Completed Project

[hypamat]

Hi guys,
ive spend a bit of time working on a thermostatic controller for a new pet i only got yesterday, (a leopard Gecko)
They temperature on the "hot" side must be kept between 30 and 32 degrees, and so it is set at 31c
the cold side should be around 26ish, and the humidity around 50%

i thought this to be a perfect opportunity to save a bit of cash at the pet store, and build one myself.
it uses 2 SHT21 sensors, and the pic goes straight in to a solid state relay to turn on and off (as required) a 13w 230v heat mat

here is a link to the video demonstrating it:
http://youtu.be/5gXtON1nEvc

i dont know if things like this are allowed on the forum, however i would hope that it can help someone else, maybe and i would also like to thank the developers of this absolutely cracking software because otherwise, i would have absolutely no chance of programming something like this! so far, working flawlessly, please find the flowcode attached.

thanks,
matt

[dazz]

Hi
Nice project, thanks for sharing.
I would change a few things if i was you firstly and most importantly move those wires to the top of the vivarium, also cover the light fitting with some mesh, also do the same with the sensors,
as lizards have an uncanny habit of hurting themselves on anything hot and accessible, same with the wires they also like to chew and jump. found out years ago , with my bearded dragon everything i don't want him to touch is up on the top of the viv.
It might also be an idea to maybe add a fan outside behind the vent holes as i find with dave if it gets too hot in the viv it can take a long while to cool down, have to fit a light to the wifes viv soon but absolutely hate snakes, so im dragging my heals

Regards
Dazz

[medelec35]

Hi Mat,

i dont know if things like this are allowed on the forum

Absolutely it is and we appreciate you sharing it with us, so thank you.
So for that reason I have moved topic to the Programming Tips & Tricks section, so its not lost amongst people asking for help.

Martin

[hypamat]

thanks for your replies

and thanks dazz for the advice, i have read that geckos dont generally chew wires, which is lucky, but they are shielded anyway, apart from the mains cable for the heater! however in the pet shop, they had wires everywhere, which looked messy to be honest, but they seemed fine with it, and the light fitting in the top is a remote controlled E22 fitting, this is simply so i can set it to red at night so i can observe him, and there are sticky back led strips that are on a timer for daylight. i will consider however putting the SHT21 sensors behind a mesh, because the roaches seem to like to hide behind them, which isnt too helpful!

can i also mention, that if the temperature gets too high, or gets too low for example, the SSR fails closed, or the heat mat fails, it sets off a alarm inside the box which is audible throughout the house. This alarm should never be heard apart from when initially heating up, or as i said, when something fails

thanks
matt