Difference between revisions of "Frame: Vacuum Formed Scale: A Plastic/Aluminum Hybrid"

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(A vacuum formed scale option utilizing plastic and a reinforced aluminum undercarriage.)
 
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'''INTRODUCTION:'''<br>
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'''OVERVIEW:'''<br>
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My name is David Hawa, I am hobbyist beekeeper in Texas and have been keeping bees since 2012.  The HawaUbee Apiary is registered with the State (#1-439-701) and is located within Henrietta Creek Apple Orchard in Roanoke, Texas.  The orchard which has been in operation since 1990, hosts field trips to thousands of children annually teaching them about pollinators and pollinator habitats.  Currently the apiary has two monitored beehives, the first Named: HawaUbee which utilizes an older version of HiveTool and is a 10 frame Langstroth style hive. The HawaUbee hive is a participant in the NASA pollination project; the first of its kind in Texas.  The second, more recent hive named HawaUbee02 is equipped with the new user friendly HiveTool setup (HiveTool 0.7.3)and monitors not only weight but internal hive temperature, external temperature, and sunlight patterns.  The HawaUbee02 beehive is an 8 frame Flow Hive with dual brood boxes.  My development scale is Named: HawaUbee03 which resides on my desk and it serves as my tinkering system.  At the end of 2016 I currently have ten, ten-frame Langstroth beehives and I manage 5 Flow Hives that are owned by the orchard.  I am amazed how far this project has come and excited to see where it is going! <br>
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The vacuum formed scale utilizes a combination of plastic hive rail with a reinforced aluminum undercarriage.  The general concept behind this scale was to produce an affordable light-weight scale that was able to accommodate both ten frame and eight frame Langstroth beehives.  An additional aluminum undercarriage was added as extra reinforcement was needed to support the weight of the cantilevered load cells.   
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The HawaUbee webpage is located at [http://www.HawaUbee.com HawaUbee.com] <br>
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'''Production:'''<br>
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Production of this scale started out by creating a very accurate wooden mold that was able to be used in a commercial vacuum forming machine.  The plastic used was 1/4" thick and possesses UV resistant properties that could handle the exposure to weather elements.  After the plastic form was produced additional work was done to remove the unneeded flashings.  Holes were drilled and aluminum bars were cut to size and added to properly secure the load cells.
  
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'''Pictured below the HawaUbee Apiary at the close of 2016:''' <br>
 
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[[File:ApiaryOverview.jpg|800px|thumb|none|Panoramic Overview of the HawaUbee Apiary]]<hr>
 
  
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'''SYSTEM'''<br>
 
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Overview - The HawaUbee Hivetool System is totally off the grid; it is powered by two 185W; 5.17AMP solar panels which charge Three 35AMP hour batteries and is wired with an inline fuse incase anything goes haywire.  Each scale is run by separate raspberry Pi computer systems contained in individual Pellican water-tight storage boxes.  The entire system is enclosed in a small outdoor storage shed which is anchored to the ground to prevent tipping.  The scales under HawaUbee and HawaUbee02 are constructed out of stainless steel "L" angle. Wires from the load cells are run into a watertight junction box and then are run through a protective conduit and connect to the Pi computer systems.  Both Pi systems have wireless USB dongles that connect to an AT&T velocity hotspot.  Below are pictures of some milestones for both HawaUbee and HawaUbee02 HiveTool Scales <br>
 
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'''HiveTool Scale: HawaUbee'''
 
 
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<gallery>
 
File:Scale1.JPG|Stainless Steel Scale with Load Cells|alt=alt language
 
File:Scale1.JPG|Stainless Steel Scale with Load Cells|alt=alt language

Revision as of 20:43, 14 March 2017

OVERVIEW:
The vacuum formed scale utilizes a combination of plastic hive rail with a reinforced aluminum undercarriage. The general concept behind this scale was to produce an affordable light-weight scale that was able to accommodate both ten frame and eight frame Langstroth beehives. An additional aluminum undercarriage was added as extra reinforcement was needed to support the weight of the cantilevered load cells.

