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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGoals<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) The collection electronics would be\ncontained in a weather “resistant” container located in the\nfly-bridge area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2) Data collection system must have a\nwireless connection to the Raspberry Pi (RPi) and the Signal K Server\n(After last years overhaul, I am done pulling cable)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3) Must provide current collection for\neach of the 6 solar “banks” we have installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4) Temperature and humidity data inside\nthe weather “resistant” container must be reported. (Make\nsure we don’t have moisture intrusion)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5) Voltage of the power source powering\nthe data collection system must be reported. (This happens to be my\ndinghy hoist battery which is charged by a separate solar panel.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I quickly decided the collection system\nwould be centered around an Arduino Mega board. After some research\nthe following shopping list was made. All the following components\nwere ordered from Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A) 24V to 12V 5V DC Converter, DROK\nLM2596 Buck Power Converter 5-32V to 0-30V Step Down Adjustable\nOutput Voltage Regulator Board Power Supply Module with LED Display\nVoltmeter Screw & Heatsink — $15.83 –<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B) SunFounder Mega 2560 R3\nATmega2560-16AU Board Compatible with Arduino – $14.99 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
C) 20A range Current Sensor ACS712\nModule – $4.60 each (one for each monitored panel\/bank is required)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D) WINGONEER 5PCS Max 25V Voltage\nDetector Range 3 Terminal Sensor Module for Arduino – $6.99 for 5\n(Only two are required in this implentation \u2013 5 was just the number\nin this offer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E) Gowoops 2 PCS DHT22 Temperature\nHumidity Sensor Module Digital Measurement for Arduino Raspberry Pi 2\n3 — $9.99 (Only one is required in this implentation \u2013 2 was just\nthe number in this offer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
F) Aideepen ESP8266 Serial Wi-Fi\nWireless ESP-01 Adapter Module 3.3V 5V Compatible for Arduino – $6.99\n–<\/p>\n\n\n\n
G) HiLetgo FT232RL FTDI Mini USB to TTL\nSerial Converter Adapter Module 3.3V 5.5V FT232R Breakout FT232RL USB\nto Serial Mini USB to TTL Adapter Board for Arduino — $5.99 –<\/p>\n\n\n\n
H) SMAKN\u00c2 DC 3.3V 1A Switching Power Supply Adapter 100-240 AC — $5.99<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I) DIYmall ESP8266 ESP-01 with Breakout\nBoard breadboard Adapter PCB for Serial Wifi Transceiver Network –\n$7.99<\/p>\n\n\n\n
J) Male Barrel Plug 6-Inch Wire 5.5mm x\n2.1mm for LED Strip Light, CCTV Security Camera, DVR, and Other Low\nVoltage Applications – Used to connect Buck-Converter to the Arduino\nfor power. – $3.49<\/p>\n\n\n\n
K) Elegoo EL-CK-002 Electronic Fun Kit\nBundle with breadboard Cable Resistor, Capacitor, LED, Potentiometer\n(235 Items) – $12.86<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step was to get the WIFI\nadapter working with the Arduino. I accomplished this task using the\nYouTube tutorial: “Arduino Mega 2560 with ESP8266 (ESP-01) Wifi,\nAT Commands and Blynk”\n–https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YLKEZtLhfZo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Assemble the circuit according to the\ndiagram below. Note the buck converter is set to output 10.8 volts.\nSee Buck Volt regulator is Handy Gadget for under $10, Step Down LED\nDriver product review: (https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l7DVyas-lkw<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wire connection list is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Buck Converter Input \u2013 requires a\nfused (10amp) 12volt input \u2013 DO NOT forget the fuse! The Buck\nConverter provides a regulated voltage to the Arduino and sensors.\nOutput is set to 10.8 to ensure sufficient voltage is available for\nsensors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) Mega 2560 Input \u2013 Connect the\noutput from the Buck Converter to the appropriate connetions on the\nMale Barrel Plug, and plug into the Mega 2560<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3a) Mega 2560 Output \u2013 Connect the\nnegative pin (pin closest to Pin 52) to the negative bus of a\nBreadboard<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3b) Mega 2560 Output – Connect the\npositive 5v pin (pin closest to Pin 22) to the positive bus of the\nBreadboard<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3c) Breadboard \u2013 DHT11 sensor into\nthe breadboard as shown.Connect the negative and positive pins to the\nnegative and positive bus. Connect the data pin to the Mega 2560 Pin\nA8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3d) Breadboard \u2013 Insert ESP8266\nESP-01 with Breakout Board Breadboard Adapter with the mounted\nESP8266 Serial Wi-Fi Wireless ESP-01 Adapter Module. Connect the\nnegative and positive pins to the negative and positive bus. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \t– Connect the Mega 2560 Serial Tx1 Pin\n18 to the Rx Pin on the Breakout Board Breadboard Adapter<\/p>\n\n\n\n \t– Connect the Mega 2560 Serial Rx1 Pin\n19 to the Tx Pin on the Breakout Board Breadboard Adapter<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: The Transmit and Receive pins\nneed to be connected to their opposites (Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx) between the\nMega and ESP8266<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3e) PCB Board \u2013 Insert a Red and\nGreen Led into the PCB along with a 220 ohm resistor in serial.\nConnect the positive side of the Red LED to PWM Pin 12 and the Green\nLED to PWM Pin 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3f) There are two voltage sensors. The\nSolar Array (panel) voltage sensor us used to measure the voltage\noutput by the solar panels. To determine the actual energy\n(power=watts) being produced by the array requires both the\nvoltage(V) x Current (I) = Watts (W). \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second voltage sensor measures the\nsupply voltage being provided to the Buck Converter input. I use a\nbattery and seperate small wattage solar panel to power the sensor\nboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3g) Connecting the solar panels is\npretty straight forward. First thing all the solar panel negatives\nare connected together and tied to the negative connection to the\ncharge controller. I used a standard block for this. The individual\nsolar panel positive connections are then connected to the input side\nterminal blocks before installing the individual fuses. (Size fuse to\nsize of solar panel\/bank)<\/p>\n\n\n\n I used the WhilhelmSK to build the\nbelow display screen for the solar panel application. As you can see\nright off the bat I uncovered a couple of issues with my system which\nI will be going to investigate!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The setup is not perfect. I am still\nworking to improve the accuracy of the current sensors. I have not\ndecided exactly what I am going to do. There is an opprotunity to\nsolder an additional capacitor but not sure my skills are that could.\nThere is certainly more tweaking in software to do. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of software, the code and this\ndocument will be available on GitHub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/github.com\/awwbaker\/Solar-Sensor-Board<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Promise this is the last tech article for a while. I just need to get these caught up. We have been busy so I have lots to catch up from since Vero! This all started with the purchase of a … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/a2baker.com\/magnoliablog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/c-1024x794.png\")
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