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

JBJAquarium.com
Jump to Last
Question: How much current do 0-10V PWM modules require per channel? Would like to get away from the LM7810
 
Avast
MaccaPopEye said:
That's really interesting. I don't know much about inductive loads and relays as I'm new to all this stuff. But all pumps are inductive loads so I wonder why your RW8 is doing that and no one else has has issues with their pumps or wave makers.

Do you have another RW8 you could plug that in to see if it is an issue with just the one pump? With work and study atm It's still going to be a while before I get mine up and running (always more delays :( ) but I will plug one of my RW8's in when I do and see what happens.
Click to expand...

Apparently, it has to do with the converter ie 220VAD - 24VDC and switching that. That's what causes the load - I don't actually know.:confused:

All I do know, is that I can switch my heaters which are more than a 1A draw no problem.
 
Des Westcott said:
Apparently, it has to do with the converter ie 220VAD - 24VDC and switching that. That's what causes the load - I don't actually know.:confused:

All I do know, is that I can switch my heaters which are more than a 1A draw no problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks thats really interesting :) I'll hopefully get mine going eventually and will report back if I have any issues!
 
Avast
I finally have a semi-final version of my Reef-Pi brain housing printed out. After the first one failed right at the end and warped off the bed (not very common with PLA) and the second one got half way before we had a power outage :/

I also decided to edit the CAD files so that the box didn't split half way up and instead it was all one piece with just a thin lid. I realized if I had to change anything inside it would be difficult to open with half the sockets going one way and the other half going another way. I might also change the power board files to be similar, but I'm half way throw printing them atm so that's a job for later.

20180823_225638.jpg

20180823_225726.jpg

20180823_225909.jpg

20180823_230115.jpg
.
Obviously I don't have time to wire everything up yet but the components all fit :) I've also still got the breadboard pcb there in case there is any circuits I need that aren't on the HAT (which I am keen butt to get)
 
Look like you just made the "miracle happens" Look like a beauty and will work like a charm. Very nice.
 
wykat said:
Question: How much current do 0-10V PWM modules require per channel? Would like to get away from the LM7810
Click to expand...
Depends upon what light you are powering, Kessil draws 20-70ma per channel. I have a moonlight (biocube led strip) thats directly controlled (i.e. the pwm directly powers the light) and draws around 1A, i use a logic level power mosfet for that
 
Nutramar Foods
Des Westcott said:
Just a quick one.... I have noticed that the alerts are missing from the ATO module.

Is this a change that was made?
Click to expand...
Nope.. of this is correct, then its a bug. I'll look into it ,
 
MaccaPopEye said:
I finally have a semi-final version of my Reef-Pi brain housing printed out. After the first one failed right at the end and warped off the bed (not very common with PLA) and the second one got half way before we had a power outage :/

I also decided to edit the CAD files so that the box didn't split half way up and instead it was all one piece with just a thin lid. I realized if I had to change anything inside it would be difficult to open with half the sockets going one way and the other half going another way. I might also change the power board files to be similar, but I'm half way throw printing them atm so that's a job for later.

20180823_225638.jpg

20180823_225726.jpg

20180823_225909.jpg

20180823_230115.jpg
.
Obviously I don't have time to wire everything up yet but the components all fit :) I've also still got the breadboard pcb there in case there is any circuits I need that aren't on the HAT (which I am keen *** to get)
Click to expand...
This is stunning! :-) . Your build can compete with the commercial controllers :-0)
 
MaccaPopEye said:
I finally have a semi-final version of my Reef-Pi brain housing printed out. After the first one failed right at the end and warped off the bed (not very common with PLA) and the second one got half way before we had a power outage :/

I also decided to edit the CAD files so that the box didn't split half way up and instead it was all one piece with just a thin lid. I realized if I had to change anything inside it would be difficult to open with half the sockets going one way and the other half going another way. I might also change the power board files to be similar, but I'm half way throw printing them atm so that's a job for later.

20180823_225638.jpg

20180823_225726.jpg

20180823_225909.jpg

20180823_230115.jpg
.
Obviously I don't have time to wire everything up yet but the components all fit :) I've also still got the breadboard pcb there in case there is any circuits I need that aren't on the HAT (which I am keen *** to get)
Click to expand...

Cool, when are you going to hook everyone up with the files to print this out? :-)
 
Chewy.com
Ranjib said:
This is stunning! :) . Your build can compete with the commercial controllers :-0)
Click to expand...
Thanks Ranjib, I can't wait to get my hands on one of the HATs and get it running! (just waiting for confirmation that the PWM boards are also working so I can order them togeather).

