reef-pi :: An opensource reef tank controller based on Raspberry Pi.

[stefanm]

Yeah not sure but we saw back a few posting s someone having issues with pi pwm and rolling back to 2.2 solved that one also, not sure what was causing his issues but sounds like it happened after he upgraded the OS, hard to say.

I still feel mine is a wiring issue, I did drill through 38 mm (1.5") of marine ply where the pi is mounted, anyways I'll check and report back....

 

[Ranjib]

2.3 only had changes related to pi and pca9685 pwm changes, so if anything goes wrong only those two are the prime suspect. I heard about some ato alerting issues, but yet to validate it

 

[Ranjib]

When is the planned release date vor reef-pi 3.0 that includes ph measuring?

Before thanksgiving . Reef-pi major release is my way of thanking this community . And yes it will have the ph stuff, but I think it will be available as beta much sooner, around May /June . Actually most of the development work around the driver is done, we are just hitting different bugs and sorting them out. It’s been bit complicated for me as this time I am kinda dependent on both pico and ph board authors for their support around the firmware /device drivers.

Speaking of which , I think I’ll start working on the pwm profile stuff while theatrus is sorting out the pico board ph driver issues. No reason for me to wait on that, there’s plenty of things to do

 

[bishoptf]

2.3 only had changes related to pi and pca9685 pwm changes, so if anything goes wrong only those two are the prime suspect. I heard about some ato alerting issues, but yet to validate it

Not sure then what was going on with @Des Westcott he was running 2.3 and the service would not start, I had him try uninstalling 2.3 and installing 2.2 and it came up working.

I have a couple pi zero w that I need to get working as dev and I will be able to hopefully help troubleshoot better.

 

[bishoptf]

Before thanksgiving . Reef-pi major release is my way of thanking this community . And yes it will have the ph stuff, but I think it will be available as beta much sooner, around May /June . Actually most of the development work around the driver is done, we are just hitting different bugs and sorting them out. It’s been bit complicated for me as this time I am kinda dependent on both pico and ph board authors for their support around the firmware /device drivers.

Speaking of which , I think I’ll start working on the pwm profile stuff while theatrus is sorting out the pico board ph driver issues. No reason for me to wait on that, there’s plenty of things to do

Will we be able to use the pH driver without one of the pre-made boards, I would like to add that on to my current pi-hat.

 

[theatrus]

Will we be able to use the pH driver without one of the pre-made boards, I would like to add that on to my current pi-hat.

Yes. pH is sensitive so I would recommend making a board, but there is no reason to not copy either design. Note the Pico board uses a micro-controller on the pH section (which is where the lockup happens, oops) which is an extra complexity. The end result is we are reading a voltage after buffering from an ADS1115 or MCU emulating that, so just splatting either design down on a hat board should be a straightforward operation.

 

[theatrus]

I’m still testing the pH lockup with debug attached. I can only get it to happen if I hammer 2 reads per second off the I2C and wait a few hours, so testing is slow. Ranjib’s board seems to suffer from the issue sooner, but parts of the I2C bus in the pJ section are hand reworked.

Right now the best course of action is swap firmware on the Pico pH section which isn’t an easy task without the right tool. If this becomes the only way to fix it, I’ll send out replacement boards (about 20 to date) to do field swaps. I’ll look for another workaround but the usual plans outside of a full power cycle aren’t helping, and the firmware update in field process is also problematic (beta issues!).

I’m holding any new shipments for a few days until I can sort out the update steps.

 

[Zekth]

Agree I think this will be a good comparison, since that will be the only change...

Seems like there is a hint where i can find remaining objects in memory.

The best part of software development is when you fix a bug, you find 3 more

I'll correct this: "when you fix a bug; create 2 non tested regressions and find out there is 3 more bugs"

 

[stefanm]

@Ranjib & others, any idea if this could be used instead of the PCA 9685?

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1429

16 bit dimming, would be pretty sweet for sunrise and sunset.

 

[Bigtrout]

@Ranjib & others, any idea if this could be used instead of the PCA 9685?

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1429

16 bit dimming, would be pretty sweet for sunrise and sunset.

