newby needing urgent help needed with project

[cavi]

i am new to using pic and have been given this project, i have only used the 16F84 PIC before to make a light flash. If any 1 can help in anyway please let me know asap as i need some help knowing where to begin.

Rain Water Management System


With increasing pressure on the water supply in some areas of the country and with the introduction of compulsory water metering it will become increasingly important to make full use of all water resources. With this in mind new build houses could be fitted with a system to make use of local rainwater for flushing the WC’s and filling automatic washing machines.
The system fitted could work in the following manner:

1 Sensors to detect when rainwater is present in the collection gutters.
2 A set of pumps is activated to move the water to the Roof storage tank.
3 The collected water is then gravity fed to the WC and washing machine.
4 The level in the Roof tank is monitored and if it falls too low then a valve is opened and 50l of mains water is taken into the tank.
5 If the tank becomes too full then a second valve is opened and excess water is fed to the Garden water storage system.
6 If the tank becomes over full then an overflow system removes the excess.

Task:

Design a microcontroller based system which
A Monitors the level of the Roof tank and indicates the contents to the user.
B Senses when rain is collecting in the gutter collection boxes and activates pumps to send it to storage tank.
C Tops up the tank when level falls.
D Releases excess to Garden storage.
E User emergencies override to fill the Roof tank

The control unit should use as little power as possible and be based around a PIC microcontroller, which can be programmed within the school, or any industrial work based system.

 

[3v0]

For clarity of thinking do not try to solve everything at once. Break it down into parts or subsystems.

Figure out what you need to monitor and what devices you need to control.

Work out the logic on what to turn on and off to make things happen correctly based on sensor readings.

Your instructor is attempting to get you to think. If we provide you with too much information it will defeat that.

 

[ericgibbs]

hi cavi

5 If the tank becomes too full then a second valve is opened and excess water is fed to the Garden water storage system.
6 If the tank becomes over full then an overflow system removes the excess.

As you are making the system energy efficient, just position the 'to garden' overflow pipe lower down in the holding tank, also the 'overflow' pipe a little higher in the 'holding' tank. No need for electro-valves.

Also its fail safe, in event of a mains power failure.

Always think in terms, whats the simplest way to satisfy the individual tasks in your project.

I believe in the saying, 'good enough is perfect'

As 3v0 says, we don't mind guiding you thru your project, not do it for you.

EricG

 

[gramo]

I like where this is heading, lets us know how you go!

 

[cavi]

i am thinking of using an pic16F77 please could u let me know if u think this will work if not y not. thanx

 

[guen_max]

I'm pretty sure the pic 16F84 will work just fine. As they said break it into parts, also you need to work out the logic of the given problem. Try to review your basic logic circuits, remember the karnaugh map?