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Another upcoming UI update.
reef-pi :: An opensource reef tank controller based on Raspberry Pi.
- Thread starter Ranjib
- Start date
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- Tags
- controller raspberry-pi
- Tagged users Ranjib
OP
OP
This is very nice :0-)Another upcoming UI update.
I went back and forth with the equipment ui so many time. This is so much better.
Thank you for your continued effort on making the UI better, really appreciate it.
The PCB's are in Austria, nothing to do with DigiKey. I think they will arrive tomorrow or Friday.
I'm still ticked off at DigiKey and send all communication to Mastercard, my bank will resolve. Unbelievable behavior of DK!
OP
OP
yeah, likely before public release of 2.0
pickupman66
5000 Club Member
@Ranjib Check this out. I drew it up in Fritzing (cool program but glitchy with Win10). My wires wont be this tight to the board but it gives me a good idea. I was going to use GPIO26 for one of the 8 outlets, but i cannot find it broken out on the ADAfruit board anywhere so I changed that to a different pin.
this is going to be my Main board for the ULN2803 as well as my Temp and float switch connections. I plan to build an identical one connected via GPIO ribbon to the header.
the Float switch I am using is a simple OPEN/Closed circuit. Will that work from the GPIO pin to ground?
12V in via a Buck device to split out a clean 5v to power the system. 2.4 amps on that end.
this is going to be my Main board for the ULN2803 as well as my Temp and float switch connections. I plan to build an identical one connected via GPIO ribbon to the header.
the Float switch I am using is a simple OPEN/Closed circuit. Will that work from the GPIO pin to ground?
12V in via a Buck device to split out a clean 5v to power the system. 2.4 amps on that end.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Nice 
, here is the one I am using for the power controller guide
, here is the one I am using for the power controller guide
pickupman66
5000 Club Member
Am I seeing it correctly that GPIO26 is missing from the breakout on this Board?
Finally DK confirmed and will refund.
Officially "due to low value amount", they just failed.
Sorry, I'm really P.O with DK as it's not normal to involve credit card companies and banks to get this clarified.
Now let's go ahead again, rest of all tools have arrived and work
Hopefully PCB's (and reflow oven) arrive tomorrow. Tested solder paste machine today
OP
OP
OP
OP
Found it , they have mentioned it in the product description , it did not make the cut .
https://www.adafruit.com/product/2314
pickupman66
5000 Club Member
Lol. Ok. Poor #26. That board limits us from a channel sadly. May be a good starter hat but down the road or larger gpio needs will need to be addressed
Hookster15
Active Member
ok , what page are the dosing pump threads on?
MaccaPopEye
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Glad to hear you got it sorted but I completely agree, you really shouldn't need to get the bank/credit card company involved in these kinds of things at all.Finally DK confirmed and will refund.
Officially "due to low value amount", they just failed.
Sorry, I'm really P.O with DK as it's not normal to involve credit card companies and banks to get this clarified.
Now let's go ahead again, rest of all tools have arrived and work
I ordered all of my parts through mouser and the shipping was very good and all the parts arrived and are ready to go
Will people have to use a hot air gun to solder the PCB or can they use other methods? I couldn't find an affordable one in Australia
OP
OP
It will be some work to search for that post, so here the steps:
- Use l293d chipset to drive persitaltic pumps. Pumps, l293d chip and wiring instructions are all available on adafruit (till I document things). Each l293d chip can control two pump.
- Use either Pi pwm pin (18 & 19) or PCA9685 pwm pins to control the speed of individual pumps (wired to EN1 , EN2 of l293d)
- IN1/2/3/4 pins in l293d is used for turning the pumps on/off or changing their direction. If you want you can connect them to GPIO and create virtual equipment , turning them on/off will in turn control the pump direction and on/off. If you dont want these things, just connect them to 3.3v and GND depending upon your desired direction (you can also put a mechanical switch or jumper to control the direction/on/off)
- The pumps I used are 12v, 600ma. So I powered my build with a 12v 2A power supply, and used an lm2596 board to generate 5v from it to power the Pi.
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-raspberry-pi-lesson-9-controlling-a-dc-motor?view=all
OP
OP
Yup. I am very much interested in making something similar for reef-pi (like permaproto board). Something that eliminates the need of jumper wires, but preserve the ability to solder through hole components (no SMDs)...I'll see what I can do
OP
OP
My first order was also via Mouser and went ok as well.Glad to hear you got it sorted but I completely agree, you really shouldn't need to get the bank/credit card company involved in these kinds of things at all.
I ordered all of my parts through mouser and the shipping was very good and all the parts arrived and are ready to go
Will people have to use a hot air gun to solder the PCB or can they use other methods? I couldn't find an affordable one in Australia
The Reef-PI HAT you can solder with a normal solder iron for electronic components. For the PWM (my boards are in Austria since Tuesday but have not arrived yet) is a little more difficult to say. I think most people will be able to use a good solder iron as well, but my hands are too shaky for that. What worked for me was to use a normal solder iron to position the PCA9685 chip by 2 opposite pins. Then when positioned, place solder paste over the other pins and use a hot air rework station, this worked very well for me.
I've bought a cheap <different brands> 858D hot air rework station for this. They can be purchased between 25-30 USD, however do see the safety check !:
With respect to the solder paste it's better to use lead based solder paste. Presently I only have Leadfree and it's more difficult to handle (have ordered different material, Mechanic Sn63/Pb37 25-45um, I believe this was recommended by SparkFun on youtube) Simplest way to add is simply via a syringe:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...828b6e6&transAbTest=ae803_2&priceBeautifyAB=0
It doesn't show the plunger however, so you may need this as well:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...828b6e6&transAbTest=ae803_2&priceBeautifyAB=0
I also a bought a solder paste dispenser and reflow oven, as it makes fun making these boards and if possible I would like to go to 0603 (not for Reef-PI)
The dispenser arrived yesterday and I only tested with water so far. The syringe with leadfree solder paste I have is too small for the supplied green adapter. I'm thinking of placing the solder paste in the larger syringe supplied with the dispenser. Do note that the solder/glue dispenser also needs a compressor, but first impression is very good.
The oven should arrive today and also requires some modifications but they are well described in the internet (including firmware update, grounding/security fix and replacement of some material).
However as said I think most people will be able to use a good solder iron for the PCA9685, best alternative is positioning via 2 pins and then lead solder paste and an hot air rework station. This is what I will do first when the new PWM boards arrive. Here a stacked picture of my first trial this way. You can clearly see it's a little offset (overlooked that), but all connections are ok. You also can see the bottom left and upper right pin's to have been soldered first. Just take your time on the alignment, then it's easy.
Will keep you posted...
Soulreefer
Community Member
is easy with clothing iron. if only for small size like pi Zero
Links https://frgmnt.org/advanced-smd-soldering/
Links https://frgmnt.org/advanced-smd-soldering/
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