Home made vacuum monitor?

[MassMapleNut]

I added vacuum to my lines last year using a little shurflo 4008 pump. Pretty nifty setup as only the upper half of my bush has decent slope and at the bottom it drops down into a swamp. Decided to go with the vacuum setup after 2 years of slogging through the swamp collecting buckets. What a time saver. Now I'm looking to see if I can add a sensor to the setup so I can check what the vacuum is at doing at my pump.

Things like the H20 Smartek or even the SapSpy look pretty nifty, but aren't reeally in the budget at a hobby level.

Does anyone know what they are using for an actual vacuum sensor in those? I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron and can google enough code to put something together once I know what to use as a sensor.

I think one of these may work but curious if anyone else has tried them before I plunk the time and money into this?

Adafruit MPRLS Ported Pressure Sensor Breakout - 0 to 25 PSI https://www.adafruit.com/product/3965


Thank you!

[darkmachine]

Might talk to markgm . He has built some very nice affordable maple equipment.

[jrgagne99]

I use a webcam aimed at my vacuum gauge, releaser, tank-level (float-stick), and temperature. I get all the information and can even see sap flowing into the releaser and its cycles in real time. I can also see if the releaser screwed up, which happens maybe once a season. It all goes to my cell phone. My tank is in range of the neighbor's wifi bubble, otherwise i would have needed one of those cell-tower-based wifi portals or whatever. Here is a frame of the live-feed I am constantly checking throughout the season. It even works at night via night vision. Mine is a Zmodo, but there are many types out there.

The main trick is getting all the information to fit within view of the camera:

22677

Video:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1429244854?t=00h00m51s

[MassMapleNut]

I use a webcam aimed at my vacuum gauge, releaser, tank-level (float-stick), and temperature. I get all the information and can even see sap flowing into the releaser and its cycles in real time. I can also see if the releaser screwed up, which happens maybe once a season. It all goes to my cell phone. My tank is in range of the neighbor's wifi bubble, otherwise i would have needed one of those cell-tower-based wifi portals or whatever. Here is a frame of the live-feed I am constantly checking throughout the season. It even works at night via night vision. Mine is a Zmodo, but there are many types out there.

The main trick is getting all the information to fit within view of the camera:



This is actually my backup plan. I've found a couple of articles about using a raspberry pi and to 'read' a dial gauge using image recognition software. You can take a still image every couple of minutes and compare to a couple of reference photos. Based on which reference photo is the closest match, you can trigger various messages to send. I was hoping to get a direct read sensor though. My plan is to have temp/ humidity / vac / tank levels all hooked up to a pi that I can present on local html page I read on my phone. collection point is close enough to my house to pick up the wi-fi which is nice and has power (which is nicer). I can then also set up text / email alerts based on certain inputs. I have coded all that in bits and pieces from other projects, so I really just need to figure out how to measure vacuum and integrate everything.

[MassMapleNut]

Might talk to markgm . He has built some very nice affordable maple equipment.

That was actually one of the sites I'd found while looking for a vacuum sensor. Looks like he has some neat stuff, but I didn't see a vacuum sensors, just barometric pressure sensors which are pretty well covered in the Raspberry Pi community. Mainly used for weather stations or weather balloons. I like the pressure compensated temp readout though. I'd actually thought of building something similar last year, but never got around to it, but for only $45 I may just buy one of his!

[Biz]

I added vacuum to my lines last year using a little shurflo 4008 pump. Pretty nifty setup as only the upper half of my bush has decent slope and at the bottom it drops down into a swamp. Decided to go with the vacuum setup after 2 years of slogging through the swamp collecting buckets. What a time saver. Now I'm looking to see if I can add a sensor to the setup so I can check what the vacuum is at doing at my pump.

Things like the H20 Smartek or even the SapSpy look pretty nifty, but aren't reeally in the budget at a hobby level.

