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1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond reasonable) — Parallax Forums

1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond reasonable)

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2002-12-15 19:48 in General Discussion
Since CFM monitoring is much more high tech than most do on this
list, monitoring motor amps is a fair approach. if the belt breaks,
the amps will change. The blower wheel undoubtely had 'forward
curved' fan blades. these use more power as they move more air, but
offer resistance to the motor.

Also. motor hours will offer a decent reflection of furnace use, but
not humidifier use. for that you need to monitor gallons of water.
This is easier still, the solenoid on the humidifier will be on or
off. just tie in to that signal.

A better unit would monitor humidity of the heated air, and also
humidity after the humidifier air was fully mixed with the air
stream. a dirty filter would have a lower RH as it would not
transfer moisture as effectivly.

A still better unit would monitor total water useage. in my
experiance, it is the particulate in the water that clogs the filter
and not any airborne particulate.

and Rodent, a slightly more simple calender monitoring would be to
use a sensor to monitor the tides. the higher pull from the moons
proximity occurs daily and a sensor would not be effected by either
weather or eclipses. I am not sure how this would be effecte by
leap years.

and still another feature would be to monitor the lenght of the days
and nights. the spring and autum equnoxes have equal days and
nights. the Sumer and winter solstace have the longest day and
longest night respectivly. even if weather was bad, you could
program to monitor the days to pin point those 4 days, even by
monitoring the days preceeding and following and comparing day
lenghts.

Dave
wondering if there are any hibernating animals that have a predicable
calendar routine ?








--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Peter Deutsch <pdeutsch@e...>
wrote:
>
>
> Tracy Allen wrote:
> >
> > Hi Greg,
> >
> > Maybe you could use a photocell pointed at the sky. Get the right
> > day-night sensitivity, count to 364 (or 365). You could use a
BASIC
> > Stamp 1 or 2 to do the counting. Give it something else to do
that
> > the same time, say, to remind you when to pay taxes and when to
put
> > out the trash. You could do it with a simple counter, but
decoding
> > the number 365 would take a handful of additional chips.
>
> Ahhh, but you'd have to put in additional circuitry to account for
> predicted eclipses in your region, and maybe extra circuitry to
provide
> an "unexpected eclipse" button, as well. After all, if some
absolutely
> humongous but so far unplotted celestial body gets between us and
the
> sun, this circuit will fail. If you really wanted to do this right,
> you'd throw in a GPS and try to shoehorn in a celestial navigation
> program. Based upon your measured location, you could account for
known
> eclipses at your location and prompt the user (maybe via email,
maybe
> via a companion onboard web site?) when you experience one of those
> unexplained celestial phenomena...
>
> Seriously, if you wanted this project to actually have value,
shouldn't
> it provide a count of how many hours the fan has run? Even hetter,
how
> many cubic feet of air have passed through the filter? Throw in some
> sensing to determine actual particulate pollution and you should
> *really* be able to judge filter state...
>
> - peterd
>
>
>
> >
> > -- Tracy
> >
> > >Greetings Stampers
> > >
> > >I've been lurking a long time and learning a lot.
> > >
> > >I'm ready to build a project for my furnace to remind me to
change
> > >the 1-year filter on my humidifier.
> > >I'd like to have a simple circuit that I could reset with a
> > >pushbutton that simply sounds a buzzer/flashes an LED after 1
year.
> > >
> > >I've been scouring Google, but I can't find anything to steer me
in
> > >the right direction.
> > >
> > >Any ideas ??
> > >
> > >Thanks a lot
> > >
> > >Greg
> > >
> >
> > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
> --
>
>
-
> Peter Deutsch pdeutsch@g...
> Gydig Software
>
> "Time will end all of my troubles, but I don't
> always approve of time's methods..."
>
>
-

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-12-14 03:02
    The filter is an evaporator cartridge assembly.

    The water is purified through RO and pH balanced, the filter/evap pad are
    changed annually to prevent excessive bacterial growth.

    I considered an impellor flow meter, but the bacterial growth is more of an
    atmospheric exposure factor.

    So far my best guess is to use a serial RTC like the DS1305, has anyone had
    experience with these animals ?

