% of language memory is used, and 27% of variable memory, as of V17. Still plenty of margin. Keep in mind to actually make the Mega Defender work, all that is actually need are two 18B20 temp sensors, three MOSFETs and the Real Time Clock (RTC) - about $30 including the Arduino Mega.
Photo and Video Album
After checking that the thermistor worked and measuring its resistance (150K Ohms),it was included in the recorded data on the SD card and wired it via voltage divider to analog Pin 1 (A01). Right now, the data is simply stored to the SD card to help with analysis, though it could potentially be used in the ignition logic. As can be seen in the initial lightoff plot below, the thermistor is much more sensitive to the temperature increase, but is much noisier as well. Since the 18B20 temp sensors are working so well, there’s no motivation to change anything.
The new MQ-2 gas sensor is also just for data- it didn’t make sense to set trip limits without first looking at the data from a week or more of operation. As mentioned in earlier posts, the danger of any propane “explosion” is virtually zero; certainly no more than a gas grill, which has no such feature.
The Pulse Width Modulation function built in to the Arduino Mega is perfect to slowly ramp up power to the igniter. The V17 setting is 75 milliseconds per increment from 0-255, which translates to about 19 seconds to full power. The valve MOSFET is triggered at about 15 seconds into the sequence, when the igniter is already glowing. It works so far- hopefully the life of the igniter will be bumped up, especially with two lightoffs per day.
It really would be great to design a system to detect mosquitoes once they are in the trap. That little Doppler radar unit is the easiest to try, but after realizing that the biters spend the whole time plastered against the screen, it may be too hard to see. Acoustics would be a potentially good way, since mosquitoes have such a distinctive high pitch whine.
As always, please provide inputs on what may be improved upon, or any other ideas related to this project. BTW- the original Mega Defender fired up perfectly first time after being stored all winter, so the primary problem with these units (no lightoff after being in storage) really does seem to be fixed.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2020 12:20AM by beads.
It's 2020 and the new mosquito season is upon us, though the well below average temps in the mid-Atlantic have delayed the need to restart the Mega Defender until now. At the end of last year I acquired two vintage, non-working Defenders through eBay for $180, and decided to re-build an entire system. The original system from last year will go to work for a friend near the water, so that will be a true test of reliability and effectiveness.
When the old Defender case was opened on the second build, the reason it was non-working was immediately apparent: the nylon screw head that was supposed to secure the original thermistor was sheared off, and the thermistor was dangling free. Quite a bit of effort was spent prying apart the hot section to give it a good clean (it was in bad shape), then RTV was used to create a new gasket seal when screwed back together.
Based on inputs from a couple interested parties last year, there are some pretty significant changes to the last design:
1. A dimmer function was added to the igniter sequence to slowly ramp up to full power to reduce stress on the igniter over an 18 second period
2. An MQ-2 propane gas detector was added to pin A0 to measure gas levels near the valve solenoid
3. The working thermistor was wired into an analog pin on the Mega via a voltage divider
4. The Serial and Bluetooth functions were deconflicted allowing the code could to always run as is, so plugging the USB cable into a laptop provides detailed data to be seen during operation
5. The existing power switch was used instead of adding another switch on the bottom of the case
The new system fired up perfectly on the first try with propane. It took some work in the workshop running tests and the revised Arduino code to get the new functionality up and running. It is so nice having both Bluetooth and the serial monitor available on the same code, unlike last year.
The updated wiring diagram is included below, as well as updated pictures and the new code (Version 17) at the end of this post. The code is not elegant, but it is functional. 10% of language memory is used, and 27% of variable memory, as of V17. Still plenty of margin. Keep in mind to actually make the Mega Defender work, all that is actually need are two 18B20 temp sensors, three MOSFETs and the Real Time Clock (RTC) - about $30 including the Arduino Mega.
Photo and Video Album
After checking that the thermistor worked and measuring its resistance (150K Ohms),it was included in the recorded data on the SD card and wired it via voltage divider to analog Pin 1 (A01). Right now, the data is simply stored to the SD card to help with analysis, though it could potentially be used in the ignition logic. As can be seen in the initial lightoff plot below, the thermistor is much more sensitive to the temperature increase, but is much noisier as well. Since the 18B20 temp sensors are working so well, there’s no motivation to change anything.
The new MQ-2 gas sensor is also just for data- it didn’t make sense to set trip limits without first looking at the data from a week or more of operation. As mentioned in earlier posts, the danger of any propane “explosion” is virtually zero; certainly no more than a gas grill, which has no such feature.
The Pulse Width Modulation function built in to the Arduino Mega is perfect to slowly ramp up power to the igniter. The V17 setting is 75 milliseconds per increment from 0-255, which translates to about 19 seconds to full power. The valve MOSFET is triggered at about 15 seconds into the sequence, when the igniter is already glowing. It works so far- hopefully the life of the igniter will be bumped up, especially with two lightoffs per day.
It really would be great to design a system to detect mosquitoes once they are in the trap. That little Doppler radar unit is the easiest to try, but after realizing that the biters spend the whole time plastered against the screen, it may be too hard to see. Acoustics would be a potentially good way, since mosquitoes have such a distinctive high pitch whine.
As always, please provide inputs on what may be improved upon, or any other ideas related to this project. BTW- the original Mega Defender fired up perfectly first time after being stored all winter, so the primary problem with these units (no lightoff after being in storage) really does seem to be fixed.
