REEF PI - REACTOR- PROBLEMS WITH THE LIGHT CONTROLLING

[Bigtrout]

If all else fails...wipe the sd card and start over...enable i2c in raspi-config and then connect the pca9685 and run i2cdetect before loading reef pi.

 

[RobertoRC]

Hi with you all! Thanks a lot for the help with the light controlling, I could fix it, it seems that the RPi 3 was the problem after all so I had to get a new one and the light are working realy good. But now Im having some issues with the pH probe. It seems it is not being recognized by the Pi, how can I be sure of this? Here is the circuit that I have. Thanks for your help!

 

[AquaRaider44]

Hi with you all! Thanks a lot for the help with the light controlling, I could fix it, it seems that the RPi 3 was the problem after all so I had to get a new one and the light are working realy good. But now Im having some issues with the pH probe. It seems it is not being recognized by the Pi, how can I be sure of this? Here is the circuit that I have. Thanks for your help!

Not necessarily the problem but are you using flux to solder? Those solder joints look like they may not fully be connected. Flux helps to draw the solder to both pieces so that the joint is secure see the picture below

One on the right is a cold solder joint and will lead to unstable connections can be fixed/prevented by using flux and look more like the solid connection on the left.

Ideally using flux you should not be able to see any of the gold/bronze metal on either side of a soldered joint.

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-fe49d9ec6070922017d034b83222be33.webp

Anyone of the joints which is not connected could lead to something not working!

Always make sure to clean flux off with alcohol and a toothbrush and dry with a hairdryer after. This will ensure no shorts from flux or burntness.

 

[AquaRaider44]

It would be super easy to fix if you brush flux on the whole thing then just reheat each joint then wash and dry!

 

[Bigtrout]

Not necessarily the problem but are you using flux to solder? Those solder joints look like they may not fully be connected. Flux helps to draw the solder to both pieces so that the joint is secure see the picture below

One on the right is a cold solder joint and will lead to unstable connections can be fixed/prevented by using flux and look more like the solid connection on the left.

Ideally using flux you should not be able to see any of the gold/bronze metal on either side of a soldered joint.

https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-fe49d9ec6070922017d034b83222be33.webp

Anyone of the joints which is not connected could lead to something not working!

Always make sure to clean flux off with alcohol and a toothbrush and dry with a hairdryer after. This will ensure no shorts from flux or burntness.

Great advice and 63/37 lead solder works best for beginners...its either solid when cold or liqiid when melted and doesnt have that in between "plastic" point where you can move the connection and make a bad joint.

And dont be afraid to up the heat if you have a adjustable temperature soldering iron. It sounds counterintuitive but alot of heat, heats the solder and component leg quickly for a fast solder joint while not spreading heat to the component.
With less heat, you may have to hold the iron on longer to melt the solder and spread that heat into your conponent, damaging it.

 

[AquaRaider44]

Great advice and 63/37 lead solder works best for beginners...its either solid when cold or liqiid when melted and doesnt have that in between "plastic" point where you can move the connection and make a bad joint.

And dont be afraid to up the heat if you have a adjustable temperature soldering iron. It sounds counterintuitive but alot of heat, heats the solder and component leg quickly for a fast solder joint while not spreading heat to the component.
With less heat, you may have to hold the iron on longer to melt the solder and spread that heat into your conponent, damaging it.

I love the 63/37 lead solder! I use the 0.6mm size. I use the Classic 100 Gel Flux and do a 50/50 mix with flux https://www.amazon.com/Classic-100-Gel-Flux-Oz/dp/B00HHCZ64O and water then brush it on liberally.

Going back and looking at his photos more closely these two pins the solder is dented in around the pins which can be a sign of a cold solder joint where it is not making full contact

 

[Bigtrout]

I love the 63/37 lead solder! I use the 0.6mm size. I use the Classic 100 Gel Flux and do a 50/50 mix with flux https://www.amazon.com/Classic-100-Gel-Flux-Oz/dp/B00HHCZ64O and water then brush it on liberally.

Going back and looking at his photos more closely these two pins the solder is dented in around the pins which can be a sign of a cold solder joint where it is not making full contact

The old radio shack 62/36/2 silver bearing solder is even better, makes a "pretty" solder joint, hard to get but I bought rolls of it for 50 cents each when the local radio shack went belly up

 

[AquaRaider44]

The old radio shack 62/36/2 silver bearing solder is even better, makes a "pretty" solder joint, hard to get but I bought rolls of it for 50 cents each when the local radio shack went belly up

I miss radio shack so much! I would have bought most of the stuff for reef-pi from them as they were a few blocks from my house. I guess Amazon 2-day shipping killed that thought.

 

[RobertoRC]

Thank you for your advices! I will do as you said and let you know if I have succes!!

 

[RobertoRC]

Hi with you all! So I corrected the circuit that I was working with at first and put flux on the soldering joints, but then I got confused with the guide and connected it to the power supply that goes in the pH circuit (5V) and also the power supply for the Pi (5V) because I was using it for the light controlling, and I think I fried the EZO circuit, How can I be sure of that? I also made a new circuit to confirm that its not a circuit problem, and the EZO didn't work also. Thanks for all your feedback!

 

[AquaRaider44]

Hi with you all! So I corrected the circuit that I was working with at first and put flux on the soldering joints, but then I got confused with the guide and connected it to the power supply that goes in the pH circuit (5V) and also the power supply for the Pi (5V) because I was using it for the light controlling, and I think I fried the EZO circuit, How can I be sure of that? I also made a new circuit to confirm that its not a circuit problem, and the EZO didn't work also. Thanks for all your feedback!

You could send the ezo back and get a new one to see.

 

[RobertoRC]

Hi with you all! So in these days I got a new EZO circuit and have also constructed a new circuit for the pH using all the advices you have given me, correcting the solder joints, using lux and washing them with alcohol after. I have connected everything as the reef-pi guide in the instructions but for some reason the EZO is not being powered, I mean it doesn't even power the lights (blue or green) up to see if its working on I2C or UART mode. I'm not sure if it is not being powered the right way, because the last time I thought I burnt the EZO circuit I connected it to both 5v power supplies and it worked, I know it sounds weird but connecting the whole circuit like that made it function somehow. If you can give me some advice of what could be going wrong with it would be great! Thanks in advance!

 

[AquaRaider44]

Hi with you all! So in these days I got a new EZO circuit and have also constructed a new circuit for the pH using all the advices you have given me, correcting the solder joints, using lux and washing them with alcohol after. I have connected everything as the reef-pi guide in the instructions but for some reason the EZO is not being powered, I mean it doesn't even power the lights (blue or green) up to see if its working on I2C or UART mode. I'm not sure if it is not being powered the right way, because the last time I thought I burnt the EZO circuit I connected it to both 5v power supplies and it worked, I know it sounds weird but connecting the whole circuit like that made it function somehow. If you can give me some advice of what could be going wrong with it would be great! Thanks in advance!

Please post complete pics for us

 

[RobertoRC]

Right now I connected the EZO circuit like this video here and it worked. . So its not an EZO circuit problem.

 

[RobertoRC]

But still the pH probe was not detected in the reef pi. When I want to calibrate it, an error appears.

 

[AquaRaider44]

But still the pH probe was not detected in the reef pi. When I want to calibrate it, an error appears.

Can you screenshot the error?

 

[AquaRaider44]

Right now I connected the EZO circuit like this video here and it worked. . So its not an EZO circuit problem.

Your setup is not the same as the guide as asked you to build... It should look like this and yours is entirely different. Can you please solder it identical to the guide in hopes that it works?