3D printed Reef-Pi build

[rsehnert]

Hi @MaccaPopEye, great thread, thanks! I live in Aus as well and am looking into building a Reef Pi, but most concerned about building the power controller from a safety persepective. I have a few questions from your design if you don't mind? First, you say you had found Aus panel mount sockets as opposed to the universal, do you remember where?

Also for your 3D printed design, it is quite impressive! However, I was wondering what the design strategy was for the open holes on the sides of the box (If all of this is nonsense please let me know, I am an engineer but not an electrical one by any means!). I understand the idea of preventing overheating, but do you expect this to occur from the circuitry involved? I do not know the heat output of this build, but should we be more worried about the splash risk? Also on a thought of the fire risk, wouldn't the holes increase this as opposed to an enclosed build that would smother sparks? If the plastic takes 6-7 seconds to catch fire, if the box was relatively airtight a flame would not last that long. To be fair all of this comes down to question of heat output of the electronics, which may be much higher than I am expecting?

 

[MaccaPopEye]

Hi @MaccaPopEye, great thread, thanks! I live in Aus as well and am looking into building a Reef Pi, but most concerned about building the power controller from a safety persepective. I have a few questions from your design if you don't mind? First, you say you had found Aus panel mount sockets as opposed to the universal, do you remember where?

Also for your 3D printed design, it is quite impressive! However, I was wondering what the design strategy was for the open holes on the sides of the box (If all of this is nonsense please let me know, I am an engineer but not an electrical one by any means!). I understand the idea of preventing overheating, but do you expect this to occur from the circuitry involved? I do not know the heat output of this build, but should we be more worried about the splash risk? Also on a thought of the fire risk, wouldn't the holes increase this as opposed to an enclosed build that would smother sparks? If the plastic takes 6-7 seconds to catch fire, if the box was relatively airtight a flame would not last that long. To be fair all of this comes down to question of heat output of the electronics, which may be much higher than I am expecting?

Welcome mate! And please ask any and all questions, I'm new to all this so they could help me learn as well

Here are the Aus outlets (at least apparently they are Aus outlets, I haven't tried them but they look much better than the Chinese ones that claimed to be Aus but didn't actually fit Aus plugs haha).

I don't know why but they are quite hard to find, I know exactly what I'm looking for now and it still takes me a few searches on ebay to find them again. They are a fair bit more expensive than the universal plugs, but then again I've noticed the price of the universal ones have gone up a bit since I bought mine 6 months ago (they are also now on my watch list for if I ever feel like building another reef-pi / better power boards)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/AC-250V-10...Round-Shape-/281767560310?hash=item419aa7c476

The holes on the power board are purely just for aesthetics and to use less 3D printer filament haha I cant really remember off the top of my head but I think it was a couple of hundred grams of filament extra per power board for solid walls, but the look was the main thing.

Cooling of the power board isn't an issue, the wiring I used is more than big enough and none of the components inside will be even remotely close tot their limit. Even a solid box shouldn't have any cooling concerns as far as I know as all Aus power boards are solid boxes and they are rated to 10A and often use thinner wire than I used so if they aren't worried about cooling then I wouldn't be (I'm also not an electrical engineer though).

Splash risk is certainly something you need to keep in mind if you are going to have your power board near water. If that is the case I would definitely do a solid box, and if in such close proximity to water I'd also be quite concerned about corrosion of the parts inside without a solid box (both the back side of the outlets and the circuits).

But IMO you should be placing power boards somewhere that they can't get wet anyway. I currently have all of my electronics in a separate section of the stand (partitioned off) to any water so there is already no chance of splashes, and when I get around to installing reef-pi I'll actually be putting it in a separate cabinet next to the stand so it will be even further isolated from water.

As for the fire risk that's something I didn't think about when designing the power board. You make a great point and I believe you are right that a solid box would have a better chance of extinguishing a flame (if it could extinguish it within 6-7 seconds though I have no idea haha).

I also don't know how air tight even a solid power box would be as there would be air coming in through all the outlets as well as plugs going to the Pi etc. but it may certainly be air tight enough to help! With solid walls there may also be the ability to line the power board with some kind of fire retardant that could help? I have no idea if there is anything like that though, just a thought

But for now I will be using an under powered fuse on the power board (I'll initially use a 10A fuse, plug everything in and see what kind of power it is drawing and then replace the 10A one with a smaller fuse that is more closely rated to my actual use) and with it being plugged into an RCD circuit so I'm not too worried about it

 

[rsehnert]

@MaccaPopEye Thanks so much for such a thorough reply! It is a good point at the end for the fuses, if I get around to this I will definitely keep that in mind.

In my 2ft square stand, the sump tanks up basically all of the room (I saw your awesome 6 foot build- I am jealous!), so I am limited to either mounting the box on the wall behind the tank or putting it all in a seperate cabinet, which may happen but space is limited. Because of this I think I will go with a solid box just so I have more flexibility. The corrosion factor also always worries me with electronics around all that salt!

