Circuit Help with DWC water meter.

Afternoon everyone. Please parden the poor formatting of this post, the site or mobile firefox does not like to do hard returns on forums. Please bare with me. I will correct when i get home.
I am attemping to make a water meter for my DWC buckets. Ive used the simple 90* elbow at bottom with clear tube, but getting gunk in tube and want to avoid that.

So, my next step is to make a water meter using stainless steel screws, a LED, circuit board, and a NOT logic gate.

The idea is to have the LED light up when the water is below the screws in the bucket. To make the light turn off, would be easy, but dont want to waste batteries.

I have a very basic idea how to make it work, but was hopeing that someone else has done this and can give me an assist on breadboard, resister, and layout.

Since im an hour drive to frys electronics, rather make 1 trip, then 2-3 or wait 7 days for amazon on parts im not 100% sure on what i need.

As always, thanks in advance.

-Elrodvoss

Can you upload pics or a drawing for a better visual? Also yoi should never use clear anything that houses water in growing. Algae grows in light.

dtowndabber said:

Can you upload pics or a drawing for a better visual? Also yoi should never use clear anything that houses water in growing. Algae grows in light.

Click to expand...

I don't have any pictures and the links I could provide only provides the basic idea.

This is the link that I got the idea from:
http://makingstuff.info/projects/9/watersensor_part2.aspx

This is a DIY water meter for a horse farm, that wireless transmits back to his home when the water levels become to low.

The rough idea is the same, but, I hope alot simpler.

The idea is to take a DWC bucket and screw in 2 stainless steel screws just below net pot level.

Now the simple way of doing this, is to just go:
Power Source (AA batteries) -> 1st Screw Head
2nd Screw Head -> to LED -> LED to Power Source

With this setup, when the water reaches the screws inside the bucket (that are drilled through the side of the bucket), it will complete the circuit and the LED will light up.


Now the problem with this is the LED will ALWAYS be on (until water level drops) and will drain the batteries. I understand from my research that if I put a breadboard in there with a NOT logic gate, then I can make it, so when the water it at proper levels the LED is off, but when it drops below, then the LED turns on, telling me I need to add more water.

I just have no idea how to make that breadboard and logic gate and was hoping for advice from others better in electronics then myself.