//Mosquito Magnet Defender
//Version 17 25 April 2020
#include <Wire.h>
#include <SD.h>
#include <SPI.h>
#include <dht.h>
#include <OneWire.h>
#include <DallasTemperature.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
#define amb_temp 8// ambient DHT temp/humidity
#define igPin 9 //igniter
#define fanPin 10 // fan
#define valvePin 11 // propane valve
#define sd_card 53
#define gasPin A0
#define thermistorPin A1
#define Temperature_ONE_WIRE_BUS 2 // good temp sensors
#include "SSD1306AsciiAvrI2c.h"//OLED Display driver and address
#define OLED_ADDRESS 0x3C //set I2c Address, OLED specific
dht DHT;
SSD1306AsciiAvrI2c oled;
OneWire oneWire(2); // DS18B20 temperaure sensors
DallasTemperature sensors(&oneWire);
SoftwareSerial BTserial(19,18); // RX | TX
bool start = false;
float chk;
int ignit =0;
float start_time = 300;// total igiition cycle until timeout; 300 seconds works
float lightoff = 10.1;// delta T (deg F) for ignition
float temp = 0;
float dTemp = 0;
float aTemp, iTemp,a2Temp;
unsigned long readsec,initTime;
int elapsed;
float propane_hours, total_hours, propane_days, total_days;
float x = 0, y = 0, z = 0;
int sec = 0;
byte iMinute = 0;
byte second, minute, hour, dayOfWeek, dayOfMonth, month, year;
float hours, dec_hour, dec_min;
String stat = "INITIALIZE"; String stat2 = "unassigned";
float gas_sensor, thermistor;
File myFile;
#define DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS 0x68 // Real time clock
byte decToBcd(byte val){
return( (val/10*16) + (val%10) );}
byte bcdToDec(byte val){
return( (val/16*10) + (val%16) );}
void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);
BTserial.begin(9600);
initTime = millis()/1000;
pinMode(fanPin, OUTPUT);pinMode(igPin, OUTPUT);pinMode(valvePin, OUTPUT);
analogWrite(fanPin, 170);// Set fan to mid speed; range is 0-255
analogWrite(igPin, 0);// igniters off until called
sensors.begin();
delay(2000);
get_temps();
pinMode(sd_card, OUTPUT); // SD card init
Serial.print("Initializing SD card...");
if (!SD.begin(53)) {
Serial.println("initialization failed!");
return; }
Serial.println("initialization done.");
myFile = SD.open("Magnet.txt", FILE_WRITE); // if the file opened, write to it:
if (myFile) {
myFile.println("initializing SD card, Mosquito Magnet Mega Defender V17 w/ gas sensor & thermistor");
myFile.println("loop#,hours,dayofmonth,month,year,hour,min,sec,hours,stat,stat2,temp,amb_Temp,delta_Temp,humidiy,a2Temp,total_hrs,propane_hrs,total_days, propane_days, gas_sensor,thermistor");
myFile.close();
myFile = SD.open("ignition.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.println("loop#,elapsed,temp,aTemp,dTemp,iTemp,stat,stat2,dayofmonth,month,year,Hour,Min,sec,gas_sensor,thermistor");
myFile.close();
}
oled.begin(&Adafruit128x64, OLED_ADDRESS); //OLED Display initialize
oled.setFont(Adafruit5x7);
uint32_t m = micros();
oled.clear();
refresh_oled(); //Show initialize screen to check temp sensors
delay(6000);// wait 6 seconds to allow OLED screen to be read and settle gas sensor
}
void loop(){
get_temps();
iMinute = minute;
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
dec_min = minute; dec_hour = hour;
hours = dec_hour + (dec_min/60);
//##################### || is "normal" between breaks ; using "&&" runs 24/7 for testing and troubleshooting
if ((hours > 0.50 && hours < 6.0) || (hours > 9.5 && hours < 16.25)){ // sleep routine; sleeps late at night and mid day
stat = "SLEEPING";
start = false;
analogWrite(valvePin, LOW);//propane off
analogWrite(fanPin, 205);// Set fan to mid-high speed
}
else { // trapping routine
if (!start){ignite_cycle();} // runs igition if this is the first loop passed the start time
stat = "TRAPPING";
if (dTemp < lightoff -1){stat = "SHUTDOWN ";shut_down();} // shuts down if the hot section is not above ambient by lightoff delta
}
file_write();
serial_write();
refresh_oled();
bluetooth();
}
void ignite_cycle(){
stat = "IGNITION";
Serial.println("inside ignite_cycle");
for (int zz = 0; zz<= 255; zz++) { // start igniter slowly, about 19 seconds to max power
analogWrite(igPin,zz); Serial.print(zz);
if (zz > 210){ digitalWrite(valvePin, HIGH); Serial.print(" propane on");}//propane on at about 15 seconds
delay(75);Serial.println();
}
initTime = millis()/1000;
get_temps();
iTemp = temp;
stat2 = "igniter on";
while (elapsed < start_time && dTemp < lightoff) {
x++;
iMinute = minute;
readsec = millis()/1000;
elapsed = (readsec - initTime); // provides run time
get_temps();
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
if ((temp-iTemp) > 1.65 && elapsed > 45) {
analogWrite(igPin, 0); // turn off igniter, stay in ignition monitoring loop til start_time is reached
analogWrite(fanPin, 210);// Set fan to mid-high speed
stat2 = "igniter off";
}
Serial.print("IGNITION delta Temp "); Serial.println(temp-iTemp); Serial.print("temp "); Serial.println(temp);
Serial.print("aTemp "); Serial.println(aTemp); Serial.print("Elapsed "); Serial.println(elapsed);
Serial.print(" thermistor "); Serial.println(thermistor);
myFile = SD.open("ignition.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.print(x); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(elapsed); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(temp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(aTemp); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(dTemp);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(iTemp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dayOfMonth); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(month); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(year);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hour); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(minute); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(second); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hours);myFile.print(","); myFile.print(gas_sensor);myFile.print(","); myFile.println(thermistor);
myFile.close();
file_write();
oled.clear(); oled.set2X();
oled.println(stat); oled.set1X();oled.println();
oled.print(temp); oled.print(" ");oled.println(dTemp);
oled.print("temp"); oled.println(" dTemp"); oled.println();
oled.print(" Ignition time: "); oled.println(elapsed);
oled.print("hours: ");oled.println(hours);
bluetooth();
}
analogWrite(igPin,LOW); // stop igniter if still on
if (elapsed <= start_time){
start = true; x = 0;
stat2 = "Good Ignition";
analogWrite(fanPin, 210);// Set fan to mid-high speed
Serial.println(stat2);oled.println(stat2); delay(1000);}
else {start = false;
stat = "SHUTDOWN ";
stat2 = "No Ignition"; Serial.println(stat2);oled.println(stat2);
shut_down(); }
}
// Real time clock setup
void readDS3231time(byte *second,byte *minute,byte *hour,
byte *dayOfWeek,byte *dayOfMonth,byte *month,byte *year){
Wire.beginTransmission(DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS);
Wire.write(0);
Wire.endTransmission();
Wire.requestFrom(DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS, 7);
*second = bcdToDec(Wire.read() & 0x7f); *minute = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*hour = bcdToDec(Wire.read() & 0x3f); *dayOfWeek = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*dayOfMonth = bcdToDec(Wire.read()); *month = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*year = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
}
void shut_down(){
digitalWrite(valvePin, LOW);//propane off
analogWrite(igPin, LOW);//be sure ignition is off
analogWrite(fanPin, 245);// Set fan to high speed
x = 0;
while (x < 2400){// 600 = 1 hr; cool down; dry out any trapped biters
x++;
get_temps();
iMinute = minute;
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
dec_min = minute; dec_hour = hour;
hours = dec_hour + (dec_min/60);
serial_write();
file_write();
refresh_oled();
bluetooth();
}
analogWrite(fanPin, LOW);// turn fan off
stat = "HALT";
Serial.println(stat);
refresh_oled();
while(1); //forever loop
}
void get_temps(){
sensors.requestTemperatures();
temp = sensors.getTempFByIndex(1);// Hot location initial temp
aTemp = sensors.getTempFByIndex(0);// Ambient location initial temp
dTemp = temp - aTemp;
chk = DHT.read11(amb_temp);
a2Temp = DHT.temperature*1.8+32;
gas_sensor = analogRead(gasPin);
thermistor = analogRead(thermistorPin);
delay(2000);
}
void file_write() {
if (iMinute != minute){
y++;
total_hours = y/60; total_days = total_hours/24;
if (start){z++; propane_hours = z/60; propane_days = propane_hours/24;} // adds time only if ignited
myFile = SD.open("Magnet.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.print(y); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(hours); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dayOfMonth); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(month); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(year);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hour); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(minute); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(second); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hours);myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(stat); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat2); myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(temp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(aTemp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dTemp); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(DHT.humidity); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(a2Temp);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(total_hours,2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(propane_hours,2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(total_days,3); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(propane_days,3);
`myFile.close();
}
}
void refresh_oled(){ //Push data to the OLED display
oled.clear(); oled.set2X(); oled.println(stat);oled.set1X();
oled.print(temp); oled.print(" ");oled.print(aTemp);oled.print(" ");oled.println(DHT.humidity);
oled.println(" temp ambt humid.");
//oled.print(hour, DEC); oled.print(":");oled.print(minute, DEC); oled.print(":");oled.println(second, DEC);
oled.print("propane days: ");oled.println(propane_days,3);
oled.print("total days: ");oled.println(total_days,3);
oled.print("current hour: ");oled.print(hours,2);
}
void serial_write(){
Serial.print(stat);Serial.print(" Temp = "); Serial.print(temp); Serial.print(" Amb Temp = "); Serial.print(aTemp);
Serial.print(" dTemp = "); Serial.print(dTemp);Serial.print(" Humidity = "); Serial.println(DHT.humidity);
Serial.print(hour, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(minute, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(second, DEC);Serial.println(" ");
Serial.print(month, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(dayOfMonth, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(year, DEC);Serial.println();
Serial.print("Hours: ");Serial.print(hours); Serial.print(" run hrs ");Serial.println(total_hours,3);Serial.print(" Thermistor: "); Serial.println(thermistor);Serial.println();
}
void bluetooth(){ //Push data through the HC-05 bluetooth module
BTserial.print(stat);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(hours,2);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(temp);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(aTemp);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(total_days,3);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(propane_days,3);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(gas_sensor,3);BTserial.print(";"); // last output needs to have the ";"
}Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2020 12:20AM by beads.
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Re: Propane Cost June 30, 2020 02:20AM |
To answer the igniter question- since going with the dimmer function (PWM), I haven't had any issues at all with the igniter. In fact, in the rebuilt Defender I am currently running in my backyard I tested and used the original igniter that is at least 8 years old, and it has been lighting twice a day for 6 weeks at least. The igniter last year must have worked at least 120 times- a far cry from the original Defender that I was hopeful to get four or five light-offs in a season.
To answer another question- the third wire from the fan is the tachometer, but I chose not to use that input in the Arduino logic. I was getting spurious tach readings when I tried to hook it up when the fan was running fine, which would have caused an erroneous shutdown. The fan is clearly audible, so I consider that the primary method for monitoring, though I suppose that if the fan fails (pretty low failure rate), the Magnet could overheat- or maybe not.
I cleaned out the Mega Defender tonight- it only had about 50-60 mosquitoes after seven days, though because I have been running a Defender in my backyard for more than a decade, it is likely the number I'll get will never reach the levels of the first year. We hardly ever see mosquitoes in our wooded backyard anymore, so the Mega Defender is really doing its job.
The first propane tank lasted 35 days, way way longer than the the turn it on and run it dry method. The total run and propane hours are plotted below. I have to pay attention to the attractant life, and just recently bought a small bottle of Octenal on eBay to "refresh" those much more affordably than buying the packs of three. Does anyone know why Lurex sales were halted?
The thermistor is way more sensitive than the Arduino temp sensor that is mounted on the heat sink fans. In the plot below the thermistor output was scaled to match the two temp sensors. In this latest build, the Arduino hot temp sensor is mounted flush to the metal, so it measures much higher temps than the original install. Below is the file that tracks the ignition cycles for each of the 14 or so lightoffs; the morning and afternoon temps are clear as it does two lightoffs per day.
I had a couple small problems with the Defender at the beginning of the season. We had very heavy rains a couple times, and somehow a drop of water got onto the connector of the micro SD card reader mounted on the bottom; of course it hit right between the Vcc and ground pins, causing a short and making the Arduino Mega unhappy. It was a quick fix, but the blog Dev host was right that the design- at least my build- is not very robust for weather, though it did run all last season, and fired up first try this year. The other issue was plain clumsiness on my part: when mowing the lawn the mower handle hit the OLED display and caused about a third of it to go blank. When I swapped tanks, I swapped the display and it was fine.
To answer another question- the third wire from the fan is the tachometer, but I chose not to use that input in the Arduino logic. I was getting spurious tach readings when I tried to hook it up when the fan was running fine, which would have caused an erroneous shutdown. The fan is clearly audible, so I consider that the primary method for monitoring, though I suppose that if the fan fails (pretty low failure rate), the Magnet could overheat- or maybe not.
I cleaned out the Mega Defender tonight- it only had about 50-60 mosquitoes after seven days, though because I have been running a Defender in my backyard for more than a decade, it is likely the number I'll get will never reach the levels of the first year. We hardly ever see mosquitoes in our wooded backyard anymore, so the Mega Defender is really doing its job.
The first propane tank lasted 35 days, way way longer than the the turn it on and run it dry method. The total run and propane hours are plotted below. I have to pay attention to the attractant life, and just recently bought a small bottle of Octenal on eBay to "refresh" those much more affordably than buying the packs of three. Does anyone know why Lurex sales were halted?
The thermistor is way more sensitive than the Arduino temp sensor that is mounted on the heat sink fans. In the plot below the thermistor output was scaled to match the two temp sensors. In this latest build, the Arduino hot temp sensor is mounted flush to the metal, so it measures much higher temps than the original install. Below is the file that tracks the ignition cycles for each of the 14 or so lightoffs; the morning and afternoon temps are clear as it does two lightoffs per day.
I had a couple small problems with the Defender at the beginning of the season. We had very heavy rains a couple times, and somehow a drop of water got onto the connector of the micro SD card reader mounted on the bottom; of course it hit right between the Vcc and ground pins, causing a short and making the Arduino Mega unhappy. It was a quick fix, but the blog Dev host was right that the design- at least my build- is not very robust for weather, though it did run all last season, and fired up first try this year. The other issue was plain clumsiness on my part: when mowing the lawn the mower handle hit the OLED display and caused about a third of it to go blank. When I swapped tanks, I swapped the display and it was fine.
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Re: Defender Arduino Design September 13, 2020 08:34PM |
The 2020 mosquito season is wrapping up. There have been three Mega Defenders running now nearly continuously for two months, so six light-offs per day, almost without issues. Almost, because I have had two of the 12 V power supplies fail, entirely due to water incursion. We have had an extremely wet summer, with very heavy rainfalls. Those Amazon power supplies don’t come water-proofed. To mitigate, I now seal the two end wires with hot glue (all the way around both end wires/connections), and apply good quality electrical tape around the perimeter. So far, that’s working. By the way, I've used zero CO2 cartridges this year, and still get perfectly reliable light-offs. The chart below shows 58 light-offs, a decade's worth using the "normal" continuous-on system.
Several updates have been included in the latest posted-below software, which is release 20. The most significant is that the code now detects a brief power interruption, which has happened a couple times with afternoon thunderstorms; check out the running days total in the plot below. The old code would immediately go through the normal start-up with power restored, and in the first pass at the ignition loop see the hot section temperature sensor was well above ambient, which made it think there was a good light off and secure the igniter and move into the normal Trapping mode, eventually leading to shutdown when it thought propane was empty as it cooled. The new code checks to see if there is an eight degree or more differential between the hot section and ambient sensor; if so, it stays in the “while” loop with the fan at max until the differential (dTemp variable) drops below eight, but no more than 15 minutes. The second plot show a test run I made where I was specifically looking to see how fast the hot section cools when propane was secured.
Another added feature is that in the initialization phase the code now checks for a failed temp sensor. It isn’t perfect, but I have found the sensors typically fail due to the crummy jumper wire connections, and give readings like -999 or 999. If the one of the temp sensors fail (it happened once out of three Mega Defenders after months of running), the code sends it into shutdown or it won’t relight after going to sleep.
As I ungracefully age, my reading vision is getting worse, so I modified the OLED output commands so I don’t need reading glasses to see those tiny display characters. Every 2.5 seconds or so, the data alternates between temps and total time and propane time and RTC clock time. The Bluetooth modules burn out after a few weeks, it seems the cheap Amazon versions used are not designed to run 24/7 for months, which Is believable.
I have had ZERO issue with the igniters’ since going to the slow warm up mode using PWM at the beginning of the season. That’s hundreds of light-offs just this season alone, I’m going to call it and say that problem is solved.
The Mega Defenders have been catching a much higher number of mosquitos his year compared to previous years. The really wet summer is probably the main reason- all my neighbors are complaining about how bad the biters are this year. Until it suddenly cooled off outside recently, there were 30-40 biters in the trap each day, more than double or even triple last year. The deck is livable, so it is working.
The V20 code below could definitely be streamlined, but it works really well. Others are encouraged to revise and post updates.
Several updates have been included in the latest posted-below software, which is release 20. The most significant is that the code now detects a brief power interruption, which has happened a couple times with afternoon thunderstorms; check out the running days total in the plot below. The old code would immediately go through the normal start-up with power restored, and in the first pass at the ignition loop see the hot section temperature sensor was well above ambient, which made it think there was a good light off and secure the igniter and move into the normal Trapping mode, eventually leading to shutdown when it thought propane was empty as it cooled. The new code checks to see if there is an eight degree or more differential between the hot section and ambient sensor; if so, it stays in the “while” loop with the fan at max until the differential (dTemp variable) drops below eight, but no more than 15 minutes. The second plot show a test run I made where I was specifically looking to see how fast the hot section cools when propane was secured.
Another added feature is that in the initialization phase the code now checks for a failed temp sensor. It isn’t perfect, but I have found the sensors typically fail due to the crummy jumper wire connections, and give readings like -999 or 999. If the one of the temp sensors fail (it happened once out of three Mega Defenders after months of running), the code sends it into shutdown or it won’t relight after going to sleep.
As I ungracefully age, my reading vision is getting worse, so I modified the OLED output commands so I don’t need reading glasses to see those tiny display characters. Every 2.5 seconds or so, the data alternates between temps and total time and propane time and RTC clock time. The Bluetooth modules burn out after a few weeks, it seems the cheap Amazon versions used are not designed to run 24/7 for months, which Is believable.
I have had ZERO issue with the igniters’ since going to the slow warm up mode using PWM at the beginning of the season. That’s hundreds of light-offs just this season alone, I’m going to call it and say that problem is solved.
The Mega Defenders have been catching a much higher number of mosquitos his year compared to previous years. The really wet summer is probably the main reason- all my neighbors are complaining about how bad the biters are this year. Until it suddenly cooled off outside recently, there were 30-40 biters in the trap each day, more than double or even triple last year. The deck is livable, so it is working.
The V20 code below could definitely be streamlined, but it works really well. Others are encouraged to revise and post updates.
// Mega Defender Mosquito Magnet
//Version 20 12 Sept 2020
#include <Wire.h>
#include <SD.h>
#include <SPI.h>
#include <dht.h>
#include <OneWire.h>
#include <DallasTemperature.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
#define amb_temp 8// ambient DHT temp/humidity
#define igPin 9 //igniter
#define fanPin 10 // fan
#define valvePin 11 // propane valve
#define sd_card 53
#define gasPin A0
#define thermistorPin A1
#define Temperature_ONE_WIRE_BUS 2 // good temp sensors
#include "SSD1306AsciiAvrI2c.h"//OLED Display driver and address
#define OLED_ADDRESS 0x3C //set I2c Address, OLED specific
dht DHT;
SSD1306AsciiAvrI2c oled;
OneWire oneWire(2); // DS18B20 temperaure sensors
DallasTemperature sensors(&oneWire);
SoftwareSerial BTserial(19,18); // RX | TX
String rev = "20"; // Version number
bool start = false, disp = true;
float chk;
int cool_time = 0;
float start_time = 310;// total igiition cycle until timeout; ~300 seconds works
float lightoff = 8.1;// delta T (deg F) for ignition
float temp = 0;
float dTemp = 0;
float aTemp, iTemp, a2Temp, cTemp;
unsigned long readsec,initTime;
int elapsed;
float propane_hours, total_hours, propane_days, total_days;
float x = 0, y = 0, z = 0;
int sec = 0;
byte iMinute = 0;
byte second, minute, hour, dayOfWeek, dayOfMonth, month, year;
float hours, dec_hour, dec_min;
String stat = "INITIALIZE"; String stat2 = "unassigned";
float gas_sensor, thermistor;
File myFile;
#define DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS 0x68 // Real time clock
byte decToBcd(byte val){
return( (val/10*16) + (val%10) );}
byte bcdToDec(byte val){
return( (val/16*10) + (val%16) );}
void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);
BTserial.begin(9600);
initTime = millis()/1000;
pinMode(fanPin, OUTPUT);pinMode(igPin, OUTPUT);pinMode(valvePin, OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(valvePin, LOW);//propane off
analogWrite(fanPin, 170);// Set fan to mid speed; range is 0-255
analogWrite(igPin, 0);// igniters off until called
sensors.begin();
//delay(2000);
get_temps();
oled.begin(&Adafruit128x64, OLED_ADDRESS); //OLED Display initialize
oled.setFont(Adafruit5x7);
uint32_t m = micros();
oled.clear();
Serial.println("Mosquito Magnet Mega Defender V" + rev);
pinMode(sd_card, OUTPUT); // SD card init
Serial.print("Initializing SD card...");
if (!SD.begin(53)) {
Serial.println("initialization failed!");
return; }
Serial.println("initialization done.");
oled.clear(); oled.set2X(); oled.println("SD CARD OK"); oled.print(" REV " + rev);oled.set1X();
myFile = SD.open("Magnet.txt", FILE_WRITE); // if the file opened, write to it:
if (myFile) {
myFile.println("Mosquito Magnet Mega Defender V" + rev);
myFile.println("loop#,hours,dayofmonth,month,year,hour,min,sec,hours,time,date,stat,stat2,temp,amb_Temp,delta_Temp,humidiy,a2Temp,total_hrs,propane_hrs,total_days, propane_days, gas_sensor,thermistor");
myFile.close();
myFile = SD.open("ignition.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.println("loop#,elapsed,temp,aTemp,dTemp,iTemp,stat,stat2,dayofmonth,month,year,Hour,Min,sec,gas_sensor,thermistor");
myFile.close();
}
get_temps();
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
Serial.print(hour, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(minute, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(second, DEC);Serial.println(" ");
Serial.print(month, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(dayOfMonth, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(year, DEC);Serial.println();
iMinute = minute;
refresh_oled(); //Show initialize screen to check temp sensors
delay(1500);// wait to allow OLED screen to be read and settle gas sensor
//### Detect short power interupt, hot section still warm
if (dTemp > 100 || dTemp < -5) { // check for a temp sensor failure
stat = "TEMP FAIL";
shut_down;
}
int cool_minute;
cool_minute = iMinute;\
while (dTemp>8 && cool_time < 16){// run fan, cool down until hot temp is within 8 degs or 16 minutes has passed
stat = "POWER LOSS";
analogWrite(fanPin, 255);// Set fan to max speed; range is 0-255
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
refresh_oled;
if (cool_minute != minute){cool_time ++; cool_minute = minute;}
file_write(); serial_write(); refresh_oled();bluetooth();
}
file_write(); serial_write(); refresh_oled();bluetooth();
}
void loop(){
get_temps();
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
iMinute = minute;
dec_min = minute; dec_hour = hour;
hours = dec_hour + (dec_min/60);
//##################### || is "normal" between breaks ; using "&&" runs 24/7 for testing and troubleshooting
if ((hours > 0.25 && hours < 6.25) || (hours > 9.75 && hours < 16.00)){ // sleep routine; sleeps late at night and mid day
stat = "SLEEPING";
start = false;
digitalWrite(valvePin, LOW);//propane off
analogWrite(fanPin, 230);// Set fan to mid-high speed
}
else { // trapping routine
if (!start){ignite_cycle();} // runs igition if this is the first loop pass the start time
stat = "TRAPPING";
if (dTemp < lightoff -1){stat = "SHUTDOWN ";shut_down();} // shuts down if the hot section is not above ambient by lightoff delta
}
file_write();
serial_write();
refresh_oled();
bluetooth();
}
void ignite_cycle(){
stat = "WARM UP ";
Serial.println("inside ignite_cycle");
analogWrite(fanPin, 160);// Set fan to mid-low speed for ignition; range is 0-255
refresh_oled();
for (int zz = 0; zz<= 255; zz++) { // start igniter slowly, about 19 seconds to max power
analogWrite(igPin,zz); Serial.print(zz);
if (zz > 210){ digitalWrite(valvePin, HIGH); Serial.print(" propane on");}//propane on at about 15 seconds
delay(75);Serial.println();
}
stat = "POST IGN";
initTime = millis()/1000;
get_temps();
iTemp = temp;
stat2 = "igniter on";
refresh_oled();
Serial.println(" POST IGNITER ");delay(1500);
while (elapsed <= start_time && dTemp < lightoff) {
x++; stat= "IGNITION";
iMinute = minute;
readsec = millis()/1000;
elapsed = (readsec - initTime); // provides run time
get_temps();
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
Serial.print(" x= "); Serial.println(x);
if ((temp-iTemp) > 1.65 && elapsed > 55) {
analogWrite(igPin, 0); // turn off igniter, stay in ignition monitoring loop til start_time or lightoff temp is reached
analogWrite(fanPin, 225);// Set fan to mid-high speed
stat2 = "igniter off";
}
Serial.print("IGNITION delta Temp "); Serial.println(temp-iTemp); Serial.print("temp "); Serial.println(temp);
Serial.print("aTemp "); Serial.println(aTemp); Serial.print("Elapsed "); Serial.println(elapsed);
Serial.print(" gas sensor "); Serial.println(gas_sensor);
Serial.print(" thermistor "); Serial.println(thermistor);
myFile = SD.open("ignition.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.print(x); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(elapsed); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(temp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(aTemp); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(temp-iTemp);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(iTemp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dayOfMonth); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(month); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(year);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hour); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(minute); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(second); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hours);myFile.print(","); myFile.print(gas_sensor);myFile.print(","); myFile.println(thermistor);
myFile.close();
file_write();
oled.clear(); oled.set2X();
oled.println(stat); oled.set1X();oled.println();
oled.print(temp); oled.print(" ");oled.println(temp-iTemp);
oled.print("temp"); oled.println(" Temp rise"); oled.println();
oled.print(" Ignition time: "); oled.println(elapsed);
oled.print(stat2);oled.println(" ");
bluetooth();
}
analogWrite(igPin,0); // stop igniter if still on
if (elapsed > start_time || dTemp < lightoff){
start = false;
stat = "SHUTDOWN ";
stat2 = "No Ignition"; Serial.println(stat2);oled.println(stat2);
shut_down(); }
else {start = true; x = 0; // good lightoff
stat2 = "Good Ignition";
analogWrite(fanPin, 240);// Set fan to mid-high speed
Serial.println("Ignition cyle complete. Good lightofff");oled.println(stat2); delay(1000);}
}
// Real time clock setup
void readDS3231time(byte *second,byte *minute,byte *hour,
byte *dayOfWeek,byte *dayOfMonth,byte *month,byte *year){
Wire.beginTransmission(DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS);
Wire.write(0);
Wire.endTransmission();
Wire.requestFrom(DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS, 7);
*second = bcdToDec(Wire.read() & 0x7f); *minute = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*hour = bcdToDec(Wire.read() & 0x3f); *dayOfWeek = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*dayOfMonth = bcdToDec(Wire.read()); *month = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*year = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
}
void shut_down(){
digitalWrite(valvePin, LOW);//propane off
analogWrite(igPin, 0);//be sure ignition is off
analogWrite(fanPin, 215);// Set fan
x = 0;
while (x < 2400){// 600 = 1 hr; cool down; dry out any trapped biters
x++;
get_temps();
iMinute = minute;
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
dec_min = minute; dec_hour = hour;
hours = dec_hour + (dec_min/60);
serial_write();
file_write();
refresh_oled();
bluetooth();
}
analogWrite(fanPin, LOW);// turn fan off
stat = "HALT";
Serial.println(stat);
refresh_oled();
while(1); //forever loop
}
void get_temps(){
sensors.requestTemperatures();
temp = sensors.getTempFByIndex(1);// Hot location temp
aTemp = sensors.getTempFByIndex(0);// Ambient location
cTemp = sensors.getTempFByIndex(2);// 3rd location temp
dTemp = temp - aTemp;
chk = DHT.read11(amb_temp);
a2Temp = DHT.temperature*1.8+32;
gas_sensor = analogRead(gasPin);
thermistor = analogRead(thermistorPin);
delay(1600);
}
void file_write() {
if (iMinute != minute){
y++;
total_hours = y/60; total_days = total_hours/24;
if (start){z++; propane_hours = z/60; propane_days = propane_hours/24;} // adds time only if ignited
myFile = SD.open("Magnet.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.print(y); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(hours); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dayOfMonth); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(month); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(year);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hour); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(minute); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(second); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hours);myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(hour); myFile.print(":"); if (minute < 10){myFile.print("0");} myFile.print(minute); myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(month); myFile.print("/"); myFile.print(dayOfMonth); myFile.print("/");myFile.print(year); myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(stat); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat2); myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(temp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(aTemp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dTemp); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(DHT.humidity); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(a2Temp);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(total_hours,2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(propane_hours,2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(total_days,3); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(propane_days,3);
myFile.print(",");myFile.print(gas_sensor);myFile.print(","); myFile.println(thermistor);myFile.close();
}
}
void refresh_oled(){ //Push data to the OLED display
oled.clear(); oled.set2X();
if (disp){
oled.println(stat);//oled.set1X();
oled.print(temp,1); oled.print(" ");oled.println(aTemp,1);//oled.print(" ");oled.println(DHT.humidity);
//oled.println(" temp ambt humid.");
oled.print("Days: ");oled.println(total_days,1);
disp = false;
}
else {
oled.println(stat);
oled.print("P_days:");oled.println(propane_days,1);
oled.print("Time:");oled.print(hour, DEC); oled.print(":"); oled.println(minute, DEC);
disp = true;
}
}
void serial_write(){
Serial.print(stat);Serial.print(" Temp = "); Serial.print(temp); Serial.print(" Amb Temp = "); Serial.print(aTemp);
Serial.print(" dTemp = "); Serial.print(dTemp);Serial.print(" Humidity = "); Serial.println(DHT.humidity);
Serial.print(hour, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(minute, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(second, DEC);Serial.println(" ");
Serial.print(month, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(dayOfMonth, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(year, DEC);Serial.println();
Serial.print("Time: ");Serial.print(hours); Serial.print(" run hrs ");Serial.println(total_hours,3);Serial.print(" Thermistor: "); Serial.println(thermistor);Serial.println();
}
void bluetooth(){ //Push data through the HC-05 bluetooth module
BTserial.print(stat);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(hours,2);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(temp);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(aTemp);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(total_days,3);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(propane_days,3);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(gas_sensor,3);BTserial.print(";"); // last output needs to have the ";"
}
|
Re: Defender Arduino Design November 01, 2020 05:38PM |
The four Mega defenders have been put into semi-warm storage (basement and garage) for the winter. The two I keep up and running in my yard did a very good job knocking back the swarms, in what was a very bad year for mosquitoes in northern Virginia.
The very latest code is below, which includes the power outage logic that worked great. I also doubled the font size for temperature and "time on" data on the small OLED display, since my near vision is fading as I become an old fart.
A couple short videos were added to the Mega Defender album (sorry- they were placed out of order)
Another issue this year that really kicked my butt was the water intrusion in the power supplies. Those $19 12V DC units were definitely not engineered to be left outdoors in the rain. Three of the supplies died (two in the same rain storm), so the answer was to hot glue and seal the ends with the wires and tape around the perimeter (see pic). There were zero failures after sealing the power supplies.
These defenders are workhorses once the crummy logic has been replaced! A fresh propane tank lasts right around 40 days, so I ended up buying bulk octenol from some guy in the Ukraine to "recharge" the regular units. A couple drops were added every week or so- it made a difference in the number of biters trapped.
Good hunting!
The very latest code is below, which includes the power outage logic that worked great. I also doubled the font size for temperature and "time on" data on the small OLED display, since my near vision is fading as I become an old fart.
A couple short videos were added to the Mega Defender album (sorry- they were placed out of order)
Another issue this year that really kicked my butt was the water intrusion in the power supplies. Those $19 12V DC units were definitely not engineered to be left outdoors in the rain. Three of the supplies died (two in the same rain storm), so the answer was to hot glue and seal the ends with the wires and tape around the perimeter (see pic). There were zero failures after sealing the power supplies.
These defenders are workhorses once the crummy logic has been replaced! A fresh propane tank lasts right around 40 days, so I ended up buying bulk octenol from some guy in the Ukraine to "recharge" the regular units. A couple drops were added every week or so- it made a difference in the number of biters trapped.
Good hunting!
