Solenoid valve question..

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Dump a sump pump into the fish tank to empty it.....placing a net over pump discharge outlet should enable you to catch the fish.
 
To all those who are saying I am overthinking f@ck off and use some imagination! This is the sort of thing I do at work and I also happen to enjoy the challange of projects like :D better than going to the pub or spending my life flaming people on forums lol
yeah it is a big tank and I could do without the hassle and possibility of spilling water on the wooden floor etc etc.

For those who have given me constructive feedback thank you. Yes RS is expensive but at least items are likely to be reliable as you say.
You are an innovative person, and you are using your knowledge of electronics to make things easier for you, and why not, regulations are indeed regulations, but that should not stop you making a fish tank filling and draining system using your own designed control system, all you need to do is to make sure you do not contravene water and other safety regulations, such as possibility of electrocution.

However, I am highly interested in your control system, are you using a microprocessor based system if so what processor and and did you write your own programme for it?
 
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Mike yes I program pic micros using assembler. Something I enjoy as a hobby and now do so for a living. This will clearly be a very simple bit of code, very simple electronically and will cost very little, I will probably use an 16F628 or similar processor as I have lots of them lying around. all low voltage and isolated for obvious reasons, and always with residual current device which I have for heaters and pump anyway.

I had not considered the fact I might be breaking regulations so again thanks, just means separate pipes and the clearance which is not as convenient but I guess the regulations are there to protect us all!

It will be so easy just to press a button and let everything sort itself out!
 
Brilliant, why I had a feeling you could well be using a micro processor for your application as opposed to cmos logic chips, as most of these cmos chips are now being made defunct, many aren't available as microprocessors have taken over, but yes I could well use your skills and so i will PM you my email.
 
I still have a lot of CMOS chips.

Do you think their scarsity will increase their value?
 
Not necessarily Tony, as they have a date stamp on them, many cannot be used due to Rosh compliancy, one can use them in home projects, but not in manufacturing goods for sale in EU and some other countries where use of lead has been prohibited. I have about 10 reels of tin/lead solder that will have to be dumped in a land fill because I am no longer allowed to use it, thanks to EU Rohs regulations, only lead free !

Most logic gates like 4001, 4011, 4013, 4081 etc are still available but some specialised ones like 4508, 4585, 4518, 4520, 74HCT245, are becoming increasingly difficult to get hold of, and 16K static rams like 6116 are no longer stocked by almost any supplier, some can still be got from surplus stock holders mainly from China. (these I am talking about in quantities greater than 100pcs)

Future generation of kids will no longer have to learn about logic gates, it will all be microprocessors, like the BBC Micro-bit being introduced for 7th year pupils, to encourage them to learn about future of programming.
 
It always surprises me that the basics of how logic gates work is not a compulsory subject for kids!

At a party last Sat, hostess went round counting how many teas and coffees. She told us she had run out of fingers!

I told her to count in binary so she would be able to count up to 31 on each five fingered hand.

Don't think she understood me!
 
The tin/lead solder can still be used on gas and central heating pipework!
 
If its only a fish tank being emptied then a simple tube used to siphon the water out will be a simple solution avoiding the use of PICs and solenoids.

Terminating the siphon tube at say 50 mm above the base of the tank will leave a small depth for the fish to survive in.

KISS
 
Yes Tony, you can count 31 using all 5 fingers, things have changed so much over the last 30 odd years, I saw videos on the BBC's new Micro-Bit, I don't think it does much to train pupils much about how logic works other than drag a box from one part of your smart phone or PC to another part and compose a programe, using small applets, that is not what i consider a proper programming skills, what if the kids were asked to actually create an applet in the first place complete with its border and colours and the shape of the box, and how it interacts with other applets and how a processor sees it and does what with it, and not using ready made applets by someone and kids just have to use a combination of these to create an application, to me a proper programmer would be the one who has the ability to actually created the concept, and applets themselves.

If you are not capable of doing that, it then limits your ability to create more sophisticated programmes.

As for leaded solder, Rosh legislation stopped its use in most electronics applications except limited to Aerospace and Military applications and as well as Automobile Industry, due to long term creeping effect of unleaded solder. I had to discard thousands of resistors and diodes and order new ones Rosh compliant, should have allowed old stock to be utilised then phased in with unleaded, after all, wher do you think will all those uncompliant stock will end up? not on Moon.
 
what if the kids were asked to actually create an applet in the first place complete with its border and colours and the shape of the box, and how it interacts with other applets and how a processor sees it and does what with it,

They couldn't do it because they are not being taught how to write code that creates the function of the applet .

This is coding ( for debouncing 6 inputs to a microprocessor and detecting change of state in them )
banksel PORTC ; read the six inputs RC0..5
movfw PORTC ;
bcf CARRY
banksel in_reg_0
rrf WREG ; RC0 into carry
rlf in_reg_0 ; move CARRY into the shift register for input RC0
rrf WREG ; RC1 into carry
rlf in_reg_1 ; move CARRY into the shift register for input RC1
rrf WREG ; RC2 into carry
rlf in_reg_2 ; move CARRY into the shift register for input RC2
rrf WREG ; RC3 into carry
rlf in_reg_3 ; move CARRY into the shift register for input RC3
rrf WREG ; RC4 into carry
rlf in_reg_4 ; move CARRY into the shift register for input RC4
rrf WREG ; RC5 into carry
rlf in_reg_5 ; move CARRY into the shift register for input RC5

; SET FLAGS FOR INPUT STATES

; port C , 0 and port C , 1 not used so goto PORTC , 2
goto skip_0_1
; PORT C , 0
;-----------
movfw in_reg_0
xorlw b'00001111' ; compare in-re to 00001111, if equal ZERO is set. WREG altered
btfsc ZERO
bsf new_off_0 ; set flag ( flags are in common RAM so bank need not be set )
movfw in_reg_0
xorlw b'11110000' ; compare in-re to 00001111, if equal ZERO is set. WREG altered
btfsc ZERO
bsf new_on_0 ; set flag ( flags are in common RAM so bank need not be set )
 

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