Electronics - Low aquaponics water level handling

Previously I mentioned using an alarm rather than employing some way to turn the pump off when the water level became critical, mainly due to wanting to avoid mains power, and all the dying that comes with amateur electronics and it's use.

Wading room only

But I think I may have a better approach to help prevent low water problems associated with leaks or mismanagement within my aquaponics system.












And it's this.

Because I run my pump through a 200 amp hour 12 volt deep cycle battery via an inverter, it occures to me I can just play with the 12 volt supply to the inverter, and avoid playing with my 240volt ac mains power and still turn off the pump if the water gets too low.

Pictured here in sophisticated blue pen (I usually use crayon) is a circuit diagram which will probably shed some darkness on my plan.

Basically, if I control the 12 volt power supply to the inverter, I can control the pump at the 12 volt level rather than at the 240 volt level, and nobody has to die.

Which is nice.

All I need is a PICAXE 08M chip (owned), a 5 volt voltage regulator to supply 5 volts to the chip from the 12 volt battery (owned - thanks pete), and a float switch. (not owned, but $5 (thanks Nom))

This should actually work.


120 things in 20 years of slapping my head because this solution to Electronics - Low aquaponics water level handling should have been obvious from the start.