Doov's PROJECTS
  • Home
  • About
  • Projects

Revel Monitor Project UPDATE - VanNerd

2/1/2022

0 Comments

 
After several months of using the original version - I ran into some problems. The biggest issue was I neglected to add any transient voltage suppression to the board - esp on the 12v input that is attached to the Van alternator. I think there were some serious voltage spikes on this line and fried my Arduino a couple of times. I added a power switch too!

The original design goal was to use a little power as possible, so I wanted to use the eInk as a way of reducing the draw. I also really liked the resolution and contrast. I also found the eInk display to be really slow. The only UI in the van is the display, so updating it quickly turned out to be important. Also turns out, being hooked up to house power - there's tons of power, so no real power issue. I switched to a 128x64 OLED and now can update the info a lot more frequently. It's a better UI and makes it easier to understand what's going on.

Since I can update the display more frequently - I added the concept of error messages. Shown in the pic is an error the fridge temp is high. This is fair as the fridge is off and the temp IS high. 

I also had problems with 2 of my temp sensors. The original location for my outdoor sensor (between the sliding door and the kitchen cabinet) was actually too "inside". I managed to find a penetration for the hydronic lines under the kitchen cabinet, so I remounted the sensor under the van and secured it to some lines under the vehicle. My indoor sensor was mounted to the original PCB. Unfortunately this always read high - I think the uC and other stuff right there was generating heat. Also I wanted this to more or less agree with the Timberline thermostat, so I relocated the sensor to be next to the Timberline one. (I also moved the Timberline sensor to the 2022R location next to the bathroom, as it was mounted above the bench seat - in a heat island!). 

The above changes has allowed the system to run with no real issues for a few months now. It survived a 10 day trip, so I think the voltage spike issues have been solved. 

Next up are some updates to the iPhone app, but that's for another time.

Picture
(Fridge not on, hence the high temp error)
0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    1975 Norton Rebuild
    1977 BMW R100S
    CNC
    Data Driven Sculpture
    Fadal
    Fadal VH 65
    Microcontrollers
    Miscellaneous
    Motorcycles
    Networking
    Norton Commando
    Renishaw Probes
    Sensors
    Shop
    Winnebago Revel

    Archives

    February 2022
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    August 2018
    September 2017
    October 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    September 2010

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • Projects