Just need a little guidance here where to look for some resources, and some general words of advice on a project I'd like to try.
We have an RPS Solar panel and pump. It pumps water from one of our wells to a tank to be use to water our hop yards. I don't presently live on the farm and only get up there once a week. Other than sending one of my brothers out to check the status of the pump and tank, I wanted to see if there was a way to patch into the control unit and a few times a day, or when a status changes, to send that information off to me via a cellular message.
We have this 800W unit:
What I'm wanting to do is, if possible, connect into the controller and essentially pass the current state of the equipment (is the pump running, is it indicating the tank is full, is the water level low, etc) and send that data along via a text message to me at certain times during the day, OR if the status changes (for instance, if the controller is saying the well is low and it thus stops the pump).
Can you create a separate board that programmed with Arduino code, accesses that data from the controller, bundles it up and sends it over cellular as a text message?
Thanks much!
Yes, of course you can.
Use Google to find similar projects.
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Check the user manual to see what sort of interface the pump system offers.
Remote (cellular) monitors for weather, water tanks etc. are very popular Arduino projects.
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Welcome
It appears you have made a good choice. I am with @jremington on what the pump interface offers. I do not know your water source but if you have any doubt about the well not supplying enough water you will also need to add a low water sensor, that will keep you from destroying the pump. Your vendor should be able to supply all the needed information. Good luck!
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I looked at the web page and spec sheet for the solar pump and saw no evidence for a communications interface.
It seems to have a simple control box that accepts input from a "tank full" sensor and a low well water sensor as safety shutoffs, otherwise the pump runs when the sun shines.
Basic electronics skills are required to safely tap into those shutoffs. Contact the sellers for more info.
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Correct and thanks for your thoughts.
Included with the system are low well sensors (that will shut the pump off), tank full sensor (which will also shut the well off), if the pump is receiving enough power from the solar panel (essentially if there's enough sun to generate power).
As I can only be up there on the weekends, I was curious if there was a way to "tap into" those various statuses displayed on the controller's faceplate, and send via a text message update to me.
I did reach out to the manufacturer and will share their responses here...thanks!
Thank you!
Yes, included are both "well low" sensors and "tank full" sensors, both of which will send a signal back to the controller to shut off the pump. We installed both when we put the well in. The "tank full" sensor required burying a wire that ran the 800' from the tank up on the hill back down to the controller back at the pump. Well at some point after the backfilling, that wire broke so we had to do that manually for awhile (shutting off/turning back on the pump). Thankfully they make a wireless transmitter/receiver setup so we now have that in place.
They're a great company and this is just a "it would be nice/wishlist" project...it's more so to get some practical experience in the Arduino world AND use it with an actual farm project.
Thanks again..I'll update with what I hear back from RPS!
That is the best source of information. You found a good company as your following response indicates.
Good Job!
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Well kinda what I expected…I will keep exploring resources to see if this has been done with a similar setup.
Hi Joshua, I spoke to a few technicians here. We have never tried to patch an Arduino board into an RPS Controller. You are also the first person to ask us about it! So we don't really have any advice as to how to make this work. It might work, if you are able to find a way to connect the two that would be very cool- and we would love to hear about it. But for now, I do not have any helpful information to give you about your question.
There is plenty of professional expertise on this forum.
If the seller is willing to send you the schematic for the controller board, people would be happy to explain how to connect it to an Arduino. That might actually land them some new buyers, e.g. off-the-grid Arduino enthusiasts.
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This isn’t what I asked them for so not sure it sheds any light. If I take a high res picture of the board, assuming that won’t help either…we’d need the actual schematic right?
There is not much useful interface information in the pump controller specs. A schematic of the controller would be nice.
Without the schematic, you could still monitor the state of the two switches with an Arduino.
With the switches disconnected, use a multimeter to measure the voltage across each of the switch input terminals as well as the "switch closed" current flow.
The results would be helpful in deciding how to connect an Arduino safely, without interfering with controller operation.
An Arduino could also monitor battery voltage, solar panel current, etc. without any connection to the internals of the controller.
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Well...this was the best I could get...they won't release the board's schematic for "proprietary/competitive" reasons...might it be possible to tie into the COM1/WH terminal as that's where the sensor ties into? Ignore the "jump these" comment as she said that was a note to a different customer 
Additionally in the brochure from the other day, it does note the tank and well sensor "normal" status...
â—Ź Tank Sensor - 2 Terminal, Normally Open for Tank Full Detection
â—Ź Well Sensor - 2 Terminal, Normally Closed Terminals for Run-Dry Protection
â—Ź Speed Dial for GPM Adjustment
â—Ź Low Well Timer Dial - Set up to 30 min delay after low well condition is resolved
â—Ź 3-Way Exterior Shut-off Switch (Solar,Battery, Off)
â—Ź MPPT Pump Function (Maximum Power Point function is used to optimize the running of the pump motor with variable frequency based on available power)
â—Ź Pump Terminals (Labeled 1, 2, 3)
â—Ź Over Voltage Protection Diode
Thanks!
To safely interface the switch connectors so that an Arduino can read and report the status, you MUST know the voltages present when the switches are open. Did you see this comment above?
I did…I didn’t have my multimeter with me last weekend but will be taking it with me this coming weekend…thanks!
Apologies as some of this is still new for me. Measuring the voltage at both switches with them disconnected (by this you mean, the wires that come to the terminals from each respective sensor aren't connected.
When you say measure it with the "switch closed", what exactly does that mean...with the sensor/wires connected?
Thank you again!
Disconnected means "not connected".
Connect the controller to an appropriate power source. Then, with nothing connected to the controller switch terminals, use the probes on your multimeter to measure the voltage between each switch terminal and ground (common).
It would also be informative to measure and report the current flow between each switch terminal and ground/common. It will probably in the range of a few milliAmperes (mA).