As discussed on the other thread, I am still worried about building the power board while renting in a place with inspections, so we will see where this takes me.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

@MaccaPopEye Thanks so much for such a thorough reply! It is a good point at the end for the fuses, if I get around to this I will definitely keep that in mind.

In my 2ft square stand, the sump tanks up basically all of the room (I saw your awesome 6 foot build- I am jealous!), so I am limited to either mounting the box on the wall behind the tank or putting it all in a seperate cabinet, which may happen but space is limited. Because of this I think I will go with a solid box just so I have more flexibility. The corrosion factor also always worries me with electronics around all that salt!

As discussed on the other thread, I am still worried about building the power board while renting in a place with inspections, so we will see where this takes me.

Haha thanks my 6ft has had lots of issues though - primarily my lack of time! but I've been having a lot of fun with reef-pi and it has been motivating me to get it the display running properly again I've got a long to-do list to get it looking nice that I am slowly working my way through.

The fuses + RCD are definitely the things that keep my mind at ease and it's 2 layers of redundancy. The fuse should only break if something goes wrong but it should also break before the RCD, then if for some reason the fuse doesn't break the RCD should trip at the absolute slightest hint of something going wrong. 3D printers also aren't the safest appliances to run, let along DIY ones like mine (2 heating elements, one at up to 100 degrees and the other up to 250 degrees) both moving back and forth rapidly over the top of catch points. So I also rely on a fuse + RCD there too.

I would do a separate cabinet next to the tank, it's really the best way to do it. A simple plywood box can work well and be custom made & painted to fit your space, otherwise I have seen some cool cabinets people get and modify from Ikea to use as electrical / ATO / doser cabinets.

Either way you can't go wrong with a solid project box as the power board.

For the rental inspections, definitely talk your sparky mate and see what the go is in NSW and go from there. I own my unit but I've still been meaning to do the same as ignorance isn't an excuse when it comes to insurance haha I would be interested to know if there is any way to "certify" a DIY power board.

But I would be surprised if the landlord asked to see the specific electronics running the tank and doing so might even be in breach of reasonable privacy in the rental laws (which again differ in each state). In general rental inspections should only pertain to the general condition of the property, and if they want to inspect the electrical safety of the unit then that should be restricted to electrical items that are a fixed part of the unit itself (circuit breakers, power points, lights, fans, heaters etc.) and not personal plug in appliances such as TVs computers, fish tanks etc. But again it all differs so protections that tenants have in one state aren't guaranteed in another state.

Worst case if they did want to look I would say they would probably not be happy with any kind of power boards near water / anything being daisy chained etc. haha.

If you do end up making a separate cabinet for the electronics you could always hide the power boards behind a plywood sheet and just have pump controllers etc. visible when you open the main door

 

[neohusky]

Hey @MaccaPopEye

I’m finally looking at getting a project under way to better manage my tank. My first step is to sort out my power strip and I’ll be sourcing components over the coming weeks using some of the links you posted above.

I can’t remember if I’ve asked previously,but, have you considered offering your power strip enclosure for sale to fellow enthusiasts down under?

Cheers

 

[MaccaPopEye]

Hey @MaccaPopEye

I’m finally looking at getting a project under way to better manage my tank. My first step is to sort out my power strip and I’ll be sourcing components over the coming weeks using some of the links you posted above.

I can’t remember if I’ve asked previously,but, have you considered offering your power strip enclosure for sale to fellow enthusiasts down under?

Cheers

Hey mate,

Good luck with your build! My project has been sidelined for a little bit unfortunately, I just bit off a bit more than I could chew so any hobby stuff that isn't essential dosing and water changes fell to the side for a bit

Hopefully in July I might get a week or two to wire up the brain and actually get 1 power board up and running on the tank! Then I can finally start playing with ReefPi and just work on the second board whenever I get time (I really can't wait, I've been working on this in my spare time for so long!).

I considered selling just the printed enclosure but I really just don't have time. At the moment I am working full time, studying full time, run a road safety advocacy NGO and have 2 young kids.

And then also with how strict regs are in Aus I don't want to have any kind of association with selling anything that could be considered "encouraging" a non qualified person to play with 240V. I could put a dozen disclaimers on it but at the end of the day if I sold them as a product it would be a liability to me (I don't think anyone would win a law suit, but just because there is the possibility they could try so I would have to register a LLC just to make sure I was covered and there is tax implications etc.)

BUT the files are up there for free if you don't have a 3D printer yourself then I am sure you would be able to find someone local to print the file for you (they may charge you for material and power costs). If you can't find anyone local there is some 3D printing services online too.

 

[neohusky]

I know the feeling. Real life and other projects always get in the way. Too many projects not enough time.

Thanks for your detailed explanation on your reasons for not offering them for sale. All your points are extremely valid and I understand where your coming from.

I’ll look to getting your plans printed at some point. I might even try to find time to resurrect my prussa project (which suffered the same time poor fate) and print it myself.

