Bluefish LED Controller

Crabs McJones

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I posted this in General Equipment Discussion, but I feel it should be here as well for those looking for an awesome product to control your LED lights.

I wanted to write a review on the Bluefish LED Controller. I have two Kessil A360WE's over my tank, and for a majority of the time I was using the Kessil Spectral Controller to control them. And it worked ok. I could set up on times, off times, ramp up, and ramp down. However I didn't have some of the other controls that I wanted such as cloud cover, storms, and wireless control-ability. So I did some research around the internet on whether kessil was going to release these features on the spectral controller in a later firmware update. According to an email I received from Kessil, there were no plans whatsoever to do this. So I started scouring the internet on external LED controllers, and came across the Bluefish. After reading reviews and watching youtube videos on it I decided to pull the trigger and order it. It's manufactured out of Canada by a gentlemen by the name of Spencer Shepard. Once it shipped out it took about three days to get from Canada to Wisconsin. I got the unit and immediately hooked it up. Its super easy to connect it to your WI-FI, all you do is download the Bluefish app, input your WIFI ID, and put in your password, then use your phones screen to transmit the pass code to the controller via "blinkup". Once you've done that you're all set up. From there it asks you to choose your light, choose how many lights, and then your time zone. And THATS IT. Its set up and ready to go. You can then choose anywhere in the world, and the controller will simulate the weather forecast for that location on your lights. So if you choose Sydney Australia and it's partly cloudy there, your lights will dim and rise and go from blue to white to simulate clouds floating overhead. If its storming the lights will dim to a very dark blue, and do white flashes for thunder storms. You also have your manual modes, where you can manually make it storm, or go into photo mode. Photo mode is where you pre-set your lights so that your corals look best and its easiest to get good photos or video recording of your tank. There is also a "fast forward" button that when you press it the lights will give you a quick time lapse of what they're going to do throughout the day based off your locations forecast. There is so much more that you can do with this controller that I know i'm forgetting some stuff in this review. But overall this little unit is amazing and I love it. The best part is that it has the capability to become a full aquarium controller in the future. The creator is currently working on power bar and probe add on's for the unit connected via the blueport on the side. I hope you enjoyed my review and let me know what you think below.

Thanks!

https://aquarium-led-controller.com/

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8C7LxENl.png

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Crabs McJones

Crabs McJones

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This is what the website currently says:

Bluefish can directly control:

*Please note that some features may be limited by your LED product or driver because of dimming limits or slow responsiveness. For DIY LED builds, we highly recommend Mean Well LDD drivers to get full functionality from your controller.

and paired with the Power Dimmer accessory, you can control:

  • Ecoxotic Stunner LED strips
  • Ecoxotic Panorama Pro LED modules
  • Current USA TrueLumen LED strips
  • Current USA Orbit Marine fixtures
But on the AI SOL website, it says that it can be controlled by:
Compatible with the following controllers:
  • AI Controller
  • Neptune Apex
  • Digital Aquatics Reefkeeper
  • and others
Which I believe these controllers use a 0-10V as well, so if you could find a way to adapt the AI plug in to the bluefish plug in, I would imagine it would work.
 
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Crabs McJones

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I would also like to add this to others interested for more information.





Bluefish LED CONTROLLER
$195.00 USD

Control your lighting from your phone or tablet! Bluefish LED controller is an app-enabled (Android/iOS), Wi-Fi connected device that can control a multitude of lighting products. With Bluefish, you can even control many LED products that do not have dimming interfaces or dimmable drivers. Simulate real world locations for realistic weather effects, sunrise/sunset, moon phases and more.

In the box:

– Bluefish Lighting Controller
– 12V power supply (100-240V 50/60Hz Type A)
– 3 x control cables
– Electric Imp WiFi card
Quickstart Guide
User Manual

Control cables can connect directly to Kessil A360, Kessil A160, Bluefish solderless DIY Breakout, Power Dimmer, and some other lighting products. They can be cut and stripped for direct connection to dimmable drivers. They are 3.5mm mini-audio (headphone) style connectors. Click here for wiring info for connection to DIY setups.

