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Plumbing II

This is in respond to a 2 months old thread "plumbing". I can't find my post and it's difficult to find the thread; so, time for a new posting.

OP wants flow sensors and valves at the fixture level, but we are only doing it at the house level. However, most of the requirements are the same, only pipe size of 1/2" vs. 1". Our setups:

  1. Flow sensor with resolution of 1L per pulse.
  2. Bi-stable shut-off valve within 10 seconds (500mA at 15V).
  3. Flow Alternator (300mA at 3.3V)
  4. PIC32/RF transceivers (802.15.4).
  5. Standalone/PC USB interfaces.

http://173.224.223.62/water.jpg

The flow sensor is a very unusual design, but very sensitive. It has a rotating offset disk inside. I can't figure out how it control the rotation direction, but obviously it works.

Flow alternator is missing, but the 3V to 15V booster is there for the valve control.

Reply to
edward.ming.lee
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Sorry, the original thread was in C.A.E. Will move it back there.

Reply to
edward.ming.lee

Ummm- not unusual since about the 1850s when that type of flowmeter became widely available. Modern devices simply totalize electronically instead of driving a gear set.

Reply to
bloggs.fredbloggs.fred

Are you sure we are talking about the same design? I have not seen anything like that. If it's that old, we don't have to worry about pattern issues. We would like to make a smaller one.

The internal rotating disk: http://173.224.223.62/flow.jpg

Reply to
edward.ming.lee

The picture is of a simple vane water wheel with flow compensating basket.

Reply to
bloggs.fredbloggs.fred

In a simple vane water, water flow in tangent to the wheel and must be installed in certain direction.

But for this one, water flow in and out from the sides, and the whole wheel freely rotate. There is no pre-defined gravity to determine the right direction. We certainly don't want it to run backward.

Reply to
edward.ming.lee

It's a wheel with vanes on it, do you think they're there for decoration?

Reply to
bloggs.fredbloggs.fred

If you are talking about the vanes on the side cover, they are very shallow and on the outside of the wheel. The inside is smooth. Yes, i don't think the vanes affect the rotation at all.

Reply to
edward.ming.lee

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