I have started making the first portion of the project which is the rain detector to control the storm shutters. The sensor has been completed and the input circuit has been completed too. The rain detector is very simple and is just two traces on a PCB that do not touch. The concept of this circuit is that when rain drops fall on the PCB, electricity will flow through the water and the Arduino will sense a voltage input. The first picture is the pattern i will be using. You can make the pattern of the rain sensor however you want it, as long as there are two traces on the board that do not touch. The first picture is the pattern i will be using for my circuit. The second picture is just an example of a random pattern you can have. I have completed the input portion of the rain sensor and is shown below. The 10K ohm resistor is temporary and may or may not be charged when the rest of the circuit is built. The rain sensor does not have to be connected to an Arduino. You can make your own circuit that simply determines if there is connectivity between the traces on the rain sensor PCB.
The pattern i will be using
A random pattern i made
Rain sensor input
The Code
/*
Hessam Siddiqui
05/23/2012
hessam93.blogspot.com
Rain sensor test circuit
*/
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600); //Initializes serial to 9600 bits per second
}
void loop()
{
int rainSensorValue = analogRead(A0); // Reads the input value from analog pin 0 and assigns it to rainSensorValue
Serial.println(rainSensorValue); // The value of rainSensorValue is printed
delay(100); // A small delay so the output doesn't scroll to fast
}
I am not responsible or liable for any damages or loss you cause with the use of this information and i am not guaranteeing that this will work.
