Development of a sensor node for continuous monitoring of water distribution systems

• Main Author: Ong, Emery.
• Other Authors: Wong Kai Juan, Steven
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Computer applications::Physical sciences and engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/18930
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In order to provide effective and reliable early warnings of abnormalities in the water distribution system, credible and real-time monitoring of the water distribution must be carried out. Putting this idea into practical use, the aim of this project was to develop a single sensor unit capable of monitoring water conditions through the use of its various sensor inputs and perform some basic conversion of data collected into digital form before sending the collected data to a computer for recording purposes. This would in turn allow for near real-time monitoring of water distribution systems of pipelines in Singapore. To develop such a sensor, the Gumstix was used as the main core and its expansion boards were used to connect various peripherals used to detect specific water conditions, such as pH of water and water pressure. For this project, a power supply module was developed first. Subsequently to improve the stability of the power supply module, steps were made to ensure proper signal noise reduction. A module for water pH sensing was also developed. The Gumstix was then connected to a development machine to send the data collected for recording purposes. Testing of individual modules were conducted before the integration of the modules took place.