Category: Bluefish Modules
Description
app-mockup-render-resize.jpg



wifi.png

Built-in Wi-Fi connection means you are up and running in a snap. No messing with long runs of ethernet cable or finicky Wi-Fi gateways. The cloud connection means your device is instantly accessible from anywhere, with no router configuration necessary.

compatibility.png

Bluefish is the most versatile lighting controller on the market. It can output 0-10V, 0-5V, 5V PWM, and 10V PWM. Each channel is independently configurable. Voltage selection is made by hardware jumpers, and PWM on/off is an app setting.

Bluefish can directly control:

*Please note that some features may be limited by your LED product or driver because of dimming limits or slow responsiveness. For DIY LED builds, we highly recommend Mean Well LDD drivers to get full functionality from your controller.

and paired with the Power Dimmer accessory, you can control:

  • Ecoxotic Stunner LED strips
  • Ecoxotic Panorama Pro LED modules
  • Current USA TrueLumen LED strips
  • Current USA Orbit Marine fixtures


location-simulation.png

Bluefish makes it easy to replicate the lighting conditions of any location, using actual weather data in real time! Just choose a city, and optionally use the current weather conditions (clouds, storms, etc), sunrise/sunset times (dynamic photo-period), and moon phase! Powered by Wunderground.com

weather-simulation.png

Bluefish simulates unique cloud cover patterns using the current weather conditions from your simulated location. Unique weather conditions include clear, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, scattered clouds, rain, haze, overcast, and thunderstorm.

webcam-views.png

Integrate the video feed from webcams directly into the app! Check up on your tank, make changes remotely, or just have fun showing off….start a thunderstorm and watch the action from anywhere!

storms.png

Start a thunderstorm from the app and lighting strikes are synchronized with audio from a real thunderstorm. Connect your phone or tablet wireless to a Bluetooth speaker for maximum effect!

easy-setup.png

Wi-Fi configuration is extremely quick and easy. Select your network, enter the password, then hold the screen of your mobile device to the sensor on top of the Bluefish device. Your mobile device sends the configuration by flashing the screen (think Morse code). In about 10 seconds, your Bluefish controller is online and accessible from anywhere. Absolutely no router configuration necessary! Programming your light schedule and customizing your channels is a snap.

encrypted.png

Bluefish was created with your security in mind. End-to-end SSL encryption protects your data from prying eyes, and your settings are stored securely in the cloud.

blueport-expansion.png

Not only is Bluefish an awesome lighting controller, it’s also the base for a complete aquarium controller. Add-on devices connect to the main unit through the BluePort connector. All accessible from anywhere through your mobile device!



  • 6 channel output by 0-10V analog, 5V PWM, or 10V PWM via 3.5mm stereo audio connectors
  • • 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
    • 20MHz 11n channels, 1 x 1
    • +16.75dBm max output power (802.11b)
    • -97dBm typical sensitivity (1Mbps)
    • Integrated antenna with 2.5dBi max gain
  • 32-bit Cortex M3 processor
  • Robust embedded operating system with fail-safe automatic firmware updates
  • 4096 steps (12-bit PWM) of individual LED brightness control.
  • Op-amp and low-pass filter (software-selectable) for linear 0-10v output
  • 12V DC switching power adapter
  • BluePort expansion connector
  • 128KB EEPROM
  • Overvoltage and overcurrent protection




 
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Crabs McJones

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Cool! Thanks! Looks fancy and pricey.
Not much of a DIY but ill try the tc420 first.
Appreciate the reply.
The big controller isn't much DIY, but the bluefish MINI is more for DIY projects, its a chip that can be installed directly in your DIY LED build.





Bluefish Mini LDD Controller
$100.00 USD

Designed specifically for immensely popular Mean Well LDD-H drivers, the Bluefish Mini is a case-less module that brings many of the lighting features of Bluefish for about half the price. This model targets users building DIY fixtures, and manufacturers wishing to incorporate Bluefish directly into their fixtures or driver boxes.

The Bluefish Mini uses the same app and Wi-Fi connectivity of it’s bigger brother, but lacks analog output and BluePort expansion capabilities. The Bluefish Mini is only compatible with Mean Well LDD-H drivers.

