Summary of Computer-Controlled Light-Up Water Fountain using pic-microcontroller
### Summary La Fontaine Du Campus Est is a PC-controlled water fountain featuring five individually controllable, pivoting streams powered by sump pumps. It utilizes halogen lights for each stream, RGB triplets along the perimeter, and eight Luxeon LEDs for illumination. The system relies on three custom circuit boards—valve/halogen, LED, and servo controllers—to manage water flow, lighting animations, and mechanical movement via a choreographed ShowFile.
Parts used in the La Fontaine Du Campus Est:
- Sump pump
- Five water nozzles with solenoid valves
- Halogen lamps
- RGB triplet LEDs
- Eight Luxeon LEDs
- Fountain Director PC
- Valve control board (custom)
- LED control board (custom)
- Servo control board (custom)
- PIC 18-series microcontroller
- FTDI USB-UART converter
- Relays
System Overview
La Fontaine Du Campus Est (The Fountain of East Campus) is a computer-controlled, servo-actuated, LED and halogen-lit, sump-pump powered water fountain. It features five streams of water that can each be individually controlled (on/off) as well as pivoted (90 degrees of freedom). Each stream of water is lit by a halogen light. The perimeter of the fountain has RGB triplets that can perform various animations. The fountain and water are also illuminated by eight Luxeon LEDs. The entire system is controlled by a PC that sequences through a choreographed file called a ShowFile. Three circuit boards act as an interface between the fountain and the computer: a valve control board, an LED control board, and a servo control board. All but the last were custom built for La Fontaine Du Campus Est.
The above diagram shows the connections between the three circuit boards that run the fountain devices, the Fountain Director PC, and the fountain hardware itself.
The underside of the fountain. Blue objects with attached hoses are the washing machine solenoids used to switch each nozzle on and off.
Fountain-side electronics are mounted in a sealed box under the fountain surface.
Valve/Halogen Controller
The valves to turn the nozzles on or off are activated by relays. The halogen lamps that point up the water streams are also activated by relays. The valve/halogen controller board is a custom circuit that interfaces via USB and activates these inductive loads on demand. There is also built-in logic that ensures a relief valve is always in the proper state of operation. The circuit is based around a PIC 18-series microcontroller and an FTDI USB-UART converter.
Downloadable valve/halogen controller source code:
Valve/Halogen Controller Source
LED Controller
The LED controller is designed to serve as a general purpose lighting controller. It controls the 24 fountain-mounted LEDs as well as the eight Luxeons. All lighting animations are built into the onboard memory. A computer interfaces with the board and tells it which animation to play, and with what color(s).
For more detail: Computer-Controlled Light-Up Water Fountain
- How are the water streams controlled?
The five streams are individually controlled using washing machine solenoids that switch each nozzle on or off via relays. - Can the water streams be moved?
Yes, each of the five streams can be pivoted with 90 degrees of freedom. - What type of lights illuminate the water streams?
Each water stream is lit by a dedicated halogen lamp. - Does the fountain use multiple types of LEDs?
Yes, it uses RGB triplets around the perimeter and eight Luxeon LEDs for general illumination. - How does the computer communicate with the hardware?
A PC called the Fountain Director sequences through a ShowFile and interfaces with custom circuit boards via USB. - What microcontroller powers the valve controller?
The valve/halogen controller board is based around a PIC 18-series microcontroller. - Are the control boards custom built?
Yes, all three interface boards including the valve, LED, and servo controllers were custom built for this project. - Where are the electronics mounted?
The fountain-side electronics are housed in a sealed box located under the fountain surface.