// Mega Defender Mosquito Magnet
//Version 20 4 Oct 2020
#include <Wire.h>
#include <SD.h>
#include <SPI.h>
#include <dht.h>
#include <OneWire.h>
#include <DallasTemperature.h>
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
#define amb_temp 8// ambient DHT temp/humidity
#define igPin 9 //igniter
#define fanPin 10 // fan
#define valvePin 11 // propane valve
#define sd_card 53
#define gasPin A0
#define thermistorPin A1
#define Temperature_ONE_WIRE_BUS 2 // good temp sensors
#include "SSD1306AsciiAvrI2c.h"//OLED Display driver and address
#define OLED_ADDRESS 0x3C //set I2c Address, OLED specific
dht DHT;
SSD1306AsciiAvrI2c oled;
OneWire oneWire(2); // DS18B20 temperaure sensors
DallasTemperature sensors(&oneWire);
SoftwareSerial BTserial(19,18); // RX | TX
bool start = false, disp = true;
String rev = "20"; // Version number
float chk;
int cool_time = 0;
float start_time = 310;// total igiition cycle until timeout; ~300 seconds works
float lightoff = 8.1;// delta T (deg F) for ignition
float temp = 0;
float dTemp = 0;
float aTemp, iTemp, a2Temp, cTemp;
unsigned long readsec,initTime;
int elapsed;
float propane_hours, total_hours, propane_days, total_days;
float x = 0, y = 0, z = 0;
int sec = 0;
byte iMinute = 0;
byte second, minute, hour, dayOfWeek, dayOfMonth, month, year;
float hours, dec_hour, dec_min;
String stat = "INITIALIZE"; String stat2 = "unassigned";
float gas_sensor, thermistor;
File myFile;
#define DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS 0x68 // Real time clock
byte decToBcd(byte val){
return( (val/10*16) + (val%10) );}
byte bcdToDec(byte val){
return( (val/16*10) + (val%16) );}
void setup(){
Serial.begin(9600);
BTserial.begin(9600);
initTime = millis()/1000;
pinMode(fanPin, OUTPUT);pinMode(igPin, OUTPUT);pinMode(valvePin, OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(valvePin, LOW);//propane off
analogWrite(fanPin, 170);// Set fan to mid speed; range is 0-255
analogWrite(igPin, 0);// igniters off until called
sensors.begin();
//delay(2000);
get_temps();
oled.begin(&Adafruit128x64, OLED_ADDRESS); //OLED Display initialize
oled.setFont(Adafruit5x7);
uint32_t m = micros();
oled.clear();
Serial.println("Mosquito Magnet Mega Defender V" + rev);
pinMode(sd_card, OUTPUT); // SD card init
Serial.print("Initializing SD card...");
if (!SD.begin(53)) {
Serial.println("initialization failed!");
return; }
Serial.println("initialization done.");
oled.clear(); oled.set2X(); oled.println("SD CARD OK"); oled.print(" REV " + rev);oled.set1X();
myFile = SD.open("Magnet.txt", FILE_WRITE); // if the file opened, write to it:
if (myFile) {
myFile.println("Mosquito Magnet Mega Defender V" + rev);
myFile.println("loop#,hours,dayofmonth,month,year,hour,min,sec,hours,time,date,stat,stat2,temp,amb_Temp,delta_Temp,humidiy,a2Temp,total_hrs,propane_hrs,total_days, propane_days, gas_sensor,thermistor");
myFile.close();
myFile = SD.open("ignition.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.println("loop#,elapsed,temp,aTemp,dTemp,iTemp,stat,stat2,dayofmonth,month,year,Hour,Min,sec,gas_sensor,thermistor");
myFile.close();
}
get_temps();
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
Serial.print(hour, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(minute, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(second, DEC);Serial.println(" ");
Serial.print(month, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(dayOfMonth, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(year, DEC);Serial.println();
iMinute = minute;
refresh_oled(); //Show initialize screen to check temp sensors
delay(1500);// wait to allow OLED screen to be read and settle gas sensor
//### Detect short power interupt, hot section still warm
if (dTemp > 100 || dTemp < -5) { // check for a temp sensor failure
stat = "TEMP FAIL";
shut_down;
}
int cool_minute;
cool_minute = iMinute;
while (dTemp>8 && cool_time < 16){// run fan, cool down until hot temp is within 8 degs or 16 minutes has passed
stat = "POWER LOSS";
analogWrite(fanPin, 255);// Set fan to max speed; range is 0-255
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
refresh_oled;
if (cool_minute != minute){cool_time ++; cool_minute = minute;}
file_write(); serial_write(); refresh_oled();bluetooth();
}
file_write(); serial_write(); refresh_oled();bluetooth();
}
void loop(){
get_temps();
iMinute = minute;
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
dec_min = minute; dec_hour = hour;
hours = dec_hour + (dec_min/60);
//##################### || is "normal" between breaks ; using "&&" runs 24/7 for testing and troubleshooting
if ((hours > 0.25 && hours < 6.25) || (hours > 9.75 && hours < 16.00)){ // sleep routine; sleeps late at night and mid day
stat = "SLEEPING";
start = false;
digitalWrite(valvePin, LOW);//propane off
analogWrite(fanPin, 230);// Set fan to mid-high speed
}
else { // trapping routine
if (!start){ignite_cycle();} // runs igition if this is the first loop pass the start time
stat = "TRAPPING";
if (dTemp < lightoff -1){stat = "SHUTDOWN ";shut_down();} // shuts down if the hot section is not above ambient by lightoff delta
}
file_write();
serial_write();
refresh_oled();
bluetooth();
}
void ignite_cycle(){
stat = "WARM UP ";
Serial.println("inside ignite_cycle");
analogWrite(fanPin, 160);// Set fan to mid-low speed for ignition; range is 0-255
refresh_oled();
for (int zz = 0; zz<= 255; zz++) { // start igniter slowly, about 19 seconds to max power
analogWrite(igPin,zz); Serial.print(zz);
if (zz > 210){ digitalWrite(valvePin, HIGH); Serial.print(" propane on");}//propane on at about 15 seconds
delay(75);Serial.println();
}
stat = "POST IGN";
initTime = millis()/1000;
get_temps();
iTemp = temp;
stat2 = "igniter on";
refresh_oled();
Serial.println(" POST IGNITER ");delay(1500);
while (elapsed <= start_time && dTemp < lightoff) {
x++; stat= "IGNITION";
iMinute = minute;
readsec = millis()/1000;
elapsed = (readsec - initTime); // provides run time
get_temps();
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
Serial.print(" x= "); Serial.println(x);
if ((temp-iTemp) > 1.65 && elapsed > 55) {
analogWrite(igPin, 0); // turn off igniter, stay in ignition monitoring loop til start_time or lightoff temp is reached
analogWrite(fanPin, 225);// Set fan to mid-high speed
stat2 = "igniter off";
}
Serial.print("IGNITION delta Temp "); Serial.println(temp-iTemp); Serial.print("temp "); Serial.println(temp);
Serial.print("aTemp "); Serial.println(aTemp); Serial.print("Elapsed "); Serial.println(elapsed);
Serial.print(" gas sensor "); Serial.println(gas_sensor);
Serial.print(" thermistor "); Serial.println(thermistor);
myFile = SD.open("ignition.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.print(x); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(elapsed); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(temp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(aTemp); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(temp-iTemp);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(iTemp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dayOfMonth); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(month); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(year);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hour); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(minute); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(second); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hours);myFile.print(","); myFile.print(gas_sensor);myFile.print(","); myFile.println(thermistor);
