reef-pi :: An opensource reef tank controller based on Raspberry Pi.

[Ranjib]

Right I’m trying to wire up my pcs9685 to my pi 3
I’ve been looking on the net but keep finding conflicting diagrams for the wiring. The drawing I’m looking at is this one but is it correct please

i get a kick every time I see a reef-pi build material . Thank you for giving reef-pi a shot

 

[Ranjib]

I would also like to be able to view the cameras remotely. Say if i have two cameras. One in my sump area and one in the main tank.

Would be sweet to pull reef pi up in a app or webpage and be able to view a problem if say on vacation.

Once the ato has multiple sensors for less failure maybe the two camera setup wouldnt be needed. But right now i could check on my water level wnd activate my ato remotly to fill up my sump. If the sensor fails.

Each pi can support only one camera.
I had written then google drive upload of captured images for the same reason , I can see then remotely. Actually the minimal camera subsystem was written early on , during my first vacation (after setting up the first tank)

I have learned a lot since then and here are some thoughts:

• I use xfinity /Comcast and it allows me to port forward an internal device through their portal , which is internet accessible. This allows me to check my reef-pi dashboard remotely , including on demand camera /photo captures.
• This does open up a security hole. To mitigate that I have introduced https support in 1.2 release. I also recommend using a 32 character long password (generated by a password manager ) for reef-pi dashboard. Use this along side on-demand port forwarding
• The camera subsystem UI is abysmal none the less, so I intend to fix that , alongside adding image browsing capability etc (stuff mentioned in the earlier post) to make it a formal 2.0 subsystem (which means we have to do the guide and api documentation )

It is likely your ISP also provides such capability, probably not via an internet accessible portal , but from the routers internal ip(in which case you have to set it up right before leaving home network)

I don’t have a good answer for the two camera problem, other than recommending two pi

 

[Ranjib]

i have just received my el cheapo chinese probe and ph sensor board will play around with that and some supplied code on pi forums see if i can get that working. The sensor chip is similar to the adafruit one.

Side note i ordered this in november lol.

When I did my earlier research , I learned that there are different classes of ph probes (submersible). Only a few of them allows continuous probing (of almost 2 years ) under marine environment. Most of the cheap ones do not last above couple of months , they are made for on-demand or non-continuous usage. I was also not sure if the code required to read individual sensors are same or not (default assumption is ‘not’) . Hence I did not opt for the cheap ones. I would certainly love to get a cheaper alternative , as long as it’s gonna work and it’s somewhat opensource friendly, with reputable vendor

 

[Mark Derail]

Also consider the Digispark - a miniature arduino board with 6 IO ports. I'm considering for my DIY ATO build.
I did a search for this mini board here on R2R, came up empty. So just a FYI

 

[Ranjib]

Just got back from my scientific expedition and here's my findings (I'm Awesome BTW)
The 2 sockets on that board are both linked so I was testing the socket and wiring from the control board to the driver board and this is what I found, I must say if you confirm my findings I'm feeling like I might make a YouTube account and show the whole world how to do this as I have found nothing on line that shows you how to do the Viparspectra lights.
I'm concluding that All I need is to connect the PWM +12 and the PWM GND to the amp board that Ranjib has posted.
Although I tested the voltages and found that the meter is only showing 10.07 V DC across the PWM pins. and looking at the suppliers website most of there "Dimming" units are 0 - 10V this could explain why these lights only ever get warm and not hot enough to need a solid heat sink. I think there made for 12v PWM and only get 10V PWM max so there less likely to burn out the LED chips.

It is always recommended to run the leds below their full capacity (this applies for almost all devices , including dc pumps ) for higher longevity

 

[Ranjib]

Also consider the Digispark - a miniature arduino board with 6 IO ports. I'm considering for my DIY ATO build.
I did a search for this mini board here on R2R, came up empty. So just a FYI

https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Digispark-Kickstarter-ATTINY85-Development/dp/B073P6T61 this one?

 

[Ranjib]

Also consider the Digispark - a miniature arduino board with 6 IO ports. I'm considering for my DIY ATO build.
I did a search for this mini board here on R2R, came up empty. So just a FYI

Thank you for sharing.
We use raspberry pi, so we have a full blown computer , arduino and similar boards (including the one you have just shared ) are microcontrollers. We have to program them in C , and they are lot less powerful, with very limited features. They are smaller and cheaper , hence are good for just one specific things,

 

[Ranjib]

Thank you for sharing.
We use raspberry pi, so we have a full blown computer , arduino and similar boards (including the one you have just shared ) are microcontrollers. We have to program them in C , and they are lot less powerful, with very limited features. They are smaller and cheaper , hence are good for just one specific things,

Put other way, reef/pi running on pi zero can do alarmost all of that and the price /size difference will be very little. Reef-pi the software allows you to configure itself as just one thing

 

[Ranjib]

Found the other day a company that sells a combination ph,ec, orp submersible probe. http://www.vl-pc.com/index.cfm/industrial/ph/submersibles/
No idea what this costs but if cheaper than say separate probes + separate isolated connections this could make the build easier.

This looks pretty costly

 

[Mark Derail]

Which is why, if you start from zero, and want to DIY the ATO, and baby-step into the world of Arduino, the Digispark is really cool.

Having an ATO that is 100% independent from any other system can be useful. Since I am a software programmer with decent electronics knowledge, I eventually will do a Raspberry Pi build. When I save up 500$ for the sensors.

