PTS DIY flow sensor

[49-1183904562]

[color=#000000]Bruce is on his way with parts and setting up for production of the hardware, I am holding him up on the software end. The current plan will be to offer with FlowSoft basic in a minimal version output of all three channels and basic CSV file output. Then offer progressive updates through the forum.

My hold up is programming time Due to year end work at my real job. But I am taking two days this week to focus on it. I am concerned about what different operating systems I will be dealing with as for setup and install operations. Role out will be Windows Xp then windows 2000 then Windows NT & 95. I will not address Vista at this point.

Please feel free to post or PM me your questions or concerns.

Rick

Please remember that Bruce lives on a limited budget as most of us do, just think if you were going to create a product and sell it for $300.00 and if you were lucky it only cost you half that in parts, then time to assemble. Now if 50 members want it that

[msj442]

the 2000 op system be the same as windows me? the laptop i have is set up with ME op system so just curious.
thanks, max

[MMack]

Thanks for the update. I absolutely understand the cashflow issues. Not to mention the timeflow issues! I hadn't heard anything in a while, and wondered what the status was. Everything you have posted looks so go, I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Mike

[UKDoug]

[quote="1960FL"][color=#000000]Rick

Please remember that Bruce lives on a limited budget as most of us do, just think if you were going to create a product and sell it for $300.00 and if you were lucky it only cost you half that in parts, then time to assemble. Now if 50 members want it that

[evil16v]

[quote="UKDoug"][color=#000000][quote="1960FL"]Rick

Please remember that Bruce lives on a limited budget as most of us do, just think if you were going to create a product and sell it for $300.00 and if you were lucky it only cost you half that in parts, then time to assemble. Now if 50 members want it that

[bruce]

Parts are on order, I did not want to ask for any cash from anyone so as to not disappoint people if I was not able to meet a time constraint. Hope everyone understands that from my perspective. I also wanted to make sure we did not have to have any last minute changes in the circuit as I was ordering quite a few boards and did not want to order something that might require changes. I already have a "museum" of prototype boards sitting on my desk.

I have been using my prototype now for the past 2 months and have had no problems. I'm sure about the same time Rick has Flowsoft ready I'll be manufacturing product. As soon as I have parts I'm going to start building DM's so there will be minimum delay in filling the orders. First production run will be 25 units . . .

[UKDoug]

I know how you feel Bruce. I've got 50 units of a sump baffle I've been designing coming in next week. Took me three months of faffing around to reasure myself my design was the best it could be and I hadn't forgotton anything. They almost got made without a hole for the dipstick!

It's that old measure twice cut once thing that is drilled into most good engineers that slows us up:laugh:

Do you know a finished price yet?

[bruce]

Well I'm pretty anal sometimes and like you said I want it to be right when it leaves here. I'm have the "mental thing" doing what if's and such.

I'm sure Tony and Rick just shake their head sometime with the questions I have come up with!!

I'm going to offer it for $275.00 US plus shipping. All of us that worked on this project felt it needed to be offered so most everyone could afford it. Rick and Tony both offered their excellent knowledge and service to this project for the chance to help others here on the forum. I do need to make some money back on the investment but not at the sake of "rapping" anyone on the overall cost.

The first units will be sold to the people who have purchased my plans and built a bench with them. We know it works with that design. As time goes by we will work with the DM to make sure it will function with other style flowbenches.

This project will take on a life of it's own once it gets in people's hands as it allows the end user to build their own data manipulation (for lack of a better term). You are not stuck with what I want you to have, but can design something and share it with others. I'm hoping that we could come up with a forum version of something that everyone can have a hand in working on. There is ALOT of talent out there !!!

Rick plans to offer a Professional package and will market that as a separate add-on at a later time. We are hoping Larry C. will be able to port over his FPExcel also.

[slracer]

"It's that old measure twice, cut once thing that is drilled into most good engineers that slows us up."

A program manager friend of mine used to have (he's retired now) a sign on his wall that read:

There comes a time in every program that it becomes necessary to shoot the engineers and start production!

:p

Doug (from USA)

[MMack]

I am working feverishly to get the cash up, some other projects have put me at a low point, always happens. But I want one as soon as they are avail. I don't have one of your benches, although you all were so helpful, I feel like I do. I have an MSD bench with the port holes, removeable plates, and the box on top like is suggested in so many posts on here. My water gauges, and my DIY plates are driving me up a wall. The two plates I have from you (Bruce) are great, but the combo of my water gauges and the spread in my plates makes for some frustration. Having better instrumentation would make life a lot more pleasant!

Mike

[jgrewe]

Just found the forum and read the entire thread. It looks like my timing is almost perfect with no waiting by the computer for exciting news.
I have a Superflow 110 that has been laying around with a bad 16" manometer(tried to fix a leak near the well with every epoxy I had). So I went looking for digital options and here I am.
I plan to get myself into a larger unit and the plans sound well worth the money, just curious if I could get a daq unit after the existing plans builders are covered? It would be nice to have my bench running while I build the Big One.

[49-1183904562]

Getting closer, form meats function

Rick

[1bolt]

1st request: can you make lift increment a "combo box"? the drop down could have .050 .100 .200 .300 etc. up to say .700 and with not too much work make it remember any custom numbers, so if someone did something odd like flowing at .075 .125 etc. the drop down would hold those values as well for the next time...

Only in the name of not making us type the same numbers over and over on a tiny laptop keyboard

[UKDoug]

2nd request: Would it be possible to have a setting that changes all linear measurements from imperial to metric?

Airflow can be left at imperial CFM as we are used to that but changing from inches to millimeters would be very useful.

[MrHijet]