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

[wykat]

I was looking this over again last night. One question, and forgive me if this was already discussed. Is there a way to interface the Relay connections with a DB9 serial so I can use the SPR8 power block?

Thanks

can somebody show me the SPR8 block diagram? I don't know how 9 wires (DB9) can control 8 relays plus gnd and 5V.

 

[sjeff35]

can somebody show me the SPR8 block diagram? I don't know how 9 wires (DB9) can control 8 relays plus gnd and 5V.

@Ranjib. Did you ever document that???

Thanks

 

[Ranjib]

Hi Ranjib the difference is 1 degree F not Celsius,i think that is not a problem.Just like to know more experience.Thank you

ds18b20 is not the most accurate probe (like pt-100), but its inexpensive , easy to source and very well integrated with the linux ecosystem. Hence we use it. It has a precision of 0.5 degree celsius, which i think ok for our use case. It is important for us to check its precision (i.e. if its off by less than 0.5 degree celsius, its consistently off).
I 'll be adding temperature calibration module after 2.0 release. To make things little bit better.

 

[Ranjib]

@Ranjib. Did you ever document that???

Thanks

Nope :-/
These are all 2.0 things ... none is documented.. all that work is pending. I am waiting for the alpha release, after that I'll cease feature work and focus on the documentation and bug fixing. I want the UI/screen shots in guides to be consistent with the final release.
Any help on this would be welcome .

 

[MaccaPopEye]

What do you want to see? I don't have an aquarium yet , am still in the 'planning phase'. Should become a reefer 250, still reading.

ps: I love Australia, been there twice. live however in Aus(tria)

Haha maybe I should get into the habit of using Oz instead of Aus to avoid confusion Good to hear you had such a great time that you came back though

And no worries about the photos, I was keen to see the HAT on the Pi with all the connectors soldered on and hooked up to their equipment. But if you haven't got a tank yet I can understand why that might not be done just yet

When ordering from JLPCB are these the right options? It looks like the ordering 10 x Pi HATs and 10 x PWM boards to Oz will only cost $7 for the PCBs and then $20 shipping. That's cheap as! (the $20 shipping is with DHL as I don't really trust the cheaper option and it's cheaper to order both at the same time to save on the shipping).

I'll probably wait until you test out the PWM board before I order as I will still have to wait a little while to get all the components anyway

 

[willy1994]

db9 has 9 pins plus the outer shield

 

[Ranjib]

can somebody show me the SPR8 block diagram? I don't know how 9 wires (DB9) can control 8 relays plus gnd and 5V.

Its 12 v. So, 8 channel each connected to the 8 data pins, and GND is actually connected to 12v+. This is because uln2803 is a sink type driver. Let me know if you need further details, happy to share build pics as well (i have shared them earlier in a post i think)

 

[Ranjib]

db9 has 9 pins plus the outer shield

I dont know if the outershield is same as the GND pin. For hdmi connectors thats the case.

 

[MrDeSaussure]

I dont know if the outershield is same as the GND pin. For hdmi connectors thats the case.

Outer shield is NOT grounded or required.

I just finished setting up this, personally.

I used a ULN2803 IC as the control. As Ranjib said, a ULN2003 will work just fine as well, with the limitation of 7 input/outputs instead of all 8.

Really is as simple as connecting all of your GPIO's directly from your PI into ports 1B through 8B, GROUND to pin 9 of the IC, +12V to pin 10 of the IC, and pins 1C through 8C are the GPIO controlled outputs to the power strip. I used a connector like this to make hookup easier, and a standard off the shelf DB9 cable to connect to the power strip.

On that specific power strip, +12V is connected to PIN 5, and the other 8 pins will be your relay triggers, pulling to ground.

A completely acceptable alternative would be to pick up two of these:

Search for "ULN2003 stepper driver"

In that case, supply GPIO from your PI on the IN pins, ground and 12v at the labeled pins. Buy/plugin the appropriate 2.54mm JST cable, https://www.amazon.com/2-54MM-Femal...UTF8&qid=1534303070&sr=8-9&keywords=5+pin+jst and you are in business.