    You guys are great, I really enjoyed the replies.
    A coworker suggested an organo-geek solution:- Grow wheatgrass that
    interrupts a laser at a predetermined height above the grass based on growth
    tables for a year ;-)

    Greg


    "Are you still wasting your time with spam?...
    There is a solution!"

    Protected by GIANT Company's Spam Inspector
    The most powerful anti-spam software available.
    http://www.giantcompany.com


    Original Message
    From: <davemucha@j...>
    To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 4:23 PM
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: 1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond
    reasonable)


    > Since CFM monitoring is much more high tech than most do on this
    > list, monitoring motor amps is a fair approach. if the belt breaks,
    > the amps will change. The blower wheel undoubtely had 'forward
    > curved' fan blades. these use more power as they move more air, but
    > offer resistance to the motor.
    >
    > Also. motor hours will offer a decent reflection of furnace use, but
    > not humidifier use. for that you need to monitor gallons of water.
    > This is easier still, the solenoid on the humidifier will be on or
    > off. just tie in to that signal.
    >
    > A better unit would monitor humidity of the heated air, and also
    > humidity after the humidifier air was fully mixed with the air
    > stream. a dirty filter would have a lower RH as it would not
    > transfer moisture as effectivly.
    >
    > A still better unit would monitor total water useage. in my
    > experiance, it is the particulate in the water that clogs the filter
    > and not any airborne particulate.
    >
    > and Rodent, a slightly more simple calender monitoring would be to
    > use a sensor to monitor the tides. the higher pull from the moons
    > proximity occurs daily and a sensor would not be effected by either
    > weather or eclipses. I am not sure how this would be effecte by
    > leap years.
    >
    > and still another feature would be to monitor the lenght of the days
    > and nights. the spring and autum equnoxes have equal days and
    > nights. the Sumer and winter solstace have the longest day and
    > longest night respectivly. even if weather was bad, you could
    > program to monitor the days to pin point those 4 days, even by
    > monitoring the days preceeding and following and comparing day
    > lenghts.
    >
    > Dave
    > wondering if there are any hibernating animals that have a predicable
    > calendar routine ?
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Peter Deutsch <pdeutsch@e...>
    > wrote:
    > >
    > >
    > > Tracy Allen wrote:
    > > >
    > > > Hi Greg,
    > > >
    > > > Maybe you could use a photocell pointed at the sky. Get the right
    > > > day-night sensitivity, count to 364 (or 365). You could use a
    > BASIC
    > > > Stamp 1 or 2 to do the counting. Give it something else to do
    > that
    > > > the same time, say, to remind you when to pay taxes and when to
    > put
    > > > out the trash. You could do it with a simple counter, but
    > decoding
    > > > the number 365 would take a handful of additional chips.
    > >
    > > Ahhh, but you'd have to put in additional circuitry to account for
    > > predicted eclipses in your region, and maybe extra circuitry to
    > provide
    > > an "unexpected eclipse" button, as well. After all, if some
    > absolutely
    > > humongous but so far unplotted celestial body gets between us and
    > the
    > > sun, this circuit will fail. If you really wanted to do this right,
    > > you'd throw in a GPS and try to shoehorn in a celestial navigation
    > > program. Based upon your measured location, you could account for
    > known
    > > eclipses at your location and prompt the user (maybe via email,
    > maybe
    > > via a companion onboard web site?) when you experience one of those
    > > unexplained celestial phenomena...
    > >
    > > Seriously, if you wanted this project to actually have value,
    > shouldn't
    > > it provide a count of how many hours the fan has run? Even hetter,
    > how
    > > many cubic feet of air have passed through the filter? Throw in some
    > > sensing to determine actual particulate pollution and you should
    > > *really* be able to judge filter state...
    > >
    > > - peterd
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > > >
    > > > -- Tracy
    > > >
    > > > >Greetings Stampers
    > > > >
    > > > >I've been lurking a long time and learning a lot.
    > > > >
    > > > >I'm ready to build a project for my furnace to remind me to
    > change
    > > > >the 1-year filter on my humidifier.
    > > > >I'd like to have a simple circuit that I could reset with a
    > > > >pushbutton that simply sounds a buzzer/flashes an LED after 1
    > year.
    > > > >
    > > > >I've been scouring Google, but I can't find anything to steer me
    > in
    > > > >the right direction.
    > > > >
    > > > >Any ideas ??
    > > > >
    > > > >Thanks a lot
    > > > >
    > > > >Greg
    > > > >
    > > >
    > > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > > > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    > Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    > > >
    > > >
    > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    > >
    > > --
    > >
    > >
    > -
    > > Peter Deutsch pdeutsch@g...
    > > Gydig Software
    > >
    > > "Time will end all of my troubles, but I don't
    > > always approve of time's methods..."
    > >
    > >
    > -
    >
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-12-14 04:12
    g'day,

