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

[Ranjib]

My last question for the time being is:

Reef pi offers a ramp up/down on a 2h schedule. Can it be modify to a shorter ramp up/down? Like every 15mins.

Not yet. for 2.0 release we are adding a diurnal setting other than the 12 point (2 hour apart) auto mode. Note: though you specify the values in 2 hour interval, reef-pi will actually calculate the delta every 1 minute (linear interpolation) and apply it accordingly.
I am adding support for fine grained pwm control and smoother ramp up/down right now, but it will likely be available after 2.0

 

[Ranjib]

@wykat I think I found an error in your board layout or documentation. On the temperature sensor the tip goes to the GPO line with 4.7K resistor the middle ring goes to pin 17. I could not get the sensor working till I swapped them. hoe that makes sense Thanks

Is this in the official guides? We should update it if theres any mistake in those..

 

[Ranjib]

I got all three of my temps up and going thanks for the help. Is it possible to have all of them in the same graph?

NOt currently :-( . If you have adafruit.io configured, you can do it over there

 

[Ranjib]

Hmmm, sounds like it might be worth the extra couple bucks to grab a pi 3 and just have a smoother experience all around

Dont run GUI with pi zero, its not worth it

 

[Ranjib]

im running rc0 and have noting that looks like that either. This is my screen shot and hitting save doesnt add it anyhow, but there is no option as to what to control either.

You'll get the pump control option after you have added the sensor

 

[ScottBrew]

Pi three is way more powerful, if you are planning to use GUI , then dont choose pi zero at all. Pi zero W is handy, small and does the job for pretty much all my builds except camera. I run all my builds in text mode, without any GUI (raspian lite)

Is there a difference between direct connected monitor and remote access when running a GUI on the zero? I've got a 3, but after building it I realized how little of the pi I needed (usb, network port, processor and memory usage very low, etc. ), so curious for future use.

 

[Erica-Renee]

@ScottBrew running pi-zero If you are talking about using VNC To remote into the pi . It will NOT WORK. The pi zero is not fast enough to even sync from my experience. you can use something like putty to get the pi zero command line and it works absolutely perfect.. I have found that once you have your Reef-pi up and running this is you need to run reef-pi even on a pi3 ..

My hope is (not pushing ) some day gpio expansion will come and we can run more then one reef-pi on the same raspberry pi . I would also like to see a Maintenance charting database and live and materials tracking. This would be beyond pi zero ability i believe .

 

[ScottBrew]

@ScottBrew running pi-zero If you are talking about using VNC To remote into the pi . It will NOT WORK. The pi zero is not fast enough to even sync from my experience. you can use something like putty to get the pi zero command line and it works absolutely perfect.. I have found that once you have your Reef-pi up and running this is you need to run reef-pi even on a pi3 ..

My hope is (not pushing ) some day gpio expansion will come and we can run more then one reef-pi on the same raspberry pi . I would also like to see a Maintenance charting database and live and materials tracking. This would be beyond pi zero ability i believe .

Thank you for the reply. My question was more posed as being able to access the GUI remote (on home network) so that my wife or daughters can turn on feed mode, for when I am not home, without using a command line. I personally don't want to use a command line every time I want to run a macro myself, even though I am comfortable doing so. If I add any more automation to the system, I will run out of GPIO outputs to run them and then may have to add a second pi to split up the tasks, unless the expansion is available. The pi3b+ is certainly undertaxed and capable of running hundreds of input/outputs.

 

[Erica-Renee]

Thank you for the reply. My question was more posed as being able to access the GUI remote (on home network) so that my wife or daughters can turn on feed mode, for when I am not home, without using a command line. I personally don't want to use a command line every time I want to run a macro myself, even though I am comfortable doing so. If I add any more automation to the system, I will run out of GPIO outputs to run them and then may have to add a second pi to split up the tasks, unless the expansion is available. The pi3b+ is certainly undertaxed and capable of running hundreds of input/outputs.

Yes the Web interface Reef-pi gui is a website . Its how you access it regardless of the raspberry pi your using.

 

[Des Westcott]

Thank you for the reply. My question was more posed as being able to access the GUI remote (on home network) so that my wife or daughters can turn on feed mode, for when I am not home, without using a command line. I personally don't want to use a command line every time I want to run a macro myself, even though I am comfortable doing so. If I add any more automation to the system, I will run out of GPIO outputs to run them and then may have to add a second pi to split up the tasks, unless the expansion is available. The pi3b+ is certainly undertaxed and capable of running hundreds of input/outputs.

