Automatic Drain Valve Controller
My senior design project is to develop and implement a waste filtration system for an aquaculture lab at Ivy Tech Community College. The filters will support up to 1000 tilapia grown in a closed-loop system that replicates the natural environment and is highly resource efficient. My group designed a clarifier to settle solid waste (fish poop) from the system water. To lessen the amount of human intervention needed by the system we decided to automate the task of draining waste from the clarifier. The device opens a solenoid valve on a regular schedule, programmable right on the device.
I created this entire device myself, including all wiring, coding, and writing usage and repair instructions. Both construction and programming challenged me. The device is very dense it that it holds a lot of complexity in a small package. I created logic to act as the user would expect when changing the set schedule, resuming after a power outage, and more. It has two main components: an Arduino Nano (a small microcontroller) and a Real Time Clock chip (RTC, essentially a digital watch). All other features either power the solenoid valve or support the user interface.
The prototype device is shown below. The screen shows the next scheduled time the valve will open.
I created this entire device myself, including all wiring, coding, and writing usage and repair instructions. Both construction and programming challenged me. The device is very dense it that it holds a lot of complexity in a small package. I created logic to act as the user would expect when changing the set schedule, resuming after a power outage, and more. It has two main components: an Arduino Nano (a small microcontroller) and a Real Time Clock chip (RTC, essentially a digital watch). All other features either power the solenoid valve or support the user interface.
The prototype device is shown below. The screen shows the next scheduled time the valve will open.
To finalize the device it needed to main improvements: make is durable in a packaged box and simplify the user interface. The final device packs in the Arduino, RTC, input buttons, valve control, and power regulation for both 12V and 5V needed for different electronics. The user only needs to plug in power and the valve and set the desired schedule. Our client loved the finished device.