Summary Status

After experiencing a minor flood in the basement when the water softener turned on and the sump pump was not installed, I realized that my water softener runs without electricity. So, I changed the design of the HESA to turn on power to a submersible pump when it detects water rather then turn off power to the water softener. I also added graphing capability to the web page and made the code more reliable.

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• Auto-startup on power up.
• Auto-recovery on program failure
• Status light that shows when pi is running.
• Check for water in the basement. If found:
  • Turn on power to submersible pump
  • Send email to mail address. If internet is down, wait until it is up to send message.
  • Update local status page and internet database
• Send all clear email when water clears
• Read temperature and humidity in basement
• Store hourly readings to SQL tables on internet
• Web-based status page with graphs
• All components mounted in enclosure that is mounted on wall and connected to 120v power

• Email address that forwards mail to several email addresses as well as texting

• Schematic stored on Digikey's website.

• HESA program

• Raspberry Pi
• 120v to 5v USB power converter and USB cable for Raspberry Pi
• Duplex power outlet
• Power plug for input with power cord for PC
• Power switch
• Powerswitch tail to control power
• Water sensor cable
• Connector plugs (2)
• Ethernet jack
• Ethernet cable
• Enclosure

• Wires to connect Raspberry Pi ports to devices
• 100k resistor for LED in enclosure
• Flat edge connectors for electrical wires
• Eyelet connectors for electrical wires
• Wires to carry 120 volts of electricity
• Solder

Create a device that will sense when water is spilling in to the basement. The device will shut off power to the water softener and notify people that there is a problem.

1. Order Raspberry Pi and its components – Done
2. Order Powerswitch tail – Done
3. Setup Raspberry Pi with basic configuration – Done. View the blog entry.
4. Create email group on my website to redirect email to multiple accounts – Done. View the blog entry.
5. Write Python module to send email – Done. View the blog entry.
6. Assemble Powerswitch tail – Done. View the blog entries here, here, and here.
7. Write Python module to control Powerswitch tail – Done
8. Write Python program to incorporate all features for phase 1 – Done
9. Design a sensor to detect water – Done. Decided to go with bare wires.
10. Design portable test system – Done
11. Obtain materials for portable test system – Done
12. Ensure that the basic design works 100% – Done
13. Design enclosure – Done
14. Obtain materials for enclosure – Done
15. Build enclosure – Done
16. Mount device in basement and test – Done
17. Install FTP on raspberry pi – Done
18. Install website files to the raspberry pi – Done

1. Make a backup of the SD card – Done
2. Publish on Instructables – Done
3. Install Avahi to be able to access the pi by its host name rather than IP address – Done
4. Print a raspberry pi base on the 3D printer – Done
5. Replace ethernet faceplate with one with one or two openings rather than four – Done
6. Install MySQL administration tool – Done
7. Populate MySQL tables – Done
8. Store readings to local table, then update internet table, if available – Not started
9. Make monthly graphs
10. Make daily routine to consolidate daily temp and humidity data to a summary table – Not started

Make the device more user-friendly and interactive. Replace the Pi with a Beaglebone Black to make it able to connect to more things. It should record daily data and statuses in a web-based database. It should check the internet connection regularly. If there are any non-standard conditions, alert the humans with email (if possible), lights, and sound until the problem conditions are gone.

• Record resistance readings multiple times a day in a web-based database
• Record system statuses in a web-based database
• Check internet connectivity
• Display status on LCD screen
• Turn on light if internet connection is lost
• Turn on siren if flood condition recognized
• Repeat messaging every 24 hours

• Web site that displays reading results in tabular and graphical form

• Beaglebone Black
• Green LED for normal operating conditions
• Yellow LED for internet lost
• Red LED for hazardous condition
• 16×2 display
• Siren
• Manual power switch for siren
• Reset button

• BeagleBone Black Accessories

1. Obtain Beaglebone Black – Done
2. Obtain 4gb or larger mini-SD card – Done
3. Update O/S on BBB – Done
4. Figure out how to power up BBB without USB cable – Done. It needs a power supply that can provide 5v, 1A (or more), 2.1mm, CENTER POSITIVE.
5. Obtain power supply for BBB – Done. An old Linksys PPP device had an appropriate PSU.
6. Install Debian image on eMMC – Done
7. Make support / case for BBB – Done
8. Get HESA python program working on BBB – Not started
9. Make HESA start automatically when BBB boots up – Not started
10. Create MySQL tables to store status updates – Done
11. Make HESA program update status in MySQL table – Done
12. Make web page on rynok.org to display HESA status – Done
13. Find working 16×2 LCD display – Done
14. Get LCD display working with BBB – Not started
15. Add LCD code to HESA python program – Not started
16. Install LCD screen in HESA enclosure front panel – Not started
17. Design circuit that includes reset button – Not started
18. Obtain components for reset button circuit – Not started
19. Install reset button circuit in HESA enclosure – Not started

Add a battery backup feature so the system can send alerts and shutdown gracefully in case of a catastrophe. Detect other environmental problems, record regular readings and send alerts.

• Battery backup
• Detect power outage and send email alert
• Add a button to shutdown the Pi, then shutoff power
• Add a button to reboot the Pi
• Low temperature detector
• Monitor carbon monoxide levels
• Monitor radon levels

• Battery power supply
• Device that detects primary power outage
• Temperature sensor
• Carbon monoxide sensor
• Radon sensor

Members: Ken Becker