PORTABLE WATER ALARM DETECTOR LINN WEN TECK A Report .

PORTABLE WATER ALARM DETECTORLINN WEN TECKA report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for theaward of the degree of Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (PowerSystems)FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ENGINEERINGUNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PAHANGNOVEMBER 2007

ii“All the trademark and copyrights use herein are property of their respective owner.References of information from other sources are quoted accordingly; otherwise theinformation presented in this report is solely work of the author.”Signature:Author: LINN WEN TECKDate: 19 NOVEMBER 2007

iiiTo my beloved family and friends,

ivACKNOWLEDGEMENTFirst of all, I would like to thank my project supervisor, En. Mohd RedzuanB. Ahmad, who has given me much strong logistic support while implementing theproject given. He has always assisted me when I handling my project. Besides, Iwould like to express my sincere appreciation for his valuable advices, guidance andencouragement. This has inspired me to be more confident in trying new things.Secondly, I would like to thank my family members for giving me theirloves and supports throughout my four years of studies in Universiti MalaysiaPahang (UMP), Gambang, Pahang.Special thanks to staff FKEE, who have given me a great help inaccomplishing this project.At last but not least, I would like to say millions of thanks to all my coursemates and those who has lending me their helping hand.Thank you.

vABSTRACTOne of the most common natural disasters that hit our country is flood.Many lives have perished in this hazardous natural disaster. Early precaution andsafety measures can be taken if in anyway the people can be warn about theincoming flood. Most of those who died in these floods are not aware about the wateraccumulating outside their house and when they finally realize about the situation, itis too late for them to do anything. The purpose of this study is to develop a portablewater alarm detector that can be used at home to detect the level of water outside thehouse. Extensive simulations using software were performed and the solution to theflood problem is proposed. Evaluation is based on the needs of the user, the cost ofproduction, the portability of the alarm and the types of output that can be used towarn the user about the flood. Researches done on the water alarm shows that aportable type is more convenient for the users rather than a permanent placed wateralarm because the users can know about the status of the level of water fromanywhere inside the house. It was found that basic features for a water alarm such assensors, buzzer alarm and LCD to display the water level with the usage of batteriesis the best method. This method showed significant improvement in safety, reliabilityand user friendliness of the alarm compared to the other alternative methods. Thefindings suggest that the water alarm should be easy to maintain, easy to use and themost importantly can warn the users.

viABSTRAKSalah satu bencana alam yang sering kali melanda negara kita ialah banjir.Banyak nyawa dan harta benda yang terkorban dalam bencana alam yang dahsyat ini.Langkah-langkah keselamatan dan berjaga-jaga boleh diambil agar para pendudukdapat mengetahui keadaan semasa ketika berlakunya banjir. Kebanyakkan daripadamereka yang terkorban dalam musibah ini adalah disebabkan oleh ketidaksedaranmereka mengenai bencana yang akan melanda ini dan apabila mereka menyedarikeadaan ini, ianya sudah terlambat. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menghasilkansebuah penggera air mudah alih yang boleh digunakan untuk mengukur ketinggianair di luar kawasan rumah semasa berlakunya bamjir. Kajian mendalammenggunakan perisian computer telah dilakukan and langkah penyelesaian untukmasalah banjir ini telah dicadangkan. Kajian yang dilakukan adalah berdasarkankeperluan pengguna, kos penghasilan projek, kemudahalihan projek dan jenispenggera yang digunakan untuk memberi amaran kepada pengguna. Kajian yangtelah dijalankan menunjukkan penggera air mudah alih adalah lebih sesuai untukkegunaan orang ramai berbanding dengan penggera air yang tetap. Keperluan asassebuah penggera air seperti LCD, buzzer dan pengesan air dengan penggunaan bateriadalah langkah terbaik dalam penghasilan projek ini. Kaedah ini menunjukkanpenambahbaikkan dari segi keselamatan and mudah digunakan berbanding dengankaedah lain.

viiTABLE OF IONiiiACKNOWLEDGEMENTSivABSTRACTvABSTRAKviTABLE OF CONTENTSviiLIST OF FIGURESxLIST OF TABLESxiLIST OF APPENDICESxiiINTRODUCTION1.1Literature Review11.2Design Objectives21.3Scope of Project31.4Thesis Overview4PROJECT THEORY OF OPERATION2.1Introduction52.2Sensing of Water52.3Transmission & Reception62.4Alarm Output72.5Overall Operation9

n103.2Flow Chart for Project Development113.3Flow Chart for Hardware Development133.4Flow Chart for Software Development153.5Summary16SYSTEM HARDWARE DESIGN4.1Introduction174.2PIC16F877A184.2.1 Operation204.2.2 PIC16F877A Pin Assignments21FM Wireless System Module234.3.1 Encoder244.3.2 Decoder264.3.3 Transmitter Module284.3.4 Receiver Module284.3.5 Antenna Module29LCD Display304.4.1 Operation304.4.2 Pin Assignments324.5LED Indicators334.6Buzzer334.7Summary344.34.4

ixCHAPTERTITLE5.0SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION6.07.0PAGE5.1 Introduction355.2PIC16F877A Programming Language365.2.1 Assembly365.2.2 High Level375.3PICBasic Pro Compiler385.4Summary39EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS6.1 Introduction406.2 FM Wireless Module Test416.2.1Encoder & Decoder Test416.2.2FM Transmitter & Receiver Test436.3LCD Display446.4LED Indicators456.5Summary47CONCLUSIONS7.1 Conclusion487.2 Future Improvements497.2.1Costing and CommercializationREFERENCESAPPENDICES A-J505152-88

