In this project we learn how to use a Tibbit #01 to control a MaxBotix MB7851-B2A TankSensor.
Components
- Tibbit #01: an RS232 transceiver, this Tibbit allows the TPS and the sensor to communicate.
- MaxBotix TankSensor: an ultrasound-based ranging device, which means it uses sound to measure distance. These distance sensors have multiple applications, ranging from navigation to intrusion detection.
How To
For liquid level detection, the sensor is placed at the top of a water tank, pointing towards the bottom of the tank. Then, the device can connect to a TPS to report its measurements.
First, we need to wire the sensor to the TPS. Within the TankSensor's datasheet, you'll find a table explaining the function of each colored wire. You can also check the following diagram as a reference.
We used a TPP3 but a TPP2 can also house the Tibbits required for this project.
After the wiring is done, make sure you configure Tibbit #01 as specified by the sensor's datasheet.
The sensor has two operation modes: FREERUN and TRIGGER. For this specific application, we will use the TRIGGER mode (FREERUN mode means that the sensor is always running, and is active when the green wire is HIGH or left floating). To enable the trigger mode, we will use the "On Timer" and "On Command" blocks.
To probe the sensor, the TPS will set the FREERUN/TRIGGER pin (green wire) to 1 through Tibbit #00_3 and start a timer. When the timer reaches zero, the FREERUN pin will be set back to zero. We will trigger this functionality with an "On Command" block, so we can probe the sensor on a shedule or through a button on the dashboard (the dashboard can be either configured through AppBlocks Cloud or the device's Web Console).
In the end, your dashboard should look like this.
The reading is updated every hour. Additionally, you can update it manually by pressing the dashboard button.