Levelsensor device for saltcontainer of a water softener.

thingiverse

Every water softener like our "Seduction 16L Fleck" has a salt container that relies on salt for regeneration of the resin cylinder. You need to check the level of the salt container regularly and add salt as needed, which is easy: simply open the lid and take a look. But why not make it easier? I designed a salt level sensor for my water softener: it features an RGB LED that displays four different colors with specific meanings: * Green indicates the level is okay. * Blue means the level is fine but will need some salt in a few days. * Red signals that the level is low and needs salt right away. * White warns of a level out of range. This sensor not only works on its own, but also integrates seamlessly with popular domotics software from Domoticz.com and MySensors.org. Now you can monitor your salt levels right through your home automation system! Here are the details about my DIY project: * It requires a 24-volt AC power supply, which draws around 150 milliamperes. * You'll need to use a separate 24-volt AC adapter, as the one that comes with your softener isn't powerful enough. I swapped mine out for an oversized adapter and added a 800-milliamere fuse to ensure safe operation. * The power splitter cable lets you feed both the sensor and the softener from the same adapter. To build this project, you'll need the following parts: * An Arduino Uno (remove the power connector and solder the wires to the correct + and - poles) * An NRF24L01 module * Optional: an NRF24L01 adapter for 5-volt input instead of 3.3 volts * A step-down converter with a 9-volt output * An AC-to-DC bridge * An ultrasonic sensor * An RGB LED with common ground * A power plug (3.5 mm) * Resistors: one 100-ohm resistor and two 470-ohm resistors * Bolts (3M, 10 mm) By the way, this sensor can be used standalone or integrated into any water softener system!