Hi
I would like to know if I could use the 3dr radios for something completely other than copter, planes or rovers?
I have an idea to shut off a pump when a reservoir is full wireless?
Would this at all be possible?
I would need a digital input signal sent from ground station to air station and a digital output on that side to do the switching.
Unfortunately I have no knowledge of how to program the radios or to develop software to change how it works.
Any ideas would be welcomed.
You definitely could but the radios input and output is serial data, which you would need to decode into a relay output.
You would be better off with some simple LoRa long range radio hobby parts, there is already boards to do what you want. Or Arduino stuffâŚ
I agree 100% with Shawn. I might suggest that if this is anything âmission criticalâ for your organization, you would probably be best suited buying an industrial grade âWireless I/Oâ module pair. They will give you an easy wire-replacement type of system. On one end, you provide an input signal and on the other end of the wireless link, you get an output signal, such as a dry contact or 24V or 120V output. They come in various types. Some can also pass analog signals, such as the very common 4-20mA current loop used widely.
Here is one example: PHOENIX CONTACT | Wireless I/O. This one is probably expensive but high quality. You can get similar from other companies. I am not endorsing that product. I have never used it, but it is an example of what you can find.
Hello
I thank you for your input.
I do have other options available locally that is not too expensive, but I have four 3dr radios available, so thought I might use them in conjunction with arduino boards since I have 2 of those too.
Maybe I will go back and use these for the rover I planned on building almost 10 years agođ¤Ł
Thanks again.
DeSmidt Engelbrecht
Cell. +264 81 2591974
1 Like
Nothing wrong with using them for your pump project as long as it isnât a catastrophe if they donât turn on or off when you need them. And for a lot of applications, such as keeping a pond level at a certain level, that might be OK. Pond levels, at least for large ponds, move very slowly.
But building that Rover sounds like more fun!
Thanks Kenny, glad you still think I could use them for my pump application 
I wouldnât know whete to start though đ¤ˇ
I think these radios ship with MAVLink framing enabled and since in your case you would not need to use MAVLink messages you could probably disable it and use your own custom messages.
My guess is that after disabling MAVLink framing it would be like a âwireless serial cableâ which you can use with a UART on the Arduino. Just double check the levels, I think those links are powered by 5V but uses 3.3V signal levels (maybe they are also 5V tolerant?). So then on one side you could probably have an Arduino sensing the reservoir level and once it is full send a serial command to the second Arduino which drives a relay board and switches the pump off. The second Arduino could then even respond with an acknowledgement message.
Sounds like a fun project!
1 Like
Hi, yes it does sound a bit appealingâŚ
I would have to do some research on how to disable the mavlink and reprogram. If it works on the end, good if not it would also not be a train smash. Nothing is critical here, I could still check the tank for the level and turn off the pump manually they are only about 300m apart and my house midwayđ
Everything is solar, as I am on a farm, off grid.
Thanks all for all the input and comments.
1 Like
I thought you were doing something for an industrial company or government. If this is just something personal, then I would definitely consider doing something with a microcontroller as suggested.
What range is required?
Hi Dave
About 250 to 300 meter.
OK, beyond a ESP8266 radio. I use those on most craft, $2 and good for ~150m max.
1 Like