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Thread: project 'power cut'
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01-07-2012, 12:49 PM #1
project 'power cut'
Hi all,
I have just finished project 'power cut' this is a simple to make device that will phone my mobile if the power supply to the pond ever goes off.
My area has had a few power cuts over the last couple of years, the longest was just over 25 hours with no power. I have a back up generator that will keep the pond running if this happens, when I did the pond wiring I built in a couple of industrial power sockets that allows me to unplug from the consumer unit and plug back into the generator, quick and easy, fire up the generator and everything is back up and running.
This is of no help if I'm not at home though, so I have been searching around for a device that will let me know if the power fails. There are plenty of off the shelf items that will do this, average cost is around £100+. So after a bit of research i came up with this....see pictures.
All you need is an old mobile phone, a relay and a housing. First job is to get a pay as you sim card, fit it in the donor phone, set the ringer to silent, one touch answer to off and speed dial to on. Then put your number in and set it to ring you off a speed dial button, no5 for example.
You now have a phone that when you press no5 it will ring you up. Next step is to take the phone apart, strip it down so you have access to the key pad, solder a length of wire to button no5 (speaker wire is fine) after you have done this then put a blob of hot melt over the top to secure it, then reassemble the phone. Now when you short the 2 wires together it will speed dial no5 and you will have a call, name this call 'pond power cut' or whatever you wish.
Next step is to put these 2 wires into a relay, you need a relay that is normally closed when it is not powered up. Connect the relay to your ponds consumer unit if you have one, when the relay is powered up the contact will open, when the power to the relay fails the contacts will close, make the circuit and dial your number.
I have mine connected to the busbar on the consumer unit, this way if anything in the pond trips the main breaker on the consumer unit, I get a call, also if all the power to the house and pond goes out, again I get a call.
There are numerous ways to connect the relay if you don't have a consumer unit on your pond, a plug on the relay plugged into a socket that runs your pond etc....
This is so simple to do, cost wise, an old mobile FOC, a sim card with £5 on it, a relay £10 if that, a housing £5 and about an hour to make.
I have added a switch onto mine, this way I can test it now and again as some mobile phone companys will cut the sim off if not used every now and again.
The last 2 pics show a couple of old phones I did yesterday, I was bored lol, the nokia 2323 is a little tricky, the 6310 is easy as is the one I used for mine which is a 6021.
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01-07-2012, 01:22 PM #2
Absolutely brilliant Al, and like you say, quite easy to do
Your next step would be a changeover switch, to fire the genny up, a bit more costly, but still 'do-able'.1630 Gallon raised pond
4" 'Avenue' bottom drain
Estro sieve
Econobead EB60 bead filter
Sequence 18000 pump, 6000 pump on skimmer line
Elecro 2kW in-line heater
Evolution Aqua 70 air pump
Standard wall skimmer
Hozelock Vorton 55watt UV
and some nice koi
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01-07-2012, 01:26 PM #3
Cheers Miles, I can't take the credit for the original idea, I just did the research and tidied the idea up a little.
Thought about a change over switch, but my dad lives 2 minutes aways so not really an issue.
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01-07-2012, 01:37 PM #41630 Gallon raised pond
4" 'Avenue' bottom drain
Estro sieve
Econobead EB60 bead filter
Sequence 18000 pump, 6000 pump on skimmer line
Elecro 2kW in-line heater
Evolution Aqua 70 air pump
Standard wall skimmer
Hozelock Vorton 55watt UV
and some nice koi
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01-07-2012, 02:03 PM #5
Nice idea, simple and functional, plus cheap which is the best part.
The only thing I would ask is, do you have it connected straight to the bus bar without any protection? If so I would say its a fire waiting to happen. I would put a small HRC fuse in line for overload/fault protection, there's a small risk of it blowing but if it does its done its job.
Not trying to teach you to suck eggs mate, just an idea.
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01-07-2012, 02:15 PM #6
Hawk101, forgot to mention I fiited a fuse before the relay missed that out of the main post, things like that come naturally without thinking about them, but good point for anyone making one to consider.