 

[jcmental]

OK my last questioone last question of the night.
If I’m following this diagram for my GPIO pins how do I get a 5v supply to my ssr bank? There is a rly ground but no +5v pin to supply it.

 

[Ranjib]

Which is why, if you start from zero, and want to DIY the ATO, and baby-step into the world of Arduino, the Digispark is really cool.

Having an ATO that is 100% independent from any other system can be useful. Since I am a software programmer with decent electronics knowledge, I eventually will do a Raspberry Pi build. When I save up 500$ for the sensors.

I am failing to see that how is this saving more than 7$. The ato sensor itself cost 1$(float switch) or 12$(optical).
You also don’t have the ability to remotely manage it or see how frequently this thing is pouring water , etc.
we don’t have any 500$ probe yet. The ph probe that we plan to use will cost 50-70$.

The ato build should not cost more than 50$

The only time I have seen folks interested in microcontroller based solution is when they have electrical or electronics background. I really have not seen a sound argument , the only argument I got till now is to save 5$ in lieu of losing the ability to monitor/remote controls. To me that argument is not sound, as the overall build cost is around 30$ for me, and I really like the monitoring/alerting/remote control feature... because this is diy , I want to be more cautious.

If simplicity is the only argument , the why not do a gravity fed ?

 

[Ranjib]

OK my last questioone last question of the night.
If I’m following this diagram for my GPIO pins how do I get a 5v supply to my ssr bank? There is a rly ground but no +5v pin to supply it.

Use the output from pca9685 or pi. Pi has two 5v output pin

 

[Brad Cox]

Each pi can support only one camera.
I had written then google drive upload of captured images for the same reason , I can see then remotely. Actually the minimal camera subsystem was written early on , during my first vacation (after setting up the first tank)

I have learned a lot since then and here are some thoughts:

• I use xfinity /Comcast and it allows me to port forward an internal device through their portal , which is internet accessible. This allows me to check my reef-pi dashboard remotely , including on demand camera /photo captures.
• This does open up a security hole. To mitigate that I have introduced https support in 1.2 release. I also recommend using a 32 character long password (generated by a password manager ) for reef-pi dashboard. Use this along side on-demand port forwarding
• The camera subsystem UI is abysmal none the less, so I intend to fix that , alongside adding image browsing capability etc (stuff mentioned in the earlier post) to make it a formal 2.0 subsystem (which means we have to do the guide and api documentation )

It is likely your ISP also provides such capability, probably not via an internet accessible portal , but from the routers internal ip(in which case you have to set it up right before leaving home network)

I don’t have a good answer for the two camera problem, other than recommending two pi

I can probly just get a couple of ip cameras on my blueiris server to take care of it as well.


Currently im using att and verizon for my home internet. Both of those are behind strict nats so i cant get out without a vpn.

I have tested and have a working vnc server in the reefpi pi. I can get to the dashboard like that currently.

But its clumbersome to say the least. But thats part due to the extra steps required to open vnc and operate the mouse on the phone.

 

[Ranjib]

I can probly just get a couple of ip cameras on my blueiris server to take care of it as well.


Currently im using att and verizon for my home internet. Both of those are behind strict nats so i cant get out without a vpn.

I have tested and have a working vnc server in the reefpi pi. I can get to the dashboard like that currently.

But its clumbersome to say the least. But thats part due to the extra steps required to open vnc and operate the mouse on the phone.

Yeah , same reason for not using vnc/vpc.
So, at&t/Verizon does not give a static ip & port forwarding ?
I am pretty sure the port forwarding itself is implemented using nat or some other iptable foo (masquerade)

 

[Mark Derail]

You also don’t have the ability to remotely manage it or see how frequently this thing is pouring water , etc.
we don’t have any 500$ probe yet. The ph probe that we plan to use will cost 50-70$.
The ato build should not cost more than 50$

The ATO build will be like you said. The 500$ is Canada Bucks Budget & Shipping for all-in (ATO, Raspberry Pi, sensors, lcd, wiring, etc)
Sorry for the confusion.

 

[jcmental]

Been trying to set up the control relays but I cant seem to get the menu to show in the equipment drop down box. I have connected all the pins from my 8 bank relay board to the pi out puts but up to now theirs no sign of life on the board.
The screen shot wont show the empty selection box.

 

[Ranjib]

Been trying to set up the control relays but I cant seem to get the menu to show in the equipment drop down box. I have connected all the pins from my 8 bank relay board to the pi out puts but up to now theirs no sign of life on the board.
The screen shot wont show the empty selection box.

You have to declare outlets, with GPIO pin numbers, as mentioned here: https://reef-pi.github.io/build-guides/power/

 

[Ranjib]

The ATO build will be like you said. The 500$ is Canada Bucks Budget & Shipping for all-in (ATO, Raspberry Pi, sensors, lcd, wiring, etc)
Sorry for the confusion.

Ah, got it

 

[Ranjib]

You have to declare outlets, with GPIO pin numbers, as mentioned here: https://reef-pi.github.io/build-guides/power/

In case its not clear, you have created jacks, which are pwm outputs and used for lights, dosing pumps, wave makers etc. You need to create outlets which are for relays. Jack pin number represents pca9685 numbers , can be multiples (comma separated), and the pin number itself is serial numbers (0,1,2,3 ... 15). While outlets always have a single pin number, and they are GPIO numbers as indicated by their label GPIOXX (not serial number) in the pinout diagram.