Trickman2 said:
Cool, when are you going to hook everyone up with the files to print this out? :)
Click to expand...
I see Ranjib and Sjeff already beat me to it haha. I have made a couple of minor changes to the CAD files so I will update the files online this afternoon or tomorrow :)

But the V1 files are already up including all of the fusion files, so if you want to edit them yourself to make them suit your purposes then, go nuts! :)
 
MaccaPopEye said:
Thanks Ranjib, I can't wait to get my hands on one of the HATs and get it running! (just waiting for confirmation that the PWM boards are also working so I can order them togeather).
Click to expand...
The PWM boards are on their way to me. They were ordered on 14 Aug. Shipment should take 2-4 weeks (other forums claim normally 17 days). Present shipment status is:
  • 2018-08-21 23:30:59 Hand over to airline.
  • 2018-08-21 15:45:00 Service provider received shipment information .
  • 2018-08-21 15:24:01 Depart from facility to service provider.
  • 2018-08-17 21:41:02 Shipment arrived at facility and measured.
  • 2018-08-17 21:41:02 Fpx pciked up shipment.
  • 2018-08-16 08:36:23 Shipment information received

So with some luck they will arrive next week :)

Will definitely also have a look at your housing :cool:. Temperatures will drop as of tomorrow so then I can start using my 3D printers again :D (We've had the longest heatwave ever measured and no Airconditioner, so not a good time to heat up further with 3D printing)
 
Getting started on 2.0 documentation , theres a lot to be done, I’m thinking of covering at least these
  • Update all existing guides with 2.0 specific things (like ULN2803 & ADJ powerstrip in power controller, pi based pwm in lighting controller, multi ato, multi-temperature sensors etc)
  • Add new build guides for new 2.0 modules (ph, doser, macro, camera )
  • Update general guides (housing will include plastic enclosures, 3d printed parts design files, new wiring connectors and color-coded circuits etc)
  • Add build images, screenshots and possibly videos as part of the guides
  • Publish comprehensive copies of the guides to learn.adafruit.com as well.
Let me know if you think I should add anything extra.
 
Deltec
Ranjib said:
Getting started on 2.0 documentation , theres a lot to be done, I’m thinking of covering at least these
  • Update all existing guides with 2.0 specific things (like ULN2803 & ADJ powerstrip in power controller, pi based pwm in lighting controller, multi ato, multi-temperature sensors etc)
  • Add new build guides for new 2.0 modules (ph, doser, macro, camera )
  • Update general guides (housing will include plastic enclosures, 3d printed parts design files, new wiring connectors and color-coded circuits etc)
  • Add build images, screenshots and possibly videos as part of the guides
  • Publish comprehensive copies of the guides to learn.adafruit.com as well.
Let me know if you think I should add anything extra.
Click to expand...
I was a surprised about the current requirements for the PWM module. Your wrote
[QUOTE="Depends upon what light you are powering, Kessil draws 20-70ma per channel. I have a moonlight (biocube led strip) thats directly controlled (i.e. the pwm directly powers the light) and draws around 1A, i use a logic level power mosfet for that[/Quote]

The LM7810 can supply maximum of 1A, so no chance to simplify. Would be interesting to know your mosfet solution. Somehow I never liked mosfet :confused:
 
wykat said:
I was a surprised about the current requirements for the PWM module. Your wrote
[QUOTE="Depends upon what light you are powering, Kessil draws 20-70ma per channel. I have a moonlight (biocube led strip) thats directly controlled (i.e. the pwm directly powers the light) and draws around 1A, i use a logic level power mosfet for that
Click to expand...

The LM7810 can supply maximum of 1A, so no chance to simplify. Would be interesting to know your mosfet solution. Somehow I never liked mosfet :confused:[/QUOTE]
I use lm2596 modules for all my voltage conversion/regulation, across the board (12->10V, 12-> 5V etc).
I use the mosfets (such as IRLB8721, available from afafruit) for controlling high current component such as LED lights, and example usage can be found here: https://learn.adafruit.com/rgb-led-strips?view=all , i thin any logic level n-channel power mosfet will work,
If its a peristaltic pump (for doser) or some other motor related thing, then i prefer to use l293d instead of power mosfet, since it provides direction control and some addedd protection. I have tried and tested these solution on my builds, so fairly confident on these circuits now.

Recently I am also toying with BLDC (brushless dc motor controller) with three phase output to control things like gyre.. the setup is still needs to be thoroughly tested... so stay tuned
 
Time to dip my toe into this water. I have been part of the BETA team for DA for a few years. I was one of the first people to use their Archon (linux based) controllers. As many may know they are no longer in business. Unfortunately that means no support. Last night, my system went down and would not recover. the web server is down, the buss is down, and it will no longer connect to my wifi. I sort of knew this day would come soon and have been doing my best to peruse and keep up with the ReefPi development here. I guess time to kick that into overdrive because I feel vulnerable not having my system on a full control system. I don't want to go the apex route at this time either.

So that means I get to build a little Reefpi here. Currently I have 12 powered devices for my tank. realistically I dont see a need for more than 16 outlets so I am planning a build for that (or alt least expand to it). I am not skilled with solder yet so hopefully we can make it work.

Goals:
  • Easy to assemble
  • neat
  • Safe

Must have features:
  • Power control to up to 16 devices
  • ATO (have float switch setup and Aqualifter currently)
  • Temp
Initial buy/build list


For now, I think that will work to get me back under temperature control. As I progress, I know i want to bring my PWM controlled Jebao WP25s back under the controller. Previously on the Archon, I had then running in an alternating 7 second program to give a really good ebb and flow that the stand alone controllers cannot do. Since it is just two of them, I think I can do this on the two PWM io pins. That said I also have a wp10 that I controlled as well on a separate osculating 3 second program. So maybe I need a PWM board. It is my understanding that the PWM wavemaker/pump control has not made it in yet so I can hold off on this.

