Another reef-pi build.

[b4tn]

Hope you are feeling better and recovering well. Just wanted to drop by and give our warm regards.

Thanks! Hopping along just fine lol. Saw an orthopedic Friday and I just have to wear a boot for 4-6 weeks. The displacement was not enough to warrant a surgery I just dropped my wife off at the airport so I have the week to myself. I hope to have reefpi up and running on my tank by next weekend.

 

[Diamond1]

Glad to hear no surgery is needed. Lookin forward to seeing your pi up and running.
By the way I think you'll really like the way reef-pi controls your lights. I was so used to seeing the abrupt change of color when my whites came on that it seems weird to have them ramp up and blend into the blues. I have to keep looking at them to make sure they are on.

 

[b4tn]

I think the hat is pretty well populated. I have several extra header pins for ground and different power sources for 12 v, 3.3 v, and 5v. These are here for running testing, running LED’s, etc. the top set of transistors control the relays for on/off of the lights. The bottom set of transistors control 10 LED’s, 5 each for the moon lights.

It was a royal pain getting these aviation connectors wired In parallel with each other in such a tight space. I won’t say how many times I broke the wire off and had to re solder it... a couple hours later it’s complete. I just need to test all the individual circuits to make sure they are working and I can close the box up! Cables have been made so all I need to do now is modify my lights and plug them in.

 

[Diamond1]

I think the hat is pretty well populated. I have several extra header pins for ground and different power sources for 12 v, 3.3 v, and 5v. These are here for running testing, running LED’s, etc. the top set of transistors control the relays for on/off of the lights. The bottom set of transistors control 10 LED’s, 5 each for the moon lights.

It was a royal pain getting these aviation connectors wired In parallel with each other in such a tight space. I won’t say how many times I broke the wire off and had to re solder it... a couple hours later it’s complete. I just need to test all the individual circuits to make sure they are working and I can close the box up! Cables have been made so all I need to do now is modify my lights and plug them in.

Wow this does look really good.
I had the same problem with the aviation connectors when I tried using the cat 5 cable, so I ended up using solid core awg22 wire in the enclosure and the light fixture.
The 22awg was less brittle than the cat5.

 

[b4tn]

@Diamond1 Thanks, I had tested several strands before using it folding it over and over several times and it didnt break so I figured it would be good. I think as soon as you heat it up and put solder on it the game changes. I was trying to use what I had available and wanted to keep a color code system so CAT5 made the most sense. I will probably buy some spools of 22 awg wire at Autozone on my way home from work tonight for the interior of the light.

I remember reading somewhere that you can remove the GUI from Rasbian converting it to headless. Do you or @Ranjib have any more info on this by chance?

 

[Diamond1]

@Diamond1 Thanks, I had tested several strands before using it folding it over and over several times and it didnt break so I figured it would be good. I think as soon as you heat it up and put solder on it the game changes. I was trying to use what I had available and wanted to keep a color code system so CAT5 made the most sense. I will probably buy some spools of 22 awg wire at Autozone on my way home from work tonight for the interior of the light.

I remember reading somewhere that you can remove the GUI from Rasbian converting it to headless. Do you or @Ranjib have any more info on this by chance?

I don't know about converting from GUI to headless.
Any particular reason for removing the GUI?

 

[b4tn]

I don't know about converting from GUI to headless.
Any particular reason for removing the GUI?

I just dont have a need for it and if it saves some resources I figured why not.

 

[b4tn]

@Diamond1 Oh.. Another thing I took your advice on the jumpers. I gave each one of them a little squeeze with needle nose pliers and they are all super tight now. Some where so tight they where difficult to get on. I did continuity checks on all jumpers and they are all solid now.

 

[Diamond1]

@Diamond1 Oh.. Another thing I took your advice on the jumpers. I gave each one of them a little squeeze with needle nose pliers and they are all super tight now. Some where so tight they where difficult to get on. I did continuity checks on all jumpers and they are all solid now.

