Published December 3, 2023

Automatic Pet Water Bowl Sensor Package (Team 31)

This project is the construction and programing of sensors that detect water levels and temperature of a pet bowl, for automated service.

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Automatic Pet Water Bowl Sensor Package (Team 31)

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Particle Photon 2

Adafruit Water Level Depth Sensor

Digital Temperature Thermistor

Software apps and online services

Particle Build Web IDE

Story

What is your project about?

This project was designed for the demonstration of use of multiple sensors in conjunction. A realistic scenario for this is the monitoring of the level of water and water temperature for use in an automated water delivery system for pets. Essentially this project is the sensor portion of an automatic water bowl for a pet. With simple modifications a water reservoir could be added to this bowl along with an actuator that is set to allow water to refill the water bowl when the water level drops below a certain level, as well as monitor the temperature of the water to ensure quality and safety. For a dog the water temperature is not critical but for certain pets such as fish or amphibians or reptiles the temperature of the water is much more important and needs to be monitored much more carefully.

Why did you decide to make it?

The decision to make this project was to demonstrate the ability to use multiple sensors in tandem in order to allow for a useful device to help with automating pet care.

How does it work?

This project utilizes two particle photon 2 boards along with a sensor for water level and a sensor for temperature. The water level sensor uses the change in resistance that water allows for as electricity is passed through copper strips submerged in water. The higher the water level the less resistance is detected from the water level sensor. As for the temperature a simple thermistor is used to detect the difference in resistance caused by the effects of temperature. The thermistor has to be manually calibrated beforehand to ensure the temperature is within the acceptable range, this is done by adjusting the variable resistor on the digital thermistor. This data is then transmitted from the photon boards to the internet and through some simple coding is interpolated.

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Pin out for Ardiuno

Wire attachment for thermistor to Arduino Uno

Wire attachment for water level sensor to Arduino Uno

Prototype Construction

Schematics

Code

#include <Particle.h>

int sensorPin = A0; // Analog pin where the sensor is connected
int waterLevel = 0; // Variable to store water level data

void setup() {
    Particle.variable("waterLevel", waterLevel);
}

void loop() {
    // Read water level from the analog sensor
    int sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin);

    // Convert the analog value to a meaningful water level value
    waterLevel = map(sensorValue, 0, 4095, 0, 100); // Adjust the mapping as needed

    // Publish the water level to Particle Cloud
    Particle.publish("water_level", String(waterLevel));

    delay(1000); // Delay for 10 seconds (adjust as needed)
}

#include <Particle.h>

int led = D7; // Define the LED pin
int digitalPin = D2; // KY-028 digital interface
int analogPin = A0; // KY-028 analog interface
int digitalVal; // Digital readings
int analogVal; // Analog readings

void setup() {
    pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
    pinMode(digitalPin, INPUT);
    Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
    // Read the digital interface
    digitalVal = digitalRead(digitalPin);
    if (digitalVal == LOW) { // If temperature threshold reached
        digitalWrite(led, HIGH); // Turn ON the LED
    } else {
        digitalWrite(led, LOW); // Turn OFF the LED
    }

    // Read the analog interface
    analogVal = analogRead(analogPin);
    Serial.println(analogVal); // Print analog value to serial
    delay(100);
}

Credits

user2488238

1 project • 0 followers

Thanks to Ryan Jacques and Henry Hohl.

Automatic Pet Water Bowl Sensor Package (Team 31)

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Story

What is your project about?

Why did you decide to make it?

How does it work?

Custom parts and enclosures

Water Level Sensor

Schematics

Thermistor wiring to photon 2

Thermistor wiring

Water Level Sensor

Photon 2 Pinout

Code

Water Level Sensor

Temperature Sensor

Credits

user2488238

Comments

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Automatic Pet Water Bowl Sensor Package (Team 31)

Automatic Pet Water Bowl Sensor Package (Team 31)

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Story

What is your project about?

Why did you decide to make it?

How does it work?

Custom parts and enclosures

Water Level Sensor

Schematics

Thermistor wiring to photon 2

Thermistor wiring

Water Level Sensor

Photon 2 Pinout

Code

Water Level Sensor

Temperature Sensor

Credits

user2488238

Comments

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