Hi,
I’m a beginner enthusiast, and I would like to turn our building storm water pumps into smart pumps. I’ve been digging on how I could achieve it and got here.
I would like to gather stats from the pump controller, like pump on/off and alarms. Ideally also send commands to the pumps. I will send these stats to the cloud and get SMS alerts and charts. Eventually, I also would like to add a water level sensor so we can monitor how full is our storm pit.
The pump controller is this one (circuit diagram on page 7): https://www.aquastream.com.au/assets/brochures/CRX-DPC.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoqZEGRduvOzP-q1NOmAIoG_4RIUyCdZrFY1sZIU5hhciB-ELjHk
Also, we have Wi-Fi where the pump controller is.
I’m comfortable with the software part, but I need some advice on the hardware part. This ESP32SR88 seems to be what I’m looking for. I was wondering if you have any suggestions and or recommendations?
Thanks in advance!
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Hey @Renato292478
Welcome
Tell me more about gathering statistics. Do you have a solution for that?
Hey @Pixmusix,
I’m planning on sending the events to a remote database and then using Grafana or a custom built webpage with charts.
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What hardware do you need to pull out that data from your pumps?
I think what Pix means is have you given any thought on how you are you going to get the signals you need out of your present system physically. Also just what signals do you need.
Cheers Bob
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@Pixmusix @Robert93820 thanks for your reply.
My understanding is that the pump controller has 2 pump fault outputs. There is also one for the siren and one for the strobe, which indicate that the controller has issued an alarm. I think I only need to get one of them. These would only let me know that an alarm was triggered, not which type of alarm. These are labeled as 12Vdc.
If I can capture the output of the pump controller that powers the pump. I can also tell when the controller thinks the pumps should be running. I can generate start/stop events. These are labelled as 240V.
So, ideally I would need to get 2 pump fault, 1 alarm forand 2 for pump on/off. These would be sufficient to trigger alarms and gather the stats about pump running.
Alternatively, I could capture the signals from the floats, which are inputs for the pump controller. There are 4 floats/signals. With the floats signals I could replicate the controller logic and infer if the pump should be running. These are labeled as 12Vdc.
In terms of hardware, it should be able to connect WIFI so I can send the signals to the remote database. It seems that something like the ESP32 board I mentioned above with 8 inputs should be able to do it? I would also need a transformer to get the 240V down to the 27V for the running pumps? Am I in the right direction?
Also, I’ll get an electrician to install it, but I need to be able to provide the parts and instructions.
Thanks for your input on this.
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That ESP module has 8 relays. It would be used for remote control of powered devices - for instance if you were trying to control the pumps over the Internet.
This is an example of an isolated input module, which is overkill for your implementation and I am sure there are simpler versions available, but it shows the principle.
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@Jeff105671 Thanks, I see. It would useful to control the pumps too. e.g. a alarm reset. However this is not a must have. Reading the inputs signals is the main goal. Also, there is no direct input in the controller to reset the pump. I think I would have to emulate the keypad somehow? I’m trying to get the reading part first, and then later, once it is woking, explore on sending commands. So, having a board that can also output commands the pump controller it would be good.
I did look at the KC868-AI board during my research, but like you said it was an overkill. I came across this one which seemed more adequate, but no relays: https://konnected.io/products/konnected-alarm-panel-wired-alarm-system-conversion-kit
Cheers!
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That device uses switches as inputs. Your inputs will be the result of monitoring either the 12v alarm signal or the 240V pump circuit. It is likely that you could drive a relay off either of those to create the on/off that the module requires. The 240V would be a little more complex because of the need to ensure adequate separation for the high voltage.
I can’t see how you could ‘reset a pump’ as that would involve somehow getting inside the front panel. The requirement to hold the button for 3S suggests the internal procedure required to actually do the reset might be complex. Emulating the keypad would be difficult: the only option I can see would be to actually replace the keyboard with your own and that isn’t likely possible.
But it would be possible to manipulate the controller using relays (such as the relay module you first referenced) inserted into the limit switch signal lines to fool the module into thinking that the water level was something it was not.
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