scott711 January 25, 2018 Share January 25, 2018 Here is a picture of my DIY Neptune Apex optical float switch. It is connected to my FMM on my Apex. Disregard how it is mounted because it is not oriented correctly. it should be upside down or sideways to prevent droplets from accumulating on the lens. I was just testing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 20, 2018 Share February 20, 2018 Hey, Scott. I may pick up a couple of these sensors just to play with. Maybe even couple it with some 3D printed thing. I still think there are pretty cool. Looking closely at the component, how comfortable are you that the wire entry is sealed really well (and reliably)? Wire entry points for active components (or even for float switches) have proven to be a weak spot, so this is where I would have a (small) concern. (The resellers post a diagram where the device is always mounted on a bulkhead with the wire-entry presumably on the dry side.) How much "bend" do you think the wire can have without causing a problem? You mentioned problems with droplets of water on the lens (prism). Would these be droplets stuck on the prism stuck there from being submerged and then rising out of the water? Or splashing from the water surface? And mounting it sideways helps this? I ask only because it seems like the triangular shape would shed water down to the tip (whereas the key reflective/refractive surfaces inside the device are primarily on the flat faces). I wonder if treating the plastic with some hydrophobic treatment (e.g. Rain-X) would help it shed droplets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tygger February 21, 2018 Share February 21, 2018 Where did you get these from? Looks kinda similar to the Apex ones. I have the Apex ATO and a just a bit of salt creep from water splashing in the return chamber caused the sensor to stay "closed." This was over the course of several months... My fault for not wiping it off periodically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 February 21, 2018 Author Share February 21, 2018 Hey, Scott. I may pick up a couple of these sensors just to play with. Maybe even couple it with some 3D printed thing. I still think there are pretty cool. Looking closely at the component, how comfortable are you that the wire entry is sealed really well (and reliably)? Wire entry points for active components (or even for float switches) have proven to be a weak spot, so this is where I would have a (small) concern. (The resellers post a diagram where the device is always mounted on a bulkhead with the wire-entry presumably on the dry side.) How much "bend" do you think the wire can have without causing a problem? You mentioned problems with droplets of water on the lens (prism). Would these be droplets stuck on the prism stuck there from being submerged and then rising out of the water? Or splashing from the water surface? And mounting it sideways helps this? I ask only because it seems like the triangular shape would shed water down to the tip (whereas the key reflective/refractive surfaces inside the device are primarily on the flat faces). I wonder if treating the plastic with some hydrophobic treatment (e.g. Rain-X) would help it shed droplets? Tom, They seamed to be sealed pretty well. So far I have not had any issues. The one I am using is in my top off container so it isn't exposed to saltwater. You could always add heat shrink tubing or epoxy/silicone to the end (there were a number of people who did that in my research). I also haven't put too much stress on the cable. There is some give in the cable. I made my own magnetic mount and so far so good. In Neptune documentation, they discusses the proper orientation of the optical switches. Mounting them in the vertical position(sensor pointed down) posses an issue when the water level drops below the sensor and clings to the sensor which could cause a false reading. It was recommended to mount them horizontal or vertical (sensor pointed up) to avoid any water remaining on the sensor. I haven't tested this to see if it actually is true or not, but I figured Neptune would have more resources to test this hypothesis. They way I have it mounted (sideways), I have not witnessed any issues. With your 3d printer you could make a magnet mount and encase the magnet (I would recommend 2 magnets to keep it from rotating). If I had a 3d printer, I would make one myself. Plenty of designs on thing universe or instructables. Where did you get these from? Looks kinda similar to the Apex ones. I have the Apex ATO and a just a bit of salt creep from water splashing in the return chamber caused the sensor to stay "closed." This was over the course of several months... My fault for not wiping it off periodically. I just googled optical water level sensors and found lots of different places (ebay, amazon, etc) that have them. I obviously can't say for sure, but I also have a couple Apex ones and they are appear identical. I have never had an issue with salt creep collecting on them. I bought a bunch of components to make more, just haven't had time to make them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 21, 2018 Share February 21, 2018 Where did you get these from? Looks kinda similar to the Apex ones. I've ordered a few from China via AliExpress. Cost is about $3 each after shipping. If you're willing to wait, it's a good source for some stuff. http://s.aliexpress.com/NbMbii2u Sent from my tablet using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpu933k February 21, 2018 Share February 21, 2018 I've ordered a few from China via AliExpress. Cost is about $3 each after shipping. If you're willing to wait, it's a good source for some stuff. http://s.aliexpress.com/NbMbii2u Sent from my tablet using Tapatalk Tom, How are you planning on using these? Will these be able to be plugged in to the Apex FMM or breakout box (after rewiring)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 February 21, 2018 Author Share February 21, 2018 Tom, How are you planning on using these? Will these be able to be plugged in to the Apex FMM or breakout box (after rewiring)? Mine is attached to an FMM (I changed the title of the post and edited it). I don't believe they will work with the breakout box because they have more than 2 wires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpu933k February 21, 2018 Share February 21, 2018 How did you wire it to hook up to the fmm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami February 21, 2018 Share February 21, 2018 Tom, How are you planning on using these? Will these be able to be plugged in to the Apex FMM or breakout box (after rewiring)? I just want to experiment with it. Maybe tie it in with an Apex breakout module or to the PM1 directly. This would depend on how much drive the PM1 digital inputs can provide. (The inputs have an internal pull up resistor.) If that doesn't have enough drive, then pin 7 is currently "reserved." If that means "unconnected" then it might be used to bring VDD (+5VDC) to the outside. My main interest, though, is to just play with the sensor and maybe put together an inexpensive ATO with or without the Apex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 February 21, 2018 Author Share February 21, 2018 How did you wire it to hook up to the fmm? I cut the terminal off the optical sensor and replaced it with a male 3.5 mm connector. I posted the info here: http://wamas.org/forums/topic/84756-apex-users/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rioreef February 21, 2018 Share February 21, 2018 Tom, Search for posts from Cusereefer on the Neptune Forum regarding a circuit board he created that dual inputs for the optical floats or standard switches. Does not expand the number of inputs on the BoB, just the input types. This was back in 16/17, try contacting him for info. Looks like he does not create them anymore, but he may share info with someone of your technical knowledge. It worth a try. He is where I got ideas for making a harness to plug two optical sensors into the DOS to activate the APEX tile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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