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Monday, November 11, 2013

HESA Circuit Does Work in Water

When I tested the water detection circuit for my Home Environmental Sensor Array at the Makerspace yesterday, I used distilled water from a water bottle.  That is probably why the pi did not detect a current.

I setup the HESA at home and tried some water from our well.  At first, the HESA did not detect any electricity.  I left the leads in the water for a few minutes and it suddenly worked!  The HESA detected the current and shut off the light I connected to the outlet.  After that, the circuit always detected the current.  Maybe the water needed to get a bit electrified first.

Next, I got some water from the crock that I eventually want to put the sensor in.  That water should have more saline and iron in it making it a bit more conductive.  The HESA took a minute to work in that water as well but after a few minutes, the circuit worked and very consistently.

So, I'm feeling better that the circuit will actually work as designed.

Now, I can focus on the PCB and enclosure.

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