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

[Somnifac]

@AshwinRavi

Which relay are you using? I'm sure you've covered this, but the thread is so long and I couldn't find it. I know you mentioned that it's a Sainsmart 8 Channel, but it is one like this:



Or one like this:



The top can be wired in the NO or NC state, while the bottom is NO only (pretty sure it's NO at least). If I'm reading your issue correctly, is it possible that you have the top and have wired on the NC terminal? If you have the bottom, it can only be wired one way, so I'd be at a total loss.

 

[Cary]

This may be nothing, but I noticed it when I was submitting some changes on the upgrade procedure.

AshwinRavi, do you use the remove -- purge command during your upgrade?

• Remove the existing reef-pi
  
  sudo apt-get remove reef-pi -y -f --purge
  
  
• Install the downloaded reef-pi version
  
  sudo dpkg -i reef-pi-1.0-pi0.deb

I ask because I wonder if it is possible that the .6 load was not completely implemented.

I have not seen that command before and so I have never used it.

Anyway it was just a thought.

 

[AshwinRavi]

@AshwinRavi

Which relay are you using? I'm sure you've covered this, but the thread is so long and I couldn't find it. I know you mentioned that it's a Sainsmart 8 Channel, but it is one like this:



Or one like this:



The top can be wired in the NO or NC state, while the bottom is NO only (pretty sure it's NO at least). If I'm reading your issue correctly, is it possible that you have the top and have wired on the NC terminal? If you have the bottom, it can only be wired one way, so I'd be at a total loss.

Hello Somnifac,
yes, I have the top one. I will check how I have it wired, my concern is why the relay sends power through when it says 'on' and is green under equipments tab, but i have to assign it to go off, when i want it turned on under the timer page.

 

[AshwinRavi]

This may be nothing, but I noticed it when I was submitting some changes on the upgrade procedure.

AshwinRavi, do you use the remove -- purge command during your upgrade?

• Remove the existing reef-pi
  
  sudo apt-get remove reef-pi -y -f --purge
  
  
• Install the downloaded reef-pi version
  
  sudo dpkg -i reef-pi-1.0-pi0.deb

I ask because I wonder if it is possible that the .6 load was not completely implemented.

I have not seen that command before and so I have never used it.

Anyway it was just a thought.

Hi Cary,

yea, i followed the upgrade procedure from reef-pi.com, just like how you have outlined up here. i didn't have any hiccups during the upgrade.

 

[Cary]

I plan to wire mine to the pi and possibly two outlets this weekend. I would really like to know when post you use. I assume the Normally open is the post that looks open (far left or bottom in picture) and Normally closed is next to it.

 

[Somnifac]

@AshwinRavi

What you're describing sounds to me like you have it wired onto the NC terminal. In that configuration, the outlet would have power when the relay is not firing/powered (in the "Off" state in the interface) and would not have power when the relay is firing/powered.

While this shows a 4 port relay module, the logic should hold true for the 8 channel as well:

 

[Ryan115]

Hello Somnifac,
yes, I have the top one. I will check how I have it wired, my concern is why the relay sends power through when it says 'on' and is green under equipments tab, but i have to assign it to go off, when i want it turned on under the timer page.

That is how mine is working as well. I have all of mine wired to NC.
Currently when the Equipment page says On (and is green) the pin is State:0, if I click the button it changes to Off and red. This bring it to State:1. So the coil in the relay is activated and the latch flips (so now it would connect the NO side).
In the timer tab if something is turned "on" it is set to State: 1, and "off" is State:0

 

[AshwinRavi]

this is an old picture of how I have wired my relays..

 

[Ryan115]

I am curious if the temperature controller is working as expected now . Let me know . We can’t hit 1.0 release with serious bugs

So, instead of changing anything on the temperature controller, I tried experimenting with one of the empty relay slots.
I wasn't using relay 1 (GPIO 26), so I assigned it as outlet 1 with the reverse option selected.
I labeled it as 'test' under equipments, now when it shows as 'on' in the UI it's actually off and when UI says its 'off' its actually on.
Previously, on the equipment page, when it shows as 'on' the relay was actually on, and sending power through. I just had to assume the opposite under timer page when creating a job.

AshwinRavi, I just set mine up the same way(my heater outlet on the cooler tab) last night and it seems to be functioning to hold above the bottom threshold.

 

[Ryan115]

this is an old picture of how I have wired my relays..

