PRReef Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 I hope this help somebody out there struggling with wiring a relay or finding the necessary items to make their own ATO and save some money. Most of the parts I got them from r@dioshack or from ebay. parts list: Relay LED Floatswitches Extension Cord Project Box Toggle Switch Insulated Crimp on Quick Disconnects 12V 1A Power Supply A piece of Acrylic to hold the switches in place Link to comment
knoxvegas Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Nice! Can you show a decent close-up of the relay with it all wired up together? Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Nice! Can you show a decent close-up of the relay with it all wired up together? sure man, I will be updating this thread soon with good pictures and everything well explained. This project will have 3 floatswitches, one of those will be to activate an alarm if the other 2 switches fail, it will have a LED to show when the Pump is active and a Buzzer that will be the alarm. Its going to have a power switch so I can turn it off when I need to do a water change or need to clean up the whole sump. Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 nice work Alex! Hey Rob whats going on man? did you get the sponsors for the Reef Club??? Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Close up(Electric Extension Cord added to the relay along with LED and Floatswitches) Though it was a good way to insert the extension cord inside the Project box without making big holes to it. Quick Connect style Link to comment
tylernt Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Please tell me you are insulating all those connections with heat shrink! Link to comment
21093r53 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Please tell me you are insulating all those connections with heat shrink! all i know if that his diy led canopy looked professional Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 5, 2011 Author Share Posted August 5, 2011 Please tell me you are insulating all those connections with heat shrink! Well not sure, probably electrical tape or something like that. Dont worry, its going to be insulated lol Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 6, 2011 Author Share Posted August 6, 2011 all i know if that his diy led canopy looked professional hehehe thanks. more pictures ugly cables, I need to do something with this mess. Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Finally I got the power supply, everything is working perfectly. More pictures of final wiring coming soon, its too late and I need some quick connectors from radios@ck. Link to comment
21093r53 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Alex that looks great! Now i need one LOL Link to comment
Xenia2 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Do you have anything in there to take care of water disturbing? Otherwise the pump turn on everytime the float switch(es) move. Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Do you have anything in there to take care of water disturbing? Otherwise the pump turn on everytime the float switch(es) move. Im planning on installing what you guys called "Snail protector" which is a piece of PVC with holes but not sure yet because theres no water disturbance on the return chamber of my sump where this ATO will be installed, I used the same method of the floatswitches without anything and it was completly fine works flawlessly. The flow in the return chamber is dead. The only problem I had with my previous ATO was leaking current because I wasnt using a relay and that killed the switches. so to answer your question: I dont really think I would need anything else to prevent water disturbance since that doesnt exist in my sump, only the 2 first chambers has turbulence and is not that bad either and doesnt affect the return chamber at all, the return chamber its pretty dead hehehehe thats why I dose on the first chamber of the sump so everything gets mixed up. The floatswitches are going to be sealed with silicone and a piece of vynil tube on top right where the cables are joined with the floatswitch just prevent any damage to the internal body of the switches. Maybe I put some snail guard, who knows, it takes like 2 sec to make that guard. The alarm on this ATO is really LOUD, its so annoying LOL Im really happy I finished with this thing because having to top off my tank manually was a PIA :| Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Alex that looks great! Now i need one LOL hahahahaha thanks Rob, its easy and cheap to make one of this things. Its easier to just buy one from a manufacturer but that wont be custom made like mine Next project will be: BUYING A REEF KEEPER because im not making one of those hehehehe Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Final Wiring!!! no more modifications. Final Product Link to comment
Stephensx04 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Looks good. Thanks for the good write up. Where did you get the power supply from? Looks like a old cell phone charger. Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 Looks good. Thanks for the good write up. Where did you get the power supply from? Looks like a old cell phone charger. I got it from eBay a couple years ago. It's just a cheap 12v Ac/Dc wall transformer 1000mA= 1A. You can get one from eBay for like a dollar and $4 for shipping. You can even use something smaller like 350mA because this particular relay only needs 200mA to work. Take care. Let me know if you need help. I will be updating the part list and probably explain the buzzer wiring. I think I forgot to write that up here. Thanks Link to comment
Xenia2 Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 My first DIY ATO was pretty much likes your, after awhile the floatswiches were acting up and overflow the tank a few times. I got tired of using mechanical components(relay, floatswiches) I used an optical liquid level, solid state relay, and processor (Arduino Uno) for my second DIY ATO :-) Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 10, 2011 Author Share Posted August 10, 2011 My first DIY ATO was pretty much likes your, after awhile the floatswiches were acting up and overflow the tank a few times. I got tired of using mechanical components(relay, floatswiches) I used an optical liquid level, solid state relay, and processor (Arduino Uno) for my second DIY ATO :-) hehehehe sounds like a good upgrade to me Did you make any fail safe switch in case the first ones failed? my system need to burn 3 switches before having a flood. Actually the cr@ppy DIY ATO I was previously using never flood my tank, the switches were burned and releasing current to the water but never got to the point of flooding my tank because the fail safe switch. I guess I have been lucky hehehehehehe Link to comment
Stephensx04 Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 Looks real good. I like the idea of the switch built in. I have to unplug mine to do WC. Link to comment
PRReef Posted August 11, 2011 Author Share Posted August 11, 2011 Looks real good. I like the idea of the switch built in. I have to unplug mine to do WC. Thank you. I like the switch idea because that way I can turn off the alarm too and prevent to be scared by the crazy loud sound of it. Link to comment
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