This one is SPI interface which adds a whole new layer of complication to reef pi, where the PCA 9685 uses the i2c interface, which is easier to implement.

 

[Ryan115]

@Ranjib & others, any idea if this could be used instead of the PCA 9685?

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1429

16 bit dimming, would be pretty sweet for sunrise and sunset.

Am I missing where this would be 16-bit? The page and spec sheet say 12-bit, so same as PCA9685.

 

[ph123uk]

@Ranjib & others, any idea if this could be used instead of the PCA 9685?

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1429

16 bit dimming, would be pretty sweet for sunrise and sunset.

That's only 12 bit? this one is 16? https://www.adafruit.com/product/1455

 

[Ranjib]

@Ranjib & others, any idea if this could be used instead of the PCA 9685?

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1429

16 bit dimming, would be pretty sweet for sunrise and sunset.

Nope. We don’t have support for this driver in reef-pi. I am these as well, but went with the pca9685 ic because that’s i2c based and easily chainable. Means each new ic on spi will need extra wires...

 

[stefanm]

That's only 12 bit? this one is 16? https://www.adafruit.com/product/1455

Oops wrong link....

 

[16Reefer170]

Hi all,

I have a 2 part question, I think my temperature probe is failing, but would like a 2nd opinion. I have received two low. temperature alerts of -3630 and and -3631 four days later.

.

Q1, could this be lose wire, or most likely a probe going bad?
Q2, any thoughts on the graph ignoring the chart min/max setting?
Thank you very much

 

[Bigtrout]

Hi all,

I have a 2 part question, I think my temperature probe is failing, but would like a 2nd opinion. I have received two low. temperature alerts of -3630 and and -3631 four days later.

.

Q1, could this be lose wire, or most likely a probe going bad?
Q2, any thoughts on the graph ignoring the chart min/max setting?
Thank you very much

I dont think your probes are going bad...a blip like that means the i2c bus asked for data and receieved a bad data reading. The temp reading is a signed number, so if one byte doesnt come thru correctly it gives a large erroneous reading because one of the bits is for positive or negative....bus timing? Interference from something else? Loose wire?
I have had reef pi up since xmas and have had 2 weird readings like this in February, but have not had another like it since.

 

[sfgabe]

I've
seen someone previously covered their temp probe in silicone to stop the rust ... is that a good idea do you think ?

If you are truly dedicated to being cheap (as I am), you can cover most of the sensor up to the tip in heatshrink and seal the last bit and the end with silicone or frag glue. This is what I have and I haven't noticed temps getting thrown off.

 

[ph123uk]

Couple of questions if anyone can help:

1) I am getting an "Undervolt error" when I turn on the reef-pi, the convertor is converting from 19.4v to 5.1v according to my multimeter - any ideas?
2) My lights require an ON/OFF and a 12v - now my 19.4v PSU is converted down to 5.1v and soldered to the PI HAT - Do I NEED 12v to go to the light? if so I'm gonna have to split the PSU input to two and have 2 separate buck convertors (which is fine, just getting my head around it)?

My thread is here if anyone can help - https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/m...y-viparspectra-pwm-light-controller-d.545810/

 

[Des Westcott]

If you are using a Pi 3, they are quite power hungry. Make sure your power supply is putting out 2.5A. if not, you will get the "under voltage or under power" alert even if it is getting 5V. (Which it probably isn't if it is not getting enough current)

 

[Des Westcott]

If you are truly dedicated to being cheap (as I am), you can cover most of the sensor up to the tip in heatshrink and seal the last bit and the end with silicone or frag glue. This is what I have and I haven't noticed temps getting thrown off.

I have a cheap probe that I encased in heatshrink and silicone. I put some silicone in the heatshrink and then inserted the probe. Applied the heatgun and watched the heatshrink do it's thing and squeeze the excess silicone out. I let the silicone cure and then tested the probe against a bare one for comparison purposes. Performed exactly the same as the bare one.

In 3D printing, some people sometimes recommend making a glue to get ABS prints to adhere to a glass bed. You dissolve ABS scraps in acetone and use this mixture as a glue. I dipped one of my probes into this mixture and let dry. I gave it 5 coats and it is still working perfectly. No signs of coming away from the plastic cable insulation.