Fill Mate -- Precision Control of Tank Filling--Any Tank Any Fluid
Introduction: Fill Mate -- Precision Control of Tank Filling--Any Tank Any Fluid
The Exon Valdez oil spill occurred here in Alaska about 30 years ago. Besides the shock of seeing the boat on reruns of Waterworld it doesn't come to mind unless you happen to fill up your diesel tank and accidentally spill a cup or two of fuel that immediately and horribly disperses around your boat! This ease of mishap is caused by the difference in design of boat fuel systems vs the one in your car. Boat fuel systems are not pressurized and are equipped with vents that allow the air (and fuel if overfilled) to disperse into the environment. Filling with autostop fuel systems that usually stop fuel flow before overflow at car gas stations are not as astute when filling boats which don't generate back pressure in time to stop the flow before overfilling. A spill from any boat that produces a sheen on the water no matter how small is supposed to be reported according to federal law. Of course this is an incredibly low bar for surveillance which is hopped over by just about every boat that ever floated with a motor. By trying to only fill to 90% capacity and by "listening" to the obscure noise of the gurgling near the fill point you hopefully avoid a reportable offense. There have been several devices that attempt to help: a whistle installed in the vent line that stops when the fuel hits it (tried it-- doesn't work), and a cupping bottle to install over the vent cap (works sort-of) when the spill occurs and a series of valve like devices to stop the flow. A great summery article of these concerns is here: https://www.boatus.org/findings/40/ they did a beautiful job of mocking-up an experimental setup for testing them but their conclusion was that nothing so far helps.
I designed a new device that provides highly accurate control of any tank filling (land or sea). You set a plastic tube at the desired level and fill until an alert goes off. Battery operated, cheap--$30, portable and being an Intructable easily built. No Responsibility Disclaimer: I know nothing about electricity and volatile fuel systems so don't use this with anything flammable.
Step 1: Gather Your Materials
I built two different designs. The designs are 3D printed and their associated files follow. The solar recharged model has eagle files for mounting all components to one board complete with buzzer. It includes the charger module, Itsy Bitsy and the sensor with associated capacitors and resistors all mounted to the board. The other model is hand built with a separate housing for the sensor attached to #2. 542
The resistors and capacitors that make the sensor work are wired onto this board as is described in: https://www.instructables.com/WetRuler-Measuring-...
1. MS5803-14BA--you can get these from DigiKey for $13
2. 1528-1071-NDSMT ADAP 6 PACK 8SOIC/MSOP/TSSOP DigiKey This is the surface mount board that you must solder the MS5803 to unless you order the board I designed which has these surface mounts built in. $1
3. TP4056--charger $1
4 Uxcell 5Pcs 5V 60mA Poly Mini Solar Cell Panel Module DIY for Phone Light Toys Charger 50mm x 43mm
5. Switch Rugged Metal On/Off Switch with Green LED Ring - 16mm White On/Off $5
6. Adafruit ItsyBitsy 32u4 - 3V 8MHz $9
7. LipoBattery $6
8. Adafruit LiIon/LiPoly Backpack Add-On for Pro Trinket/ItsyBitsy $5
9. Gikfun Active Buzzer 3V Magnetic Long Continous Beep Tone Alarm Ringer for Arduino (Pack of 10pcs) $1
10. A couple of 4.59 K u resistors for pull-up on I2C connections
11. 2n222 NPN transistor $0.50 with base resistor 2.16 Ku
12. 0.1up Capacitor for the power supply on 1.
13 Aquarium air-line tubing $5 for a ton of it
Step 2: 3D Print It
These are the STL files for the two versions. The first version is solar charged and comes with an inclusive PCB with all the components on it. The switch, buzzer, battery as well as solar cell are connected to the pin-outs on the side. The sensor is connected by a 3D printed nozzle to a brass hose connector placed in the 3D printed housing. There are holes for 4mm screw inserts that are in the design. 379