The 9th port on the power strip is constant ON.

 

[wykat]

Haha maybe I should get into the habit of using Oz instead of Aus to avoid confusion Good to hear you had such a great time that you came back though

And no worries about the photos, I was keen to see the HAT on the Pi with all the connectors soldered on and hooked up to their equipment. But if you haven't got a tank yet I can understand why that might not be done just yet

When ordering from JLPCB are these the right options? It looks like the ordering 10 x Pi HATs and 10 x PWM boards to Oz will only cost $7 for the PCBs and then $20 shipping. That's cheap as! (the $20 shipping is with DHL as I don't really trust the cheaper option and it's cheaper to order both at the same time to save on the shipping).

I'll probably wait until you test out the PWM board before I order as I will still have to wait a little while to get all the components anyway

Yes the standard options are ok, I only don't understand why it states 5 boards, normally it's 10 (which you probably don't need). Also used Green as color, but if red is the same price and your preference, that's ok . I think I tried Black and it became more expensive, so I stayed at Green. Please wait with the PWM board, I've made a new PCB the size of the PI which should fit directly on the HAT

I tried soldering the PCA9685 but it didn't work due to several reasons:
* My eyes couldn't see the tracks clearly while soldering although I normally can see close very sharp. Could have been the light condition.
* Wrong solder iron tips (sharp, was bending the housing pins and damaging silk screen). Looking at more youtube video's it became clear they mostly used broader/flat solder tips
* Shaking hand, which is a decease I unfortunately have since youth

Found on youtube an interesting video where you just position the chip with a normal solder iron (bottom/left and upper right which worked fine for me), then just place solder paste over all pins and then solder with the hot air gun.
have a look from 5:45 at Also found a lot of other video's showing that SMT components like resistors position themselves when hot air is applied. I do know however from my former employer that components may 'flip up', applying solder paste for high volume production in a reflow production line (meaning millions of components) is critical (meaning reaching low PPM values). As a trial I also ordered a stencil for the PWM board from JLCPCB, there are interesting video's for this as well, for instance:
In the meantime I have:
* Ordered the new board as shown above, used standard shipping this time, not DHL. In the Inet I found usually 17 day's shipping time. Have to wait anyway for the other equipment as well.
* Ordered different solder iron tips (broad and SMT specific) (14USD)
* Electronic magnifying glass (48 Eur)
* Hot air solder station (40 Eur) with solder paste (18 Eur)

 

[wykat]

Its 12 v. So, 8 channel each connected to the 8 data pins, and GND is actually connected to 12v+. This is because uln2803 is a sink type driver. Let me know if you need further details, happy to share build pics as well (i have shared them earlier in a post i think)

This one works with 5V, also my HAT is using just 5V

 

[Ranjib]

Outer shield is NOT grounded or required.

I just finished setting up this, personally.

I used a ULN2803 IC as the control. As Ranjib said, a ULN2003 will work just fine as well, with the limitation of 7 input/outputs instead of all 8.

Really is as simple as connecting all of your GPIO's directly from your PI into ports 1B through 8B, GROUND to pin 9 of the IC, +12V to pin 10 of the IC, and pins 1C through 8C are the GPIO controlled outputs to the power strip. I used a connector like this to make hookup easier, and a standard off the shelf DB9 cable to connect to the power strip.

On that specific power strip, +12V is connected to PIN 5, and the other 8 pins will be your relay triggers, pulling to ground.

A completely acceptable alternative would be to pick up two of these:

Search for "ULN2003 stepper driver"

In that case, supply GPIO from your PI on the IN pins, ground and 12v at the labeled pins. Buy/plugin the appropriate 2.54mm JST cable, https://www.amazon.com/2-54MM-Femal...UTF8&qid=1534303070&sr=8-9&keywords=5+pin+jst and you are in business.




