Planning Final Hardware Phase

[Rob F]

Hi folks, so it might not seem like much is happening but I've been hard at it in the background when I have time, unfortunately I have to work to so I can't do this all the time. 

I'm working on what I believe to be the final phase of Robo-Tank. At least with regards to what it can control, over time there are features I want to improve but that's all code related. The hardware should all be finalized. 

For the other features I'm going to need more ports so I've decided to make an expansion hub that plugs into the connector board I'm currently selling. 

This board will be required if you want to run power heads because I need to change the PWM signal type from the Arduino for the different brands available. The other new features can be used on the current connector board if you wanted but this is how I see it.

Here's the plan.

Power Bar




The above image is the actual power bar assembled in a project box. I'll explain what each port does, each number in the list goes with the number on the power bar.

1. USB-B Style Jack - This is where the extension hub plugs in, uses a standard printer cable
   
2. RJ45 - This is where you plug in the 4 dosing pumps
   
3. RJ45 - This jack is for the Ethernet, you can wire a W5100 Ethernet shield to this plug for easy access
   
4. RJ45 - This is where you plug in the 5" or 7" touch screen
   
5. USB-A Style Jack - This is for an extra DS18B20 temperature sensor
   
6. USB-A Style Jack - This is for an extra DS18B20 temperature sensor
   
7. USB-A Style Jack - This is for an extra DS18B20 temperature sensor
   
8. USB-A Style Jack - This is for an extra DS18B20 temperature sensor
   
9. USB-A Style Jack - This is where you plug in an automatic fish feeder
   
10. USB-A Style Jack - This is where you plug in a DS18B20 temperature sensor for the light
    
11. USB-A Style Jack - This is where you plug in a DHT22 humidity/temperature sensor for the air
    
12. USB-A Style Jack - This is where you plug in a DS18B20 water proof temperature sensor for the aquarium.
    
13. 2x16 Pin Header - This is where you connect up to 16 LED lighting channels
    

* Not on the box would be a DB9 connector allowing you to connect to the remaining 8 AC outlets. This is also a standard computer cable.


Expansion Hub



The image above I made in Photoshop, not real yet. This is how I imagine the expansion hub. On the back there would be another USB-A jack which is the input from the power bar. There would also be a 2.1mm DC power jack for 12v input. The four ports controlling the power heads can be set via internal jumper to output 5v PWM, 10v PWM, 0-5v Analog and 0-10v Analog so anything that can be "speed controlled" will be compatible. For example if you have a cooling fan that using PWM you can use one of these ports to control it. It'll have 3amp of 5v DC power available and I'll have small patch cables that allow you to plug in your power heads without modify them.

For now I've decided on standard USB jacks because of availability and cost. I would love opinions on other possible jacks. Main requirements is availability and surface mount.

Here's a list of what would plug into it. Each number in the list goes with the number on the expansion hub.

1. Automatic Top Off (ATO) Pump 
   
2. ATO Optical Water Sensor
   
3. ATO Backup Float Switch
   
4. Water Overflow Sensor
   
5. Water Overflow Sensor
   
6. Atlas Stamps
   
7. Digital Power Head or Water Circulation Pump
   
8. Digital Power Head or Water Circulation Pump
   
9. Digital Power Head or Water Circulation Pump
   
10. Digital Power Head or Water Circulation Pump
    
11. LUX Meter for light brightness???????????????????????????  (have one and got it working, not sure if people care?) Would cost about $10 + waterproofing.
    
12. Spare (just in case)
    

The cooling fans would be controller via relays, so they would be on or off. I'm going to add control for 4 in total so they can be used for lights and or to control water temp.

So is there anything I'm missing?
Is there any other equipment that I should be thinking about needing controlled?
Is there anything I can improve?
What are some alternative connectors to look at? Available and surface mount.
Does any care about a LUX meter, NOT PAR! I know you all want PAR but you know...

Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated.