http://lifehacker.com/5866012/hack-a-water-sensor-into-your-christmas-tree-to-tell-you-when-to-water ...blogger Eric Ayars created a reminder system with an Arduino. Using a small sensor, an Arduino Pro Mini, a relay, transformer, and an outlet box, he created a system that can detect the amount of water in the tree's tray and blink a morse code message when it's in need of water.
Full plans here; http://hacks.ayars.org/2011/12/christmas-tree-water-level-alert.html I guess you plug your tree light into it, and then it flashes them in a pattern to let you know the water state. I used to use a water alarm[1] taped to a length of PEX as a way to tell when the tree reservoir was full when filling the tree, and for spot checking it. 1. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100038838/h_d2/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 I've since replaced it with some cheap gizmo that has a water sensor built-in to a long funnel that you permanently install, obscured among the branches of the tree. It talks when the tree is in need of water. -Tom _______________________________________________ Hardwarehacking mailing list Hardwarehacking@blu.org http://lists.blu.org/mailman/listinfo/hardwarehacking
