I started a new home project. I needed a motor with low RPM and high torque, to pull on both sides. I added two buttons to run the motor in either side instantaneously and another two to push till a certain time limit. Then I added a wait time before the trigger. While the project is still under construction, here is a crude circuit diagram and a demo of the motor run only.
It took me about 30 minutes to write the code. While I am certain it can be further optimized and improved, my energy is better spent on other things. Considering it's going to run on a single chip, I am going to leave it as is for now.
Update April-16-2022: I ran the test and everything worked fine until the end.
Phase 1 — connect ropes to allow one person to pull the cover without bunching up.
Phase 2 — connect a motor to reduce manual winding/unwinding.
Everything went well until the end, the reel wheel crumbled under pressure, literally. Now either I find a better way and use the other good end to connect the motor, or I purchase a heavy duty reel since a 16mil cover is too heavy for any reel to pull.
From left to right, Power supply, relay bank, Arduino, beeper, and an RC circuit to absorb transient surges.
Update: Dec-17-2022
Final update — April 22nd-2023
The system is fully installed and functional. Videos below.
Introduction:
Opening the pool:
Closing the pool: