DIY Bluetooth Fuel Manager

[MaleBuffy]

Hello,

I have recently started a project of a DIY Flowscan that uses Bluetooth technology and an Android phone, you guys might be interested in.

Everything started when I was looking to buy one, but was put off when I saw the price tag.

This is my first post on this forum, so I hope I can start contributing to the community.

I have all the Info on my blog so that you can follow the project (which is neer the end) or start making your own.

I am of course open for suggestions!

[Brian]

Good luck with your project MaleBuffy.
I think you could be on a winner!

[HughN]

Cool.

I used that very same sensor for my non-bluetooth / app version (here)

It works really well (the sensor, that is!).

Hugh

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by MaleBuffy

Hello,

I have recently started a project of a DIY Flowscan that uses Bluetooth technology and an Android phone, you guys might be interested in.

Everything started when I was looking to buy one, but was put off when I saw the price tag.

This is my first post on this forum, so I hope I can start contributing to the community.

I have all the Info on my blog so that you can follow the project (which is neer the end) or start making your own.

I am of course open for suggestions!

Hello & welcome to Ribnet.
Interesting project. I've just had a quick read of your blog & one thing that springs to mind is; be careful of introducing anything that can restrict the fuel flow to the engine. If you starve the engine, you can get overheat problems & powerhead damage, especially on 2 strokes.

[MaleBuffy]

Nice to hear that the sensor works well.

[MaleBuffy]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Hello & welcome to Ribnet.
Interesting project. I've just had a quick read of your blog & one thing that springs to mind is; be careful of introducing anything that can restrict the fuel flow to the engine. If you starve the engine, you can get overheat problems & powerhead damage, especially on 2 strokes.

Hi thanks for the tip. This is the reason I bought 3 different sensors.

The first was to small 3mm nozzle. The last one (fs-3400ah) is 6mm which is enough.

[Simon666]

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Very interesting reading.
I might give it a try but have never played with a arduino before so it will be a big hurdle for me.
So which flowmeter did you end up using on your Tohatsu 140? I have a Suzuki 140 4 stroke.
Do the flow meters come pre calibrated?

[MaleBuffy]

Originally Posted by Simon666

Thanks for taking the time to post this. Very interesting reading.
I might give it a try but have never played with a arduino before so it will be a big hurdle for me.
So which flowmeter did you end up using on your Tohatsu 140? I have a Suzuki 140 4 stroke.
Do the flow meters come pre calibrated?

Hi, I used the Sensor from Futurlec. Its the cheapest and does the job.
They are pre calibrated, the Arduino does the job of calculating flow.

Dont worry about the Arduino. Its very easy to use and due to its popularity, there is tons of info on the net.

My design is also a "no solder", which makes it very easy to build.

If you eventually try it and need help, just message me.

[HughN]

By the way, the threaded connections on the second Flo-tech sensor have parallel threads rather than tapered threads. An O-ring or lots of PTFE (to make an artifical taper) is required to get a good seal. The other issue is the threads undoing as the fuel hose moves!

[MaleBuffy]

Originally Posted by HughN

By the way, the threaded connections on the second Flo-tech sensor have parallel threads rather than tapered threads. An O-ring or lots of PTFE (to make an artifical taper) is required to get a good seal. The other issue is the threads undoing as the fuel hose moves!

With the the FS-3400AH, since a horizontal mount of the sensor is a requirement (-+30 degrees),you cannot tolerate fuel hose movement.

You must somehow keep the hose stable.

Of course, one cannot expect to just connect the hose to the sensor without securing it in some way.

[Simon666]

Originally Posted by MaleBuffy

Hi, I used the Sensor from Futurlec. Its the cheapest and does the job.
They are pre calibrated, the Arduino does the job of calculating flow.

Dont worry about the Arduino. Its very easy to use and due to its popularity, there is tons of info on the net.

My design is also a "no solder", which makes it very easy to build.

If you eventually try it and need help, just message me.

Was this the one you used? FLOWFUEL30L0 - 2.0 to 30.0 L/min Diesel and Gasoline Flow Sensor

I see it only reads to 30lph. I noticed you thought this would be ok. My 140 four stroke burns about 45lph at full chat, i guess your 2 stroke would burn a fair bit more? Does it read higher or stop at 30lph?
Do you think i could run their digital display on the flow meter while also feeding the Arduino's inputs? I thought it would be nice to waterproof their meter and fit it on the dash. Flow Sensor

Did you order your flow meter direct?

Lastly, will this Arduino board work ok? its a little different to yours... UNO R3 2012 Development Board MEGA328P ATMEGA16U2 With USB Cable For Arduino UK | eBay

Many thanks!

[MaleBuffy]

Hi,

I have successfully managed to pass a bit more than 60l/h (water) through this sensor.

When you buy the sensor/meter combo, the manual strangely states 60l/h...

I think you won't have a problem using the Arduino and the LCD.

I ordered mine from the futurlec web site.

Yes its the newest model. The UNO. Mine is old but they are basically the same Layout.

[Simon666]

Thanks,
I bought the Uno board.
I also bought the Futurlec Flowmeter with the LCD display, also one spare flowmeter.

I already have what i think is a HC-06 bluetooth module (BC417 chipset) on 3.3v - 6v backboard. Will this work ok?

[MaleBuffy]

Originally Posted by Simon666

Thanks,
I bought the Uno board.
I also bought the Futurlec Flowmeter with the LCD display, also one spare flowmeter.

I already have what i think is a HC-06 bluetooth module (BC417 chipset) on 3.3v - 6v backboard. Will this work ok?

The HC-06 differs from the HC-05 in that it can only act as a slave, which is OK for this project. Be sure to connect the correct pins though, because there are different versions out there.

You might consider buying a waterproof case for the housing as well.

[MaleBuffy]

Simon does your 4-stroke have constant flow or does it send fuel when the outboard needs it?

Flow that is not constant will give inaccurate measurements. You can however overcome that by increasing the delay in the Arduino sketch.

Seems like you are my Beta tester for 4-strokes

[Simon666]

Originally Posted by MaleBuffy

Simon does your 4-stroke have constant flow or does it send fuel when the outboard needs it?

Flow that is not constant will give inaccurate measurements. You can however overcome that by increasing the delay in the Arduino sketch.

Seems like you are my Beta tester for 4-strokes

Im not sure. How can I tell? All my other engines have been two strokes. The 4 stroke fuel setup seems the same as any other two stroke.
When I turn on the ignition I hear the fuel pump buzzing under the cowl for a few seconds.

[MaleBuffy]

Originally Posted by Simon666

Im not sure. How can I tell? All my other engines have been two strokes. The 4 stroke fuel setup seems the same as any other two stroke.
When I turn on the ignition I hear the fuel pump buzzing under the cowl for a few seconds.

To be honest, I don't really know. I have read somewhere that this is the case with some newer outboards.

Anyways, it won't be a problem since we can do any calculations we want with the Arduino.

I will try to find more Info on this.

[Simon666]

Hi
I got my Arduino now and having a play.

This is my first time, so please be patient!

I get the following fault when compiling...

BT_Fuel.ino:18:47: error: #include expects "FILENAME" or <FILENAME>
BT_Fuel:19: error: 'SoftwareSerial' does not name a type
BT_Fuel.ino: In function 'void setup()':
BT_Fuel:42: error: 'BTFuel' was not declared in this scope
BT_Fuel.ino: In function 'void loop()':
BT_Fuel:57: error: 'BTFuel' was not declared in this scope

It highlights this line of the code:

SoftwareSerial BTFuel(11, 9); // Define the Pins of the HC-05 Bluetooth device. RX, TX

help!

[Simon666]

I might have sorted it. I modified this line. Can you check?

#include <SoftwareSerial.h> // import the Arduino serial library

[MaleBuffy]

Originally Posted by Simon666

I might have sorted it. I modified this line. Can you check?

#include <SoftwareSerial.h> // import the Arduino serial library

Yes you did. For some odd reason Copy/Paste didnt work as expected.