Does anyone know what they are using for an actual vacuum sensor in those? I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron and can google enough code to put something together once I know what to use as a sensor.

I think one of these may work but curious if anyone else has tried them before I plunk the time and money into this?

Adafruit MPRLS Ported Pressure Sensor Breakout - 0 to 25 PSI https://www.adafruit.com/product/3965


Thank you!

The Adafruit device measures pressure, you want vacuum so it won't work. I use vacuum sensors available at several electronics distributors that are surface mounted to a PC board but they are large enough that you might be able to do use them to wire up to. Some signal conversion is needed to get a useful output. They go for about $25. The controllers listed on our website use these, check 'em out. We have units that remotely measure vacuum and temperature with just a cellular interface, no base station.

Dave

[darkmachine]

measure vacuum and temperature with just a cellular interface, no base station. . I have no cell service where I am located. I've considered building using LoRa radio modules, but they require a base station. I'd like to tie it all together so I can display it on a TV in my sugar house, like the big boys

[MassMapleNut]

The Adafruit device measures pressure, you want vacuum so it won't work. I use vacuum sensors available at several electronics distributors that are surface mounted to a PC board but they are large enough that you might be able to do use them to wire up to. Some signal conversion is needed to get a useful output. They go for about $25. The controllers listed on our website use these, check 'em out. We have units that remotely measure vacuum and temperature with just a cellular interface, no base station.

Dave

That's what I initially was thinking at first on the adafruit thing, but they list it as 0-25PSI measured from absolute with, normal (1ATM) pressure registering at 14.5 PSI. based on my limited google skills (and some long forgotten physics classes), to me this sounds like it's referencing zero as a pure vacuum and can measure anything from that up to about + 10 PSIA. I poked through the Honeywell docs, and that is an option for that MPR chip they are using. I checked digikey & sparkfun as well, those are my 2 go-to's for electronics, and they only have stuff that is listing at $50+ (if it's in stock). I may just give the Adafruit one a shot. Worst case scenario is I can't use it for this and instead use it to make a homemade weather station with a little DHT11 sensor I have kicking around somewhere. I'll keep you posted if it works! Thank you!

[ja2wiles]

I am using the Adafruit MPRLS Ported Pressure Sensor Breakout - 0 to 25 PSI boards to measure vacuum at the ends of our lines.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/3965?gclid=Cj0KCQiAzeSdBhC4ARIsACj36uFxu_9hbOveFJa wVbCwRJ4UGOtEXasH1BCiZzNxS8Gm6FE2JBTLNxMaAqomEALw_ wcB

I have them connected to an Arduino. The Arduino connects to WiFi and sends readings to a webserver.
Wifi in the woods has been a problem and I have been running a WiFi access point off of a 12 volt car battery.
This year I'm trying to upgrade this to LoRa because of the distance and WiFi challenges.

The Adafruit sensors work well. They give you the absolute pressure. I convert this to hPa and then to barometric pressure. I then subtract this from a constant average barometric pressure for our area (OH). This is not exact because it does not account for the changing barometric pressure.

Here is my formula.
pressure_hPa = mpr.readPressure();
x_psi = pressure_hPa / 68.947572932;
gauge_psi =(x_psi * 2.036) - 29.92;

Jeff Wiles

[MassMapleNut]

I am using the Adafruit MPRLS Ported Pressure Sensor Breakout - 0 to 25 PSI boards to measure vacuum at the ends of our lines.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/3965?gclid=Cj0KCQiAzeSdBhC4ARIsACj36uFxu_9hbOveFJa wVbCwRJ4UGOtEXasH1BCiZzNxS8Gm6FE2JBTLNxMaAqomEALw_ wcB

I have them connected to an Arduino. The Arduino connects to WiFi and sends readings to a webserver.
Wifi in the woods has been a problem and I have been running a WiFi access point off of a 12 volt car battery.
This year I'm trying to upgrade this to LoRa because of the distance and WiFi challenges.

