[James_NZ]

Hi @shicks. Thank you. I was considering pogo pins. I assume you just solder them in and push the adapter board down to test? I guess I could also solder female headers into the wingshield holes and males into the adapter boards. This would allow me to test each adapter board on one rig, and I could just solder the male headers into new wing shield boards once I have confirmed they work.

@aufdenkampe thanks for the info. Neil is doing some amazing things but I have a short timeframe to deploy 10 sites, hence I am opting for the DIY approach. Also, our electrical technician had around 40 PCBs printed by DFRobot, so I have most of the DIY components at my fingertips. I just have to wade through the unreliable adapter board issue.

I’m not sure what you mean regarding not soldering anything into the wingshield. The TTL RS485 adapter seems to be soldered to the wingshield in the image below?

FYI I have had success talking to my Y511-A turbidity sensor. Do you know if the issues with the brush interval have been fixed, I.e can you set the brush interval to save power, or does it just default to every time the board fires up?

James

Attachments:

1. 

   034365DE-942D-40AA-B004-CDF1D88CE30B.jpeg
   

[James_NZ]

Hi Neil,

I’m pretty sure our methods align to that of USGS. However my concern is that the cross-sectional area will change with every large flow event due to the mobile bottom sediments, giving us a poor relationship between depth and flow. Our hydrology team has suggested that an accurate rating curve is very difficult to obtain in such conditions. My question is how other agencies deal with these conditions, or do they avoid them all together (not an option for us).

As for the accuracy of the CTD, we have an ultrasonic flow site at one of the Mayfly sites. I will use this record to assess the accuracy for our conditions.

James

[James_NZ]

Just an update here. Katie from METER group thinks the GEN2 will be released within a matter of weeks. She is holding our payment and will send us a shipment of GEN2s when they are available.

James

[James_NZ]

Thanks Neil.  I have had a skim through the attached document but the flows we are dealing with are in the order of 2-3 m3/sec during baseflow.  We also have another concern because there is sediment clearance in the lower reaches on an annual basis, which again will impact the rating curve.

I think I will have to look for fixed structures, i.e. culverts, to provide an accurate estimate of flow, unless there are any other ideas.

James

 

 

[James_NZ]

Thanks @shicks, great to know. Would you recommend that I push back on them for Gen-2 sensors, even if they take a bit longer to get here? It seems silly to rush things through and end up with an inferior sensor.

James

[James_NZ]

Hi @dan-wachusett. I am about to order 10 x Hydros 21 units from METER Group. I have been told that they will be Gen 1, but Gen 2 will be released in a few weeks’ time. I’m trying to get some details from METER Group about the upgrade and whether it would be worthwhile waiting for a couple of weeks to get the Gen 2.

I also see that the Gen 2 is not working with modular sensors yet. Any idea how long it will be before it can be used?

James

[James_NZ]

Another question worth pondering is whether brushed sensors are desirable over un-brushed sensors in lotic environments? Perhaps the difference in performance is more apparent in lentic systems where fouling is more likely to occur?

Has anyone compared the performance of brushed vs un-brushed sensors?

James

[James_NZ]

Hi Neil,

I have read through the link above and everything is making a lot more sense.  I think your effort in designing a new modbus wingboard is amazing!

However, I am in two minds given my current situation which requires deployment of 10 Mayfly stations within the next 3 months.  Obviously waiting for your wingboard is the more reliable option, but I only need ten functioning boards and the adapter modules are cheap.  We also have a heap of printed PCBs ready to use.  I’m thinking I might ‘give it a crack’ with cheap modules from multiple sources and see if I can get them to work, perhaps with a 120 ohm resistor attached.  It might be a frustrating process but I’m sure I can get some working.

Saying that, I fully support what you are doing and would definitely be interested in your boards if my attempts fail.

James

 

 

 

[James_NZ]

Hi Neil,

I’m looking to deploy a network of Yosemitech turbidity sensors (Y511-A) and for this I will need modbus wingshields. Can you explain what the issue with the current wingshield build is? I have read a conversation about the polou 9v step up regulator not being able to activate the 511-A brush, but I’m not aware of other problems. I’m just trying to gauge whether I should continue with the current modbus shield plans or wait for yours.

James

[James_NZ]

Hi all,

Sorry to be another squeaky wheel but we’re after LTE adapters too. I plan on making a purchase of 10 x Mayflies and 10 x LTE adapters as soon as these are available. Can someone please tag me with any update.

Cheers,
James

[Author]

Posts