Production:
Production of this scale started out by creating a very accurate wooden mold that was able to be used in a commercial vacuum forming machine. The plastic used was 1/4" thick and possesses UV resistant properties that could handle the exposure to weather elements. After the plastic form was produced additional work was done to remove the unneeded flashings. Holes were drilled and aluminum bars were cut to size and added to properly secure the load cells.


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    Stainless Steel Scale with Load Cells

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    Testing the Scale with Weights

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    Leveling and Installation of the Scale

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    Rough Installation of Components

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    Connection to the Internet Accomplished

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    HawaUbee Hive Langstroth 10-Frame

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    Inside the Container

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    HawaUbee(NASA #TX01)is Complete


HiveTool Scale: HawaUbee02

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    Stainless Steel Scale with load cells

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    HiveTool Development Board Components

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    Soldering Components

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    HawaUbee02 powered by battery

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    Preparing to install the scale

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    Installing HawaUbee02 Computer

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    Construction of Light Sensor

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    Final Installation of HawaUbee02 Under a Flow Hive


Parts List
Below is a list of parts that will produce a system that is very close to what is at the HawaUbee Apiary. Keep in mind that this system is way above and beyond a typical system it is also completely off the wired grid, utilizing solar power and a hotspot for wireless internet connection. This cost does not include tools, labor, Hivetool Development Kit, and actual scale construction. The hotspot is a 5GB/month plan and roughly costs $50 per month. To see a breakdown click on the PartsList - HawaUbee.xlsx link that is below this image.
HawaUbee-PartsList.JPEG
File:PartsList - HawaUbee.xlsx

Soldering/Construction Manual
If you have decided to assemble your own board below is a manual to aide in the assembly of your HiveTool v0.3 board.
Manual.jpg
File:HiveToolV0.3Board - Construction.pdf

EZ Connector for the DHT22 (Temperature) Sensor
Soldering the DHT22 is not an easy thing to do, even for the savvy solder-er utilizing a high-end iron and a convenient clamp. I have found a connector/cable combo that will take the headache out of making/repairing/replacing your temperature sensors. The wire leads off the connector are much easier to solder, I even accomplished this in-field with relative ease. This cable can be purchased at Amazon.com for around $6.00 for a quantity of ten.
Search: "'TronicsPros RGB LED Light Strips Female Connector RGB LED Strip Connector Cable" I am going to call the connector the DHT-EZ for the descriptors below.

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    Picture of the DHT-EZ

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    DHT22 sensor is inserted into the DHT-EZ

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    Shrink Tubing Securely attaches the DHT22 to the DHT22-EZ

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    Leads off the DHT-22EZ are soldered and insulated


Lightbulb Lux Sensor
This is a creative play off of the ping pong ball setup of the Sensi of Sensors, Adrian Ogden. This model utilizes a carefully disassembled 60W Sylvania LED light bulb. I probably should have included a desiccant in the construction of this which should be considered in future models. Take note of the clear piece of plastic that I added between the back of the sensor and the metal piece on the light bulb (pictured below).

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    Sylvania 60W LED Bulbs

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    Bulb and Lux Sensor

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    Dome removed from bulb base (wear gloves)

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    Removal of LEDs,*Installation of Plastic Insulator* and Notch bulb body for wire

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    Solder wires to Lux Sensor

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    Secure Lux Sensor to bulb base

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    Use electrical tape to reattach dome to bulb body

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    Secure using electrical tape to 3/4' PVC pipe


Solution to Overheating Hot Spot
If you are in areas of extreme heat during the summertime, you may have problems with your equipment overheating. Fortunately the only gadget I was having problems with was the AT&T Velocity Hotspot. After tossing around a few ideas, inclusive of using a super mini refrigerator I decided on using a CPU air cooler as a viable option. You will undoubtedly have to have an exterior container to take advantage of this option. I also had to make a wooden mount to hold the air-cooler upright.

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    Type of CPU Air Cooler I used

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    Remove back plate exposing the battery pack

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    Fasten the Hotspot to the cooler with zip-ties

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    The cooler in the enclosure, I have a second fan to move air also


Super Affordable Scale Option
Current Project

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