From the looks of your home brew system you will be a reef-pi expert in no time. You have a tinkerers gene I can tell.
I’ll start by saying that I am doing basically the same things with both boards, so both are fully functional. And I think they are both great options.
The reef pi pico baseboard from @theatrus is a work of art. It’s a beauty that should be appreciated. I would have covered it in clear epoxy so all visitors could gaze upon it’s exposed chips, but I didn’t want to put a nc-17 sticker on my tank.
All of the connectors are installed on the board. You attach your raspberry pi put them in the box that is precut for all plugs and turn it on. Very simple. It has the ph board integrated and the serial db9 connector to go to adj power strip. All in one. I don’t think I had to crimp even one pin connector for the functions on board. (Important - pin connectors are evil). And I have never had a failure or problem with anything preinstalled on the board. Once I put the lid onto the precut case I have never taken it back off.
it doesn’t have a pca9685 pwm board though. For things you want to control intensity on, you will need a break out box. My break out box has the 9685, some relays, and a power supply. And lots of pin connectors. And had lots of wiring problems to fix at different points of time.
the pi hat from @Michael Lane is, well, let’s say has a really nice personality. Your not going to want slather it in clear epoxy though. the board is made to be put into the center of an electrical box and then you run wires to case connectors of your choice (or to sub boards). It has the 9685 on the board already. the ph board is a separate sub board. The pi-hat is more flexible in that the all the connections are exposed.
my pi-hat case is large. It is filled with stuff. i have roughly 300,000 pin connectors (okay maybe 50). I have been inside many times to fix things I didn’t make right the first time. But I have never had a problem or had to fix anything on the board supplied by Mike. I would say the pico board is more reliable in a novices hand as it has less opportunity for a novice to make mistakes. But the pi-hat is more easily customized and is completely reliable in a more experienced hand.
I do think both options are good, and I recommend them!
I don’t know if they are still making the boards.
@theatrus are you still making and selling pico base boards?
@Michael Lane are you still making and selling reef pi-hats?
a third option that didn’t exist when i started mine is with robotank from @robsworld78. I don’t have direct experience but all the comments I’ve read have been gushingly positive. It seems he has a complete plug and play option and a diy board option.
Thanks Mikeneedsahobby, I apologize for the slow reply. Life is busy as always! The Michael Lane items are in stock at the moment but I have been looking at the Robotank and it is very intriguing. i like that it is in a nice neat package and in the end not much difference in costs. Import duties will probably add some though, I wish I knew how to get a good idea on how much to expect to have to pay since it comes from Canada.
That being said, my suspicion on the Robotank is that the PWM that is on-board is "comparable" to the PCA9685 PWM Driver, and that I wouldn't need to add the PCA9685 to the circuit. I would just connect the P channel mosfets between the Robotank and the Beamswork light. What a dilemma....Buy the Pi Hat and PH board now while they're in stock or try to research the Robotank some more and possibly be disappointed if I miss out on the Pi Hat / PH board while its in stock (If I determine the Robotank won't do something). Thanks for the extra stress! Haha, just kidding. I really appreciate your input on all of this.