ZAF Plus Electronics
The electronics is probably the most technical part during the construction of ZAF+. There is nothing super complex but a lot of serial solder to connect the different electrical components and therefore good planification ahead. The electronic is composed of four different components:
- A Raspberry Pi 3 B+ to run the software and control the electronics.
- Two Mega Arduino 2560 R3. Arduino are microcontrollers controlling digital devices.
- Some Motor Controller to control the different pumps.
- 16 Module Relay interface board to drive current and control the valves.
Tu summarised the connections - the Raspberry Pi is connected directly on a Mega Arduino using a USB cable. The two Mega Arduino are serial connected and then, trough PWM signals, control the Motor controllers. The Mega Arduino are controlling the opening of each individual valves through the 16 module relays. A 12 volts power supply provide the electricity to the electronics expect the Raspberry Pi.
The following figure is summarising ZAF+ electronic connections.