xLIST OF FIGURESFIGURE NO.1.1TITLEPAGEBlock Diagram for Wireless CommunicationOn Portable Water Alarm22.1Conductors and Insulators63.1Flow Chart for Project Development113.2Flow Chart for Water Sensor Operation133.3Flow Chart for Output Alarm Development143.4Programming Flowchart154.1Block Diagram of PIC16F877A194.2FM Wireless as Communication Medium234.3HT12E Timing Diagram254.4HT12E Flow of Operation254.5HT12D Flowchart274.6HT12D Decoder Timing Diagram274.7LED Indicators335.1PICBASIC PRO Compiler396.1Encoder and Decoder Test Circuit426.2LED at VT Pin426.3FM Wireless Module Testing436.4LCD Connection to PIC16F877A446.5LCD Displaying Data456.6(a)LED 1 Lights Up456.6(b)LED 1 & 2 Light UP466.6(c)LED 1, 2 & 3 Light Up466.6(d)LED 1, 2, 3 & 4 Light Up46

xiLIST OF TABLESTABLE NO.TITLEPAGE1.1Standard LCD Character Table84.1(a)PIC16F877A Pin Assignments214.1(b)PIC16F877A Pin Assignments (Continuation)224.2Common LCD Command314.3Pin Assignment of LCD32

xiiLIST OF APPENDICESAPPENDIX NO.TITLEPAGEAHT12E Encoder Data Sheets52BHT12D Decoder Data Sheets57CPIC16F877A Data Sheets63DLCD Data Sheets68ETransmitter Data Sheets72FReceiver Data Sheets75GCircuits78HProgram80IUser Manual83JProject Photos88

CHAPTER 1INTRODUCTION1.1LITERATURE REVIEWOne of the most frequent natural disasters that hit our country is flood. In themost recent flood incident that hit this country, millions worth of properties andhundreds of lives are sacrificed. This scenario is a norm when flood happens becausethe people are not aware of the incoming disaster.Some kind of safety measure must be taken to warn the people once the waterstarts to accumulate outside the house. A water alarm can be used to notify thepeople about the danger that’s coming. The water alarm detector is a self-containedelectronic device that sounds an alarm when its sensor is in contact with water. Thereare two types of water alarm detectors—passive and active. The passive detector usesa 9-volt batteryThe moisture sensor is placed on the floor and activates the alarm when itbecomes wet. Damp locations or high temperatures may reduce the life of the battery,so the detector should be checked regularly to see if it is working properly. Thesedetectors can be purchased at most home improvement stores.

2However, these alarms are permanently placed at the place where wateraccumulates and the alarm also sounds at the designated place. This type of alarm isnot so practical because the sound of the alarm may not be heard by the user. Hence,a portable type water alarm is more suitable for this purpose.1.2DESIGN OBJECTIVEThe objective of this project is to develop a portable water alarm detectorwith LCD display output, buzzer alarm and LED indicators for water level.The aim of the portable water alarm is to sense the accumulating wateroutside the house. At the same time, the alarm will alert the user about the waterlevel by using LCD display and LED indicators. A buzzer alarm will sound when thewater level reaches a critical level determined by the user.The height of water that will be displayed by the LCD can be changeaccordingly to the user’s need by programming. The LED indicators will light up oneby one according to the level of the water that is accumulating outside the house.EncoderTransmitterReceiverLCD DisplayDecoderPIC16F877ASensorsLED IndicatorBuzzerFigure 1.1: Block Diagram for Wireless Communication on Portable Water Alarm

31.3SCOPE OF PROJECTThe scope of this project is to:I. Produce a hardware for signal transmission and signal receivingII. To program a microcontroller to control different outputsIII. To encode and decode data to be sendIV. To use only a 9V battery as power supplyThis project consists of a few modules with sub modules. The following arethe modules and sub modules throughout the execution of the whole project:I. Project Researcha. Types of water alarm in the marketb. Type of wireless communications (Radio frequency(RF),Infrared etc)c. Microcontrollers (PIC16F877A)d. Encoders and DecodersII. Circuit Design, Testing & Assemblya. Wireless (Radio Frequency (RF)) communication modulesb. LCD Display using microcontroller PIC16F877Ac. Water Level Detector Circuitd. Alarm Circuite. LED displayIII. Software Developmenta. LCD display to indicate water levelb. Control the time the alarm soundc. Controlling the time of the LED emissionIV. Testing and Analysis

41.4THESIS OVERVIEWThis thesis is primarily concerned with the understanding and modeling ofelectronic components and programming. All the work done in this project ispresented in 7 chapters:Chapter 2 outlines the architecture used to implement the system. Thisincludes the water alarm’s water sensing methods and the communication protocol.This is important because it provides the basis for the implementation of the project.The architecture of each subcomponent in the system is described as it isimplemented in the system.Chapter 3 outlines the methodology used in the implementation of the project.This chapter includes the flow of the project development and the flow of theprogramming used in the project. This is one of the most essential part of the projectas it determines the whether the flow of the project is smooth or otherwise.Chapter 4 provides a description of the water alarm hardware and outputsystem used for this project. It briefly describes the physical structure of the wateralarm.Chapter 5 describes the software that controls for the output of the wateralarm developed for the project. It describes the software functionality as anintegrated system. The detailed subroutines program is also included.Chapter 6 covers various testing of each module used and also the integrationof the whole system. This is important to demonstrate modular development of acomplex system.Chapter 7 summarizes the overall project design and it’s future development.