Ir emitter and IR sensor work great and is non contact as well.
Distance from IR emitter reflection from surface gives you an analog voltage output.
I use the system on large aquariums exposed to salt and other corrosives and it works well.
If the distance is far you can use a low power 5mw laser with the beam out of focus so it illuminates a larger area.
Didn't think of this solution... pretty good and simple.But in order for this method to work he should install many recievers and emiters.
putting the transistors isn't gonna be enough for me, I want to determine the exact level like 55% or so, not just a simple indicator.
about that ultrasonic module, will it be enough to measure up to 1m? I use PIC microcontroller so it's not necessary to use Arduino for it right?
putting the transistors isn't gonna be enough for me, I want to determine the exact level like 55% or so, not just a simple indicator.
about that ultrasonic module, will it be enough to measure up to 1m? I use PIC microcontroller so it's not necessary to use Arduino for it right?
no but there are more projects as far as i know with arduino than any other microcotroller ... i think that is because the arduino community is a lot bigger , the actual product it self is more user friendly and you can find the platform that suits your needs
Anyway if you are remotely thinking of using an arduino for this project take a look at this :
http://www.open-electronics.org/water-tank-level-display-with-arduino/
I prefer not to do all these, as they aren't available in my country.
Is there a good way to deal with that sensor in PIC?
I prefer not to do all these, as they aren't available in my country.
Is there a good way to deal with that sensor in PIC?
I have no experience on PIC microcontrollers but if you chose to go with Atmel ones i could help you with some basic things.
I prefer not to do all these, as they aren't available in my country.
Is there a good way to deal with that sensor in PIC?
You can also find stuff that ARE available in your country ... where do you live???
Also you could make your own arduino with parts ordered from tayda (VERY CHEAP this site has saved my life and it has cheap shipping fees for Greece at least)
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Standalonehttp://www.taydaelectronics.com/
putting the transistors isn't gonna be enough for me, I want to determine the exact level like 55% or so, not just a simple indicator.
The IR method is extremely accurate it can measure distance to 1mm accuracy. Think of it like placing a photocell in a box with a light and then shrinking the size of the box, the intensity of the light changes as the size of the box changes , changing the resistance of the photocell, on a cheap DAC you can get a 0-4096 value range.
I found ultrasound a bad choice for water measurement because water is usually contained in something that bounces the sound around screwing up the results, careful placement was needed.
But whats the electronics part of this method
almost ANY arduino on ebay that is send to you without arduino sticker and little case is original.
"ptricks"
OK, what sensor to buy for this IR method?
You could use a pressure sensor.
I may be wrong but ...... would it be accurate?
Depends on the sensor. But the pressure based level monitoring is widely use in the industry. You can even use it for safety purpose application. We monitor emergency cooling water tank with it and it is SIL4 safety category. So the method is accurate. You chose the sensor range and accuracy. Remember 1 bar per 1 meter.
"ptricks"
OK, what sensor to buy for this IR method?
The best thing i found was this
http://www.circuitstoday.com/ir-level-detector
but it is a bit confusing and requires many parts!!!
look at the comments at the bottom : it doesnt seems to work !
How about a load sensor underneath the tank no water involved other than that in the tank, so no need for water tightness one liter of water weighs one KG so a direct weight read out tells you how much water is in the tank. Slip a strain gauge under neath one end, no need to bother with the pipes as the movement is so small they will flex sufficiently.
I'm setting up something similar to measure levels in a water butt. I'm measuring a combination of the capacitance between partially covered wires and the water, and the resistance of the water between two wires - controlling the frequency of an RC oscillator with that setup instead of a capacitor. The capacitance is between the conductors and the water with the insulation as the dialectric - the water itself is not the dialetric.
The oscillator output is dumped into a capacitor, and I monitor remotely the current drawn. Still calibrating but seems to work well and uses cheap components. My interest is in cutting out a pump when the butt level falls too low, but I'm pretty sure it could be adjusted to give a %full measurement.
"ptricks"
OK, what sensor to buy for this IR method?
Sensor depends on how big an area you need to cover. One of the most effective methods I used was to place an IR LED in a small tube just slightly longer than the diode itself. In a second small tube place a photo transistor. The reason for the tubes is to prevent the light from the IR source registering on the sensor because the two are next to each other.
The IR source leaves the tube, reflects off the liquid surface and returns to the transistor where it allows a current depending on how strong the IR. You could also use a CDS photocell for the sensor and a visible light source like a white led. The closer the water, the more light returned and the resistance will change on the photocell.
Circuits for these are everywhere, you are basically just taking an IR proximity sensor and extending the range.