Nice. That was a big factor in switching from the perma proto hat to the wykat hat for me. I just didn't trust the jumpers.

 

[b4tn]

Nice. That was a big factor in switching from the perma proto hat to the wykat hat for me. I just didn't trust the jumpers.

I have the wykat board but was already so far along in this current build and had customized it so much I decided to stay with what I have. I do plan on building another one though with the wykat board, maybe stacking some of the new motor hats on it or waiting for reefpi 3.0 to come out with clustering for more outlets.

 

[Diamond1]

There are a couple of drawbacks to the wykat board like no way to power the pi via the board so you have to use a wall wart with the mini usb and the dosing pumps are run from 1 gpio pwm pin, but both were easy to work around and the added outlets are great

 

[crusso1993]

Maaaannn... by the time I build my system, I'll just be able to duplicate what you guys have done! (If I'm capable of doing so.)
Thanks to both of you for sharing your builds!
@Diamond1 @b4tn

 

[b4tn]

For the record... If you hook up your temp probes with a reverse polarity they get REALLY hot!!!! I am surprised my probes still work lol

 

[crusso1993]

For the record... If you hook up your temp probes with a reverse polarity they get REALLY hot!!!! I am surprised my probes still work lol

Gee, I wonder why? lol

Apparently, you like thinking waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy outside of the box. I like that!

 

[Diamond1]

Gee, I wonder why? lol

Apparently, you like thinking waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy outside of the box. I like that!

You'll do fine Chris. I'm looking forward to the day I see you post your build.

 

[b4tn]

You'll do fine Chris. I'm looking forward to the day I see you post your build.

Likewise!

 

[crusso1993]

You'll do fine Chris. I'm looking forward to the day I see you post your build.

Likewise!

Thanks guys! Unfortunately, that day has become more pushed out than closer. I wish it was not so but a couple of things are preventing me from setting up a SW system now. Even the little, free 65g set up I got is going to have to wait. I still get on R2R daily because of my love of the hobby, trying to help others out and attempts at humor! Plus, I really enjoy learning!

 

[Ranjib]

@Diamond1 Thanks, I had tested several strands before using it folding it over and over several times and it didnt break so I figured it would be good. I think as soon as you heat it up and put solder on it the game changes. I was trying to use what I had available and wanted to keep a color code system so CAT5 made the most sense. I will probably buy some spools of 22 awg wire at Autozone on my way home from work tonight for the interior of the light.

I remember reading somewhere that you can remove the GUI from Rasbian converting it to headless. Do you or @Ranjib have any more info on this by chance?

It’s very simple :/). Google for how to use systems to set default target as non GUI in raspberry pi. Something along the line of systemctl set-default multi-user.target ..,

 

[Ranjib]

I think the hat is pretty well populated. I have several extra header pins for ground and different power sources for 12 v, 3.3 v, and 5v. These are here for running testing, running LED’s, etc. the top set of transistors control the relays for on/off of the lights. The bottom set of transistors control 10 LED’s, 5 each for the moon lights.

It was a royal pain getting these aviation connectors wired In parallel with each other in such a tight space. I won’t say how many times I broke the wire off and had to re solder it... a couple hours later it’s complete. I just need to test all the individual circuits to make sure they are working and I can close the box up! Cables have been made so all I need to do now is modify my lights and plug them in.

Your build looks way more feature rich than any of mines :/)
It’s awesome

 

[Ranjib]

For the record... If you hook up your temp probes with a reverse polarity they get REALLY hot!!!! I am surprised my probes still work lol

Yeah , happened to me twice . Now as part of field testing I use a ir thermometer . Turned out it’s a common practice to hover around all the mosfets , darlingtons (uln2803, l293d) for over hearing due to number of different things. But before things blow , they heat up.
Now that ir thermometer has become a contested thing between me and my son. We are equally amused by it , the laser light and the ability to take temperature of arbitrary things remotely