I review your parts list in the meantime and see what I can get on eBay. If you come across anything suitable for us Aussies on top of what you’ve already identified let us know.

 

[neohusky]

Hey Macca

Your eBay link for the universal adapter doesn’t have an item attached anymore. I suppose these are similar to what you used. Would you kind taking a look before I pull the trigger on them.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/142804368627

I’ve arranged to get your enclosure printed by a mate and didn’t want to change the design to accommodate different size adapted.

Edit: Nevermind. Just saw an updated link in thingyverse.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

Hey Macca

Your eBay link for the universal adapter doesn’t have an item attached anymore. I suppose these are similar to what you used. Would you kind taking a look before I pull the trigger on them.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com.au/ulk/itm/142804368627

I’ve arranged to get your enclosure printed by a mate and didn’t want to change the design to accommodate different size adapted.

Edit: Nevermind. Just saw an updated link in thingyverse.

Woops I didn't realize the link was no longer good, I thought I only updated the thingi link after making this post haha. But yeah those look like exactly the same thing so chances are pretty good they will fit, I am pretty sure I got all of mine from 2 different sellers and they are all the same size.

Only other thing that I can think of that you should know about my build (so far) is that apparently the relay boards I used aren't the best. I recently saw that another Aussie used them in his build too and something about them won't let them work with a ULN2803A chip. The relays still work but need to be hooked up directly to the pi pins (which is kinda ok, but the [URL='https://www.adafruit.com/product/970']ULN2803A adds in a layer of safety and I would recommend it if you haven't committed to the relays I linked yet).[/URL]

You can still get relays that work in Aus, but I have only seen them in a straight line of 8 so you would need to change the mounting holes in the enclosure I designed or at least cut them off and re-glue them where ever they are needed (but make sure the other relay will fit first!!!). If a bank of 8 straight relays won't fit there is also the possibility that 2x banks of 4 relays could fit, but again I don't know if or how mounting them would work. But I should have uploaded the F360 files to thingi as well so feel free to remix them to suit your needs

 

[MaccaPopEye]

Oh and glad you found a mate who can help you print stuff but you should definitely get your prusa project up and running again! So many great 3D printing possibilities with reefing

 

[Ranjib]

@MaccaPopEye any update ? any hiccup with the controller?

 

[MaccaPopEye]

@MaccaPopEye any update ? any hiccup with the controller?

@Ranjib unfortunately I still haven't gotten it running yet! I have printed out all the enclosures to make another power bar (a total of 2) and also the brain housing is printed and ready to go. I just need to find time to put it all together! I also have an electrician lined up to test my power bars, he's just waiting for me to finish them both (no point just having him check one).

I have a couple of exams in 3 weeks and then I am doing 2 short intensive units but I am really hoping to get reef-pi all together by the end of August I'm so keen to get it running but just have so much going on atm so my tank is just on cruise control and is lucky to get the skimmer emptied once a week

I also need to get myself up to date on any improvements & changes to reef-pi, but I will do that after my exams

 

[Ranjib]

@Ranjib unfortunately I still haven't gotten it running yet! I have printed out all the enclosures to make another power bar (a total of 2) and also the brain housing is printed and ready to go. I just need to find time to put it all together! I also have an electrician lined up to test my power bars, he's just waiting for me to finish them both (no point just having him check one).

I have a couple of exams in 3 weeks and then I am doing 2 short intensive units but I am really hoping to get reef-pi all together by the end of August I'm so keen to get it running but just have so much going on atm so my tank is just on cruise control and is lucky to get the skimmer emptied once a week

I also need to get myself up to date on any improvements & changes to reef-pi, but I will do that after my exams

No worries. Best of luck for the exams

 

[MaccaPopEye]

Ok guys, since my build has been held up for a little while I have uploaded the files for the main brain housing to Thingi for anyone who is interested in making it or even remixing it!

I have uploaded 2 versions.
The first version is how I plan to use it. It has stand off mounts built in for a Raspberry-pi and a half size proto board plus an assortment of I/O ports that I plan to use. These files can be found here (as always F360 files are included):
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3659860

The second version is an enclosure with a blank I/O panel and it only has stand off mounts for a Raspberry-pi and that is it. This version will be way easier for people to customize and remix with only the sketch and extrude tools in F360! You can easily add I/O ports or stand off mounts for anything you want in the enclosure This is perfect for many of the wicked reef-pi hats available now, The internal dimensions are 179.9mm(L) x 141.25mm(W) x 63.5mm(H) and the files can be found here:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3660375

Cheers,

Macca

 

[Dizasta]

Thanks Macca for the inspiration and Ranjib for the project.

I have a 2RU 10 way powerboard from an old server rack install similar to this: 10 way 2RU power Board
Im now thinking I can sacrifice two of the outlets (usa a blanking plate to cover them - might even use a nice logo ) and use the space freed up to house the relay panel. Could work. Ill have to open it and see.

Now where did I put that power board.

There is also this one at mwave which looks like it could have the three on the left nulled with a blanking plate.