Got my panels done!

[AuroraShire]

I just finished my epoxy paneling for my tortoise enclosure. They’re entirely waterproof (well, the epoxy side is) and on the other side, I put them on insulation foam board. Our house can run cold in the winters, so I didn’t want to lose heat unnecessarily through the walls. Once they’re installed, the inside chamber will be closed and water proof.

I made the colored tiles out of epoxy, and the larger brown ones are wood. I usually prefer brighter colors, but I didn’t want anything to tortoise would see and assume it was food by the color. Even though the colors will be on the top of the enclosure, away from the tortoise.

My techy husband is wiring up sensors and coding a program for our enclosure to stay at optimal heat, moisture, and lighting. Also, putting in a UV sensor to measure that too. It feels like slow going, but I suppose I’ll be more like the tortoise than the hare on this one

 

[jaizei]

What type of UV sensor is it?

 

[Yvonne G]

You're putting a lot of work into it. I'm excited to see the finished product!

 

[AuroraShire]

What type of UV sensor is it?

Amazon.com

It’s waaaay cheaper than the solar meter, but of course it has to be rigged up, and I’ll have to build a small container for it with special glass to let UV pass through to the sensor.

 

[AuroraShire]

You're putting a lot of work into it. I'm excited to see the finished product!

Me too! In everything I do, I have to find a way to make things more complicated. Thankfully my husband is that same way. He was so excited to have a project that let him buy all these tiny computers. It’s all foreign to me, haha

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Commenting to follow along, looks a great project

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Amazon.com

It’s waaaay cheaper than the solar meter, but of course it has to be rigged up, and I’ll have to build a small container for it with special glass to let UV pass through to the sensor.

Do you plan to do continous measurement (and then I'm intrigued where you going to place it)?
Or you are building a "hand tool", similar to Solarmeter?

 

[AuroraShire]

Do you plan to do continous measurement (and then I'm intrigued where you going to place it)?
Or you are building a "hand tool", similar to Solarmeter?

It’ll be a continuous measurement. Which I know isn’t necessary, but will be easier for my husband to program lol

And it’ll be a bit of math and approximation to get it at a place that will read the same as where the tortoise’s shell is. From what I understand, it’s a linear equation from the UV bulb. We want to play around with placement and the sensors in general since we have time to try it all out before we have the tortoise in there. I’ll definitely be sharing pictures when we get things figured out!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

It’ll be a continuous measurement. Which I know isn’t necessary, but will be easier for my husband to program lol

And it’ll be a bit of math and approximation to get it at a place that will read the same as where the tortoise’s shell is. From what I understand, it’s a linear equation from the UV bulb. We want to play around with placement and the sensors in general since we have time to try it all out before we have the tortoise in there. I’ll definitely be sharing pictures when we get things figured out!

I would suggest to make a sensor on a long wire then and use it to "map" UV coverage across the enclosure (like you would do with a Solarmeter).

UV on its own doesn't fluctuate much as temperarure, humidity or CO2 levels do - taking measurements once a day is more than enough. Distance / UV index dependency is not linear, but the math is still simple.

 

[AuroraShire]

I would suggest to make a sensor on a long wire then and use it to "map" UV coverage across the enclosure (like you would do with a Solarmeter).

UV on its own doesn't fluctuate much as temperarure, humidity or CO2 levels do - taking measurements once a day is more than enough. Distance / UV index dependency is not linear, but the math is still simple.

That’s a great idea. The reason I was thinking having it always b on is because it would be just another thing to program for a manual or electronic switch. But I really like the idea of having it on a long cable to be able to move around the enclosure. I’ll ask my husband if it would be as difficult as I think it might be (i don’t program lol)

Also I realized I used the absolute worst phrase. I didn’t mean linear, but at the moment I can’t find the words to type what I meant lol but I have been reading posts about proper measurements. And thankfully, I’ll have time to play around with it. Even if my understanding isn’t great, if I can get good readings, I suppose it’s still ok hopefully

Do you have readings for CO2? My husband got an oxygen monitor just because we’re paranoid about the little guy running out of oxygen in a close chamber. I kept seeing people say that they’d be fine. But I figured better safe than sorry, and the peace of mind would be nice

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

That’s a great idea. The reason I was thinking having it always b on is because it would be just another thing to program for a manual or electronic switch. But I really like the idea of having it on a long cable to be able to move around the enclosure. I’ll ask my husband if it would be as difficult as I think it might be (i don’t program lol)

Also I realized I used the absolute worst phrase. I didn’t mean linear, but at the moment I can’t find the words to type what I meant lol but I have been reading posts about proper measurements. And thankfully, I’ll have time to play around with it. Even if my understanding isn’t great, if I can get good readings, I suppose it’s still ok hopefully

Do you have readings for CO2? My husband got an oxygen monitor just because we’re paranoid about the little guy running out of oxygen in a close chamber. I kept seeing people say that they’d be fine. But I figured better safe than sorry, and the peace of mind would be nice

No, I don't have reference values for oxygen/CO2/dust particles etc, unfortunately. But it's something I'm interested to see.

As I understand, you plan to use a single controller (an Arduino board or something similar) for everything, including thermostatic control? I would be very cool to see more details later.

And are there any redundant safety measures - e.g. power cut off when temperatures are extremely high (due to a failure in PID controller, let's say)?

 

[COmtnLady]

Do you have readings for CO2? My husband got an oxygen monitor just because we’re paranoid about the little guy running out of oxygen in a close chamber. I kept seeing people say that they’d be fine. But I figured better safe than sorry, and the peace of mind would be nice

He just wants more toys to play with.

However, I would be interested in the readings. I keep telling new owners not to worry, that their hatchling's lung capacity is less than a half a cubic inch while the internal area of the chamber measures in cubic feet, and how the air refreshes every time the enclosure is opened, but it might be nice to have some numbers and data for the more skeptical ones.

 

[AuroraShire]

No, I don't have reference values for oxygen/CO2/dust particles etc, unfortunately. But it's something I'm interested to see.

As I understand, you plan to use a single controller (an Arduino board or something similar) for everything, including thermostatic control? I would be very cool to see more details later.

And are there any redundant safety measures - e.g. power cut off when temperatures are extremely high (due to a failure in PID controller, let's say)?

Hello, Mr. Shire here! The plan is to use a RaspberryPi 4 as the main controller in the final build. The Pi 4 technically has a bit more horsepower than we need, but an Arduino doesn’t quite have the power or flexibility to run all of the components required. The sensors themselves are hardwired to Arduino Nano microcontrollers, which take the telemetry data from the sensors and send it back to the Pi over a USB-C connection.

As far as thermal cutoffs, I plan on incorporating another, separate Arduino with temp and smoke sensors inside of the main controller housing to serve as a mains cutoff, in case of a short or some other magic smoke generating event. The mains and all AC relays will have wattmeters in-line so we can monitor power usage and have the RaspberryPi cut power in the case of an unexpected spike in amperage.

My goal with this system is to make the tank as hands-off as possible; if I give it a target temperature and a lighting schedule, it should be able to hit that target without us needing to do anything manually. I’ve got some ideas for adding some kind of humidity management module to it as well, but Aurora told me I have to get the necessities working first before I start tacking on all the bells and whistles.

 

[AuroraShire]

He just wants more toys to play with.

However, I would be interested in the readings. I keep telling new owners not to worry, that their hatchling's lung capacity is less than a half a cubic inch while the internal area of the chamber measures in cubic feet, and how the air refreshes every time the enclosure is opened, but it might be nice to have some numbers and data for the more skeptical ones.

He says, you’re absolutely right about him wanting another thing to play with

I would imagine if there are also plants in an enclosure, there would be a tiny bit of oxygen being made, but I can be a worry wart lol

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello, Mr. Shire here! The plan is to use a RaspberryPi 4 as the main controller in the final build. The Pi 4 technically has a bit more horsepower than we need, but an Arduino doesn’t quite have the power or flexibility to run all of the components required. The sensors themselves are hardwired to Arduino Nano microcontrollers, which take the telemetry data from the sensors and send it back to the Pi over a USB-C connection.

