Summary of Arduino Project 11 (2D/3D pictures) – Measuring a water tank level v2 (HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Rangefinder/Arduino Uno/1.0)
This article details the author's upgrade of a water level sensor for an underground rainwater harvesting tank, prompted by a slug infestation in the original unit. The new design utilizes an HC-SR04 ultrasonic range finder instead of the previous SRF05, mounted on a perf-board within an IP65 enclosure. Additionally, a 10KΩ thermistor and matching resistor were integrated to measure temperature, laying groundwork for future soil humidity projects.
Parts used in the Water Level Sensor Upgrade:
- HC-SR04 ultrasonic range finders
- Perf-board
- IP65 enclosure
- 10KΩ thermistor
- 10KΩ resistor
- Arduino Uno (implied context)
1. Introduction:
I made a water level sensor a little while a go to measure the water level in my underground rainwater harvesting tank. Thanks to the Jubilee I found time to finally setup the first part of my Arduino/Xbee wireless sensor network and the first sensor node was also meant to read from this water level sensor. I was somewhat surprised when it only returned 0s so I went and had a closer look. How the slug got into the enclosure is still a mystery to me… but looking at the bright side (after the uncontrolled swearing) I now had a reason to build a much better water level sensor
2. Add a few new bits…:
I’ve based the new sensor on the little perf-board from my sensor in Arduino project 6 but swapped the SRF05 for a HC-SR04 and mounted the result into a little square IP65 enclosure from Maplin.
Last shopping spree on ebay has resulted in me now being in possession of five HC-SR04 ultrasonic range finders which are very much a cheap “alternative to the SRF04. These work with the same code I used for the old sensor and have the same pins.
Since Vishay provided me with a whole bunch of free 10KΩ thermistor samples (I’m planning to use these for my soil humidity/temperature sensors for the upcoming Arduino controlled greenhouse v2 project) I added one of those to the perf-board together with the matching 10KΩ resistor.
For More Details: Arduino Project 11 (2D/3D pictures) – Measuring a water tank level v2 (HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Rangefinder/Arduino Uno/1.0)
- Why was the water level sensor rebuilt?
The original sensor returned only 0s due to a slug that had entered the enclosure. - What component replaced the SRF05 in the new design?
The SRF05 was swapped for an HC-SR04 ultrasonic range finder. - Where did the author obtain the five HC-SR04 sensors?
The sensors were acquired during a shopping spree on eBay. - Is the code for the new sensor different from the old one?
No, the HC-SR04 works with the same code used for the old sensor and has the same pins. - What additional components were added to the perf-board?
A 10KΩ thermistor and a matching 10KΩ resistor were added. - What is the purpose of the added thermistor?
The thermistor is intended for use in soil humidity and temperature sensors for a greenhouse project. - What type of enclosure houses the new sensor?
The sensor is mounted into a little square IP65 enclosure from Maplin.
