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Lawn Sprinkler project

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  Lawn Sprinkler Project     This post describes a lawn sprinkler project I recently built here in The Villages.  For ease of reference, I am going to refer to this homebuilt controller as Sprinkler1 .      This is the first draft and may contain mistakes.  If you are a beginner, be careful about implementing this device. Introduction      Like many of you, I have relied on the builder-supplied commercially available sprinkle controller.  In my case, it is the Hunter Pro C Sprinkler Controller.  It works quite well  It includes a component called the Solar Sync.  The Solar Sync Sensor is an evapotranspiration (ET) system that calculates plant-watering requirements and adjusts the sprinkling times set in the controller to match the environment.  It seems to work very well for me, but some neighbors have complained that it does not work well.  Some even stated that the landscaping people recommended that it be removed from their controller.     One thing I don't like about the Hunter
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Auto Start

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Auto Start for UPS3v2 UPS  1. Introduction    This project shows how to use an ATTiny microcontroller to restart a UPS3v2 after it has been automatically shutdown due to a lightning storm detection event.  The ATTiny is included as part of the Disconnector 1 board that separates a UPS from wallpower in the event of a lightning storm.    We know that we cannot provide complete protection from a lightning strike.  Lightning will have its way with your home, appliances, and electronics.  It cannot be prevented.    But, you can protect from damaging surges caused by nearby lightning.  You should have a whole house lightning/surge protection such as this one from SECO.   Also, you should install surge protective devices at each outlet where sensitive electronics may be installed. I like this one from Amazon.  This device from APC also works well. 2. Description    Once you've implemented SPDs, you can use/build a lighting detection system to detect the presence o
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Lighting Detection and Surge Mitigation

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Lightning Detection and Surge Mitigation Introduction    Lighting is common in central Florida, which is the lightning capital of the U.S.  (but not the world, Rwanda has that distinction).  For those of us running computer networks, the possibility of lightning storms and their attendant strikes can wreak havoc on our computer hardware.  Many people power off their computers when not in use, but for many networks, the computers provide monitoring and control functions for which it is desirable to run without interruption.    There is hardware available to help mitigate the potential for lightning/surge damage.  You cannot protect against lightning strikes, but many surges resulting from lightning are at a level that can be protected against. Both whole house and point-of-use devices are available. Cloud to Ground Lightning Incidence Detection    For our purposes, we want to take further action to mitigate the possibility of damages resulting from surges.  It is
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