    Greg Reyneke wrote:
    ...
    > You guys are great, I really enjoyed the replies.
    > A coworker suggested an organo-geek solution:- Grow wheatgrass that
    > interrupts a laser at a predetermined height above the grass based on growth
    > tables for a year ;-)

    I love it, but now you're back to all sorts of environmental sensors, as
    growth will vary according to amount of light, temperature, moisture in
    the soil, etc (unless of course you grow it hydroponically, which means
    you're liable to attract the attention of your friendly local law
    enforcement folks... ;-)

    Maybe what you can do is some sort of differential circuit arrangement,
    in which you have two crops, one in your furnance and one in the open to
    act as a control. This would give you a sort of organic OpAmp circuit -
    what would matter here is not the specific height, but the difference
    between the two crop heights, which in turn would indicate internal
    furnace state.

    And if you can build an organic opamp, this would seem to open the field
    to a whole variety of organic computing elements. Kudos to the first
    organic FlipFlop, and if you build an adder you can have that counter
    that kicked this thread off.

    And finally, imagine the first Turing-complete garden. Yes, you grow it,
    then try to get it to past the Turing test...

    - peterd (who only occasionally talks to
    his plants, who in turn rarely answer...)





    --

    Peter Deutsch pdeutsch@g...
    Gydig Software

    "Time will end all of my troubles, but I don't
    always approve of time's methods..."

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-12-14 15:33
    The organo-geek solution is unusual.

    If you used Kentucky Bluegrass it reaches an average height of about
    8 inches and spreads out.

    Zoysia reaches a height of about 4 inches although seed stems extend
    to almost 12 inches.

    Saw Palmetto extend over 5 feet for the blades and over 8 feet for
    the seed stems.

    Bamboo tops 16 feet.

    Did he offer any tech data sheets on cailbartion ?
    seems that matching the 66% of maximum groth would put the sensor in
    the sweet spot for sensitivity. and higher resoultion would be had
    by higher growing varieties.

    Puts new meaning in the concept of cross-polinating scientific fields.

    Dave
    (I'm not expecting www.findchips.com to add www.findweeds.com all to
    soon)



