Do More

This circuit has been very useful in filling a header tank for a reticulated water supply on a farm. Eight troughs are supplied in different paddocks where a lack of water would have serious consequences for the stock. In the past, the tank had been filled daily by a time clock which was not successful. During hot weather, the stock would empty the tank on a regular basis and then be without water for several hours or the tank would overflow and flood the area if the weather was wet and the cattle did not drink much.The circuit described has been used to maintain the level of water in the header tank within prescribed limits. It controls a 3HP submersible bore pump which has a high starting current, necessitating a solid-state relay sufficient to take the starting load. Two Darlington transistors, Q1 & Q3, in conjunction with Q2 & Q4, are connected to the upper and lower water sensors in the tank. Q2 & Q4 have a common 5.6kO load resistor and function as a NOR gate. The out...

The water-tank level meter de-scribed here is very simple and useful for monitoring the water level in an overhead tank (OHT). The water level at 30cm intervals is monitored and continuously indicated by LEDs ar-ranged in a meter-format. When all the LEDs are ‘off’, it indicates that the OHT is empty. When the water level reaches the top limit, the whole LED-meter begins to flash. The height at which the level-sensing electrodes are fitted is adjustable. Thus, the minimum and maximum level settings may be varied as desired. The range of the meter can also be enlarged to cater to any level. No special or critical components are used. CMOS ICs are used to limit the idle current to a minimum level.   Even when all the LEDs are ‘on’, i.e. water reaches the top level, the demand on the power supply is reasonably low. Further, the extremely high input resistance of the Schmitt inverter gates reduces the input current and thus minimises the erosion of electrodes. The princi-pal part of...