Looking at the Arduino stuff there are a huge amount of options out there; I got a compatible 4 relay board for less than I paid for one relay on the 1st system.
The cable connection to upload to the Uno has a port in the side and a rubber plug
The main problem is that uploading a new code is time consuming (not the Uno part)
I have to figure out how to make the box easily removable to bring it onshore because I am not comfortable bringing the laptop out to it
Found this sourcing site Guru.com
From there I submitted to two different companies, and EmbatronicX got back to me in a day
The reason I went this rout is because I wanted to have the new system up and running from start to finish in just 8 days, and it worked.
Suraj contacted me I went thru the payment system and they made it on time, I had a couple of change requests and they took care of them promptly. From this experience I recommend working with them, I hope to go on from here and will need their help in the future.
I have studied the code a little and I can and do write G code for CNC so I get the concept, but learning a new code and debugging it would have taken a little more than 8 days
I also needed to order all the parts and build-out the entire assembly so I was doing that while waiting for the code to arrive
This is the original set of variables per my instructions that were written into code:
| Relay 1 | Relay 2 | Relay 3 | Relay 4 | |
| Bulb Volts | 7.00 | 13.00 | 18.00 | 28.00 |
| Voltage ON | 2.80 | 7.30 | 13.00 | 17.80 |
| Voltage OFF | 6.80 | 12.40 | 17.20 | 27.00 |
These result in a very unsatisfactory experience when the winds aren't steady (wind is never steady)
My original idea was to have a 1/2 volt between the off of one bulb and the on of the next; in gusty winds its just a lot of flashing.
So now I'm going to change the bulbs, the voltages, and the on-off set points, to get the reaction I like best from the ever changing generator output
My new theory is to have 2 or 3 bulbs on at any given time
Now I have also made light management adjustments
I blocked out most of the translucent cover except for a 1/4" slot at each bulb center, then to improve on that I made a close-off between each bulb to limit light bleed; much better.
Since the bulbs are too close together for the distance they are from the viewer these changes help the on-shore viewing experience by separating the light more discretely
The new On-Off sequence:
| V2a 081717 | Relay 1 | Relay 2 | Relay 3 | Relay 4 |
| Bulb Volts | 13.0 | 18.0 | 28.0 | 37.5 |
| Voltage ON | 6.5 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 13.5 |
| Voltage OFF | 13.0 | 18.0 | 25.0 | 37.5 |
The new code makes certain that at least 3 lights are on at a time in the middle of the array, this is visually more "readable" allowing your eye to track the direction of the volts, and increases the watts thru the middle.
Have had a 12hr period of sustained hi winds from 0 - 17 with some long blasts and gusts of 24mph
The shows voltages going from 5 - 25+ the system I think, shows that I have the capability of charging 12v
I need some nicer weather to put all my data collection gear (mph, volts, amps) out and get new numbers with the Uno
The goal for this summer was to have a real time, any time view of the working reliable system
The 8 AA batteries lasted about 40hrs, this is of course not acceptable.
Obviously the turbine should be charging these batteries, I think that will be the next step for spring 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment