Arduino and Pro Micro style microcontroller projects coming soon!!!
Future example projects using Arduino based software include:
Demonstrating how to build replacement push buttons for an old 1957 General Electric range using a Pro Micro, lighted push buttons, and 2 relays.
Demonstrating how to build a 120 volt 1/2 to 1 HP water pressure switch using a Pro Micro, an OLED screen, 2 relays, and a DFRobot water pressure sensor.
Demonstrating how to build a water line heat cable controller using a DS18B20 Dallas temperature sensor, a Pro Micro, and 2 relays.
Demonstrating how to build a light timer for indoor gardening using a Pro Micro, 2 relays, a LM317 voltage regulator, a cooling fan, 4 push buttons, a dual outlet box, and an OLED display.
Demonstrating how to build a fan / humidity controller for indoor gardening using a Pro Micro, 2 relays, pushbuttons, an OLED screen, and a DHT11 temp / humidity sensor.
The projects listed above have all been built and tested here at Dark Sun Ltd, now we just need to find the time to get the VERY lengthy write-ups done for each of them...
In the future we might consider making some custom circuits available to purchase if there is a big enough need apparent by the public. The Range button project is a good example of need. At one time the cost to replace push buttons on ranges with that style of device was $40. Today those same switches are made in China and cost $150 while only lasting roughly 2 years with daily use....
One bennefit to replacing the old push button style buttons on some ranges is the lowering of power consumption by the range. Push button style ranges are ALWAYS feeding power to a burner, whether its on high or its on warm. By replacing the original push buttons with a Pro Micro, 2 relays, and 6 light weight buttons, the range user can write the Pro Micro code to turn the burner off and on in timed cycles via the relays. From our own experience this has saved approx $30-$40 a month in electricity cost just by converting 1 burner to a microcontroller.
The way it works is for any heat setting you choose (other than high or off) you have the loop code in the microcontroller powering the relays to the burner for X amount of time on, then X amount of time off. This gives a fairly even heat. So if the range user wants the burner on 2, the burner powers on for 45 secs and off for 10. If the range user wants low, it powers on for 10 secs and of for 30. For high the burner is always on. This type of setup duplicates the old infinitate style burner switch digitally while replacing the always on push button style of switch for something much more energy efficient. It is also possible to add a high temp temperature sensor to a burner, to control a burner by temperature rather than timed loops, for those that require a precise burner temperature.
