SMS Controlled Prepaid Water Supply System

PROJECT OVERVIEW The main goal of this project is to design and construct an electronic system which can control the flow of a household water supply, wirelessly, remotely, and conveniently, by the use of SMS technology. This project, having many other applications, is highly recommended and primarily designed to be used by apartment-owners/landlords who own a property for rent, located far away from their homes. Through the use of this proposed Prepaid Water Supply System, apartment owners will now be free from recurring problems regarding tenants who are not able to pay for their water bills. Finally NO MORE unpaid water bills to be stressed about! Furthermore, people will now be more encouraged to conserve water, one of the most important elements in our daily life! Through this electronic system, people will now be more aware and careful of their water consumption; hence, people will now be more encouraged to conserve water. In this system, for a tenant to have a supply of water, first, the tenant purchases prepaid credits and pays a certain amount to the landlord, (through any mode of payment personally agreed upon between the two). The landlord will then load the purchased prepaid credits to the control circuit system which allows water to flow, and when the prepaid credits are over, the control circuit system automatically cuts off the water supply, until recharged with new credits. Landlords can easily, remotely, and wirelessly control the device, using SMS technology through a mobile phone, anywhere, anytime, hassle-free! Besides its use on apartments, this system has many other significant applications and advantages. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND / THEORIES RELATED TO STUDY: A. Wireless Data Communications Wireless is a term used to describe telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather than any form of wire) carry the signal from source to destination. It is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. B. SMS Technology Short Message Service (SMS) is a text messaging service of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols. SMS can be used to control and communicate with microcontrollers.

C. GSM Module A GSM module is a specialized type of modem which accepts a SIM card, and operates over a subscription to a mobile operator, just like a mobile phone. It can be interfaced with a computer or microcontroller, and can be used to construct SMS operated electronic systems. D. Peripheral Interface Controller (PIC) PIC is a family of Harvard architecture microcontrollers made by Microchip Technology. PICs are popular with both industrial developers due to their low cost, wide availability, large user base, extensive collection of application notes, availability of low cost or free development tools, and serial programming (and re-programming with flash memory) capability. E. Water Solenoid Valve A water solenoid valve is an electromechanically operated water valve. Water flow can be controlled by an electric current through a solenoid. F. Tachogenerators An electromechanical generator is a device capable of producing electrical power signal from mechanical energy, usually from the turning of a shaft. By measuring the voltage produced by a tachogenerator, (say for example, turning of shaft due to water flow) you can easily determine the rotational speed of whatever its mechanically attached to. One of the more common voltage signal ranges used with tachogenerators is 0 to 10 volts. G. Relay A relay is an electrically operated switch. Many relays use an electromagnet to operate a switching mechanism mechanically, but other operating principles are also used. H. LCD Module A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals (LCs) LCD Modules are available, in various sizes, which can be used as display components in electronics projects. I. Power Supply A power supply is a device that supplies electric power to an electrical load. A regulated power supply is one that controls the output voltage or current to a specific value; the controlled value is held nearly constant despite variations in either load current or the voltage supplied by the power supply's energy source.

1.2

PURPOSE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1.2.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Two main problem statements: A) Problem Encountered by Apartment Owners Regarding Tenants Who Dont Pay for their Water Bills This is the main problem which the group would like to solve. The present water supply system is postpaid. The problem is: The tenants are not able to pay for their water bills! As a consequence, the apartment owner has NO CHOICE but to pay for the unpaid water bills of those tenants, or else, the Water Services Company will be forced to disconnect the water service for the entire apartment. A proof of property ownership is required by Maynilad Water Company in order to apply for a new water service connection. Thats why tenants are not allowed to have their own direct water service connection. The group has noticed the recurring stress that this problem causes to the apartment-owner/landlord. Shouldering the expenses for the unpaid bills of tenants over and over again is indeed stressful and frustrating. Thus, to help solve this, the idea to design and construct this electronics project came about.

B) Problem of Water Misuse for Postpaid Water Supply Unawareness of water consumption is the problem here. Since the supply is postpaid, people usually just use and use water freely, without being aware of how much they have already consumed. And since people are not aware of their consumption, the tendency is, water is misused, and consequently, water is just wasted! Sometimes, people waste their water usage, for an example when the faucet is not properly closed, or using water more than necessary when washing dishes, washing the car, or watering the plants, or cleaning, etc. All these will contribute to the wastage of water. So, the idea to build this project came about.

Additional Problem Statements: Customers complaints of being overcharged by the Water Authority. Water Authority needs to send its workers directly to customers locations, no matter how hard it is to get there, just to read water meter units. The postpaid system manual meter reading is time consuming to the Water Authority workers. The postpaid system puts people in debt. People consuming water more than what they can afford It is expensive for the Water Authority to cut meters of customers who fail to pay their bills for a long time.

1.2.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This project study is the alternative SOLUTION to the problems stated. Solution to the two main problems: (Problem Encountered by Apartment Owners Regarding Unpaid Water Bills of Tenants) Through the use of this Pre-paid Water Supply System, apartmentowners/landlords will now be free from recurring problems regarding tenants who are not able to pay their water bills. Finally NO MORE unpaid water bills from tenants to be stressed about!

(Problem of Water Misuse for Postpaid Water Supply) Through the use of this Pre-paid Water Supply System, people will now be encouraged to conserve water! People will be encouraged to conserve it because people will now be aware of their consumption. Using more water means paying more money, and NO ONE wants to pay more! Water is one of the MOST IMPORTANT elements in our life. Not only do humans use it every single day of their lives in order to live, from the moment they wake up to the moment they sleep, but also every other living thing needs it to live. As human beings, should take action to conserve water as much as we can. Water consumption abuse in any form must not be neglected. Our water supply is FINITE, which means that we do not have an endless supply. We only have the water that we have now. 97% of all the water on the earth is SALT WATER which is not suitable for drinking. Only 3% of all the water is fresh water, and only 1% is available for drinking water. The other 2% is locked in ICE CAPS AND GLACIERS. Moreover, a person can survive only 3-5 days without water intake! Once the body is deprived of fluids the cells and organs in the body begin to deteriorate. In some cases people have survived for an average of 1 week. (according to: Water Web Management Ltd., info@thewaterpage.com, a United Kingdom based website) With all the people on Earth relying on such a small percentage of all the water on Earth, it only makes sense that we must preserve and conserve our water. Additional Significance of the Study: The system will eliminate the problem of customers being overcharged by the Water Authority eliminate the expenses and hassle for the Water Authority of reading meters at the customers locations. be able to calculate income better because it will have direct payments eliminate bad habits of some people who load up their water bill debts. provide a great awareness to the peoples water consumption habits help people manage their budget as they can use as much as they afford. enable people to control cash flow, purchasing only what they need for daily life. eliminate the expenses incurred by the water authority to cut meters of customers who fail to pay their bills for a long time.

1.3

Objectives General Objective To help people by providing an alternative solution to problems encountered, regarding water supply control, by applying skills and knowledge in Electronics Engineering through research and development of electronic control systems. Specific Objectives To design a system that can control a water valve electronically. To design a sensing system that will generate voltage equivalent to the amount of water flow. To design a program which will stop water flow when prepaid credits are all used up, and continue water flow upon reloading of new prepaid credits. To display current prepaid balance through an LCD module.

1.4

Scope and Limitations As a start, this project is designed to be used on one household. Modifications and addition of solenoid water valves is needed to control multiple water supplies. One solenoid water valve is used in this project to build a prototype to demonstrate its main operation. This project is primarily designed to be used by apartment-owners/landlords who own a property for rent, located far away from their homes. The control circuit in this system is wirelessly, remotely, and conveniently controlled through SMS technology. This system can be used not only by apartment-owners/landlords, but by anyone who wishes to upgrade their water supply from the traditional postpaid to the new prepaid technology. Besides its use on apartments, this system has many other significant applications and advantages. This project is developed to introduce this technology as an alternative solution by means of electronics.

Chapter 2

Related Literature

History of Water Supply It is clear the early human civilizations were born near an abundant supply of water such as springs or rivers. But as settlements grew, water cannot be at reach for all. Thus man adopted wells, and aqueducts. During the Neolithic, man dug the first permanent water wells, from where vessels could be filled and carried by hand. The size of human settlements was largely dependent on nearly available water. Devices such as shadoofs, and sakias have been used to lift water to ground level. Throughout history people have devised systems to make getting and using water more convenient. The Indus Valley Civilization has early evidence of public water supply and sanitation. The Roman Empire had an amazing system of large scale elevated aqueducts made of stone, a standard of engineering that was not surpassed for more than a thousand years, terminated in homes and at public wells and fountains for people to use. Rome and other nations used lead pipes, often unknowing about lead poisoning. Persian Qanats have been used for water supply and cooling in the Middle East.London water supply infrastructure developed over many centuries from early mediaeval conduits, through major 19th century treatment works built in response to cholera threats, to modern large scale reservoirs. The first screw-down water tap was patented in 1845.Water towers appeared around the late 19th century, Now water supply is distributed to homes though pipes as provided by the Water Services Company. Where does the water from the faucet come from? As for Metro Manila, 98% of Metro Manilas water supply comes from Angat Dam, at San Lorenzo, Norzagaray, Bulacan The rest of the supply comes from deep wells. The water collected in Angat Dam is discharged to Ipo Dam, a diversion control dam. From Ipo dam, water travels 6.4 kilometers to reach the La Mesa Portal. 60% of the supply is allocated to Maynilad, the rest to Manila Water. As for Maynilad, water from the portal goes to the treatment plant, where the raw water undergoes multi-stage process to be produce clean water. From the treatment plant, water flows to reservoirs and pumping stations. Then water is boosted through Maynilads pipelines, extending over 5000 km from Valenzuela in the North, to Cavite City down South, to provide water to each and every one of us. We have fresh water supply, thanks to Maynilad Water Services, Inc. The Present Post paid Water Supply System The present system uses a postpaid system, where water meters are installed on each household. Workers from the Water Services Company personally go to each

household, no matter how hard and time consuming, just to check the reading on the water meter, submit the data to the office, and then send the water bill to customers. Electronic reloading In a prepaid mobile phone, topping-up or reloading is needed to further enjoy the services offered by the operator. There are a lot of options on how to reload a prepaid mobile phone. The most popular process is through purchasing a prepaid card but due to security precautions, electronic reloading was developed. The technology of electronic reloading was first introduced in the Philippines by Smart Communications branding the service as SmartLoad and considered to be the world's first electronic reloading service. The service offered micro top-ups meaning prepaid subscribers can top-up prepaid credits with small denominations. The service gained popularity and soon after other service providers also used the technology in offering prepaid top-ups to its subscribers. Meralcos Prepaid Electricity System Pilot Testing The prepaid metering system is designed to allow a residential customer to purchase credit or load and then use electricity until such time his load is exhausted. It is also is expected not only to benefit consumers but also the distribution utilities, because the service will allow for "operational efficiency." Customers will have the option to apply for a prepaid retail electric service on a voluntary basis, subject to the availability of a distribution utility's prepaid electric service infrastructure. Budgetconscious residential consumers can now control their electricity consumption better. A consumer may opt to buy electric energy credit in reasonable small increments and then use electricity until the said credit is exhausted. This is similar to the load purchased by cell phone users. Meralco uses smart meters which will use wireless technology that connects it with a central computer system that manages loading of electricity from the main source. A micro controller is interfaced with an energy metering circuit, and a display, to display total units and balance amount, a contactor to make or break power line. Microcontroller A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form o fNOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM. Microcontrollers are designed for embedded applications, in contrast to the microprocessors used in personal computers or other general purpose applications. Microcontrollers are used in automatically controlled products and devices, such as automobile engine control systems, implantable medical devices, remote controls, office machines, appliances, power tools, toys and other embedded systems. By reducing the size and cost compared to a design that uses a separate microprocessor, memory, and

input/output devices, microcontrollers make it economical to digitally control even more devices and processes. Chapter 3 3.1 Conceptual & Theoretical Framework

Block Diagram

3.2

System Operation

General System Operation To enable water flow, prepaid credits should first be purchased. Upon purchase, the authority will then send an SMS command to the system to enable water flow. The GSM module receives the SMS command, and forwards it to the microcontroller input. The Microcontroller processes the command, and sends the corresponding data to display on the LCD. The LCD display shows the prepaid credits purchased. At the same time, the microcontroller sends a signal to the relay switching circuit. Then the relay switching circuit will energize the solenoid and open the water valve, thus enabling water flow. The water flow sensor detects the water flow. As the water continues to flow, the prepaid credits are decreased accordingly. The decrease in prepaid credits can be monitored through the LCD display. When the prepaid credits are all used up, the LCD displays zero, and the microcontroller sends a signal to the relay switching circuit to close the water valve, cutting off the flow of water. Specific System Operation (Tenant & landlord operation) For a tenant to have a supply of water, first, the tenant purchases prepaid credits and pays a certain amount to the landlord, (through any mode of payment personally agreed upon between the two). The landlord will then load the purchased prepaid credits to the

control circuit system which allows water to flow, and when the prepaid credits are over, the control circuit system automatically cuts off the water supply, until recharged with new credits. 3.3 Availability of Parts All Parts/materials/components are available here in the Philippines.

Water Solenoid Valve Available at Eisus Enterprises, Valenzuela City, Metro Manila Fluidteck Trading, Location:San Juan, Metro Manila Anaki System Sales, Gil Puyat Ave., Pasay City Tachogenerator Available at Anaki System Sales, Gil Puyat Ave., Pasay City Integrativ Industrial Supply, Metro manila GSM Module Available at E-Gizmo, Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila All other parts available at E-Gizmo, Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila Alexan, Binondo, Manila Deeco, Sta. Cruz, Manila, Manila Etc.