New to microcontrollers / project idea

normc

Hi everyone, I am new to microcontrollers but have wanted to learn for a long time. I am a Canadian, living in Dakar, Senegal. Every day the power goes out, often multiple times and I thought that it would be fun to make a device that could detect the power cuts (and when the power comes back on) and then send a text message. It would be helpful when at work to know when the power has gone off or on at home! This also sounded like it could be a fun project and good way to learn.

Is this a feasible project? If so, could anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks very much!
NormC

Mike G

I've have Spinneret on my mind for the last few months. The Spinneret has the hardware interface to do the job. See the Spinneret forum for more information.

Jimmy Lieb

That is a really good idea, But if the power goes out, so does your router. Then how is the spinnert going to connect? I guess you could battery backup your router and modem. Just something to take into consideration.

I live in Texas, US, And we have had a huge heatwave for the past two months. severe enough that everybody's air conditioning has been drawing too much for the power grid. ONCOR, the power grid management company has been doing rolling blackouts where they turn off peoples electricity for about 15 minutes at a time, once or twice a day. I was thinking of building something of the same sort! my modem is backed up for hours by an internal battery, because we have digital phone, and it must be running in order for the phones to work. Unfortunately, when the power goes out, only the phone part works, and the data part will turn off to conserve power. If I can find a way around this without spending too much on an expensive UPS, I think I will do the same.

Maybe you could add in some emergency lights, too? 3 watt LEDs are very easily obtainable... maybe even some of these:
http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&category=BARS&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2Frgbndc21.htm

I know that you could find some like that for under 40 on ebay. I just wanted to leave a link that would be permanent, and not get a 404 error once someone buys it!

Best of luck,
Jimmy

Kevin Wood

If ethernet isn't an option, a cellular capable device such as this would probably work. You could use a current sensor to detect the drop-outs.

max72

I have a similar idea, and asked this forum about battery backup circuit.
It could be a staring point.
Massimo

Edit: forgot the link
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?132664-Battery-backup

prof_braino

normc wrote: »

Dakar, Senegal.
detect the power cuts (and when the power comes back on) and then send a text message.
This also sounded like it could be a fun project and good way to learn.

If you want the fun way, consider propforth on the spinneret. http://code.google.com/p/propforth/
The telnet support allows interactive programming of the unit at your house from your ethernet connection in your office (or you sister's house on Canada)
The HTTP server support allow display of any data on a web page.

You could telnet to the spinneret and examine the logfiles in EEPROM, or use a browser and display the logfiles in formatted HTTP page. Or both at the same time.

I was thinking of doing the same thing, only I was going to monitor a pump. All that is needed is a circuit to watch the mains power.
If you are interested in working together, I cn put this project higher on my list.

Mike G

Jimmy Lieb wrote:

That is a really good idea, But if the power goes out, so does your router.

Exactly...if there's no power and you try to hit the Spinneret well the page will not load. Plus the Spinneret has an RTC so you could save the time every so often to EEPROM. When the power comes back on the Spinneret could send an email about the length of the power outage.