A section of the sampling compartment with the pH sensor integrated
FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Project data
Authors matt small
Solomon Clark
Peter Duin
Javier Hinojosa
Location Philadelphia, United States
Status Designed
Completed 2013
Cost USD 271.5
OKH Manifest Download

The steps laid out below are for the Water Meter designed by Team X for the WetLand Barge

This page is designed to be used injunction with the Water Meter's main Appropedia page WetLand water meter

Building the Circuit[edit | edit source]

Materials[edit | edit source]

  • Arduino
  • Sensor shield
  • Data logger
  • SD card
  • 22 gauge wire (3-4 colors for clarity)
  • soldering wire
  • Sensors
    • pH
    • electrical conductivity
    • temperature
    • volume
    • flow rate (2)

Tools[edit | edit source]

  • Soldering Gun
  • Wire strippers

Step by Step[edit | edit source]

Step Number Instruction
1 Download Arduino programming software onto computer via http://arduino.cc/.
2 Plug Arduino into computer via USB cable.
3 Upload various sensor codes into separate tabs on the Arduino. Code for each sensor can be found here; https://www.appropedia.org/Team_X_Water_Meter_Arduino_Code
4 Plug Sensor Shield into the Arduino aligning all pins.
5 Plug Data storage shield into the sensor shield aligning all pins.
6 Solder Temperature sensor wires to 3 prong male header.
7 Solder Sonar sensor to 4 prong female header using 4-5 foot strips of 22 gauge wire.
8 Extend the Flow rate gauge wire length by cutting its wiring and soldering a 5ft piece of 22 gauge wire into the middle section.
9 Plug Temperature sensor, Sonar sensor, Electrical Conductivity sensor, and Flow Rate Gauge into sensor shield and adjust analog input in Arduino code values accordingly.
10 Plug Ph sensor probe into Arduino following the wiring diagram shown here; http://web.archive.org/web/20150905225735/http://atlas-scientific.com:80/_files/instructions/Wiringdiagram.pdf
11 Solder Arduino to LCD screen using 10ft 22 gauge wire. Wiring diagram for 16 pin LCD (shown right) can be found here; http://web.archive.org/web/20150906074008/https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/LiquidCrystal
12 Plug SD card into data storage shield.

Building the Sampling Compartment[edit | edit source]

Materials[edit | edit source]

  • One 1 foot. of 2 inch PVC pipe
  • One 2 inch PVC T-pipe 2 inch top
  • one 2 inch PVC T-pipe 1 inch top
  • One 2 inch PVC cap
  • One 1 inch PVC cap
  • One 2 inch PVC threading
  • Two cans of PVC primer
  • Two cans of PVC cement
  • One 2 inch PVC flow regulator
  • One 2 inch PVC male adapter

Tools[edit | edit source]

Drill

Saw

Step Number Instruction
1 Cut with a saw 1 foot of 2 inch in diameter PVC pipe into 3 sections
2 Drill.5 inch hole in 1 inch PVC cap for the pH sensor
3 Drill.25 inch hole in 2 inch PVC cap for the temperature sensor
4 Cut 1 inch slit in 2 inch cap that has the.25 inch hole already for the saline sensor
5 Drill.25 inch hole in second 1 inch cap for the flow rate sensor
6 Apply PVC primer to 2 inch PVC male adapter's threading
7 Apply PVC cement to 2 inch PVC male adapter's threading
8 Connect 2 inch PVC male adapter to 2 inch PVC flow regulator's flow out threading
9 Apply PVC Primer to the outside of the ends of the 2 inch 3 sections PVC pipe
10 Apply PVC Primer to the inside of the ends of the t-pipes and male adapter
11 Apply PVC cement to the outside of the ends of the 2 inch 3 sections PVC pipe.
12 Connect 1 section of 2 inch PVC pipe to male adapter.
13 Connect the 2 inch PVC T-pipe with the 1 inch top into the 2 inch PVC pipe section from step #11
14 Connect the middle section of the 2 inch PVC pipe to the 2 inch PVC T-pipe with a 1 In top
15 Connect the 2 inch PVC T-pipe with 2 inch top into the 2 inch PVC pipe section from step #13
16 Connect the remaining section of 2 inch PVC pipe to the 2 inch PVC T-pipe with 2 inch top
17 Apply primer to the inside of the tops of the PVC t-pipe
18 Apply primer to half of each of the threading section(this will spread when the cap is screwed on)
19 Apply cement to the same half on each of the threading section
20 Insert the threading sections into the tops of PVC t-pipes and leave about 2 inches showing
21 Screw PVC caps to PVC t-pipe threading sections that are showing