myFile.close();
file_write();
oled.clear(); oled.set2X();
oled.println(stat); oled.set1X();oled.println();
oled.print(temp); oled.print(" ");oled.println(temp-iTemp);
oled.print("temp"); oled.println(" Temp rise"); oled.println();
oled.print(" Ignition time: "); oled.println(elapsed);
oled.print(stat2);oled.println(" ");
bluetooth();
}
analogWrite(igPin,0); // stop igniter if still on
if (elapsed > start_time || dTemp < lightoff){
start = false;
stat = "SHUTDOWN ";
stat2 = "No Ignition"; Serial.println(stat2);oled.println(stat2);
shut_down(); }
else {start = true; x = 0; // good lightoff
stat2 = "Good Ignition";
analogWrite(fanPin, 240);// Set fan to mid-high speed
Serial.println("Ignition cyle complete. Good lightofff");oled.println(stat2); delay(1000);}
}
// Real time clock setup
void readDS3231time(byte *second,byte *minute,byte *hour,
byte *dayOfWeek,byte *dayOfMonth,byte *month,byte *year){
Wire.beginTransmission(DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS);
Wire.write(0);
Wire.endTransmission();
Wire.requestFrom(DS3231_I2C_ADDRESS, 7);
*second = bcdToDec(Wire.read() & 0x7f); *minute = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*hour = bcdToDec(Wire.read() & 0x3f); *dayOfWeek = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*dayOfMonth = bcdToDec(Wire.read()); *month = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
*year = bcdToDec(Wire.read());
}
void shut_down(){
digitalWrite(valvePin, LOW);//propane off
analogWrite(igPin, 0);//be sure ignition is off
analogWrite(fanPin, 215);// Set fan
x = 0;
while (x < 2400){// 600 = 1 hr; cool down; dry out any trapped biters
x++;
get_temps();
iMinute = minute;
readDS3231time(&second, &minute, &hour, &dayOfWeek, &dayOfMonth, &month, &year);
dec_min = minute; dec_hour = hour;
hours = dec_hour + (dec_min/60);
serial_write();
file_write();
refresh_oled();
bluetooth();
}
analogWrite(fanPin, LOW);// turn fan off
stat = "HALT";
Serial.println(stat);
refresh_oled();
while(1); //forever loop
}
void get_temps(){
sensors.requestTemperatures();
temp = sensors.getTempFByIndex(1);// Hot location temp
aTemp = sensors.getTempFByIndex(0);// Ambient location
cTemp = sensors.getTempFByIndex(2);// 3rd location temp
dTemp = temp - aTemp;
chk = DHT.read11(amb_temp);
a2Temp = DHT.temperature*1.8+32;
gas_sensor = analogRead(gasPin);
thermistor = analogRead(thermistorPin);
delay(1600);
}
void file_write() {
if (iMinute != minute){
y++;
total_hours = y/60; total_days = total_hours/24;
if (start){z++; propane_hours = z/60; propane_days = propane_hours/24;} // adds time only if ignited
myFile = SD.open("Magnet.txt", FILE_WRITE);
myFile.print(y); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(hours); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dayOfMonth); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(month); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(year);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hour); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(minute); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(second); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(hours);myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(hour); myFile.print(":"); if (minute < 10){myFile.print("0");} myFile.print(minute); myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(month); myFile.print("/"); myFile.print(dayOfMonth); myFile.print("/");myFile.print(year); myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(stat); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(stat2); myFile.print(",");
myFile.print(temp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(aTemp); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(dTemp); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(DHT.humidity); myFile.print(",");myFile.print(a2Temp);
myFile.print(","); myFile.print(total_hours,2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(propane_hours,2); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(total_days,3); myFile.print(","); myFile.print(propane_days,3);
myFile.print(",");myFile.print(gas_sensor);myFile.print(","); myFile.println(thermistor);myFile.close();
}
}
void refresh_oled(){ //Push data to the OLED display
oled.clear(); oled.set2X();
if (disp){
oled.println(stat);//oled.set1X();
oled.print(temp,1); oled.print(" ");oled.println(aTemp,1);//oled.print(" ");oled.println(DHT.humidity);
//oled.println(" temp ambt humid.");
oled.print("Days: ");oled.println(total_days,2);
disp = false;
}
else {
oled.println(stat);
oled.print("P_days:");oled.println(propane_days,2);
oled.print("Time:");oled.print(hour, DEC); oled.print(":"); oled.println(minute, DEC);
disp = true;
}
}
void serial_write(){
Serial.print(stat);Serial.print(" Temp = "); Serial.print(temp); Serial.print(" Amb Temp = "); Serial.print(aTemp);
Serial.print(" dTemp = "); Serial.print(dTemp);Serial.print(" Humidity = "); Serial.println(DHT.humidity);
Serial.print(hour, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(minute, DEC); Serial.print(":"); Serial.print(second, DEC);Serial.println(" ");
Serial.print(month, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(dayOfMonth, DEC);Serial.print("/"); Serial.print(year, DEC);Serial.println();
Serial.print("Time: ");Serial.print(hours); Serial.print(" run hrs ");Serial.println(total_hours,3);Serial.print(" Thermistor: "); Serial.println(thermistor);Serial.println();
}
void bluetooth(){ //Push data through the HC-05 bluetooth module
BTserial.print(stat);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(hours,2);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(temp);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(aTemp);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(total_days,3);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(propane_days,3);BTserial.print(",");
BTserial.print(gas_sensor,3);BTserial.print(";"); // last output needs to have the ";"
}
|
Re: CO2 cartridges June 05, 2021 10:17PM |
I rather suspect that when we have problems, it happens on the inside of the nozzle tip.
The cutaway of the nozzle (and my disassembly) indicates that the choke points for the nozzle are likely to be at the distributor and it's tangential slots, as well as between it and the orefice. You can dismantle it to clean it, but soaking with cleaner and then blowing out with compressed air multiple times seems the easiest way to expel the blockages. That's probably the intent of the CO2 cartridges, but without any solvent, it's probably of limited use. But at least you didn't have to remove the nozzle to clean and blow it out with solvent.
The cutaway of the nozzle (and my disassembly) indicates that the choke points for the nozzle are likely to be at the distributor and it's tangential slots, as well as between it and the orefice. You can dismantle it to clean it, but soaking with cleaner and then blowing out with compressed air multiple times seems the easiest way to expel the blockages. That's probably the intent of the CO2 cartridges, but without any solvent, it's probably of limited use. But at least you didn't have to remove the nozzle to clean and blow it out with solvent.
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