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#1
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water detector
I am trying to make a device that would act as a switch when it detects
water or any liquid at its 2 electrodes. I thought I could just use 2 wires as the switch and put them in water but that doesn't work. I have bought a small 9 volt water detecting unit that sounds a piezo horn when water is present, but there doesn't seem to be any way to use it as a switch because there seems to be continutiy all the time at the 3 poles of the horn. I need this device to time the length of time it takes for paint to dry. I figure that while the paint is liquid it will allow current to carry and when it is dry it won't. Any ideas, kits, anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rudy |
#2
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For whatever it's worth, another approach would be to measure the
capacitance between two plates half-immersed in the liquid. As the liquid changes state, two things should happen -- its level should change, and its permittivity should change, thus changing the capacitance of the two plate system. I'm not sure if there is a capacitance-to-voltage chip to buy; I kind of suspect it's something you'd have to concoct yourself. Assuming you can transduce the capacitance into a voltage signal, you can use an op-amp as a comparator to generate the on-off signal for the horn. You'll have to measure the capacitance cutoff for dried paint, and that would be your reference voltage, which you can make by voltage-dividing a battery. Use large resistors. As to what kind of signal your piezo horn needs -- an oscillating or a direct signal -- I don't know. If it's like a normal piezo speaker, you'd need to hook it up to an oscillating source to hear anything. There might be a VCO IC chip in your kit. Anyway, I hope this gives you an idea. Good luck! rudyeb wrote: I am trying to make a device that would act as a switch when it detects water or any liquid at its 2 electrodes. I thought I could just use 2 wires as the switch and put them in water but that doesn't work. I have bought a small 9 volt water detecting unit that sounds a piezo horn when water is present, but there doesn't seem to be any way to use it as a switch because there seems to be continutiy all the time at the 3 poles of the horn. I need this device to time the length of time it takes for paint to dry. I figure that while the paint is liquid it will allow current to carry and when it is dry it won't. Any ideas, kits, anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rudy |
#3
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The intent is for the device to be part of a setup that includes a 1 1/2
volt DC battery powered analog clock. The idea being that when there is a current flow through the liquid paint the clock would run and when the paint dries the clock would stop. The amount of time the clock ran would tell me the time it took for the paint to dry. This is what I need the switching device for. Thanks, Rudy |
#4
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Hmmm,
Are you talking about "paint on a wall" or "paint in a bucket"? Have you tried taking any resistance reading of wet/dry paint? My GUESS here, is that the resistance of paint is going to depend on how thick the paint is, amongst other things. If you can do this at all, I suspect it will require a microprocessor to monitor changes in the resistance, and "decide" that the paint in dry once the delta/time drops to some low level. - jim rudyeb wrote: The intent is for the device to be part of a setup that includes a 1 1/2 volt DC battery powered analog clock. The idea being that when there is a current flow through the liquid paint the clock would run and when the paint dries the clock would stop. The amount of time the clock ran would tell me the time it took for the paint to dry. This is what I need the switching device for. Thanks, Rudy |
#5
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On Sat, 08 Jan 2005 02:01:16 -0500, rudyeb wrote:
I am trying to make a device that would act as a switch when it detects water or any liquid at its 2 electrodes. I thought I could just use 2 wires as the switch and put them in water but that doesn't work. I have bought a small 9 volt water detecting unit that sounds a piezo horn when water is present, but there doesn't seem to be any way to use it as a switch because there seems to be continutiy all the time at the 3 poles of the horn. I need this device to time the length of time it takes for paint to dry. I figure that while the paint is liquid it will allow current to carry and when it is dry it won't. No, a water detector won't do anything with paint. Paint isn't conductive either way. If you're simply setting up some kind of lab test to determine drying time of paint, then make a test strip that you can actually physically check each hour or two. Otherwise, just wait 24 hours - if your paint isn't dry by then, then you're doing something wrong. And even if it's "dry", you still need to give it some additional time to cure before you can put on a second coat anyway. Or, you could find some exotic coating that dries instantly, but that's a wnole nother course of study. Good Luck! Rich |
#6
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Hi Rudy:
I believe the paint is latex and it does have water in it. The first step is to measure the resistance of the paint while it is drying. The water will evaporate reducing the resistance. Plot the resistance over time. Now you can set limits with resistace. The next step is to measure the resistance just using a voltage divider (2 resistors) and a voltage comparator. LM319 . If the thickness is like .1", then it will work. However, if the paint is over a surface then this will not work. The reflectivity will change while it is drying, Try using a LED and a photo transister. Allow the photo transistor to measure the reflection of the LED. All paint is glossy while it is wet and turns dull after drying. Harold Good luck Harold |
#7
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On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 21:14:14 -0800, hryan wrote:
Hi Rudy: I believe the paint is latex and it does have water in it. The first step is to measure the resistance of the paint while it is drying. The water will evaporate reducing the resistance. Plot the resistance over time. Now you can set limits with resistace. The next step is to measure the resistance just using a voltage divider (2 resistors) and a voltage comparator. LM319 . And then, does he leave the electrodes painted-in? Or rip them loose and leave gouges on the wall? Electrodes to watch paint dry, indeed! Cheers! Rich |
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