Installation of the Sampling Compartment[edit | edit source]

Step Number Instruction
1 Insert into plumbing after water tank but before faucet
2 If needed use an adapter to scale up to the 2 inch sampling compartment
3 Connect Sampling compartment to existing plumbing in easily accessible and secure location
4 Apply PVC primer and cement to ends of Sampling compartment
5 Apply PVC primer to ends of plumbing that are going to be connected to sampling compartment
6 Screw sampling compartment on to existing plumbing

Installing the Electronics[edit | edit source]

Component Step Number Instruction
Sonar Sensor 1 Drill two holes in piece of plywood that is 1 foot by 1 foot in square area
2 Fasten sensor to plywood with the sonar emitters fitting into the holes
3 water proof the sensor by covering the sonar emitters with silicone
4 Place the sensor over the IBC tote in a position that the sonar emitters have a clear path to the water, such as over the lid
pH Sensor 1 Sensor is water proof
2 Sensor is integrated into the sampling compartment
3 Insert the sensor such that the cable coming out and going away from the sensor and the PVC pipe
Electrical Conductivity Sensor 1 The sensor must first be water proofed above the actual sensing strip, which is the black metal section with vertical lines on it, with silicone resin
2 Sensor is integrated into the sampling compartment
3 Insert the sensor such that the cable coming out and going away from the sensor and the PVC pipe
Temperature Sensor 1 Sensor is water proof
2 Sensor is integrated into the sampling compartment
3 Insert the sensor such that the cable coming out and going away from the sensor and the PVC pipe
Flow Rate Sensors 1 These sensor are water proof
2 One meter is set at the inlet of the storage tank
3 Connect by scaling down the piping if necessary, the sensor has a 0.5 inch diameter
4 Screw the sensor into the piping
5 Second meter is set at the outlet of the storage tank
6 Connect the second flow rate sensor by applying PVC primer and cement to the threads of the flow sensor
7 Screw sensor into the on board.5 inch water pump
Sensor Shield 1 Place on top of the Arduino
2 Plug the sensors into the corresponding sensor pins
Data Storage Shield and SD Card 1 Place on top of the Sensor shield
2 Insert the SD Card into the slot on the Data Storage shield
LCD Screen 1 Make a metal box to fit the screen in with one side open to be the front where the screen will display
2 Cut a 1 inch diameter hole in the back for the wires to fit through
3 Obtain a car GPS mount to attach the box to
4 Using a 0.5 diameter metal rod attach a 1 foot by 1 foot square area piece of sheet metal to the base of the rod to be the stand
5 Attach the GPS mount to the top of the metal rod to complete the display mount
FA info icon.svg Angle down icon.svg Page data
Part of WetLand ENGR215 projects
Keywords open source, water monitoring, water, wetland, monitoring and evaluation
SDG SDG06 Clean water and sanitation
Authors matt small
License CC-BY-SA-3.0
Organizations Cal Poly Humboldt, WetLand, Engr205 Introduction to Design
Derivative of WetLand water meter
Other derivatives Team X Water Meter Arduino Code
Language English (en)
Related 0 subpages, 5 pages link here
Aliases Water Meter Instructions
Impact 279 page views
Created December 9, 2013 by matt small
Modified February 28, 2024 by Felipe Schenone
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