Firstly, I'm fairly new to arduinos, I have done a bit of programming and stuff before, but really can't say I know much so sorry for any basic questions!
So, I have just bought an old air compressor with a 3 phase 4hp motor but it doesn't have a switch, let alone a pressure regulated switch. Turns out that semi decent switches with adjustable pressure cut out and cut in are rather expensive.
For those of you who are wondering what I'm trying to do, I'm trying to build a setup that will turn on the motor let the compressor build up pressure, then when it gets to the correct psi, cut out the motor, wait until the psi drops to a certain level and then turn the motor back in to bring it up again..etc...
Leaving the code aside for now which I doubt would be too exceedingly complicated (or am I being optimistic here?), how hard would it be to set this up?
I was thinking an Arduino one (only because that's the first one I came across and is reasonably priced, let me know if you think I should choose something else.
Then a pressure sensor like this tapped into the air tank hoses: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pressure-transducer-or-sender-200-psi-stainless-steel-for-oil-fuel-air-water-/262863030572?hash=item3d33db892c:g:6xAAAOSwtfhYpXwc
Connect it up to measure the analogue voltage on the sensor, then use a digital output logic level to trigger the relay for the 3 phases.
Future additions could be some LEDs to show the rough pressure in the tank or possibly a switch to choose between a few presets. Maybe even add a screen etc, who knows.
So, what have I missed? Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated, believe it or not, spending ~£40 on a project like this is cheaper than buying a decent quality pressure switch and means I get to learn a load with a small project with so many more options!