water meter monitoing

Post by **michaelumangelum** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:21 pm

Hi,

Could some body help me,
I am need to mesure the water imput in my house. I see there are few devices that could help me and I show few projects...

But unfortunately I dont understand.

I will appreciate if any body could give me any information.

Regards

Post by **Bwired** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 5:28 pm

Hi,
Be a bit more specific please
You search the forum for Alaxa
Also this topic tells a lot http://www.domoticaforum.eu/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=581
and http://www.domoticaforum.eu/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=190

Post by **michaelumangelum** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 4:30 am

Hi Bwired,

I trying to build a water meter. I doing a project for my university. I have to build a water meter over the ordinary meter(without pulse output). The main idea is to analyse the water consumption at different places. At the moment I have one 1-wire HA7net Host Adapter and one Dual counter from Hobby Boards, that some body use before. Can some body give me any advice how to start to build this device. I know I need a magnetic sensor, to get the output signal from the meter to the hobby board before i am able to get any data. Where I can get them?? how I connect them... Sorry for ignorance I am an spanish enviromental scientist that do not know anything about electronicts who tries to build a device to help the university to save drinking water.

Please can somebody give me a hand.

Regards

Post by **Bwired** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:11 pm

You have the right 1-wire stuff to do the job but all depends on your water meter.
What kind of meter do you have? if it's a standard old meter then there are probably no options to measure the water consumptions.
Newer meters can have pulse counters where you can connect the 1-wire stuff on.
Must of us use a special extra water meter behind the standard meter.

Post by **michaelumangelum** » Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:16 pm

Hi Pieter

First I want to thank you for the amount of work you have done and the amount of time you have spend to make it available for others.

My study will involve a few connection at different buildings at the university. All of the meters are not pulse counters. I could be quite expensive to install and buy new meters, and we may not get the permission from the water company open boxes...

So I do have to arrange my way over the actual meters. Most of the meters are Tagus from 1999 with a little metalic turning device in the center as you can see on the picture A. I just woundering if it is possible to connect any magnetic sensor to this turnig end to get and output pulse from the water meter.

Image A

The devices that I do have are the following ones:

Image B

-HA7net Ethernet 1-wire Host Adapter
-Dual Counter from Hobby Boards.

As I understood from the reading and the web searching I should try to connect as follows:

Image C

It may be possible to use the hall effect sensor or Sensor/cable for the RFXPulse.

Looking forward to hear from you.

Regards

Post by **Bwired** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 2:50 am

Your schematics looks good, except for the sensor part

My water meter has the same little turning device, accept I doubt if it's metal.
I could not get it working so I placed a extra water meter behind the existing, can be easily done.
check this topic on how to measure energy with a turning device, perhaps this will help.
http://www.domoticaforum.eu/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=109
Otherwise the only thing left is to try out several sensors.

Post by **michaelumangelum** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:43 am

Hi Pieter

Thank you for your information. I am glad I am on the right way.
I will read all those posts and try my best. I will post the advances as soon as i get any.

By the way at this web i read that they use a miniature Hall-effect magnetic sensor. He said that works.

http://www.edcheung.com/automa/water.htm

Regards

Post by **Bwired** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 1:13 pm

OK good luck, and let us know if its works on your meter.