Ok Im newly registered and am exited to be here. I will try not to sound stupid…but I AM a newbie.
My robot goes to sea. As such I have many small compartments that need to be monitored for the influx of water. In some cases multiple sensors for one compatrment(water level, half full, full etc)
There should be a circuit which is simple enough, like two wires closely spaced, which would be waterproof and send a 5v level to a data monitor. The monitor part is fairly easy. But the detection circuit is a mystery. Supply voltage available is 12v. I can divide for lower voltages if necessary.
What wont work…float switches and commercial basement sensors because they are way to large.
fiberoptic sensors because of the sheer volume of the sensors and the radius bend of the fiber.
LED optical sensors because of the level of water to cover them. The sensor has to see the water less than 1/8 inch deep.
commercial units use a two wire probe setup to set of an audible alarm. but they are huge.(at least for my robot)
Any ideas or solutions would be more than welcome. nice to meet you all…
MC
You might want to look into capacitive sensors. Sites like Instructables show you how to make your own. You would need a microcontroller with many I/O such as the Arduino MEGA.