[Malebuffy] bought himself a used boat last year. Fuel isn’t exactly cheap where he lives, so he wanted a way to monitor his fuel consumption. He originally looked into purchasing a Flowscan off the shelf, but they were just too expensive. In the interest of saving money, [Malebuffy] decided to build his own version of the product instead.
To begin, [Malebuffy] knew he would need a way to display the fuel data once it was collected. His boat’s console didn’t have much room though, and cutting holes into his recently purchased boat didn’t sound like the best idea. He decided he could just use his smart phone to display the data instead. With that in mind, [Malebuffy] decided to use Bluetooth to transmit the data from the fuel sensors to his smart phone.
The system uses an older Arduino for the brain. The Arduino gets the fuel consumption readings from a Microstream OF05ZAT fuel flow sensor. The Arduino processes the data and then transmits it to a smart phone via a Bluetooth module. The whole circuit is powered from the boat battery using a DC adapter. The electronics are protected inside of a waterproof case.
[Malebuffy’s] custom Android apps are available for download from his website. He’s also made the Arduino code available in case any one wants to copy his design.
Fuel for his boat is expensive? Never heard of a sail!? OK, all joking aside this is pretty smart but the best thing is it can be adapted to many projects needing a flow sensor.
LoL, sail is too slow! :)
In reading through this there’s a cautionary tale about cheap parts – he originally tried a sensor (the one in the red box) that looks like someone took an Ebay water-flow sensor (notice the large, barbed fittings) and packaged it up as something else. Of course it seized solid and stopped the motor – which is much better than leaking fuel around poorly grounded fittings.
I wanted to see the source code for the Android end of this project. Unfortunately the only links I can see from the author’s blog site are links to the compiled applications. Furthermore, the BTFuelMan.rar file is over on zippyshare.com which appears to be a cesspool of spam, popup ad loops, and malware mixed in with the uploaded files. Has anyone found the source code for the Android apps? At a reputable and safe site?
It’s in Android Processing. Will it be of any use to you?
It’s not commented that good. If you still want it just give me a shout.
I see you’ve added the source code to your blog. That’s very much appreciated. Thanks for responding so quickly with your posting!
Changed the hosting to Google drive as well.
It’s cleaner than Zippyshare
Hey, I know this is old, but I’m hoping you find this. I am interested in doing something similar. I got the crappy chinese OF05ZAT to work, but it was not precise enough. I managed to get my hands on a real japanese AICHI unit, but it’s only 1/4″ OD. I have a 250hp suzuki and wonder if it’ll starve it at higher RPM. Also, AICHI claims these are not for “volatile” liquids, gasoilne being one. How did yours work and did you have any issues with it? How big was your engine? Please leave a link to your new website. I would love to see your source code. So far, mine only outputs to an LCD and a laptop.