MSGID: <10fkufu$2cqbd$1@dont-email.me> e4aa7bcf   
   REPLY: <10fkcfa$27h91$1@dont-email.me> 57da1e76   
   PID: PyGate 1.5   
   TID: PyGate/Linux 1.5   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
   TZUTC: 0000   
   REPLYADDR daniel@me.invalid   
   REPLYTO 3:633/10 UUCP   
   Subject: Re: OIL level sensor (was ODD DNS behaviour on Pi ZERO W with   
   Bullseye OS)   
      
   On 19/11/2025 12:16, The Natural Philosopher wrote:   
   > One of these basically   
   >    
   > https://www.fueltankshop.co.uk/2500-litre-oil-tank-titan-h2500gr/p5305   
   >    
   > The tank already had a hole in the top to take an oil watchman sensor,    
   > so I 3d printed a case to use the same mounting holes and gasket. I will    
   > need to open up the hole a bit for the ultrasonics   
      
   Ours is a steel tank, but it has a tube poking out of the top that has    
   previously accommodated a Watchman sensor.   
      
   Housing the electronics is the problem - I had hoped that oil tank    
   sellers would sell a screw-in cap for the tank opening that I could    
   cannibalize to make an appliance housing, but I haven't found anything    
   suitable (yet).   
      
   I really needed an excuse to get into 3D printing. :-)   
      
   > Well since I am 100% custom I didn't bother with mqtt - I simply send a   
   short text string . The more problematical bit is establishing a wifi   
   connection and what to do if it fails to connect.   
   >    
   > If I had Ethernet out there I would never have gone to the complexity of   
   battery operation....   
      
   I used MQTT because I already had Mosquitto running on the Pi3B (as part    
   of a HomeAssistant setup controlling a few Tasmoto switches). I should    
   not have gone that route otherwise ... but it does work well.   
      
   Yes, if I had Ethernet running out to the tank it would all be so    
   different ... but I'm not drilling a hole through a 60cm stone wall to    
   get it there!   
      
   >> I have a 3V-compatible HCSR04 to play with ...   
   [snip]   
   >   
   > Good with the 3v version Mine isn't and I expect it to get sketchy at around   
   3.9V.   
   > If that proves to be a problem I'll probab;y make a new board up and   
   transfer the modules from the existing...   
      
   Mine is actually an RCWL-1601, which claims HC-SR04 compatibility. It    
   also claims to support i2c as well as the usual trig/echo signalling,    
   which will help as me ESP8266 is running out of pins. I may have to    
   switch to an ESP32 ... but I have a handful of 8266s not doing a lot ...   
      
   > I don't like the commercial solutions that rely on a cloud somewhere.   
      
   No, indeed. I avoid those as much as possible.   
      
      
   --    
   Cheers,   
     Daniel.   
      
   --- PyGate Linux v1.5   
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)   
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