- #1
DaveC426913
Gold Member
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- TL;DR Summary
- Looking to make a DIY sensor that records water levels
I want to build a cheap, portable water level recorder so I can record the "seiche" on my lake (and other lakes).
I don't want to use fancy components like Arduino boards. And I want it to be portable (and cheap enough that losing it to water, weather or thieves won't be a heartbreak.)
There's two parts: the float plus stilling well, and the recorder. I can manage the float and stilling well. I'm hoping to find some simple, elegant way to rig up a recorder.
The most obvious way is to have some motorized drum with paper, but I'm looking for more off-the shelf parts.
It doesn't really have to be sophisticated - for example, there's no reason why it needs to rotate 360 degrees in 24 hours. I don't plan to have it record that long, and I can always calibrate the graph to the time however is necessary.
I'd prefer it to be self-contained electrically (i.e. not needing a power outlet). (If I have to have power, I might just use a ten dollar wall timer for lamps.)
Really, anything that moves or rotates slowly and consistently ought to be usable to rig up with a marker attached to the float.
I see the whole contraption as being no bigger than a foot around and 2 feet tall (to reach into the water). (The min/max is less than six inches).Can you suggest some types of devices - ideally, battery, or sunlight, or spring-powered that will be handy for building a moving graph?
I don't want to use fancy components like Arduino boards. And I want it to be portable (and cheap enough that losing it to water, weather or thieves won't be a heartbreak.)
There's two parts: the float plus stilling well, and the recorder. I can manage the float and stilling well. I'm hoping to find some simple, elegant way to rig up a recorder.
The most obvious way is to have some motorized drum with paper, but I'm looking for more off-the shelf parts.
It doesn't really have to be sophisticated - for example, there's no reason why it needs to rotate 360 degrees in 24 hours. I don't plan to have it record that long, and I can always calibrate the graph to the time however is necessary.
I'd prefer it to be self-contained electrically (i.e. not needing a power outlet). (If I have to have power, I might just use a ten dollar wall timer for lamps.)
Really, anything that moves or rotates slowly and consistently ought to be usable to rig up with a marker attached to the float.
I see the whole contraption as being no bigger than a foot around and 2 feet tall (to reach into the water). (The min/max is less than six inches).Can you suggest some types of devices - ideally, battery, or sunlight, or spring-powered that will be handy for building a moving graph?