Tinkering; Like Guntering for the Connected Generation.

Converted sensor data which reads empty space into estimated fuel.

oil gauges by Emaherx, on Flickr

Sensor yaml for ESPHome in case anyone wants to do similar.

# Ultrasonic sensor - tank measurement
sensor:
  - platform: ultrasonic
    id: sensor_cm1
    trigger_pin: GPIO15
    echo_pin: GPIO16
    name: "Oil Ultrasonic Sensor"
    icon: "mdi: arrow"
    update_interval: 10s
    accuracy_decimals: 2
    unit_of_measurement: "cm"
    filters:
     - filter_out: nan
     - multiply: 100
     #- sliding_window_moving_average:
      #   window_size: 12
       #  send_every: 12

# Oil Level Sensor
  - platform: template
    id: sensor_cm2
    name: "Oil level"
    icon: "mdi: arrow"
    update_interval: 10s
    accuracy_decimals: 2
    unit_of_measurement: "cm"
    lambda: 
      return 150 - id (sensor_cm1) .state;

# Oil Percentage Sensor
  - platform: template
    name: "Oil Percentage"
    icon: "mdi: water"
    update_interval: 10s
    accuracy_decimals: 2
    unit_of_measurement: "%"
    lambda: 
      return id (sensor_cm2) .state;
    filters:
      - calibrate_linear:
        - 0 -> 0
        - 140 -> 100

# Oil Litres Sensor
  - platform: template
    name: "Oil liters"
    icon: "mdi: oil"
    update_interval: 10s
    accuracy_decimals: 0
    unit_of_measurement: "L"
    lambda: 
      return id (sensor_cm2) .state;
    filters:
      - calibrate_linear:
        - 0 -> 0
        - 140 -> 1500
    
    

5 wheel drive wrote: »

Anyone make their own gps guidance system by downloading one of the apps onto a tablet and mounting aerial on roof. Some guys can even do their own auto steer.

I've dabbled a few times with Android phone/tablet and a windows laptop. But only using a cheap USB GPS. Really even DIY system using proper AGRI GPS unit gets expensive quick when you add cost of software and hardware.

5 wheel drive wrote: »

Your probably rite. What off the shel system would fellas recommend? I've looked at a few basic models but the Trimble ez250 looks outdated.

It probably depends on what you need. What level of accuracy do you need? Even off the shelf entry level systems are quite expensive.

Some of the tablet apps may be good enough for some people, but there may not be much difference between a cheap external GPS unit and that built into a good quality phone.

If you were looking seriously at a DIY solution there is a PC software / hardware solution that can include auto-stear and implement controls like switching of individual nozels on a spray if over lapping strips of a field.

http://www.farmergps.com/index.html

rounders wrote: »

Hi lads, great thread!

In terms of contributing, mine is pretty low tech but effective. GSM plug, pop the electric fence into it and off you go. Way down the fields, find a issue, ring the fence and it's off. Talking about £20.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Wireless-Control-Household-Appliance/dp/B07SS8QM7Z/ref=pd_day0_c_107_3/260-6599422-3161917?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07SS8QM7Z&pd_rd_r=ff7b0afc-650b-4944-afcb-03fb7e6b349d&pd_rd_w=B6tga&pd_rd_wg=SUKeo&pf_rd_p=cb7ac7c9-1220-4f8e-9626-3d6840134f7f&pf_rd_r=5NK88TCBZ22M2R34XSJA&psc=1&refRID=5NK88TCBZ22M2R34XSJA

Has anyone used the Vodafone V sims for their devices and any alternatives? Internet at home would be touch and go so would be looking at basing my automation on a GSM network rather than the home network.

How did yet get started learning about all this stuff? I have a lot of automation ideas but don't have the experiance in Raspberry Pi's and arduino. I do have IT and farming background though

And finally, a company I was in contact with recently in Canada, calculates the weight of an animal just from the front two legs at a water trough, doesn't make economical sense for Ireland's farming margins but very interesting tech all the same https://youtu.be/-Non246rVAU?t=105

Nothing wrong with using a GSM Switch, I've never actually used one though, when you ring the device dose it report back its current status? and give option to turn on off?

No expereince with the Vsim but sounds ideal for GSM devices. don't know of an alterative sim from other providers but there are alternative technologies. I've been reading up on LoRa which sounds ideal for remote locations. With LoRa you could build your own network or subscribe to a provider like SigFox. LoRa is a long range wireless communications technology designed speciifcally for IOT.

My own background is: I work as an engineer for a large multinational IT company. I spend most of my time maintaing Industrial Print Lines, but also network equipment, servers ATM's and Tape Libaries. I have a degree in Electronics and a higher cert in IT and some Cisco certs. But things have changed so much since I studied Electronics and very much for the better when it comes to DIY, everything is available now as modules meaning you don't need much knowlage of circuit design to build nearly any automation you can imagine. There are so many cheap and easily configurable microcontrollers with tons of features built in. Online resources these days make the programming end much simpler, most of what I have running now is just the bits of other peoples projects that I liked cut and pasted together.

If you'd like some help with an automation idea, I'd be happy to look at it.




The YouTube video is interesting, obviously not for most of our farms but I think this is as good a place as any to share what is out there.

rounders wrote: »

You can ring it or text. If you text it tells you the status but I'd be trying to get the father using it so just go with the basics of ringing the box which changes the box to either on or off depending on it's current position when you ring it

Yeah was doing some reading on Sigfox networks last night. Is that primarily only good for sending small data points or could it support triggering a action like the GSM plug?

My background is Information Systems so I understand the high level systems but get lost completely once we start talking about circuits

Knowledge of circuits is less of an issue than ever, I made a RFID system for a college project using an Intel 8051. To use an 8051 you needed to build a circuit to connect separate Memory chips and a UART chip to communicate over serial and even quartz clock crystal for timing. The likes of Arduino and ESP based devices make this simple with built in flash memory WiFi/Bluetooth and even LoRa, the GPIO pins make connecting a multitude of pre built modules such as sensors or relays very easy.

Yes, only small packets but what could be smaller than on or off?

I'm not sure there is an off the shelf smart plug, but it's definitely doable. I was considering trying to make something for the out farms. But truthfully it's not because of any real need, just a curiosity. Not necessarily looking at Sigfox either, might try setting up my own LoRa gateway and seeing how far I can transmit/receive.

Timmaay wrote: »

I went off and got myself a degree in mechanical engineering, then 3/4s of the way through a PhD, before bailing out and writing that up as a research engineering masters, before coming back home to be a horribly overqualified farmer ha. Spent my whole life tinkering around with some sort of electronics and engines and stuff, but I'll agree that it's all become a hell of alot simpler in terms of what kits you can buy off the shelf and get going with arduino etc.

I'm surprised items like bulk tank temperature, water pressure, electric fence voltage monitors etc haven't become alot more common on farms here yet, basically monitoring equipment that can and will save you money if they spot a fault before you do. I've had it in the back of my mind to go develop something that I could market to farmers, take the bulk tank temperature sensor, all you need to do is put an external temperature probe in beside the existing temperature probe, and have a microcontroller with a web upload of the temperature, a simple enough algorithm that knows the rough expected cooling profile of the tank and it will send you a text if something is astray. For more extensive farm wide use gsm/sigfox or yourown lora network would be necessary. If anyone want to help me develop something like the above drop me a pm ha 😅

Definitely, I'd like to monitor water and electric fences especially on the out farms where both water supplies and power sources are less reliable. On the home farm this would be easy enough as it's fairly well covered by Wi-Fi, has electricity and mains water but it's actually my smallest block of land and the furthest from my house.