100% non-glamorous toilet monitoring project

NicNak

Hi Hackers,

My name is Nicola, have been UK based for years (member of Hackspace in Nottingham), and work for a charity called Water for People (moving to Malawi in 2 weeks) improving access to sanitation (toilets).

I am in need of some help. We are setting up a project to monitor 'events' (flushes) exiting the pipes of pour flush pit latrines in Uganda/Malawi, I have details online in a presentation but Boards not allowing me to post link - I can PM anyone interested. Basically - measuring intermittent bursts of fluid as it exits an open ended shallow sloped pipe in a very tough operating environment.

I'm home (Wexford) from 23rd - 29th July before my move and would love to get a 'logger*' in action before I leave.

I am working with a team in Nottingham who are trying a capacitance based sensor (which wraps around the pipe and looks at flush duration)- but I would love to work with someone who would help me set up a much more basic counter (I'm thinking magnetic) to simply measure an 'event'/flush. I'd like to get a flap at the end of the exit pipe (with mounted magnet) which triggers the magnetic counter when fluid exists and it moves (I tried a more traditional counter but the springs in them are so stiff - hence the thought to to move to magnetic - or if someone feels more confident about meddling with the spring in the other counter, great).

Some help with that would be just incredible (the additional extras of eliminating multiple dummy events if they occur within 15 seconds (i.e. the flap rattles around a bit after a flush) or adding a time to the 'event' would be super). I am a civil engineer - very little competence with electronics I'm afraid.

Its a massive ask, but if anyone has some free time around those dates that I'm home I would love some help with this**. I can basically come to Dublin/wherever any time (except Sunday 27th) if someone feels like they might have some time to help me. Comments on the mechanism I propose also welcome.

Thanks a lot,
Nicola

*no toilet jokes please!
** I live on a strawberry farm and can arrange payment in strawberries/raspberries/potatoes!

Splinter

Hi Nicola, might be worth contacting Tog on twitter too! Not sure how often you'd get people here (i'm no use at helping in this case i'm afraid but they may be able )

Mark

tdr

Hi Nicola,
I have replied on twitter.