Hello everybody. I am new to Arduino and need some help to select the correct components for my project.
Anyone who ever used wood burning stove knows that you adjusting burning intensity by closing or open manual draft damper. To burn clean and efficient today we supposed to know chimney temperature and make sure we burn hot enough. As a result I have K type high temperature probe with digital display to see stock temperature. At 700°F air damper becomes completely closed and at 400°F completely open. That is recommended temperature range.
Wondering if someone did this before and can help me to choose correct components for actuator, display, control board. My wood-burning stove made with pretty large pedestal and it's empty inside. All kinds of room for linear actuator and rest of the components.
We can't see your woodstove, so it is a bit difficult hard to guess what sort of actuator you might need.
The electromechanical part of the project is the most difficult, so get that right before worrying about the rest of the parts. For the "rest", the choices are many, and most are standard and won't matter much.
And what is the maximum temperature that space will get to when you are using the stove?
In order to know what to use with the damper, you need to design the entire mechanism, including how you will mount the actuator motor.
Paul
I GUESS I DIDN'T MAKE MYSELF CLEAR ON THIS SUBJECT. MECHANICAL PART OF THIS PROJECT NOT PRESENTING ANY PROBLEMS AT ALL. IF I END UP WITH A LINEAR ACTUATOR WITH THE TRAVEL DISTANCE ANYWHERE FROM 2 TO 6 INCHES OR SO, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE IT WORK.
I NEED HELP TO CHOOSE CORRECT ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS TO MAKE IT WORK. SPACE UNDERNEATH THE STOVE IS STAYING RELATIVELY COOL BECAUSE OF CONSTANT AIRFLOW OF COMBUSTION AIR TO THE FIREBOX
Not sure if there is any way for me to post pictures on this forum
Sorry, I didn't realize that I was typing in uppercase. It's not installation or troubleshooting issue. I am new to this forum and simply didn't know where to go and post my question. Sorry for confusion
So, how a linear actuator is attached to your mechanism is not a question that needs discussion? Have you looked at various linear actuators to see what is possible?
Yes, I spend some time looking and made the conclusion that I can make almost any of them work for me. Even small step motor that I see in Arduino kit will work for me. With help from a local machine shop anything is possible.
Driver configuration to be able to display temperature and except K- type temperature probe is my question.
Later I will be struggling with programming, but that will be different issue and may be someone I know can help me with that.
Looks like my thinking is completely backwards here.
My plan was to get needed components and try to make it work on the table with input from chimney K-type temperature probe. If I get it to work for me on the table, I will find a way to incorporate this to my woodstove mechanically without any issues at all.
This is supposed to be fully modulating application. Damper should be modulating open and close based on chimney temperature. At 700°F linear actuator should be completely extended (damper closed). At 400°F actuator should be in closed position (damper open). Or vice versa. Somewhere in between at 550°F damper should be open at 50%.
If Arduino Uno can do this for me, then this is what I will get. Any small actuator, step motor will be able to move this damper without any effort. But there is digital temperature display that will work with Uno? There also should be correct set up in between Uno and K-type probe?
But since I don't know what I'm talking about, all this possibly sounds like complete nonsense to you guys. Please tell me if I see this whole thing backwards.
You are talking to a bunch of programmers. For most of us, the challenge of your project would be to figure out the mechanics.
Feel free to work on it in any order which makes you most comfortable and productive.
But there is digital temperature display that will work with Uno?
Your first decision is what you want to display.
The most simple display to use with an Arduino is a 16x2 lcd. There are parallel and i2c interface versions.
I agree with @cattledog's point of view, but many of the nit-picking details of the control program will depend on the details of the actuator and motor driver you end up using.
Yes, sounds like I am completely opposite from you guys. Mechanical problem challenges will not represent any difficulties at all. Programming and choosing correct components will be 100% of my issues.
What do I want to display? Current stove temperature of course and possibly percentage of modulation. Lake damper is open 30% or so.
I didn't know Uno capabilities and was afraid that board can only provide power "on" - "off" switching on its terminals and no proportional modulation.
Sounds like I have a very long way to go before I start talking same language with you guys.
Yes this sounds like a good match for a basic 16 character x 2 line display. Housing and locating it will be a bigger issue then driving it.
I didn't know Uno capabilities and was afraid that board can only provide power "on" - "off" switching on its terminals and no proportional modulation.
Sounds like I have a very long way to go before I start talking same language with you guys.
Agreed.
You are correct about the on/off switching, but the Arduino is very fast, and by the selection of on and off times the output can look "proportional".
However, this has no relationship to your issue. You will be taking a temperature, converting/mapping that temperature to a desired damper position, and then stepping your actuator to that position with on/off step commands. Your code will create the proportionality between fully open and closed.
Looks like Uno available with the Wi-Fi option. Will I be able to change parameters from my phone? Or will be just a display to see what my stove is doing without being able to interfere with it?
For a first project you might find that bluetooth with an HC05 module is easier to use than WiFi. There are several good terminal Apps you can put on the phone which make it very easy to communicate with the HC05 connected to the Arduno.
The way you go depends on how far away from the Arduino you want to be with the phone when reading or changing parameters.
