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

[Ranjib]

Imagitarium 3.7g, one of my pico

 

[Dave's Reef]

So tonight (more like morning 2am) I start er d getting temp failed texts. I went down and checked my pi my internet must have reset and I got a new IP address so I logged back into the pi and everything is fine and I'm still getting temp failed texts? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Ranjib]

So tonight (more like morning 2am) I start er d getting temp failed texts. I went down and checked my pi my internet must have reset and I got a new IP address so I logged back into the pi and everything is fine and I'm still getting temp failed texts? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Do you see the temp probe in your temp controller ? If it’s a false alarm disable alert for the time being till you sort it out

 

[Dave's Reef]

Do you see the temp probe in your temp controller ? If it’s a false alarm disable alert for the time being till you sort it out

Yeah I see the temp and everything seems to be working fine I have 3 temps I held the air temp in my hand and it works. Part of my issue may be power supply I have been getting the lightning bolt more and more often now I swapped it out to see it this helps.

 

[Ryan115]

...and now for my next trick... hacking an eheim feeder to run off reef-pi!

Funny you mention that, I was starting down that same line this weekend.
I know I had the specs in hand to do it with an old arduino based controller, but I need to find them again.

I did start the design of a 3D printed auto feeder that would use a screw drive and a stepper motor. This would allow much more precise control of feed amount and could be changed easily rather than messing with the little door on the Eheim.

Early Concept

 

[ScottBrew]

Funny you mention that, I was starting down that same line this weekend.
I know I had the specs in hand to do it with an old arduino based controller, but I need to find them again.

I did start the design of a 3D printed auto feeder that would use a screw drive and a stepper motor. This would allow much more precise control of feed amount and could be changed easily rather than messing with the little door on the Eheim.

Early Concept

Nice! Auger drive.

 

[ScottBrew]

Keep us posted on how this goes

I will, just need to tag onto the manual feed buttons and run them through a relay. I'm sure there are more elegant ways, but... Can we port macros to be run by a timer?

Nice one! I have one of these laying around and it would be awesome for reef-pi!

Looks like it should be easy enough. Think it will be powered with an LM2596 and have the reef-pi "press" the manual feed buttons.

 

[ScottBrew]

@Ryan115 Thinking of an auger drive system, the auger doesn't even need to be inside the drum, just feeding from it. Could have the auger and stepper mounted beside the drum at the bottom at a 45* angle to feed over the side into the tank.Keeps the drum from accidentally getting dropped into the tank. Just my $.02

 

[b4tn]

What really funny was I was just looking at my eheim auto feeder yesterday thinking hmmmm

 

[Ranjib]

I will, just need to tag onto the manual feed buttons and run them through a relay. I'm sure there are more elegant ways, but... Can we port macros to be run by a timer?


Looks like it should be easy enough. Think it will be powered with an LM2596 and have the reef-pi "press" the manual feed buttons.

This will take some time, but we’ll definitely get it done (timer control via macro)

 

[b4tn]

Use a npn transistor , exactly same as the Kessil controller circuit

I was thinking the same exact same thing. My only question is that most diagrams have a 1k resistor on the base, emitter goes to ground, and the collector directly drives the relay grounding it when signaled. Is the resistor on the collector the way you are using it for a pull up if I wanted to trigger the relay with a positive 12 volts?

I feel super guilty still for some reason. I just ordered $2 in transistors and ULN2803's on arrow with free overnight shipping lol

 

[Ranjib]

I was thinking the same exact same thing. My only question is that most diagrams have a 1k resistor on the base, emitter goes to ground, and the collector directly drives the relay grounding it when signaled. Is the resistor on the collector the way you are using it for a pull up if I wanted to trigger the relay with a positive 12 volts?

I feel super guilty still for some reason. I just ordered $2 in transistors and ULN2803's on arrow with free overnight shipping lol

Those resistors are really for safety . You can skip most of them for prototyping . When you are using them with transistor first rule is to use bigger resistor on the base than emitter . I think it’s also best practice to add flyback Diode etc. these safety circuits vary based on load types .

you should be fine with just resistor on the base

 

[b4tn]

Those resistors are really for safety . You can skip most of them for prototyping . When you are using them with transistor first rule is to use bigger resistor on the base than emitter . I think it’s also best practice to add flyback Diode etc. these safety circuits vary based on load types .

you should be fine with just resistor on the base

Thanks, the flyback diode is built into the relay shield so I "should" be good. If I was paying attention when I got the relays I would have gotten ones that could be triggered with 3.3v. But at $4 for two it was a good deal.