    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Greg Reyneke" <greg@i...> wrote:
    > The filter is an evaporator cartridge assembly.
    >
    > The water is purified through RO and pH balanced, the filter/evap
    pad are
    > changed annually to prevent excessive bacterial growth.
    >
    > I considered an impellor flow meter, but the bacterial growth is
    more of an
    > atmospheric exposure factor.
    >
    > So far my best guess is to use a serial RTC like the DS1305, has
    anyone had
    > experience with these animals ?
    >
    > You guys are great, I really enjoyed the replies.
    > A coworker suggested an organo-geek solution:- Grow wheatgrass that
    > interrupts a laser at a predetermined height above the grass based
    on growth
    > tables for a year ;-)
    >
    > Greg
    >
    >
    >
    -
    > "Are you still wasting your time with spam?...
    > There is a solution!"
    >
    > Protected by GIANT Company's Spam Inspector
    > The most powerful anti-spam software available.
    > http://www.giantcompany.com
    >
    >
    >
    Original Message
    > From: <davemucha@j...>
    > To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    > Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 4:23 PM
    > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: 1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond
    > reasonable)
    >
    >
    > > Since CFM monitoring is much more high tech than most do on this
    > > list, monitoring motor amps is a fair approach. if the belt
    breaks,
    > > the amps will change. The blower wheel undoubtely had 'forward
    > > curved' fan blades. these use more power as they move more air,
    but
    > > offer resistance to the motor.
    > >
    > > Also. motor hours will offer a decent reflection of furnace use,
    but
    > > not humidifier use. for that you need to monitor gallons of
    water.
    > > This is easier still, the solenoid on the humidifier will be on
    or
    > > off. just tie in to that signal.
    > >
    > > A better unit would monitor humidity of the heated air, and also
    > > humidity after the humidifier air was fully mixed with the air
    > > stream. a dirty filter would have a lower RH as it would not
    > > transfer moisture as effectivly.
    > >
    > > A still better unit would monitor total water useage. in my
    > > experiance, it is the particulate in the water that clogs the
    filter
    > > and not any airborne particulate.
    > >
    > > and Rodent, a slightly more simple calender monitoring would be to
    > > use a sensor to monitor the tides. the higher pull from the moons
    > > proximity occurs daily and a sensor would not be effected by
    either
    > > weather or eclipses. I am not sure how this would be effecte by
    > > leap years.
    > >
    > > and still another feature would be to monitor the lenght of the
    days
    > > and nights. the spring and autum equnoxes have equal days and
    > > nights. the Sumer and winter solstace have the longest day and
    > > longest night respectivly. even if weather was bad, you could
    > > program to monitor the days to pin point those 4 days, even by
    > > monitoring the days preceeding and following and comparing day
    > > lenghts.
    > >
    > > Dave
    > > wondering if there are any hibernating animals that have a
    predicable
    > > calendar routine ?
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Peter Deutsch <pdeutsch@e...>
    > > wrote:
    > > >
    > > >
    > > > Tracy Allen wrote:
    > > > >
    > > > > Hi Greg,
    > > > >
    > > > > Maybe you could use a photocell pointed at the sky. Get the
    right
    > > > > day-night sensitivity, count to 364 (or 365). You could use a
    > > BASIC
    > > > > Stamp 1 or 2 to do the counting. Give it something else to do
    > > that
    > > > > the same time, say, to remind you when to pay taxes and when
    to
    > > put
    > > > > out the trash. You could do it with a simple counter, but
    > > decoding
    > > > > the number 365 would take a handful of additional chips.
    > > >
    > > > Ahhh, but you'd have to put in additional circuitry to account
    for
    > > > predicted eclipses in your region, and maybe extra circuitry to
    > > provide
    > > > an "unexpected eclipse" button, as well. After all, if some
    > > absolutely
    > > > humongous but so far unplotted celestial body gets between us
    and
    > > the
    > > > sun, this circuit will fail. If you really wanted to do this
    right,
    > > > you'd throw in a GPS and try to shoehorn in a celestial
    navigation
    > > > program. Based upon your measured location, you could account
    for
    > > known
    > > > eclipses at your location and prompt the user (maybe via email,
    > > maybe
    > > > via a companion onboard web site?) when you experience one of
    those
    > > > unexplained celestial phenomena...
    > > >
    > > > Seriously, if you wanted this project to actually have value,
    > > shouldn't
    > > > it provide a count of how many hours the fan has run? Even
    hetter,
    > > how
    > > > many cubic feet of air have passed through the filter? Throw in
    some
    > > > sensing to determine actual particulate pollution and you should
    > > > *really* be able to judge filter state...
    > > >
    > > > - peterd
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > > >
    > > > > -- Tracy
    > > > >
    > > > > >Greetings Stampers
    > > > > >
    > > > > >I've been lurking a long time and learning a lot.
    > > > > >
    > > > > >I'm ready to build a project for my furnace to remind me to
    > > change
    > > > > >the 1-year filter on my humidifier.
    > > > > >I'd like to have a simple circuit that I could reset with a
    > > > > >pushbutton that simply sounds a buzzer/flashes an LED after 1
    > > year.
    > > > > >
    > > > > >I've been scouring Google, but I can't find anything to
    steer me
    > > in
    > > > > >the right direction.
    > > > > >
    > > > > >Any ideas ??
    > > > > >
    > > > > >Thanks a lot
    > > > > >
    > > > > >Greg
    > > > > >
    > > > >
    > > > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > > > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > > > > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    > > Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    > > > >
    > > > >
    > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    > > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    > > >
    > > > --
    > > >
    > > >
    ----
    > > -
    > > > Peter Deutsch pdeutsch@g...
    > > > Gydig Software
    > > >
    > > > "Time will end all of my troubles, but I don't
    > > > always approve of time's methods..."
    > > >
    > > >
    ----
    > > -
    > >
    > >
    > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    Subject and
    > Body of the message will be ignored.
    > >
    > >
    > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    > >
    > >
    > >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-12-14 15:35
    an organic Wheatstone bridge ?


