Well I saw the floater in the dehumidifier. Unfortunately, when the floater rises the switch extends and holds the floater in the upright position. So even if you pump the water out then the floater will still be upright. But, I think I thought of another way to detect the water level that I think will be fun
- Fairly strong magnet, I have many many neodymiums at work I can get
- PVC pipe
- small watertight bottle
- 2 magnetic reed switches. Can get these from work too and they're sealed if I remember correctly.
1. Attach magnetic reed switches to sides of PVC pipe, one high up and one low down
2. Insert magnet into sealed bottle
3. Put bottle in PVC pipe
4. Place PVC pipe vertically in water container
When the top reed switch closes, pump turns on. When bottom switch closes, pump turns off. This whole system could probably be controlled by adding a few other relays to control power... but she'd hate me if I did something stupid and filled her dorm room with water. So, I plan on still using the micro and use a current sense resistor.
I'm guessing (though I plan 100% on measuring several times to be sure I'm right) that the following is true:
1. If the pump is pumping ONLY air, current will be very low. Micro shuts off pump
2. If the pump is pumping water through the tube that slips off the counter onto the ground, current will be low (though not as low as pumping air)
3. If the pump is pumping water through an upright tube 4' high, then the current will rise as the water height rises.
So, if the micro doesn't see the current increase to a certain level, then it will shut off. Any comments?