Riverbankannie
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I will try one last time to try and explain my goal here.I think as @Birtha & @John Laidler have already attempted to point out it is the 30º ambient that is the factor. Above that you have loss of condensing on an absorption fridge. Even on domestic compressor fridges the condenser & fan have different ratings for the same unit depending on which country it is specified for. A Uk one used to be around 30º whereas a Southern Mediteranean one would have a figure of 37º at least. I have just checked mine & the fans are running at full speed with a 16º differential .. i look forward to seeing how well it performs.
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How are you going to adjust for the winter? In winter temperatures there will be a big differential between the top and bottom vents but the fans will not be required.
A simple on off switch would do I suppose (in fact that's all mine has) so turn it off in the winter, but probably not an elegant enough solution for you.
The switch also prevents the fan running on warm nights while trying to sleep.
It's stopped now & you've got until 3pm before the next lot arrives. Tomorrow doesn't look much better. We're all waiting with baited breath, so off you go!The skies have just opened.
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Just been across, 4 packages, all excited to open them to find out what bits I have.It's stopped now & you've got until 3pm before the next lot arrives. Tomorrow doesn't look much better. We're all waiting with baited breath, so off you go!
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Good luck with the compass in a metal van. It will need to be "swung" to calibrate it and minimise errors. But probably good enough to get a best estimate position. Tracker can be fine tuned later with optical sensors.
What happened about the gas level sensor?
This will be interesting to me. I was working on the van the other day and put the fridge on to 12volt to give a large drain to see what the panels were doing and forgot to turn it off which took the batteries down overnight till the EBL switched them off. Unfortunately I think it has killed or seriously damaged them. Strange that this van allows 12volt use without the +D or +S signals, Dometic again!!Hab Battery monitor++
The central controller is simply an Atmel ATMega328P which costs less than £1. and a few 1p components. I will be adding a 3G modem, bluetooth modem and an LCD display to mine. Probably less than £15 all in...This will be interesting to me. I was working on the van the other day and put the fridge on to 12volt to give a large drain to see what the panels were doing and forgot to turn it off which took the batteries down overnight till the EBL switched them off. Unfortunately I think it has killed or seriously damaged them. Strange that this van allows 12volt use without the +D or +S signals, Dometic again!!
So a text to say they were low would be good. I suspect it will need the Central Controller as well though.
Steve
Well worth it to protect £200 worth of batteries. Either that or I need a new brain. Your project sounds easier.The central controller is simply an Atmel ATMega328P which costs less than £1. and a few 1p components. I will be adding a 3G modem, bluetooth modem and an LCD display to mine. Probably less than £15 all in...
If you want to build your own board then there are dirt cheap suppliers for all the parts.Well worth it to protect £200 worth of batteries. Either that or I need a new brain. Your project sounds easier.
Steve
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For those interested here is a list of the parts, link and price.
ATTiny85 Microcontroller. £0.98 each.
Link Removed. £0.99 each
Broken Link Removed. £0.79 each (£1.58)
The rest of the components cost less than 1p each.
Diode, I bought a pack of 100 for £2.08
Resistors I bought a pack of 1460 for £7.08
So all told it will be less than £4 in parts.
Just been across, 4 packages, all excited to open them to find out what bits I have.
2 bloody USB cables in separate packets from the same supplier.
1 Sim card (not much help for this project)
10 IRL540N mosfets. Without the diodes not much use
So still waiting for the next batch.
Still to arrive.
328pcs 2:1 Polyolefin Halogen-Free Heat Shrink Tube Sleeving 5 Color 8 Size £2.90
5 x dc adjustable PSU £2.77
10 x DS18B20 – 1 wire temp sensors £7.68
3 X DHT11 temp/humidity sensors £3.22
1 X wire snips £2.15
1 X HC-05 bluetooth £3.83
200 X Electrolytic Capacitors £4.49
40 X male to male jump leaders £1.58
40 X male to female jump leads £1.74
40 X Female to female jump leaders £1.58
300 X Zener Diodes £2.64
100 X diodes £2.08
10 X reed switches £1.87
10 X ATTiny85 chips £9.78
1 X ATTINY85 Dev board £0.99
1 X ACS712 30 Amp current sensor £1.39
1 x Atmel ATMEGA328P-PU AVR preloaded with Arduino UNO bootloader +16Mhz +2x 22pF £3.75
3 x Atmel ATMEGA328P-PU AVR bare chips £2.20
1 x Universal, ZIF Type IC Socket 28 PIN (0.3") DIP
For those interested here is a list of the parts, link and price..........
So all told it will be less than £4 in parts.
It is still on, I am just waiting for the parts to arrive. One of the downside of ordering dirt cheap parts from China is that they can take up to 30 days to arriveWhat happened to your original £4 fan project, have I missed something, are you on to your new projects @Gromett ?
I will be using a normal strip led, but I will drive it using PWM to dim it. Then I can use software to control the light level. I will put a light level sensor in the circuit to see what the light level is like. If the light is over a certain level it won't switch on at all (daylight). As evening falls the light will get brighter. However once it gets fully dark it will dim down again as not as much light is required. It should be fully automatic.Very interested in your idea of a night light system. Would you use individual lights spaced along the way from bed to toilet or one continuous strip? Any idea where I could buy the low power LED's and the movement sensor please? Would save the other half having to use a torch.
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Praps you should have another sensor to lift the lid so you can do it all in your sleep or maybe that is just one step to far.
Joking aside a great set of projects, I can handle the construction & soldering, but the design and programming is beyond me. Unfortunately I went the mechanical and production engineering route rather than electronics and have regretted it ever since. It is great that you are prepared to share all this with us all though. Thanks very much.
Steve
You know the Chinese parts will arrive the day before the EBay ones don't you?I am getting bored waiting for the parts to arrive from China so have ordered a small qty of each via ebay with fast delivery. Should be here Wednesday for me to collect Thursday.
Yup. That would be great When I used to wait for a bus or taxi they were always late. They would always show up the second I lit a cigarette though.. Hoping the same happens here. If not I will still be able to crack onYou know the Chinese parts will arrive the day before the EBay ones don't you?
Unfortunately I went the mechanical and production engineering route rather than electronics and have regretted it ever since.
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