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

[Ranjib]

FYI, it looks like in the photo you are over extruding and the temp is a little on the hot side. not sure if you knew this just my 2 cents..

I suspect some of those issue. Thank you for calling those out, I'm still learning. Currently spending most of my time in modeling. I went through some initial calibration, but I know they are far from tuned. They are just good enough to get the shape correct, I am sanding down things as and when needed.
My intent is to learn it over the course of the next couple of years. Do PLA only for the first 5 filament rolls, and dial down flow rate, extrusion multiplier for my goto filaments by then.
Time is what limiting my efforts, and I am distributing my time across designing, tuning, plus all things software related. I'll keep posting the prototypes, and I would absolutely love if you keep on giving such awesome feedback :-) (be my eyes)

thank you again, folks like you make this place awesome

 

[Schreiber]

So, I think I've figured out what's keeping my dosing pump from running... To simplify things, I took one pump out of the equation, so I'm only using GPIO 18 for PWM & GPIO 15 & 17 for direction. I'm not getting any voltage output from my GPIO 18 pin no matter what I try.

Whenever I go to calibrate the dosing pump, I should be seeing *something* from that pin, right? Is there anything I have to enable in the settings to correct this?

Here's what I've got for Jacks:

That's all I should have to setup to control GPIO 18 & 19, correct? The direction "equipment" seems to be working just fine thankfully.

 

[Schreiber]

Cura for slicing , blender for modeling , ended 3 stock setup for printing . I have octopi hooked into it for remote management

I'm curious, why are you using Blender, as opposed to something like Sketchup? Usually a CAD program like Sketchup or SolidWorks is better suited for this sort of modeling. Especially once you start getting into modeling things like holes for outlets.

 

[Hookster15]

I suspect some of those issue. Thank you for calling those out, I'm still learning. Currently spending most of my time in modeling. I went through some initial calibration, but I know they are far from tuned. They are just good enough to get the shape correct, I am sanding down things as and when needed.
My intent is to learn it over the course of the next couple of years. Do PLA only for the first 5 filament rolls, and dial down flow rate, extrusion multiplier for my goto filaments by then.
Time is what limiting my efforts, and I am distributing my time across designing, tuning, plus all things software related. I'll keep posting the prototypes, and I would absolutely love if you keep on giving such awesome feedback :) (be my eyes)

thank you again, folks like you make this place awesome

Ranjib, just one thing if your going to have it near saltwater switch to PETG it has a little better resistance than PLA, it will string alot more than PLA but you can get it dialed in and It should come out Perfect. use a 20mm x 20 mm test cube for testing . Its cheaper and saves filament . If you have any questions on 3d printing or even design feel free to contact me any time.


When everything is set just right you should get this type of print.

 

[Ranjib]

Ranjib, just one thing if your going to have it near saltwater switch to PETG it has a little better resistance than PLA, it will string alot more than PLA but you can get it dialed in and It should come out Perfect. use a 20mm x 20 mm test cube for testing . Its cheaper and saves filament . If you have any questions on 3d printing or even design feel free to contact me any time.


When everything is set just right you should get this type of print.

Wow,.. thats awesome result.
Yes, I intend to do exactly what you mentioned. My current thought process is to finish first 5 rolls of PLA over the course of next two months and learn more about the parts (hotend, heatbed) and operations and then switch to PETG. I already got an amazon basics petg spool, but I have to upgrade the bowden tubing to capricorn and may be swap the borosilicate glass heatbed with the original one before moving to petg. I am using ender 3.
On the design side, I am publishing the designs in thingiverse https://www.thingiverse.com/ranjib/designs . Currently they are very squary (using blender and applying my newly learned boolean modifier skills :-) ) , but functional. I want to make them smooth edgy (like apple products) eventually :-) . Let me know your thoughts., if this is a good plan.

Again, thank you for all your advice , I am enjoying 3d printing a lot. But Im stretched thin across software development, 3d printing, testing and actual circuit works... so just making little progress along different streams with a goal of 3.0 release in mind.

 

[Ranjib]

I'm curious, why are you using Blender, as opposed to something like Sketchup? Usually a CAD program like Sketchup or SolidWorks is better suited for this sort of modeling. Especially once you start getting into modeling things like holes for outlets.

Blender is opensource, which is philosophically more aligned with reef-pi. It also has probably the largest community, so easier to find tutorial/resources. Last but not least, it's like reefing, very involved, complex and can grow with you. My hope is if I learn it right it will be useful and I can be hooked into it for years to come. As a side benefit, I can not only do the 3d printing, i can also render stunning images with material and light properties completely in my control. That will enable me to generate photorealistic images of builds, parts etc. Blender can do full-on animation also, I don't know how I may use it, but remember with the PWM control and arbitrary PWM profile, we can translate these profiles in kinetic models, in which case blender can actually simulate these using animation feature. I don't expect to learn any of that this year or anytime soon.. but just in case i venture.. theres that opportunity. Blender forces you to think the core 3d concepts and then its applications (3d printing, animations, rendering etc etc). I used to teach very basic blender in Pune university during my computer graphics course.. so there a bit of history/nostalgia as well.

 

[Ranjib]

So, I think I've figured out what's keeping my dosing pump from running... To simplify things, I took one pump out of the equation, so I'm only using GPIO 18 for PWM & GPIO 15 & 17 for direction. I'm not getting any voltage output from my GPIO 18 pin no matter what I try.

