Weatherproof "button"
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From: Joerg on 6 May 2010 16:09 D Yuniskis wrote: > Hi Jan, > > Jan Panteltje wrote: >> On a sunny day (Wed, 05 May 2010 16:21:01 -0700) it happened D Yuniskis >> <not.going.to.be(a)seen.com> wrote in <hrsu64$sag$1(a)speranza.aioe.org>: >> >>> But, mainly, it allows each faucet to be used as a supplemental >>> irrigation circuit as needed. E.g., I can run a hose from >>> a faucet to a new planting, program the controller to >>> "water daily" (required for new plantings) and, a few weeks >>> later, remove the hose and clear the supplemental program >>> as the "established" planting can survive on the normal >>> irrigation circuit (to which it's been plumbed). >> >> Well, as it seems you have a controller anyways, I my house I would >> put a small electret microphone outside >> (weather proof), and feed it into the home control system that runs >> perlbox-voice (in Linux). >> Then saying 'water water please', will let the PC know you are thirsty, >> and do with the controller whatever it wants whenever I wants. >> perlbox-voice is pretty good, if you set the volume >> so that you need to be close to the mike, I expect few false alarms. >> And as a bones the thirsty crying for water will get what they want. >> >> Or you could use the email button / feature of your cellphone, >> and send a precomposed email to the same home control PC. >> That way you need no wires at all, and have the 'key' always in your >> pocket. >> I have done something like that for other control here. >> Can be your door opener / lock too. > > I use a WiFi PDA to do that -- no need to rely on the phone > company for it's delivery! :> But, I don't want to have > to carry it with me all the time -- *especially* when out > in the yard. Then you are probably too old. So am I. Youngsters carry their portable electronic gizmos with them all the time. I'll never understand that. Where's my cell phone right now? Oh, alright, in the nightstand. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: Joerg on 6 May 2010 16:10 ehsjr wrote: > D Yuniskis wrote: >> Hi John, >> >> John Ferrell wrote: >> >>> On Tue, 04 May 2010 14:05:31 -0700, D Yuniskis >>> <not.going.to.be(a)seen.com> wrote: >>> >>>> I need some sort of "button" (sensor?) that I can locate out >>>> "in the elements" and use to activate the irrigation system. >>>> I.e., "push this button to turn on the water supply". >>> >>> >>> I have a switch on a sump pump at the bottom of a ramp entrance to my >>> basement workshop. I has been there for about 17 years without any >>> problems. Its purpose is to allow the pump to be turned off for >>> service. It is a common electric switch from the home improvement >>> store in a normal weather proof utility box from th same place. Meets >>> code, works well and easily replaced when the time comes. Less >>> than $20. >> >> >> Weatherproof j-box is not "unobtrusive" :> >> >> Also, I don't want a "switch" that holds "state" (though I >> can obviously deliberately *ignore* that state) since the >> purpose of the "button" is to *call* for water -- not *gate* >> the water supply. I.e., I will turn the water off "later" >> without regard for the state of the switch *or* the manual >> valve on the hose bib. >> >> I think the magnetic-sensor-with-attached-magnet scheme >> I described elsewhere will work. I just need to come up with >> a pleasing way of dressing it up! > > Affix your magnet to something that won't rust, and hang it on > the hose bib. Something like a nylon or plastic shower curtain > hook would work, so that the magnet is fairly close to the hose > bib. (To make it less obtrusive looking.) Mount your reed close > to the bib, but above it. The magnet hangs down, the reed is > above - so you pivot the magnet around the bib once to get a > momentary make on the reed. The rest is electronics for your on > time. You can also build the electronics such that, if you hold > the magnet there for a full second, it resets the timer, in case > you want to manually turn the irrigation off before the timer does. > Our foxes would carry that off within the week :-) -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: Joerg on 6 May 2010 16:19 D Yuniskis wrote: [...] > As stated elsewhere, I'll bury the sensor *in* the wall above > the "faucet" and let the magnet drape over it. I'll nudge > the magnet out of the way to "call for water" (i.e., "UNpush" > the "button") and let it fall back into place (gravity -- no > springs needed, etc.). Even if the magnet gets "stuck" > out of place, the controller won't care as it can act on > "transitions" and not "state". Now if you are willing to bust into the wall that makes things easier. We have a switch on the inside at one spot, can be set from within the house to do nothing (it's default) or trigger this or that. On the outside you see nothing, just wall. But one spot on the outside wall can be pressed down a bit to push the switch via a rod in the back. It doesn't get much more unobtrusive than that, there is no way it can be seen because it blends perfectly into the wall features. The switch can never see any harsh weather either. And no, I am not going to say where it is :-) -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
From: D Yuniskis on 6 May 2010 17:11 Hi Joerg, Joerg wrote: > D Yuniskis wrote: > >> I use a WiFi PDA to do that -- no need to rely on the phone >> company for it's delivery! :> But, I don't want to have >> to carry it with me all the time -- *especially* when out >> in the yard. > > Then you are probably too old. Without a doubt! :> > So am I. Youngsters carry their portable > electronic gizmos with them all the time. I'll never understand that. Can you spell "lonely"? ;) I also can't imagine any sort of portable device standing up to the sort of abuse it would experience if I carried it on my person all the time. E.g., felling trees, digging holes, doing carpentry, etc. My eyeglasses have *glass* lenses because plastic ones scratch in no time at all (my glass lenses actually have deep scratches in them, presently) > Where's my cell phone right now? Oh, alright, in the nightstand. <grin> I refuse to *own* one -- and the land line is never answered. I don't like folks bothering me at *their* convenience! And, I prefer communications where both parties *think* about what they are saying (instead of just "immediately responding"... like in a voice conversation).
From: D Yuniskis on 6 May 2010 17:16
Hi Joerg, Joerg wrote: > D Yuniskis wrote: >> Hi Joseph, >> >> JosephKK wrote: >>>> Controlling the duration, etc. is easy -- it's just another >>>> "channel" on the irrigation controller. The tough part is >>>> providing a means ("button") for the user to tell the >>>> controller, "please begin irrigation cycle for circuit X". >>> >>> On mine it is just go to the irrigation controller, turn the knob, >>> push a >>> few buttons, and return the knob to the normal operation position. The >>> new uC based irrigation controllers can be very nice to use. Spend 20 X >>> as much and control it from your home PC as well. >> >> The "user interface" for my home automation controls is a >> touchpanel (actually, there are several of them) -- located >> *in* the house. I have a WiFi PDA that I can use to access >> it from "wherever" -- but, that means carrying the PDA with >> me to any of those "wherevers". >> >> For common things like "I just planted this shrub/tree", it's >> easy to just pick a predefined schedule and install it for >> that "irrigation circuit" (i.e., the hose running *to* that >> new planting). > > We just hang a hose to the next drip system loop, with an excess of flag > drippers at the new plant and later when the roots have caught reduce > that number. I plumb however many flags are required for the plant's "mature size". Put lengths of 1/4" poly on the ends of the emitters to get the water to the (freshly-planted-size) root ball (these can gradually be "rotated" outward as the roots get established -- until they can eventually be removed entirely). But, fresh plantings need water *every* day (most of the zones here run once or twice a week -- except for the hanging plants that get a shot twice each *day*!). Rather than changing the schedule for everything in that zone, it's easier to just drag a hose over for "supplemental irrigation" for these first two weeks. Putting an electric valve in series with it saves me the trouble of turning it on every day for those first few weeks (then every *other* day, etc.) >> For other things like "I need to use water to wash my utensils", >> I just want to be able to push a button *there* (where the water >> is located) and get the water that I want. > > When I wash my utensils I try to remember to turn the hose bib back off > when done :-) Yes, but you don't have to "do something special" to get water *to* that bib to begin with! :> |