DIY reef-pi system In kitchen island

[bleuchzsteve]

Hi all-

i am working on a capstone project for a software engineering course I’m taking and I am using a reef pi to monitor parameters from my new tank. The idea is to set up the device to monitor PH ands temperature( and hopefully figure out how to add salinity and other functions down the road). My question is what exact hardware do I need for this build? I know I need the pi, but do I just need the two additional sensors or is there additional hardware needed? Also any recs on where to find this stuff in stock is appreciated . I built a custom tank into my kitchen island and this is my first time during a full front end /back end coding project and also using a raspberry pi. Thanks for any input!!

 

[ColoredRock]

Hi all-

i am working on a capstone project for a software engineering course I’m taking and I am using a reef pi to monitor parameters from my new tank. The idea is to set up the device to monitor PH ands temperature( and hopefully figure out how to add salinity and other functions down the road). My question is what exact hardware do I need for this build? I know I need the pi, but do I just need the two additional sensors or is there additional hardware needed? Also any recs on where to find this stuff in stock is appreciated . I built a custom tank into my kitchen island and this is my first time during a full front end /back end coding project and also using a raspberry pi. Thanks for any input!!

Welcome..

When I first got into reef-pi it seemed a little daunting to say the least on the hardware side.. (and on coding side ) but its been a really fun project. I ended up going with a robotank (https://www.robo-tank.ca/) as you are looking at the software engineering side of things and not the hardware as much, you might want to check it out.

 

[ColoredRock]

Also.. tho a bit out dated they still are viable these will give you the parts lists and how to build it.

Ph:

reef-pi Guide 6: pH Monitoring

Corals are sensitive to pH changes. Most tropical corals thrive at a pH of 7.8 to 8.1. In reef aquariums, pH can fluctuate due to a high level of CO2 in the indoor environment or additional food or chemical reagents. Monitoring pH allows discovering any pH fluctuation, designing the right dosing...

learn.adafruit.com

Temp (and the ability to control)

reef-pi Guide 3: Temperature Controller

The right temperature is a must for all reef aquariums. Tropical coral reefs thrive around 78 to 80 degree Fahrenheit. This tutorial will extend the power controller with a temperature sensor to automate temperature control using a heater and cooling device.

learn.adafruit.com

 

[Sral]

Hi all-

i am working on a capstone project for a software engineering course I’m taking and I am using a reef pi to monitor parameters from my new tank. The idea is to set up the device to monitor PH ands temperature( and hopefully figure out how to add salinity and other functions down the road). My question is what exact hardware do I need for this build? I know I need the pi, but do I just need the two additional sensors or is there additional hardware needed? Also any recs on where to find this stuff in stock is appreciated . I built a custom tank into my kitchen island and this is my first time during a full front end /back end coding project and also using a raspberry pi. Thanks for any input!!

Welcome to the club !
Please do share photos, a Tank inside a kitchen island sounds like a grand idea !

As mentioned by @ColoredRock, if you don't want to handle hardware, Robo-Tank by @robsworld78 is the way to go, as far as I know. It includes both a temperature probe port and a pH sensor port (you just need to connect the probes). You can also get the DS18B20 temperature sensors from his webpage.

If you want to go more DIY, you'll have to buy the pH measuring circuit. Typical circuit's I have seen around here are either Robo-Tank (you can get the pH circuit separately), or Atlas-Scientific. Although the latter can be quite expensive and you'll have to buy an isolation circuit board separately, whereas the Robo-Tank circuit is already isolated.
Atlas-Scientific also offer other circuits, like ORP and EC (which is connected to salinity), but again, quite pricey and you'll need an isolation circuit board for each of those circuit boards.
ORP can be measured with Robo-Tank's pH circuit as well, as far as I know, in the range of -400mV to +2000mV. You'd "just" need a second pH circuit, connect an ORP probe and calculate the returned pH value back to mV ( (pH-7.0)*59.16mV ).
For EC/Salinity I have been working on a DIY circuit. First 2 pages of the thread are about the analog circuit I started with and some basics, but at page 3 I have started to make a digital circuit by programming a microController. If that is up your alley, you can try to recreate that. Otherwise you can wait for me to finish my DIY build and hope for Robo-Tank to maybe sell a ready version of that.

 

[Ranjib]

The existing ph module can also be used to monitor salinity and orp using atlas scientific ezo or tentacle boards. You have to do the calibration and other required changes(i2c mode) outside reef-pi, through their python library