Short leading to autofill failure - Page 2

by **allon** on Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:00 pm

Pictures, please!
As someone else not afraid of a little solder, I've toyed around with various ideas for building a controller for my machine, with flow meter and shot timer, but more for feedback than automation.

I like my camera to tell me what shutter speed and aperture it has chosen, but which allows shutter priority or aperture priority or full manual; one could set flowmeter priority, time priority, or manual.

Does that make the grind the focus and the dose the zoom?

by **aindfan** on Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:17 pm

As you wish!

Top view of the board:

Side view of the switch:

See that brown/black color behind the out-of-focus plastic? Something tells me that's what I blew up by pulling 20 amps through it. Anyone know of a replacement part that I can drop in? Do these exist, or should I just go ahead and program it into the Arduino?

http://users.rcn.com/erics/ · by **erics** on Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:39 pm

Those relays are available - try a search or "Gicar" or "Giemme". Before you try to program the autofill function into an Arduino, you need to figure out how the autofill "system" works and, thus far, with over 6 years of posts on this forum, "we" have not met with success.

I'm not saying it can't be done (that would be a defeatist attitude), I am saying that it is a lot more than just uncovering a probe, signaling a relay, covering a probe and dropping power to that relay.

by **aindfan** on Mon Jun 27, 2011 9:52 pm

I think I saw a post on here that said something like:

- Fill until probe is covered
- Keep filling for n seconds
- If probe uncovered, wait... um... a bit?
- Goto* first line

Now... even though the relay is busted, I can still use the node that's trying to power the relay. I would need to drop the voltage (safely, not just with a resistor divider), pass it to the arduino to indicate that the relay is being turned on by the gicar, and use that to trigger an SSR.

Ok, you're right, I should just replace the relay.

EDIT: Wait a minute!!! Just because I'm replacing the relay doesn't mean I have to replace the relay! I can use the Gicar relay trigger node to enable my SSR, which is rated to 3-32VDC control input. Sound ok?

*Yes, I know, goto statements make me sick with all of that OOP indoctrination, and I should have implemented those four lines in an object-oriented way.

http://users.rcn.com/erics/ · by **erics** on Mon Jun 27, 2011 10:36 pm

Well, when you can change "I think" to "I know" and provide a link that includes a circuit diagram and other info that an Arduino knowledgeable person can follow, let me know

As regards "copying" the signal to the existing relay and utilizing an SSR to switch the power to the fill solenoid, that does not sound unreasonable but . . . At this point, I would call Stefano and see if he has any used boards or search for an equivalent relay you can solder in.

by **aindfan** on Tue Jun 28, 2011 6:35 pm

Stefano does not have the relay, but he does sell a replacement box for $150. Considering that I blew up a $3 part, I don't think I can justify this replacement cost.

by **aindfan** on Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:55 pm

Ok, new even simpler idea.

My line pressure is regulated to 2bar. Boiler pressure is always below 1.2bar. I can use the working side of the relay to autofill without the pump.

And to think I was seconds away from soldering something.


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