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01-07-2012, 02:19 PM #7
Briiliant Al, you are a top man.
For any Guys that are doing this you need to get a mobile that has copper contacts on the keypads; the newer Nokias like this Nokia 100, dont so you cant make a solder connection.
To add to the list of phones to look for is the Nokia 3310.
The relay on mine is switched from a 12vDC transformer this simply plugs into a socket in the pond room. Nowhere as neat as Als - but it works.
Dave
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01-07-2012, 02:22 PM #8
Great job Dave, as long as it works it doesn't matter how it looks, looks good with a perspex cover
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01-07-2012, 03:12 PM #9
brilliant idea.........glad im not in your area....incase of lighting strikes or brain surges [ ha ha ]
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01-07-2012, 03:29 PM #10
Next job is to wire another button on the phone up to a low level switch on the drum. Should just about squeeeze another relay into the box - so more soldering practice One day I may get up to "speaker wire" standard but will stick with the phone wire given my current skills
Dave
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01-07-2012, 06:32 PM #11
Good idea Dave, how will you know that it's the drum calling you or a power failure? I've thought about this and can't find a way other than to use a separate alert system.
Using a dual sim card may be an option but they only work in certain phones and then there's the problem of making it switch number.
There is a way to make the phone send you a txt message (it isn't all that reliable though) and it only works on certain phones, you need to use 'python' which is a programming language and that's where I get stuck.
Over to you for your thoughts on how this would work
Hmmmm, just had a cunning plan, I have a works phone which is always on, I could tell the alert system to phone that one for the drum, and my own phone for a power failure.... now where did I put that soldering iron.
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01-07-2012, 07:41 PM #12
Hiya Al
Knowing the source of the problem doesn't matter that much, I just simply wanna know if something needs attention.
May be wrong in this but if you have things set up to repeat dial, when the fault clears the relay closes and the phone will take an incoming call?
Dave
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01-07-2012, 07:57 PM #13
You don't need to wait for the relay as once the phone has phoned you and you answer and hang up, the phone goes back into normal operation, so yes it will take an incoming call...... which your now going to tell me your going to trigger something from a distance?
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01-07-2012, 08:04 PM #14
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01-07-2012, 08:07 PM #15
Marvellous lol
edit, using the phones ringer as the output trigger?
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02-07-2012, 08:50 PM #16
Hi
I have just used an old Nokia 6810 and it works a treat. Just need to fix into a housing. Brilliant idea and so very simple. Had the phone just cost £10 for the SIM, £9 for the relay, so for very little outlay have a great bit of kit.
DaveJ gave me the heads up you had found a way of making this device.
So thanks to both of you.
Mark
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02-07-2012, 09:03 PM #17
Nice one Mark
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02-07-2012, 09:38 PM #18
Nothing to do with me, this is Al's baby and what a good one.
For pump fed Guys that hopefully have a cut out float switch on the pump adding something similar on that line could tell them there was a problem.
My relays were sourced from
8043 - Handy SPDT 5A Mains Relay Board (6V, 12V & 24V Versions)
Ordered a few more today and found a few phones to practice on.
Dave
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12-07-2012, 02:44 PM #19
Well it works!!
Got an alert from the pondphone to say the power had gone down, I was local so no problem sorting.
Usual practice is to turn everything off, reset the trlp on the RCD and then switch things on one by one to identify where the problem lies.
Pain is that everything is up and running again without a further trip.
Could be the Autofeeder, but the timings are a few minutes out, or maybe one of the RO pumps, whatever will need to do a bit more investigation.
Dave
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12-07-2012, 03:25 PM #20
That's great...well sort of....you know what I mean
Would be looking for an earth fault, damp/condensation an old pump or the favorite is timers, the plug in type. Would also be looking at anything that was turned off (timer wise) around that time which came back on when it tripped.
How long would the power have been off if you hadn't had the warning?
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