So yours are wired as NO. Strange that we are getting the same behavior then.
Ranjib, are you currently wired as NO or NC?

 

[Somnifac]

That certainly appears that they're connected to the NO side.

Just for curiosity, would it be possible to do the following (with power unplugged, for safety):

On a channel not being used, check continuity between the common (center) terminal and each of the NC and NO terminals?

I'm certainly not going to tell or ask someone else to do this, but what I would check next would be to unhook the outlets from one of the relays you have defined in the software, set it to a schedule where it turns on and off in one minute intervals and check continuity as they switch. Whichever you measured continuity on when the Pi said the outlet was ON would be the NO side, and I would wire it back up with that in mind.

 

[AshwinRavi]

That certainly appears that they're connected to the NO side.

Just for curiosity, would it be possible to do the following (with power unplugged, for safety):

On a channel not being used, check continuity between the common (center) terminal and each of the NC and NO terminals?

I'm certainly not going to tell or ask someone else to do this, but what I would check next would be to unhook the outlets from one of the relays you have defined in the software, set it to a schedule where it turns on and off in one minute intervals and check continuity as they switch. Whichever you measured continuity on when the Pi said the outlet was ON would be the NO side, and I would wire it back up with that in mind.

will be the first thing i do after going home..

 

[AshwinRavi]

I apologize if I sound stupid, I am failing to understand how NC or NO affects the interaction with the software. if the software says something is 'on' and I do know power is flowing through, then I know it's working right. but then, I have to do the exact opposite on another page for the same channel to get it to work. that's what I don't get.
Again, I am sorry if this sounds like I am bugging. Just would like to understand what's going on. I honestly am happy with things the way they are, if I can't fix it either.

 

[Ryan115]

That certainly appears that they're connected to the NO side.

Just for curiosity, would it be possible to do the following (with power unplugged, for safety):

On a channel not being used, check continuity between the common (center) terminal and each of the NC and NO terminals?

I'm certainly not going to tell or ask someone else to do this, but what I would check next would be to unhook the outlets from one of the relays you have defined in the software, set it to a schedule where it turns on and off in one minute intervals and check continuity as they switch. Whichever you measured continuity on when the Pi said the outlet was ON would be the NO side, and I would wire it back up with that in mind.

The problem that I am seeing, and I believe AshwinRavi as well, is that the pins are being brought to State:1 (relay activated) with opposite commands in equipment than they are in timers.

 

[Ryan115]

I apologize if I sound stupid, I am failing to understand how NC or NO affects the interaction with the software. if the software says something is 'on' and I do know power is flowing through, then I know it's working right. but then, I have to do the exact opposite on another page for the same channel to get it to work. that's what I don't get.
Again, I am sorry if this sounds like I am bugging. Just would like to understand what's going on. I honestly am happy with things the way they are, if I can't fix it either.

I'm right here with you on that...makes me feel better to not be alone.

 

[Ryan115]

Ryan, I am waiting for that sale too. I just thought that since he is so open, he might help us. I think we need to know for sure if the PWM is 0-5 or 0-10, that is one thing I am not sure of.

@Cary , I just saw that the sale is today through Monday.
Hopefully I can start playing light control shortly!

 

[Somnifac]

Wiring to the NC vs NO terminals cause the power state of the outlet being switched by the relay. That's why I was wondering if, since by default the software expects a NO relay, if it were wired NC. When wired that way, if the software put the outlet into an "Off" state (i.e. the relay was not energized) the device would be getting power. The default state of the NC terminal is a completed circuit. The opposite is true for the NO terminal.

But if the issue really is in how things are being displayed in the interface, I can't really say much. I'm still buying components, so I haven't actually installed anything yet. If it shows an OFF state on one page and an ON state in another, it could be a display bug that hasn't been squashed yet.

 

[Cary]

@Cary , I just saw that the sale is today through Monday.
Hopefully I can start playing light control shortly!

Thanks Ryan

I looked this morning and didn't see anything.

 

[Somnifac]

Yep, looks like the sale is posted to the FB page.

If I could get just the LED retro board from him, along w/ the driver specs required, that would greatly help me out with putting together my system. But that's a different discussion.

 

[Cary]

Yep, looks like the sale is posted to the FB page.

If I could get just the LED retro board from him, along w/ the driver specs required, that would greatly help me out with putting together my system. But that's a different discussion.

The owner, Mike Herman, seems to be very approachable. I am sure he would answer any question you have.