    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Peter Deutsch <pdeutsch@e...>
    wrote:
    > g'day,
    >
    > Greg Reyneke wrote:
    > ...
    > > You guys are great, I really enjoyed the replies.
    > > A coworker suggested an organo-geek solution:- Grow wheatgrass
    that
    > > interrupts a laser at a predetermined height above the grass
    based on growth
    > > tables for a year ;-)
    >
    > I love it, but now you're back to all sorts of environmental
    sensors, as
    > growth will vary according to amount of light, temperature,
    moisture in
    > the soil, etc (unless of course you grow it hydroponically, which
    means
    > you're liable to attract the attention of your friendly local law
    > enforcement folks... ;-)
    >
    > Maybe what you can do is some sort of differential circuit
    arrangement,
    > in which you have two crops, one in your furnance and one in the
    open to
    > act as a control. This would give you a sort of organic OpAmp
    circuit -
    > what would matter here is not the specific height, but the
    difference
    > between the two crop heights, which in turn would indicate internal
    > furnace state.
    >
    > And if you can build an organic opamp, this would seem to open the
    field
    > to a whole variety of organic computing elements. Kudos to the first
    > organic FlipFlop, and if you build an adder you can have that
    counter
    > that kicked this thread off.
    >
    > And finally, imagine the first Turing-complete garden. Yes, you
    grow it,
    > then try to get it to past the Turing test...
    >
    > - peterd (who only occasionally talks to
    > his plants, who in turn rarely answer...)
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > --
    >
    >
    -
    > Peter Deutsch pdeutsch@g...
    > Gydig Software
    >
    > "Time will end all of my troubles, but I don't
    > always approve of time's methods..."
    >
    >
    -
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-12-15 15:02
    Oh sure, everyone gives suggestions but you're always thinking the grass is
    greener somewhere else eh?

    (I know, BAD!)
    Original Message
    From: "Greg Reyneke" <greg@i...>
    To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 7:02 PM
    Subject: Re: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: 1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond
    reasonable)


    > The filter is an evaporator cartridge assembly.
    >
    > The water is purified through RO and pH balanced, the filter/evap pad are
    > changed annually to prevent excessive bacterial growth.
    >
    > I considered an impellor flow meter, but the bacterial growth is more of
    an
    > atmospheric exposure factor.
    >
    > So far my best guess is to use a serial RTC like the DS1305, has anyone
    had
    > experience with these animals ?
    >
    > You guys are great, I really enjoyed the replies.
    > A coworker suggested an organo-geek solution:- Grow wheatgrass that
    > interrupts a laser at a predetermined height above the grass based on
    growth
    > tables for a year ;-)
    >
    > Greg
    >
    >
    >
    > "Are you still wasting your time with spam?...
    > There is a solution!"
    >
    > Protected by GIANT Company's Spam Inspector
    > The most powerful anti-spam software available.
    > http://www.giantcompany.com
    >
    >
    >
    Original Message
    > From: <davemucha@j...>
    > To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    > Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 4:23 PM
    > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: 1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond
    > reasonable)
    >
    >
    > > Since CFM monitoring is much more high tech than most do on this
    > > list, monitoring motor amps is a fair approach. if the belt breaks,
    > > the amps will change. The blower wheel undoubtely had 'forward
    > > curved' fan blades. these use more power as they move more air, but
    > > offer resistance to the motor.
    > >
    > > Also. motor hours will offer a decent reflection of furnace use, but
    > > not humidifier use. for that you need to monitor gallons of water.
    > > This is easier still, the solenoid on the humidifier will be on or
    > > off. just tie in to that signal.
    > >
    > > A better unit would monitor humidity of the heated air, and also
    > > humidity after the humidifier air was fully mixed with the air
    > > stream. a dirty filter would have a lower RH as it would not
    > > transfer moisture as effectivly.
    > >
    > > A still better unit would monitor total water useage. in my
    > > experiance, it is the particulate in the water that clogs the filter
    > > and not any airborne particulate.
    > >
    > > and Rodent, a slightly more simple calender monitoring would be to
    > > use a sensor to monitor the tides. the higher pull from the moons
    > > proximity occurs daily and a sensor would not be effected by either
    > > weather or eclipses. I am not sure how this would be effecte by
    > > leap years.
    > >
    > > and still another feature would be to monitor the lenght of the days
    > > and nights. the spring and autum equnoxes have equal days and
    > > nights. the Sumer and winter solstace have the longest day and
    > > longest night respectivly. even if weather was bad, you could
    > > program to monitor the days to pin point those 4 days, even by
    > > monitoring the days preceeding and following and comparing day
    > > lenghts.
    > >
    > > Dave
    > > wondering if there are any hibernating animals that have a predicable
    > > calendar routine ?
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Peter Deutsch <pdeutsch@e...>
    > > wrote:
    > > >
    > > >
    > > > Tracy Allen wrote:
    > > > >
    > > > > Hi Greg,
    > > > >
    > > > > Maybe you could use a photocell pointed at the sky. Get the right
    > > > > day-night sensitivity, count to 364 (or 365). You could use a
    > > BASIC
    > > > > Stamp 1 or 2 to do the counting. Give it something else to do
    > > that
    > > > > the same time, say, to remind you when to pay taxes and when to
    > > put
    > > > > out the trash. You could do it with a simple counter, but
    > > decoding
    > > > > the number 365 would take a handful of additional chips.
    > > >
    > > > Ahhh, but you'd have to put in additional circuitry to account for
    > > > predicted eclipses in your region, and maybe extra circuitry to
    > > provide
    > > > an "unexpected eclipse" button, as well. After all, if some
    > > absolutely
    > > > humongous but so far unplotted celestial body gets between us and
    > > the
    > > > sun, this circuit will fail. If you really wanted to do this right,
    > > > you'd throw in a GPS and try to shoehorn in a celestial navigation
    > > > program. Based upon your measured location, you could account for
    > > known
    > > > eclipses at your location and prompt the user (maybe via email,
    > > maybe
    > > > via a companion onboard web site?) when you experience one of those
    > > > unexplained celestial phenomena...
    > > >
    > > > Seriously, if you wanted this project to actually have value,
    > > shouldn't
    > > > it provide a count of how many hours the fan has run? Even hetter,
    > > how
    > > > many cubic feet of air have passed through the filter? Throw in some
    > > > sensing to determine actual particulate pollution and you should
    > > > *really* be able to judge filter state...
    > > >
    > > > - peterd
    > > >
    > > >
    > > >
    > > > >
    > > > > -- Tracy
    > > > >
    > > > > >Greetings Stampers
    > > > > >
    > > > > >I've been lurking a long time and learning a lot.
    > > > > >
    > > > > >I'm ready to build a project for my furnace to remind me to
    > > change
    > > > > >the 1-year filter on my humidifier.
    > > > > >I'd like to have a simple circuit that I could reset with a
    > > > > >pushbutton that simply sounds a buzzer/flashes an LED after 1
    > > year.
    > > > > >
    > > > > >I've been scouring Google, but I can't find anything to steer me
    > > in
    > > > > >the right direction.
    > > > > >
    > > > > >Any ideas ??
    > > > > >
    > > > > >Thanks a lot
    > > > > >
    > > > > >Greg
    > > > > >
    > > > >
    > > > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > > > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > > > > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    > > Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    > > > >
    > > > >
    > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    > > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    > > >
    > > > --
    > > >
    > > >
    > > -
    > > > Peter Deutsch pdeutsch@g...
    > > > Gydig Software
    > > >
    > > > "Time will end all of my troubles, but I don't
    > > > always approve of time's methods..."
    > > >
    > > >
    > > -
    > >
    > >
    > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject
    and
    > Body of the message will be ignored.
    > >
    > >
    > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    > >
    > >
    > >
    >
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-12-15 15:39
    Hey, you could make it wireless and measure your fingernail or toenail
    growth.

    There are some examples for the DS1302 in the Volume 1 Nuts & Volts book --
    column #33 and #34.