I wish I had the programming knowledge as you but if interested, I can provide some of the linux code from the archon if it helps further the progress here.


at the end, a Quick Question. I have an extra Reefkeeper temperature probe. Can I cut the end off it for use with Reefpi?
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Tidal Gardens
I can't get this to work for the life of me, I have a pi3b+, 32gig class 10 sd card with raspian flashed on it with etcher, I connect to a tv with hdmi, do all the setup, wifi and updates and raspberry pi works great. I download the dashboard latest version, https://github.com/reef-pi/reef-pi/releases/download/1.5/reef-pi-1.5-pi3.deb, and reboot pi, I enter the ip address into a browser and log in reef-pi/reef-pi and the dashboard appears, I go to configuration and try to change the password, press update then reload and get error. None of the buttons on the bottom of the page work, they are red and all give a terminated"} error. Then when I refresh my browser I get the login page but can't log in anymore. I have reflashed the card atleast 10 times, Am I supposed to download any other releases, any help would be appreciated.
 
pickupman66 said:
Time to dip my toe into this water. I have been part of the BETA team for DA for a few years. I was one of the first people to use their Archon (linux based) controllers. As many may know they are no longer in business. Unfortunately that means no support. Last night, my system went down and would not recover. the web server is down, the buss is down, and it will no longer connect to my wifi. I sort of knew this day would come soon and have been doing my best to peruse and keep up with the ReefPi development here. I guess time to kick that into overdrive because I feel vulnerable not having my system on a full control system. I don't want to go the apex route at this time either.

So that means I get to build a little Reefpi here. Currently I have 12 powered devices for my tank. realistically I dont see a need for more than 16 outlets so I am planning a build for that (or alt least expand to it). I am not skilled with solder yet so hopefully we can make it work.

Goals:
  • Easy to assemble
  • neat
  • Safe

Must have features:
  • Power control to up to 16 devices
  • ATO (have float switch setup and Aqualifter currently)
  • Temp
Initial buy/build list


For now, I think that will work to get me back under temperature control. As I progress, I know i want to bring my PWM controlled Jebao WP25s back under the controller. Previously on the Archon, I had then running in an alternating 7 second program to give a really good ebb and flow that the stand alone controllers cannot do. Since it is just two of them, I think I can do this on the two PWM io pins. That said I also have a wp10 that I controlled as well on a separate osculating 3 second program. So maybe I need a PWM board. It is my understanding that the PWM wavemaker/pump control has not made it in yet so I can hold off on this.

I wish I had the programming knowledge as you but if interested, I can provide some of the linux code from the archon if it helps further the progress here.


at the end, a Quick Question. I have an extra Reefkeeper temperature probe. Can I cut the end off it for use with Reefpi?
Click to expand...

Thank you for considering reef-pi, your feedback will be valuable for us and all reef-pi users.

Since your profile suggest you are from USA, I would suggest not using straight relays and instead use american dj powerstrip and control them with reef-pi directly. Those are 8 outlets for 60$. I am happy to help with the circuit build etc. For power controller, you'll need two ADJ power stripts, two db9 connectors, two db9 cable (to connect powerstrip with reef-pi housing), two ULN2803a IC, one lm2596 converter (12v -> 5v), a 12v 2A power supply, and 1/2 breakout board (like adafruit permaproto or gikfun). You can prototype this in breadboard, but a permanant installation is better of on perfboard with all component soldered in (but this is simple soldering, nothing fancy involved). Its safer to start with one powerstrip and then extend the build to add another one when you get a hang of the process. If soldering is a hard no-go then we have to think bit differently, let us know

I dont know the temperature sensor type of reefkeeper, if its ds18b20, it should work.

float-switch + ATO should work without any issues. Keep some resistors handy, in case you need.
The Raspberry Pi you have linked is one generation older (Pi 3), theres a new version at almost same price.

Here is the link of a bucket list of items, its exhaustive, so choose only the ones you need: http://a.co/j8Iv8M0

You are right on the pwm and wavemaker front. I am still testing out the circuit with 24v controllable dc pumps. But we heavily use pwm for LED and dosing control already, so those circuits are all understood and reef-pi support is there. In-fact if all you need is two channels or two pumps, then you wont need any pwm breakout board, vanilla raspberry pi will do.

I would love to see the archon code, assuming its opensource/legal thing to do. If not, I'll skip.

Measure twice pour once, that will save you some time and components :-) , ask as many questions as you have and inform us about your designs/circuits beforehand, that will give us an opportunity to review and warn of any possible issues.


godspeed
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%

  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%

  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%

  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
See comments…

New Posts

Reef Outfit T-shirt Collection
TCK Corals
Top Shelf Aquatics
Chewy.com
Nutramar Foods
World Wide Corals
Dinkins Aquatic Gardens
Tidal Gardens
Deltec
New Posts
Back
Top