The Adafruit sensors work well. They give you the absolute pressure. I convert this to hPa and then to barometric pressure. I then subtract this from a constant average barometric pressure for our area (OH). This is not exact because it does not account for the changing barometric pressure.

Here is my formula.
pressure_hPa = mpr.readPressure();
x_psi = pressure_hPa / 68.947572932;
gauge_psi =(x_psi * 2.036) - 29.92;

Jeff Wiles


Good to know it will work! I'm mainly looking to see if the pressure is Hi / Low so a little inaccuracy is fine. What did you use to connect the sensor to the lines? That little metal port doesn't seem like it would connect to anything very easy? The Adafruit site says a little you can nest some tubing if needed, but doesn't actually give sizes of tubing to use other than the port diameter of 2.5mm. I'm trying to figure out how to connect the sensor to either 3/16 or 5/16 line now.

[ja2wiles]

I take small tubing from sensor to a barbed fitting to a brass fitting to a fitting for the 5/16 drop lines.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015HL24A/?coliid=I1TSL4BKS42ZAO&colid=B5O8O8XFD68A&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PD0QB4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08JCMFWMV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1


2269822699

[MassMapleNut]

I ended up getting some small silicone tubing from amazon and went from that to a piece of 1/4" poly to my 3/16 line, then put a bit of heat shrink tube over each joint. Need to get a check valve though so it doesn't push liquid to it when things freeze up. My solution was just to run it at the end of a 30' coil of tub I had kicking around, and it's lasted 2 seasons now.

@ja2wiles, did you ever get the LoRa working? I'm looking at a couple of different options and trying to decide if I want the packetized or LoRA version at 900 or 433MHz. I'm only about 1200' from my base station, and it's straight shot through the woods. I intended to do that but never got to it. My project this year was a temp sensor for my sap storage and a time of flight distance sensor to measure sap height in my tank. Both worked awesome. Surprised how long the sap stayed cool and managed to only over flow my sap storage 1 time!

[ja2wiles]

Yes I have the LoRa working now. I'm using open source LoRa protocol https://clusterduckprotocol.org/ . I use HelTec LoRa WiFi boards and the Adafruit sensor.
Here is a small write up of what I'm doing.

https://medium.com/clusterduck-protocol/using-clusterduck-protocol-to-monitor-vacuum-and-temperature-in-maple-syrup-production-3b1d0488499d

Jeff

[Mavitec]

For sensor, you can use any MAP sensor from fuel injection engines (they last years in any condition in your car). You can find used in scrap yard or there is a new company in Quebec that has affordable vacuum sensors that you can see on your phone if 330 to 660 feet. You can add station to see the vacuum on internet from any place in the world. Only sensor is 101$cdn per sensor (if you are close enough with your cell phone)

[darkmachine]

For those interested the company that Mavitec mentioned is erabec.ca. My french isn't that good, but they do offer a system that you can monitor with a smartphone when you are in range of the sensors, and one that is like many other systems with a repeater so pressure can be monitored from the sugar house.

[DRoseum]

Jeff - this is a great approach.
How successful was it? What is the approximate cost per duck and papa duck?

Dan


Yes I have the LoRa working now. I'm using open source LoRa protocol https://clusterduckprotocol.org/ . I use HelTec LoRa WiFi boards and the Adafruit sensor.
Here is a small write up of what I'm doing.

https://medium.com/clusterduck-protocol/using-clusterduck-protocol-to-monitor-vacuum-and-temperature-in-maple-syrup-production-3b1d0488499d

Jeff

[maple flats]

Vacuum at the pump will be of little help, you want to get the vacuum at the farthest tree. Try gettinhg an old dairy vacuum pump, it will do a whole lot better than a Shur Flo pump. It will even still get you come vacuum if you have some small leaks. Big leaks it won't help but when you detect no vacuum you know you need to get out to the woods asap. If you have good drop at the far end you may want to monitor the vacuum after the good slope.