Intro:
Hi everybody. Sorry for the delay in between posts. So without further delay lets continue.
Base Frame Structure Complete
The base frame of the structure, including the fish and sump tanks, is complete. I definitely underestimated the weight of the tanks; therefore, the structure itself had to be redesigned. I strengthened the frame by adding one more column in between the corner columns to even out the weight distribution. The structure is now sturdy enough to support (170 lbs) or about 77 kg.
The frames is made of 1" PVC pipes. The joints themselves are not yet cemented as I am still seeing if I like this design of the structure. Despite changes to the structure to accommodate more weight, the function of the structure remains the same: ease of adaptability when an inevitable problem to arise.
The area for each tank/container is enough for us to remove if a problem should ever arise. With this set up, each section can
be temporarily replaced if a problem should arise. This gives us flexibility to also hone in on a issue with the system by
allowing us to focus on one section at a time. This design also allows us to change the shape of the whole structure itself.
If I wanted to shorten the structure, I can decrease the height of the fish tank area, and place a shorter tank (I would not
want to reduce the size of the sump, since I always want to make sure there is enough water for the system).
This is what the structure looks like now:
While I was working on the system, my friend came for a visit. She saw the structure and asked me why I had not just bought a shelf, or made the shelf out of wood? This is completely justified question, so I wanted to answer it here as well,
in case anyone was wondering the same.
We chose PVC, instead of buying shelves, for various reasons, but specifically we were going for a clean look. PVC pipes are meant to be in contact with water, so if any water reaches the structure, we have no worry of the wood rotting. But one of the main reasons we chose PVC is so that we can wire the system through the pipes. Wiring the system through the inside gives the frame the extra duty of protecting the wiring. The version of our Mini Plant had the wires of the lights hanging throughout the
system. The hanging wires made the system look incomplete and could definitely be dangerous if problems would have risen
(A.K.A. water would have spilled from the tanks). Wiring inside the frame of the structure protects the wiring, and gives the
system a cleaner look. Eventually, we want to be able to connect the sections of the structure frame magnetically to administer
a clean connection, while completing the system's circuitry.
Software Package
The software package is moving along. We have written scripts for the temperature sensor and pH sensor. Right now we have the
scripts to read from the sensor and output to the terminal in the Raspberry Pi. The terminal then outputs the information
we are looking for in a nicely formatted manner. The difficulty has been with how to deal with each sensor outputs information.
The pH sensor outputs the information through serial while the thermometer is a digital output. Being the first time ever messing with the Raspberry Pi, we followed this link to help us connect the thermometer so that digital output is read:
http://reuk.co.uk/DS18B20-Temperature-Sensor-with-Raspberry-Pi.htm
We are a water proof probe that contains the DS18B20 temperature sensor. I recommend it as it is a cheap and direct method of reading the temperature. By following the instruction on the link, we were easily able to read the information from the digital sensor.
The pH sensor proved a bit difficult, because the information was being output in serial. To read serial we included the serial module and used the serial.read() function which outputs a binary string. We tried converting the string to a long, but for reason the conversion could not be completed. The reason was because the serial output, outputs in binary string not string; therefore, we to convert the binary string to a string to then be converted into a long type. Finally, we were able to further process the data from the pH sensor.
Future Work:
Structure:
Now that the structure's base frame is complete, we will be working on the next section of the structure: the plant area. Because of the design of the structure, we will be able to completely customize the plant section of the system. For now, we will make it tall so that we may include one grow bed and one Agrotech grow tower (mostly because this is all we can afford at the moment). Further
in the future, we will definitely add maybe more grow beds or a deep water culture tank under the grow bed.
BioFilter:
I need to include a bio filter in the system for the sake of the fishes, and eventually for the sake
of the plants. A bio filter, is essentially the house for the beneficial bacteria, which then filter the water for the fish and the plants. In the previous system, I used a food grade can with screen door mesh for my bio filter. This time I will most likely use a thicker PVC pipe with two caps, with either wire mesh or fish filter media. I can further explain the bio filter when I finish it.
Software:
The sensor packet software should be close to a release version. We will consolidate all the scripts for the sensors and all the logic into one script. After we verify that the script works, read the files, and outputs to the terminal and a text file, we will have the data output to our server where the information will be appropriately stored. After we verify that the sensor package software is working, we will then be able to work on the automation of the lighting, water control, and fish feeding.
Let me know if you all have any questions or comments. Again, all the competitors are doing amazing. I definitely need to make a video for you all so you can get a better view of our work.
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