The 9th port on the power strip is constant ON.

Spot on, this is one of my all in one build, notice the db9 connector wiring, uln2003 is soldered on the perma proto board. wire colors indicate power or gpio inputs. I would recommend using ULN2803 going forward, since it has 8 channels and can support higher current load.

 

[Ranjib]

This one works with 5V, also my HAT is using just 5V

which one? you mean a scratch built powerstrip, with 5v relays?

 

[wykat]

which one? you mean a scratch built powerstrip, with 5v relays?

argh, forgot to include the link....
https://www.banggood.com/5V-8-Chann...RM-p-74110.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN

 

[Ranjib]

Yes the standard options are ok, I only don't understand why it states 5 boards, normally it's 10 (which you probably don't need). Also used Green as color, but if red is the same price and your preference, that's ok . I think I tried Black and it became more expensive, so I stayed at Green. Please wait with the PWM board, I've made a new PCB the size of the PI which should fit directly on the HAT

I tried soldering the PCA9685 but it didn't work due to several reasons:
* My eyes couldn't see the tracks clearly while soldering although I normally can see close very sharp. Could have been the light condition.
* Wrong solder iron tips (sharp, was bending the housing pins and damaging silk screen). Looking at more youtube video's it became clear they mostly used broader/flat solder tips
* Shaking hand, which is a decease I unfortunately have since youth

Found on youtube an interesting video where you just position the chip with a normal solder iron (bottom/left and upper right which worked fine for me), then just place solder paste over all pins and then solder with the hot air gun.
have a look from 5:45 at Also found a lot of other video's showing that SMT components like resistors position themselves when hot air is applied. I do know however from my former employer that components may 'flip up', applying solder paste for high volume production in a reflow production line (meaning millions of components) is critical (meaning reaching low PPM values). As a trial I also ordered a stencil for the PWM board from JLCPCB, there are interesting video's for this as well, for instance:
In the meantime I have:
* Ordered the new board as shown above, used standard shipping this time, not DHL. In the Inet I found usually 17 day's shipping time. Have to wait anyway for the other equipment as well.
* Ordered different solder iron tips (broad and SMT specific) (14USD)
* Electronic magnifying glass (48 Eur)
* Hot air solder station (40 Eur) with solder paste (18 Eur)

hmm... this make me feel good about the decision that we recommend pca9685 and other breakout boards which eliminate the need for soldering smt components. The through hole component wiring already makes building reef-pi an onerous process. lets see how this goes for you.

I recently got a hakko soldering iron (gift from wife ), and my soldering experience has completely changed since then. These are pricey, but if you are doing frequent soldering or want to learn electronics (which will eventually involve soldering), I strongly recommend this one,

 

[ramkokz]

hello members of the community

Im from India n a student in sciences so im pretty sure my electronics n electrical skills n knowledge is pretty downfall. But im really keen in building up a complete DIY LED lighting system for my Aquarium one being in a 2ftx2ft n a new one which im to start of 4ftx2ft. As im still a student i really can not go for the expensive lighting options. So im looking to Build one completely from scratch with Leds heatsinks n etc.

so i got few questions before i start.

1. Is it possible for me Who only has electrical skills from physics classes back from 12th grade at school n will i get d required parts in india?

2. can i use this program to control for individual spectrum channels?

3. can i control it over d phone or an app after completion of the instal?

if there is anybody out there who is building sucha project n has a thread pls tag me in. im already following Jim00's rasberry pi build thread.

i request u pls help me out.

thanx in advance

 

[MaccaPopEye]

hello members of the community

Im from India n a student in sciences so im pretty sure my electronics n electrical skills n knowledge is pretty downfall. But im really keen in building up a complete DIY LED lighting system for my Aquarium one being in a 2ftx2ft n a new one which im to start of 4ftx2ft. As im still a student i really can not go for the expensive lighting options. So im looking to Build one completely from scratch with Leds heatsinks n etc.

so i got few questions before i start.

