![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#1 |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: North Bay,Ontario, Canada
Posts: 222
|
Water sensor line
Should I get water leaking or water spilling I WILL know about it very quickly.
The 2 silver lines on the floor are 2 small aluminium foil tape that is used on heating/cooling ducts. I kept a small gap between the 2 strips of foil so it is VERY sensitive! I have the lines running under my Calcium reactor and my return pump too. You can see 1 drop of salt water sets off the Alarm. It does work with RO water too but it takes more than 1 drop of RO water, it would take more like 5 or 8 drops. So I have my Apex email me the water alert and I also hooked it up to my home automation system so it flashes my lights in the specified rooms in my house. Parts needed: Roll of Aluminium Foil Tape. TIP42G PNP Transistors.http://search.digikey.com/scripts/Dk...me=TIP42GOS-ND SPDT relay 30 amp.http://search.digikey.com/scripts/Dk...&name=PB680-ND 12 Volt Power supply. Everything you need. The penny is for reference. All the pins are marked on the relay. Solder the cables onto the TIP42G PNP Transistor. The red and black cables in the centre of the relay are the Switch input wires for the SL-1 on DA RKE or Breakout box on Apex. The other Red wire on the right side of the relay and the Brown wire are your Power supply 9Volt DC or 12 Volt DC. That's it! Tape off all connections with electrical tape, wrap the two pink wires to the Aluminium foil tape to make contact. Enjoy! Maik Last edited by maik1; 01/09/2011 at 09:24 PM. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 |
Master Blaster!
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Aurora, IL
Posts: 3,641
|
GREAT photos BTW!
made this easy to understand.
__________________
120g Rimless •Rimless Aquarium Club Member• •ATB Club Member• •Ecotech Vortech Member• Current Tank Info: 120g rimless |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 20
|
Interested to see how the LED's affect the coralS Have you noticed any difference on the older tank?
...subscribed... |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: cape coral, fl
Posts: 396
|
Nice idea... kind of an extension of a regular water sensor.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 8,158
|
Can you add multiple "sensor" strips to the same power supply and TIP42G? I know it would only trigger one Apex channel if it could be done that way, but if water is on the floor, thats all I would need to know.
To get independent channels, I assume you woul need a whole set of the above for each channel?
__________________
Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: North Bay,Ontario, Canada
Posts: 222
|
Yes you can have multiple lines or just make your line extra long to reach the area you need to monitor.
Maik1 |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 50
|
i just bought a water alarm. I love the foil idea though, it could make my water alarm better.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#8 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Posts: 1,369
|
Very cool idea. Seems like there'd be lots of uses for this. Bookmarked this thread.
Thanks |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#9 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
Posts: 1
|
Is it just me or are the pictures on this thread missing?
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#10 |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: North Bay,Ontario, Canada
Posts: 222
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#11 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 36
|
Just tape and wires?
Thanks for the write up. Is there a reason you wouldn`t be able to use just the tape and some wire connected to the Apex breakout box?
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#12 |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: North Bay,Ontario, Canada
Posts: 222
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#13 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 27
|
AWESOME !! will be making one of these.. Great DYI, thanks
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#14 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 36
|
Without controlling the lights
If I didn't want it to control the lights, but just set an alarm off with the Apex unit, it wouldn't work without the relay and adapter?
I figure it would be like a float switch opening or closing. No? Pardon me if I'm way off, not to familiar with electronics. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#15 | |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: North Bay,Ontario, Canada
Posts: 222
|
Quote:
Hope that helps. Maik1 |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#16 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: chicago
Posts: 6,434
|
Thanks for the write up, great job.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#17 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: San Diego
Posts: 446
|
like the idea, how is the aluminum tape connected to the wires coming out?
On the 12 volt adapter of much MA is required, is their a max limit on MA? Also what about adding a alarm piezo siren, etc? Last edited by Trickman2; 01/26/2012 at 03:34 PM. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#18 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 4,041
|
Very cool!
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#19 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Jackson, MS
Posts: 123
|
Very nice. This could be extremely useful since I live on the second floor of an apartment.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#20 |
Registered Member
![]() Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Lombard
Posts: 518
|
Thanks for the write up Maik! Very useful..
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#21 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: st joseph Missouri
Posts: 2,341
|
thanks.... very nice
__________________
Current tank A.G.E. 500 gallon Two frag tanks 48"x20"x12" 12 EcoTech Radion XR30w LED Lights 2 mp60's 4 mp40's, GEO 818 calcium reactor SRO XP 8000 external skimmer |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#22 |
The boy who cried fish
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Decatur, Illinois
Posts: 804
|
i might use this one day
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#23 |
Zardoz
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: South
Posts: 1,036
|
I like this idea a lot. I can see a lot of false alarms, though, with my tank. Rimless plus snails crawling out all the time and clownfish randomly splashing water over the top!
I normally find at least 1 snail per day on the floor next to the tank. Somehow they never die. lol |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#24 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: st joseph Missouri
Posts: 2,341
|
worked like a champ. thanks
__________________
Current tank A.G.E. 500 gallon Two frag tanks 48"x20"x12" 12 EcoTech Radion XR30w LED Lights 2 mp60's 4 mp40's, GEO 818 calcium reactor SRO XP 8000 external skimmer |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#25 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 171
|
Working on doing mine... I found TIP42C, getting TIP42G would be little more hard for me but Iguess it should work right? What are your thoughts on this?
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Tags |
alarm, floor, overflowing, spilling, wet |
Thread Tools | |
|
|