2" NPT cap for Maxbotix USB ultrasonic sensor (oil tank level readings)

thingiverse

I recently replaced my DIY solution for monitoring our home heating oil tank level with a Maxbotix ultrasonic sensor, which has been performing exceptionally well. I was previously using a 2" NPT PVC pipe plug and swapping it into a blank spot in the top of the tank, but this required careful drilling of the pipe plug and wasn't visually appealing. This project began as a 3D model from McMaster-Carr, which I modified to accommodate the Maxbotix USB sensor with a side port access for the USB cable. For more details on the design process, please see "How I Designed This" below. I've had positive experiences using the Maxbotix sensors in the past with TTL serial output (MB1043), but they have since released a USB model that is significantly easier to work with, so I decided to customize this project for use with the MB1443 USB sensor. Maxbotix offers several tutorials on integrating their sensors with a Raspberry Pi: * An older tutorial for serial sensors can be found here: Interfacing a Raspberry Pi with an ultrasonic sensor * A more current tutorial for USB sensors is available here: Connect a Raspberry Pi Zero with an USB Ultrasonic Sensor I've included a video showing a time-lapse comparison of my data to the actual physical float level on the oil tank, demonstrating how well it matches up.