1. Is it possible for me Who only has electrical skills from physics classes back from 12th grade at school n will i get d required parts in india?

2. can i use this program to control for individual spectrum channels?

3. can i control it over d phone or an app after completion of the instal?

if there is anybody out there who is building sucha project n has a thread pls tag me in. im already following Jim00's rasberry pi build thread.

i request u pls help me out.

thanx in advance

1. I can't really answer that as I don't know what your year 12 physics course covered. You would need a fairly decent understanding of the basics to ensure you are doing everything right with the wiring and components as well as the heat exchange. But you can always watch a bunch of YouTube videos as there is a few out there. I also can't say if you will be able to get the parts or not but I assume you should be able to get most of it from ebay or aliexpress.

2. Yes Reef-Pi can control up to 16 PWM channels.

3. Yes you can access Reef-Pi through your phones browser app but to do this away from your home you would need to set up some kind of port forwarding or something (a few people have done this).

Have you looked into the SB Reef lights or other Chinese black box LEDs like Mars Aqua? They are probably a fair bit cheaper than a DIY LED would be and they have been shown to grow coral fine. I would recommend 1 or 2 for the 2'x2' tank and 2 or 3 for the 4'x2' tank.

 

[sjeff35]

Nope :-/
These are all 2.0 things ... none is documented.. all that work is pending. I am waiting for the alpha release, after that I'll cease feature work and focus on the documentation and bug fixing. I want the UI/screen shots in guides to be consistent with the final release.
Any help on this would be welcome .

@Ranjib
I would help, but I'm afraid I'm really not much help!!! Being so new to all of this I have nothing to offer.

If there is anything you think I might be able to help with, please, don't hesitate to ask. I'll jump right in!

 

[Ranjib]

hello members of the community

Im from India n a student in sciences so im pretty sure my electronics n electrical skills n knowledge is pretty downfall. But im really keen in building up a complete DIY LED lighting system for my Aquarium one being in a 2ftx2ft n a new one which im to start of 4ftx2ft. As im still a student i really can not go for the expensive lighting options. So im looking to Build one completely from scratch with Leds heatsinks n etc.

so i got few questions before i start.

1. Is it possible for me Who only has electrical skills from physics classes back from 12th grade at school n will i get d required parts in india?

2. can i use this program to control for individual spectrum channels?

3. can i control it over d phone or an app after completion of the instal?

if there is anybody out there who is building sucha project n has a thread pls tag me in. im already following Jim00's rasberry pi build thread.

i request u pls help me out.

thanx in advance

Namaste.
I am the author of reef-pi, I am from India, and I am a microbiology graduate. I learned electronics as I developed reef-pi. I am sure you can learn too. Its not a matter of what background you have, it more of a factor of how much time/patience you have and access to mentors (which is where internet come in). You have to check the availability of resources at your end by yourself. i.e. the cost of LED, heatsink etc. I know Pi itself is around Rupees: 5K.

As others have mentioned reef-pi can easily control 18 LED channels, assuming you are also getting the pca9685 breakout board. And yes you can control your lights from phone or tablet or computer when they are in the same network (if you are outside home, you need to setup port forwarding to access reef-pi from internet).

I doubt very much that a scratch build will cost less than the cheaper blackboxes, but I am not sure.
For a scratch build, you are looking at individual LEDs (most go for cree), heat sinks, drivers (like meanwell ldd-h), powersource . This is just the light, conroller will require Pi, pca9685, power adapter. I'd recommend starting a dedicated build thread in the DIY section if you are serious about it.

 

[Ranjib]

@Ranjib
I would help, but I'm afraid I'm really not much help!!! Being so new to all of this I have nothing to offer.

If there is anything you think I might be able to help with, please, don't hesitate to ask. I'll jump right in!

You are already helping this project by testing . Appreciate that a lot.