Insane Hydraulics
Bold and audacious blog about fluid power
This is my first DIY IoT project - the Smart Industrial Monitor - a device that can transform any sensor with a standard analog output into a smart diagnostics tool by transmitting its reading via Bluetooth to the mobile app, where it's displayed in the units of the user's choice. Do check the origins of this endeavor if this is the first time you are visiting this page.
I have been using the second-generation prototypes with Gems Sensors 3100 series pressure transmitters and Parker SCFT analog flow sensors since 2020, and they have proven to be invaluable in my work with hydraulic equipment. This is not the biased creator, this is the tech in me speaking - going wireless and smart is a huge time and effort saver!
The App that I created offers features that can be very useful for diagnostics, like simultaneous multiple unit display, data logging, and real-time math operations.
The whole project is based on freely available open-source technologies. And one of the core objectives of this "venture" was actually to prove how far has open-source advanced in this day and age when a single person can take on a project like this in his free time (and come up with something useful in the end), and also how easy it is to learn a new skill so long as you have access to the internet and the will to do so.
Most likely I will be creating a series of tutorials on how to create such a system, and, of course, open-source the hardware. That is - when the system is mature enough and if I see there's enough interest for that. Not so many "advanced" hydraulic techs out there, if you know what I mean... If you feel like this is something you may be interested in building yourself in the future (or, maybe, getting a DIY kit) - please register your interest by sending me an email with the word "interested" in the subject. You will be the first to know when something is up.
This is the simplified diagram explaining how the transmitter works, and below you will find posts devoted to this project and its progress.
Smart Industrial Monitor - First Prototype Tests
Smart Industrial Monitor - Hardware Report from 05/26/2019
16/06/2019 - Testing and Comparing Different Industrial Pressure Transmitters. I am trying to determine what levels of accuracy I can get with the latest harware changes.
04/08/2019 - Further test have shown that a lot more precision and functionality can be achieved if the app and the transmitter used multi-point reading profiles, which would allow any non-linearity correction (and in fact much more), so I am re-writing the app and the firmware to accept multi-point profiles. Also - I've come to the conclusion that security is a necessary feature, so I am introducing a simple software PIN protection, which, when activated, will allow the user to protect the transmitter from unauthorized access.
Progress Report - 09/22/2019 - Multi-Point Profiles are Up and Running!
Progress Report - November 10, 2019 - Reverse battery polarity protection is working. New type of snap-connector.
Progress Report - December 22, 2019 - First two newer design test platforms are assembled.
22/01/2020 - This time it's something different - The first Video, showing the monitors being used to properly adjust a closed center load sensing system
08/03/2020 - The system gets an extra channel, new modular PCB design, new ABS enclosure, and a lot more - Road to the MVP
31/05/2020 - I am moving the project to a newer 32 bit platform.
20/03/2022 - Wireless Pressure Gauges Two Years Down The Line