 

[speedstar]

Thanks, the flyback diode is built into the relay shield so I "should" be good. If I was paying attention when I got the relays I would have gotten ones that could be triggered with 3.3v. But at $4 for two it was a good deal.

Saw flyback thought high voltage. Does anyone else experiment with HV projects. My current tesla coil drsstc, wil get about 40inch streamers.

prob more of lounge thing let me know if it should be deleted.

 

[b4tn]

Saw flyback thought high voltage. Does anyone else experiment with HV projects. My current tesla coil drsstc, wil get about 40inch streamers.

prob more of lounge thing let me know if it should be deleted.

You know its funny, I have a shooting range at work, been in and around the military for 25 years and I still jump when I hear gunfire. I jump when my relay clicks on my circuit even when I am expecting it. I think if that happened my head would be in the roof lol. Thats pretty cool though.

 

[naoki]

I've been sending commands and getting data to/from reef-pi via the API (from/to Home Assistant) for about a month now and I have to say it works flawlessly @Ranjib. Fantastic job on that!

@sfgabe Can you possibly describe the way you are integrating HA with reef-pi. It would be great if you can make a separate thread because it is not easy to keep track of what's going on in this thread.

I'm just starting to think something similar. I played briefly with OpenHAB a couple years ago, and I recently checked out Home Assistant, which seems to be easier. I'm thinking of doing most of power on-off with HA. I think there is a cheap option to do power monitor with Sonoff S31 (since Reef-pi doesn't have the capacity to monitor power usage yet). So I'd like to see how you are doing the integration.

 

[Ryan115]

@Ryan115 Thinking of an auger drive system, the auger doesn't even need to be inside the drum, just feeding from it. Could have the auger and stepper mounted beside the drum at the bottom at a 45* angle to feed over the side into the tank.Keeps the drum from accidentally getting dropped into the tank. Just my $.02

I definetly like the idea of removing and chance of it falling in.
The other issue I have had with auto feeders in the past is the humidity causing it to clump, and then it doesnt go through small openings.
The only issue I see with having move the food up at an angle, is I dont think you would ever be able to get all of the food out of the screw, when it was almost empty, it would just slide back to the bottom. I will draw one up anyway though, maybe I can change the thread pitch to keep is from sloping as much.
I'll keep refining a design. Keep the ideas coming.
Should just be a few 3d printed parts and a stepper motor!

 

[pdisner]

You mean RadioShack pre cellphones and RC cars as their primary sales items?

I was just saying the same thing myself yesterday as a matter of fact! Hahaha!!Do you remember the all in one electronics kits they used to have? 150 projects or more if you bought the bigger one

 

[ScottBrew]

I definetly like the idea of removing and chance of it falling in.
The other issue I have had with auto feeders in the past is the humidity causing it to clump, and then it doesnt go through small openings.
The only issue I see with having move the food up at an angle, is I dont think you would ever be able to get all of the food out of the screw, when it was almost empty, it would just slide back to the bottom. I will draw one up anyway though, maybe I can change the thread pitch to keep is from sloping as much.
I'll keep refining a design. Keep the ideas coming.
Should just be a few 3d printed parts and a stepper motor!

Think grain auger, it's used to move grain up into silos, unload trucks, so on. The auger is riding against the bottom of the tube and the food is being shuttled up the tube. It doesn't fall back because it would have to fall over the auger spirals to get back down. Sorry, hard to explain. Look at some videos maybe. Put a rubber door at the top of the tube to keep the humidity down, the food will push the door open as it's being pushed up and out.

 

[ScottBrew]

I was just saying the same thing myself yesterday as a matter of fact! Hahaha!!Do you remember the all in one electronics kits they used to have? 150 projects or more if you bought the bigger one

Don't think I had a Radio Shack kit but had one of the Heath Kits. Only part of it I remember was an AM radio that ran off a 9v battery, you had to hook the jumper lead to a ground, like a lightpole for an antenna.