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Monitoring well or piezometer water level sensor

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    • 2017-03-29 at 9:24 PM #2125
      Sedhead
      Participant

        I am teaching a senior level environmental science course and one of the research groups is installing piezometers in a wetland. We have decided to build a water level sensor using an Adafruit Feather datalogger with a realtime clock and an MS5803-14BA Breakout from Sparkfun for the depth sensor. We can do differential pressure if we need to (we have an air pressure sensor as well). I am looking for anyone out there that might have experience with making and installing something similar. I’m mainly interested in wiring diagrams and code snippets. I’m just learning a lot of this stuff myself, so please forgive me if I’m unclear.

      • 2017-03-30 at 2:43 PM #2127
        neilh20
        Participant

          Hi Sedhead, thanks for sharing. I’m just heading out the door for a weekend camping, and so a quick comment.
          I’m not affiliated at all with the EnviroDiy – but I wonder if you’ve looked at the Mayfly. The benefit is that there is just the type of experience on this board for that device and software. I would think the key software you want to verify is the ability to store data on a SD card with accurate time. The SD card file system can be a challenge if not verified.
          A place to start with a field deployable project, how do you plan on environmentally protecting it, powering it (solar, replaceable batteries), and then testing and updating it in the field?
          Also you may want to discuss the depth range you want to measure. Unfortunately pressure sensors/depth readings can be temperature dependent – so from a teaching point of view its a good idea to teach measurement traceability. For using two absolute pressure sensors, Onset Hobo propose this scenario, but it doubles the error. A colleague who has used the approach has found burying the atmospheric reference sensor keeps it in a stable temperature environment.
          PublicLabs has also done a discussion on some aspects of water measuring. They have a riffle device that may be worth looking at.

          https://publiclab.org/wiki/openhour-archive March 6
          Back after camping.
          regards
          Neil

        • 2017-04-19 at 2:34 PM #2154
          Sedhead
          Participant

            Thanks for you input, Neil. We decided to try out the Feather mainly for cost issues, and it seems fine for a lot of things, but it just isn’t working with the sensor we have. Seems to have problems communicating with the Serial port. I can read other I2C sensors, but this one is giving me fits.

            We looked at the Mayfly and decided to try out the Feather b/c it was cheaper. However, I think we now know this may have been a mistake. We ordered the very last Mayfly on Amazon and we’re going to try that. Some initial tests suggest it will work. However, I would still like to try to get it working on the Feather.

          • 2017-04-27 at 1:44 PM #2183
            Anonymous

              Hi…i am a new user here.As per my knowledge it is a good place to start with a field deployable project, how do you plan on environmentally protecting it, powering it , and then testing and updating it in the field?
              Also you may want to discuss the depth range you want to measure. Unfortunately pressure sensors/depth readings can be temperature dependent – so from a teaching point of view its a good idea to teach measurement traceability. For using two absolute pressure sensors, Onset Hobo propose this scenario, but it doubles the error. A colleague who has used the approach has found burying the atmospheric reference sensor keeps it in a stable temperature environment.

            • 2017-08-29 at 2:24 PM #2341
              RickyTerzis
              Participant

                Hi…i am a new user here. According to me the benefit is that there is just the type of experience on this board for that device and software. I would think the key software you want to verify is the ability to store data on a SD card with accurate time.

                pcb assembly prototype

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