Project:Midomo test kit

Midomo

Background

[Midomo] is a 3 in 1 water transport, purification and storage device that has been designed to provide a potable water supply to low-income households. It is particularly applicable in rural and urban situations where people have to travel a significant distance to collect water from sources where microbiological water quality cannot be guaranteed.

I have built several prototypes that require testing in the UK before being deployed into field trials in Kenya.

This project aims to develop testing tools that can be used in a ‘lab’ setting in the UK to gather benchmark performance data before being modified to work in a field setting to gather ‘real world’ data.

The project is split into several phases:

1. Develop accurate and reliable test equipment that can be used to measure and record pressure (and speed?) data from the running system
2. Run tests to gather data to characterise product performance
3. Modify the equipment built in (1) to allow it to be used off-grid in a field environment
4. Run equivalent tests during field trials to assess the impact of changing environment

Progress

26th April 2011

Work completed:

• Data logger shield built and tested, RTC and SD card both working
• Built 18-bit ADC breakout board

Next steps

• Figure out how to connect the 2 pressure sensors to the ADC
• Test the ADC/Data logger combination with a known analogue input (figure out how much noise there will be on the circuit - what resolution we should expect)
• Write Arduino program to run the test
• Hook up pump/filter and tubing to run first tests

Hardware

For the pressure sensing and data logging:

• Arduino [Uno]
• Adafruit [Data Logging Shield]
• Microchip [18 bit ADC] [MCP3424]
• Omega [Differential pressure sensor]

To drive the filtration system in a lab setting I’ll also need a heavy-duty motor, drive train and a frame to keep it all in place.

Expertise

I'm happy to work with other hackers on this project, especially those with an interest/expertise in:

• International development (specifically water and sanitation)
• Using any of the hardware listed above
• Running field trials/Lab based testing

Future Plans

• Expand the data logger to accept other sensor modules, to enable open-source field data collection
• Development of an open-source water quality (physical/bacteriological) testing kit for field work Project:Water Quality Test Kit

Interested

• JamesBrown