    I've done the 4060 timer/oscillator example in column #11 for a countdown
    timer, and bought pieces for the DS1302, but haven't done much with them
    yet.

    Original Message

    > Oh sure, everyone gives suggestions but you're always thinking the grass
    is
    > greener somewhere else eh?
    >
    > (I know, BAD!)

    > > The filter is an evaporator cartridge assembly.
    > >
    > > The water is purified through RO and pH balanced, the filter/evap pad
    are
    > > changed annually to prevent excessive bacterial growth.
    > >
    > > I considered an impellor flow meter, but the bacterial growth is more of
    > an
    > > atmospheric exposure factor.
    > >
    > > So far my best guess is to use a serial RTC like the DS1305, has anyone
    > had
    > > experience with these animals ?
    > >
    > > You guys are great, I really enjoyed the replies.
    > > A coworker suggested an organo-geek solution:- Grow wheatgrass that
    > > interrupts a laser at a predetermined height above the grass based on
    > growth
    > > tables for a year ;-)
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2002-12-15 19:48
    What if we monitor the sun's light through a straw pointed at the sun. Once the
    alignment
    is complete, should it be a year before it's aligned again?

    Leroy
    Original Message
    From: "Pat M" <pmeloy@s...>
    To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Sunday, December 15, 2002 10:02 AM
    Subject: Re: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: 1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond
    reasonable)