As far as thermal cutoffs, I plan on incorporating another, separate Arduino with temp and smoke sensors inside of the main controller housing to serve as a mains cutoff, in case of a short or some other magic smoke generating event. The mains and all AC relays will have wattmeters in-line so we can monitor power usage and have the RaspberryPi cut power in the case of an unexpected spike in amperage.

My goal with this system is to make the tank as hands-off as possible; if I give it a target temperature and a lighting schedule, it should be able to hit that target without us needing to do anything manually. I’ve got some ideas for adding some kind of humidity management module to it as well, but Aurora told me I have to get the necessities working first before I start tacking on all the bells and whistles.

Thanks for the details! Super interesting project, can't wait to see the finished system in action.

 

[COmtnLady]

I’ve got some ideas for adding some kind of humidity management module to it as well, but Aurora told me I have to get the necessities working first before I start tacking on all the bells and whistles.

Please talk with everyone here before you invest in "humidity management modules". You DO NOT want any type of sprayer, fogger, or mister. They create droplets, which are too big for your tortoise to breath. Look at the size of its nares (nose holes) compared to a droplet. Those methods can cause respiratory infections and other problems. (Inhaled water = pneumonia...) The best way to maintain a constant humidity is to use the lowest-level-inch of substrate being wet and evaporating humidity up through the dry(er) upper layers.



Here is a cut & paste of an explanation of the evaporative method.

I buy the coco coir in the 3-brick packages which are a little cheaper and store more easily than the loose type. I also do NOT buy the loose stuff because it is harder to get it soaked well enough the first time.

Then I use a very clean, definitely does not have any soap or other type of residue, five gallon bucket (I have two five gallon buckets dedicated to only tortoise substrate, nothing else).

Fill it about 2/3 full of warm water and submerge one of the bricks. Allow it to soak until the brick has completely fallen apart, with no hard lumps left. You may have to add more water if it expands above the waterline.

Hand-wring-out as much of the water as possible, then hand-pack it tightly into the bottom of the enclosure. Begin at one end and work your way to the other end, so that you can see if you got enough of the water out. You don't want standing water visible, especially not when you are finished.

Pack the coco coir about three inches deep. Pack it very firmly.

Next put a two to three inch layer of Orchid Bark/Fir Bark on top and pat it down - this doesn't have to be packed as firmly, but pat it down until it feels even and solid. Some use Cyprus Mulch instead, which is just as good (but I don't care for the swampy smell of the Cyprus Mulch.)

Close your enclosure up tight and let it acclimate for several hours, then measure the humidity and heat. If it is too humid when you check, vent it until it is in the range that's best for your tortoise with the lid closed. If not humid enough (a good level is 84% and 84F for hatchlings of all species, and tropical adults) add more warm water in the corners.

You'll get to the point that you know how much water to add and how often to maintain a nice steady even humidity..




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[AuroraShire]

Please talk with everyone here before you invest in "humidity management modules". You DO NOT want any type of sprayer, fogger, or mister. They create droplets, which are too big for your tortoise to breath. Look at the size of its nares (nose holes) compared to a droplet. Those methods can cause respiratory infections and other problems. (Inhaled water = pneumonia...) The best way to maintain a constant humidity is to use the lowest-level-inch of substrate being wet and evaporating humidity up through the dry(er) upper layers.



Here is a cut & paste of an explanation of the evaporative method.


You'll get to the point that you know how much water to add and how often to maintain a nice steady even humidity..




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I’ve been reading about that! I’m not sure what he meant by that we had talked about the option to make something mimic rain, so it wouldn’t be tiny droplets. I think maybe that’s what he meant? But that’s a way down the line project.

But thank you for the good reminder! It’s been fun reading about the do’s and dont’s on this site, and telling him why we wont add either a mister, or a heating pad under the enclosure, why only one tortoise and not two, etc. I’m so, so glad I found this forum before I got the tortoise and all of the incorrect gear! I would have made lots of expensive mistakes!