Prototipe Sistem Automatic Switch pada Sistem Redundant Pump Cooling Tower Berbasis Mikrokontroler

Microcontroller-Based Automatic Switch System Prototype for Redundant Cooling Tower Pump Systems

Abstract

The cooling system of an injection molding machine plays a critical role in the production process by preventing overheating during injection molding. If the cooling system malfunctions or ceases to operate for even 5 to 10 minutes, the mold becomes overheated, causing the molded parts to stick—a scenario that results in both lost production time and wasted material. To address this, a redundant cooling tower pump system has been developed, incorporating an alarm and an auto-start feature to ensure continuous cooling operation. The system utilizes several sensors to monitor key parameters: a pressure transmitter to measure water pressure, a PZEM004T sensor to track voltage, current, and power consumption of the pump motor, and a thermocouple to monitor the motor's temperature. An Arduino Mega microcontroller serves as the central processing unit for the entire system, with sensor data displayed on an LCD screen. In the event of a failure in the primary pump, a relay automatically activates the backup pump while simultaneously triggering a buzzer as an alarm (and vice versa). Testing and observation, evaluated against a set of success criteria, confirm that this microcontroller-based automatic switching system for redundant pumps functions effectively. By providing an automatic switch mechanism, the system protects the pumps from catastrophic failure, improves operational efficiency for personnel, and simplifies the monitoring process.