A Do It Yourself PH Controller
NEW in 2008! - I've taken a renewed interest in
this
project and will be soon reviving it, complete with an interface to a
solenoid. This is preliminary information about an
incompletely
tested design, but gives you an idea of where I'm headed.
Also
once I get the design
checked out, I plan on designing a board to ease implementation.
I may
even get a few extra made and offer them for sale, if there is interest.
Even if you don't need a PH controller of this type, this project
should provide the attentive builder with a some basic understanding of
op-amp circuits.
A couple of years ago, I was going to go all out and put together a
nice
planted aquarium with CO2 injection and everything else.
Although
the planted aquarium never really happened do to the plague of algae
documented
elsewhere, I did do a prototype PH
controller. I was
going to use a commercial CO2 bottle, but after experimenting with
yeast
CO2, I never took the that next step and have never installed this
controller.
Those who wish to try making their own PH controller based on this
design
should be forewarned that this design has not been actually installed
and
left operating.
The basic PH controller idea came from Gary Bishop's design which can
be found at http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/co2-pvc.html.
Anyone attempting to build one, should first reference his design as he
has some insight about actual operation. My implementation
has a
slightly different design for the probe's light box and electronics.
Let me know if you try this design and if you encounter any problems
or have ideas for improvements.
The
Probe
A CO2 Reactor (coming soon)
The Revised Electronics
The Original Electronics
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