ZAF Plus Box safety and connectivity
To avoid any water splashing on to the electronics, which can induce malfunction and/or electrical hazards, all of the core electronic components should be placed inside of a waterproof safety box. We placed all the ZAF+ electronics in the safety box, with the exception of the Raspberry Pi microcomputer and the screen which can be placed far from the water because the only link between that module and the rest of ZAF+ is a USB cable. To ensure safe and easy connections with the external components (i.e valves, pumps etc...), we connected the main electronic components with electrical screw-terminals outside of the safety box. For example, all the downstream connections from the 16 Module Relays are connected to the valves through screw-terminals located outside of the box, and which are attached to ZAF+ frame in the valve and tubing compartment. Similarly, the motor drivers are in the box and connected to a screw-terminal, allowing for easy pump connections without opening the electrical safety box.
As described in the main electronics figure, there is a lot of wiring in ZAF+, mainly to connect the 16 module relays to the valve through the screw terminal. Therefore, good wiring hygiene is essential. We recommend that you use a solder breadboard to connect and organise the connections from the 16 module relays to the valve terminals.
Picture showing the organisation of the electronic box and its different components.
Lateral view of the electronics box.
Zoom in view on the 16 module relays and the solder breadboard.
View of the top panel of the box.
View of the valves screw terminal.