    : Oh sure, everyone gives suggestions but you're always thinking the grass is
    : greener somewhere else eh?
    :
    : (I know, BAD!)
    :
    Original Message
    : From: "Greg Reyneke" <greg@i...>
    : To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    : Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 7:02 PM
    : Subject: Re: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: 1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond
    : reasonable)
    :
    :
    : > The filter is an evaporator cartridge assembly.
    : >
    : > The water is purified through RO and pH balanced, the filter/evap pad are
    : > changed annually to prevent excessive bacterial growth.
    : >
    : > I considered an impellor flow meter, but the bacterial growth is more of
    : an
    : > atmospheric exposure factor.
    : >
    : > So far my best guess is to use a serial RTC like the DS1305, has anyone
    : had
    : > experience with these animals ?
    : >
    : > You guys are great, I really enjoyed the replies.
    : > A coworker suggested an organo-geek solution:- Grow wheatgrass that
    : > interrupts a laser at a predetermined height above the grass based on
    : growth
    : > tables for a year ;-)
    : >
    : > Greg
    : >
    : >
    : >
    : > "Are you still wasting your time with spam?...
    : > There is a solution!"
    : >
    : > Protected by GIANT Company's Spam Inspector
    : > The most powerful anti-spam software available.
    : > http://www.giantcompany.com
    : >
    : >
    : >
    Original Message
    : > From: <davemucha@j...>
    : > To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    : > Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 4:23 PM
    : > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: 1 year timer for furnace filters ( beyond
    : > reasonable)
    : >
    : >
    : > > Since CFM monitoring is much more high tech than most do on this
    : > > list, monitoring motor amps is a fair approach. if the belt breaks,
    : > > the amps will change. The blower wheel undoubtely had 'forward
    : > > curved' fan blades. these use more power as they move more air, but
    : > > offer resistance to the motor.
    : > >
    : > > Also. motor hours will offer a decent reflection of furnace use, but
    : > > not humidifier use. for that you need to monitor gallons of water.
    : > > This is easier still, the solenoid on the humidifier will be on or
    : > > off. just tie in to that signal.
    : > >
    : > > A better unit would monitor humidity of the heated air, and also
    : > > humidity after the humidifier air was fully mixed with the air
    : > > stream. a dirty filter would have a lower RH as it would not
    : > > transfer moisture as effectivly.
    : > >
    : > > A still better unit would monitor total water useage. in my
    : > > experiance, it is the particulate in the water that clogs the filter
    : > > and not any airborne particulate.
    : > >
    : > > and Rodent, a slightly more simple calender monitoring would be to
    : > > use a sensor to monitor the tides. the higher pull from the moons
    : > > proximity occurs daily and a sensor would not be effected by either
    : > > weather or eclipses. I am not sure how this would be effecte by
    : > > leap years.
    : > >
    : > > and still another feature would be to monitor the lenght of the days
    : > > and nights. the spring and autum equnoxes have equal days and
    : > > nights. the Sumer and winter solstace have the longest day and
    : > > longest night respectivly. even if weather was bad, you could
    : > > program to monitor the days to pin point those 4 days, even by
    : > > monitoring the days preceeding and following and comparing day
    : > > lenghts.
    : > >
    : > > Dave
    : > > wondering if there are any hibernating animals that have a predicable
    : > > calendar routine ?
    : > >
    : > >
    : > >
    : > >
    : > >
    : > >
    : > >
    : > >
    : > > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Peter Deutsch <pdeutsch@e...>
    : > > wrote:
    : > > >
    : > > >
    : > > > Tracy Allen wrote:
    : > > > >
    : > > > > Hi Greg,
    : > > > >
    : > > > > Maybe you could use a photocell pointed at the sky. Get the right
    : > > > > day-night sensitivity, count to 364 (or 365). You could use a
    : > > BASIC
    : > > > > Stamp 1 or 2 to do the counting. Give it something else to do
    : > > that
    : > > > > the same time, say, to remind you when to pay taxes and when to
    : > > put
    : > > > > out the trash. You could do it with a simple counter, but
    : > > decoding
    : > > > > the number 365 would take a handful of additional chips.
    : > > >
    : > > > Ahhh, but you'd have to put in additional circuitry to account for
    : > > > predicted eclipses in your region, and maybe extra circuitry to
    : > > provide
    : > > > an "unexpected eclipse" button, as well. After all, if some
    : > > absolutely
    : > > > humongous but so far unplotted celestial body gets between us and
    : > > the
    : > > > sun, this circuit will fail. If you really wanted to do this right,
    : > > > you'd throw in a GPS and try to shoehorn in a celestial navigation
    : > > > program. Based upon your measured location, you could account for
    : > > known
    : > > > eclipses at your location and prompt the user (maybe via email,
    : > > maybe
    : > > > via a companion onboard web site?) when you experience one of those
    : > > > unexplained celestial phenomena...
    : > > >
    : > > > Seriously, if you wanted this project to actually have value,
    : > > shouldn't
    : > > > it provide a count of how many hours the fan has run? Even hetter,
    : > > how
    : > > > many cubic feet of air have passed through the filter? Throw in some
    : > > > sensing to determine actual particulate pollution and you should
    : > > > *really* be able to judge filter state...
    : > > >
    : > > > - peterd
    : > > >
    : > > >
    : > > >
    : > > > >
    : > > > > -- Tracy
    : > > > >
    : > > > > >Greetings Stampers
    : > > > > >
    : > > > > >I've been lurking a long time and learning a lot.
    : > > > > >
    : > > > > >I'm ready to build a project for my furnace to remind me to
    : > > change
    : > > > > >the 1-year filter on my humidifier.
    : > > > > >I'd like to have a simple circuit that I could reset with a
    : > > > > >pushbutton that simply sounds a buzzer/flashes an LED after 1
    : > > year.
    : > > > > >
    : > > > > >I've been scouring Google, but I can't find anything to steer me
    : > > in
    : > > > > >the right direction.
    : > > > > >
    : > > > > >Any ideas ??
    : > > > > >
    : > > > > >Thanks a lot
    : > > > > >
    : > > > > >Greg
    : > > > > >
    : > > > >
    : > > > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    : > > > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    : > > > > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    : > > Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    : > > > >
    : > > > >
    : > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    : > > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    : > > >
    : > > > --
    : > > >
    : > > >
    : > > -
    : > > > Peter Deutsch pdeutsch@g...
    : > > > Gydig Software
    : > > >
    : > > > "Time will end all of my troubles, but I don't
    : > > > always approve of time's methods..."
    : > > >
    : > > >
    : > > -
    : > >
    : > >
    : > > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    : > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    : > > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject
    : and
    : > Body of the message will be ignored.
    : > >
    : > >
    : > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    : http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    : > >
    : > >
    : > >
    : >
    : >
    : > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    : > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    : > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    : Body of the message will be ignored.
    : >
    : >
    : > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    : >
    : >
    :
    :
    : To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    : basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    : from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and Body
    of the
    message will be ignored.
    :
    :
    : Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    :
    :
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