User Manual (PDF)

Include: *
USB power supply ($8.00)

Ribbon cable breakout ($5.00)

No accessories needed



Category: Bluefish Modules
Description
 

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Since you would need to use the Kessil audio jack connection wires for controlling your Kessils, I’d imagine you would need to purchase these breakout boards to make it work...

https://aquarium-led-controller.com/product/lighting-controller-diy-breakout-board-2-channel/

Hm..but at 2 channels then, I guess that's color and intensity? Correct me if I am wrong, but the full size Bluefish gives you control over individual color channels, or does it only control the color and intensity?
 

Water Dog

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Both the full Bluefish and Bluefish Mini have a total of 6 different channels of control. However, the Kessils, a360 and a160, only have 2 channels of control... color and intensity. With the Kessil spotlights, there is no control over individual color channels.
 

oreo54

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Kessil only has 2 channels AFAICT..
Color only shifts between the "blue" channel and the "white" channel..
 

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I posted this in General Equipment Discussion, but I feel it should be here as well for those looking for an awesome product to control your LED lights.

I wanted to write a review on the Bluefish LED Controller. I have two Kessil A360WE's over my tank, and for a majority of the time I was using the Kessil Spectral Controller to control them. And it worked ok. I could set up on times, off times, ramp up, and ramp down. However I didn't have some of the other controls that I wanted such as cloud cover, storms, and wireless control-ability. So I did some research around the internet on whether kessil was going to release these features on the spectral controller in a later firmware update. According to an email I received from Kessil, there were no plans whatsoever to do this. So I started scouring the internet on external LED controllers, and came across the Bluefish. After reading reviews and watching youtube videos on it I decided to pull the trigger and order it. It's manufactured out of Canada by a gentlemen by the name of Spencer Shepard. Once it shipped out it took about three days to get from Canada to Wisconsin. I got the unit and immediately hooked it up. Its super easy to connect it to your WI-FI, all you do is download the Bluefish app, input your WIFI ID, and put in your password, then use your phones screen to transmit the pass code to the controller via "blinkup". Once you've done that you're all set up. From there it asks you to choose your light, choose how many lights, and then your time zone. And THATS IT. Its set up and ready to go. You can then choose anywhere in the world, and the controller will simulate the weather forecast for that location on your lights. So if you choose Sydney Australia and it's partly cloudy there, your lights will dim and rise and go from blue to white to simulate clouds floating overhead. If its storming the lights will dim to a very dark blue, and do white flashes for thunder storms. You also have your manual modes, where you can manually make it storm, or go into photo mode. Photo mode is where you pre-set your lights so that your corals look best and its easiest to get good photos or video recording of your tank. There is also a "fast forward" button that when you press it the lights will give you a quick time lapse of what they're going to do throughout the day based off your locations forecast. There is so much more that you can do with this controller that I know i'm forgetting some stuff in this review. But overall this little unit is amazing and I love it. The best part is that it has the capability to become a full aquarium controller in the future. The creator is currently working on power bar and probe add on's for the unit connected via the blueport on the side. I hope you enjoyed my review and let me know what you think below.

Thanks!

https://aquarium-led-controller.com/

gX2uVxol.jpg

fGiefT7l.png

LboCGV8l.png

8C7LxENl.png

kpVbTK5l.png

I just picked up a Red Sea 450 and it came with custom LEDs using Meanwell drivers. There are 2 3.5mm stereo jacks coming off the lights. From what the kid said his father was using this controller. They lost it so I'm looking to get one. Is there 2 inputs for 3.5mm stereo jacks on the controller? And do you know if anything else is needed to run the lights? I'll send more pics if you need them
20180612_110306.jpg
20180612_110242.jpg
. Thanks!
 
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Crabs McJones

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I just picked up a Red Sea 450 and it came with custom LEDs using Meanwell drivers. There are 2 3.5mm stereo jacks coming off the lights. From what the kid said his father was using this controller. They lost it so I'm looking to get one. Is there 2 inputs for 3.5mm stereo jacks on the controller? And do you know if anything else is needed to run the lights? I'll send more pics if you need them
20180612_110306.jpg
20180612_110242.jpg
. Thanks!
The unit had three light outputs on it if I recall correctly. You need nothing else other then a wifi enabled device to control it :)
 
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Crabs McJones

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incloud design

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A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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