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Electronics challenged


Soothing Shrimp

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My ideal dream is to have lots of cheap wireless ph probes in multiple tanks transmitting to one monitor.  Maybe they already have something like this I don't know about?  If so, let me know!!!

 

If not, I'm trying to find a cheap way to have wireless ph probes send to my computer.  My ideal plan would be to have *multiple tanks* send wirelessly the info to my computer, hence why I need it so cheap.  (I just hate to pay $88 a pop if I don't have to for lots of Marine pinpoints.)

 

I have almost no knowledge of electronics, so will this work, or am I missing something?

 

http://www.amazon.com/DFRobot-Analog-pH-Meter-Kit/dp/B00R5CCI92/ref=aag_m_pw_dp?ie=UTF8&m=A3O3SSGGJLKX15

 

connected to one of these http://www.amazon.com/nRF24L01-Wireless-Transceiver-Arduino-Compatible/dp/B00E594ZX0/ref=pd_sim_indust_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=02NSFVW02THPC3Z2W4CY

 

with the other one connected to a USB adapter for my computer?

 

Something tells me it's not this easy.  Like I need some sort of power supply and some kind of aduino controller or something...(?)

 

Would the total cost be more than a pinpoint?

I'd love to use this, but I know it would set me over the $88 limit: http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Scientific-CIRCUIT-FOR-ARDUINO/dp/B00641R1PQ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426303327&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=%22wireless+ph+sensor%22

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First one says you will need an Arduino controller, which I do not think is the same as the transmitter you indicated.

I have a feeling that the Pinpoint is the least expensive option already.

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I think in the long run the pre-built controller is the better option. Based on a quick review it would appears you still need to code software that would interpret the data transmitted and display the pH value. Or was this software included and I missed it.

have a gneiss day

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Reading the pH value is just the tip of the ice-berg. You also need the following:

  1. Develop a program to read the value and display on your computer (be it connect via USB or Wifi)
  2. Develop a device driver for your probe controller (USB)
  3. Develop a transmitting protocol to send the data or leverage existing protocol to send the data packet (Wifi)
  4. Develop a snippet for your controller to connect to Wifi network (Wifi)

All these will take you months. If you are proficient with cutting code, you will just need a month to write the coding. And the designing of the circuit portion, will take you a couple of months. Based on my experience (I used to study Electronics and Computer Engineer), this is not an easy task for people who are not from this field. As such, I will suggest you forget about it. Currently, I am achieving what you are trying to do with GHL-Profilux controller. They are expensive though. I think there are quite a few American brand's controllers are able to achieve what you want to.

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Yes I believe apex sells a system that sends all data wireless to computer. I think you would need to buy one controller and then multiple probes. I would imagine it could be anywhere from $500-$1000 depending on number of tanks and how many probes each controller can read.

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If I were to DIY this, I would lean towards a raspberry pi. Run a web server on it to display the readings on a web page, no need to worry about transmitting data over wifi/bluetooth. You could use any sensor with linux support.. Write to a log file and have the web page consume it, or if you want to get fancy and run trend reports etc, write to a database. Looks like pH probes are really expensive though, so this would get pricey quick.

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