I have a PiZero on my brine shrimp hatchery and it runs on Raspbian Lite.

I can log into it's IP address just fine from any of my devices without having to use the GUI. The GUI is only necessary if you want to view the full desktop via VNC or the likes.

To access Reef-Pi, just log onto the appropriate IP address and log in. No GUI necessary.

So yes, your wife and kids can access it easily when you are away.

 

[sfgabe]

did you use 5V pwm or 10V pwm?Kessil uses 10V pwm, and i wont recommend using that. Use PCA9685 to get 5V PWM directly, without any transistor in between.

I was using your Kessil PCA9685 circuit, so it was 10V, I didn't want to build a new one just to test it. I though capping it at 50% would be ok for the test.

 

[Kampo]

I know there was talk at some point on making a premade board for reefpi with many of the circuits already made to just plug the pie into and components to the propper plugs/solder spots did anything ever come of that?

 

[speedstar]

I know there was talk at some point on making a premade board for reefpi with many of the circuits already made to just plug the pie into and components to the propper plugs/solder spots did anything ever come of that?

Yes @wykat did this, I just populated a board and put it in service.

 

[Kampo]

Yes @wykat did this, I just populated a board and put it in service.

Where can I get more info on b
That

 

[speedstar]

Where can I get more info on b
That

https://github.com/vandegraaf/Reef-PI_PCBs

 

[Nicolas Sabrun]

Pi three is way more powerful, if you are planning to use GUI , then dont choose pi zero at all. Pi zero W is handy, small and does the job for pretty much all my builds except camera. I run all my builds in text mode, without any GUI (raspian lite)

Well I was planning on having some type of LCD screen on my tank so i can keep an eye on everything without using a computer.

Would it be smarter and better to go with pi 3 then?

Is reef pi compatible with both pi ?

I decided to go ahead and build my own controller. Just trying to figure out the best part to start with. It seems that pi 3 is more appropriate for a stand alone controller.

 

[Nicolas Sabrun]

Not yet. for 2.0 release we are adding a diurnal setting other than the 12 point (2 hour apart) auto mode. Note: though you specify the values in 2 hour interval, reef-pi will actually calculate the delta every 1 minute (linear interpolation) and apply it accordingly.
I am adding support for fine grained pwm control and smoother ramp up/down right now, but it will likely be available after 2.0

When can we expect the release?

 

[speedstar]

When can we expect the release?

2.0 was last slated for around thanksgiving but if it is not 100% it wont be released until it is.

 

[Des Westcott]

Jumping around between my projects........

I acquired this "black-box" LED light the other day for really cheap off a fellow reefer near me with the express intention of modifying it to dimmable drivers and setting up a Pi Zero on it to control the lighting cycle.

But as usual, I have got myself a bit confused. I thought it would be as simple as replacing the existing drivers with Meanwell LDD-H drivers or similar, but I see that they all seem to work on DC input. My drivers here seem to take 220VAC and convert it to 46VDC to run the LED's. Does this mean I would use the current drivers to run the LDD-H with the Pi providing the PWM signal to do the dimming?

A bit of help with the circuit would be appreciated.

A few pictures for reference purposes.

A

 

[Michael Lane]

Jumping around between my projects........

I acquired this "black-box" LED light the other day for really cheap off a fellow reefer near me with the express intention of modifying it to dimmable drivers and setting up a Pi Zero on it to control the lighting cycle.

But as usual, I have got myself a bit confused. I thought it would be as simple as replacing the existing drivers with Meanwell LDD-H drivers or similar, but I see that they all seem to work on DC input. My drivers here seem to take 220VAC and convert it to 46VDC to run the LED's. Does this mean I would use the current drivers to run the LDD-H with the Pi providing the PWM signal to do the dimming?

A bit of help with the circuit would be appreciated.

A few pictures for reference purposes.

A

This might be tough to modify. The power module look like they regulate current, so you won't be able to attach an LDD driver to the output. You'll likely have to modify the way the LEDs are connected in order to bring the voltage down to something LDD-H drivers can work with.
Modifying these lights will probably be quite an effort, so you may want to start a new thread.