Whenever I go to calibrate the dosing pump, I should be seeing *something* from that pin, right? Is there anything I have to enable in the settings to correct this?

Here's what I've got for Jacks:

That's all I should have to setup to control GPIO 18 & 19, correct? The direction "equipment" seems to be working just fine thankfully.

Pin 18 not working? Thats pwm pin 0 right? check your dtoverlay configuration (/boot/config.txt) and then check the content of /sys/class/pwm/pwmchip0/pwm0/duty_cycle and /sys/class/pwm/pwmchip0/pwm0/period . Report back those details,

 

[Hookster15]

Wow,.. thats awesome result.
Yes, I intend to do exactly what you mentioned. My current thought process is to finish first 5 rolls of PLA over the course of next two months and learn more about the parts (hotend, heatbed) and operations and then switch to PETG. I already got an amazon basics petg spool, but I have to upgrade the bowden tubing to capricorn and may be swap the borosilicate glass heatbed with the original one before moving to petg. I am using ender 3.
On the design side, I am publishing the designs in thingiverse https://www.thingiverse.com/ranjib/designs . Currently they are very squary (using blender and applying my newly learned boolean modifier skills :) ) , but functional. I want to make them smooth edgy (like apple products) eventually :) . Let me know your thoughts., if this is a good plan.

Again, thank you for all your advice , I am enjoying 3d printing a lot. But Im stretched thin across software development, 3d printing, testing and actual circuit works... so just making little progress along different streams with a goal of 3.0 release in mind.

stay with glass or just get a piece of mirror ( mirror Is the best), if you have a adhesion issue go to the dollar store and get some aqua net you will never have a problem. i have never used amazon filament the best PETG i have found over the years is made by Inland . the temp is around 240c so you would not need to change the tubing. I have built over 50 3d printers and have not had a problem with high temps as far as friction in the tubing print a filament dust and lube https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3221154, you can use this one or search for more models. keep it simple....good luck

 

[BenB]

Hi Ranjib,

I have been playing with an RC Servo motor (with PCA9685) to see if I can use that to move a camera, rotate and tilt:

I have seen a project with a Pi and 16 RC servos attached to a PCA9685.

I used the lights section of Reef-pi to be able to rotate the Servo, using the fixed profile changing the PWM up and down it worked for "only" 45degrees rotation.
I am planning to make a cam that I can put into the water with a glass dome upside down, so you can look around inside the aquarium:

Is it possible to add some software to be able to control servos like the one on the picture?

In the future, I am thinking to make a feeder with servos to give dry food to my fish.

And maybe there are other possibilities like mechanical switching or opening valves.

Hi, all you have some other suggestions to use an RC servo??

 

[BenB]

Here an arduino with 16 RC servos attached to a PCA9685:

Complete guide to PCA9685 16 channel Servo controller for Arduino with code

And with a Raspberry Pi:

16 Channel Servo Controller (Raspberry Pi)

 

[Bzar]

Anyone have suggestion for a more "elegant" approach to doing cutouts for Db9 connectors? I kinda went Freddy Krueger on my enclosure.....

I use a small rotary tool with a mini saw blade. Or used to because it never looked pretty unless the connector had a flange to hide the edges.

I like these now though....easy cause it's a circle and has screw on to hide the cuts.

2.79US $ 7% OFF|Free shipping 5set GX16 GX16 4 4P 4Pin 16mm Male&Female Wire Panel Connector plug Circular Aviation Connector Socket Plug|Connectors| - AliExpress

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And then I just get wire with the amount of pins for the aviation connector...like...

9.84US $ 13% OFF|10 Meter Sheath Wire 26awg Tin-plated Oxygen-free Copper Cable 2 Core 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Core Diy Data Wire Signal Charge Line - Electrical Wires - AliExpress

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[bala murugan 00500]

I'm using these ... to avoid rusting problem

1.53US $ 12% OFF|Sp20 Ip68 Waterproof Connector 1 Pin 2 Pin 3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/12/14pins Connectors Plug And Socket - Connectors - AliExpress

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[AbjectMaelstroM]

I'm using these ... to avoid rusting problem

1.53US $ 12% OFF|Sp20 Ip68 Waterproof Connector 1 Pin 2 Pin 3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/12/14pins Connectors Plug And Socket - Connectors - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

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That is one heck of a connector... I like it.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

I use a small rotary tool with a mini saw blade. Or used to because it never looked pretty unless the connector had a flange to hide the edges.

I like these now though....easy cause it's a circle and has screw on to hide the cuts.

2.79US $ 7% OFF|Free shipping 5set GX16 GX16 4 4P 4Pin 16mm Male&Female Wire Panel Connector plug Circular Aviation Connector Socket Plug|Connectors| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

And then I just get wire with the amount of pins for the aviation connector...like...

9.84US $ 13% OFF|10 Meter Sheath Wire 26awg Tin-plated Oxygen-free Copper Cable 2 Core 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Core Diy Data Wire Signal Charge Line - Electrical Wires - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Yeah I came across the aviation connectors after I had already started cutting all the outlets. But they have a vast assortment of pins, so if/when I redo my box, lit will probably be mostly the aviation connectors.

Easy to drill for, wire, and not bad on the wallet.

 

[Ranjib]

Hi Ranjib,

I have been playing with an RC Servo motor (with PCA9685) to see if I can use that to move a camera, rotate and tilt:

I have seen a project with a Pi and 16 RC servos attached to a PCA9685.

I used the lights section of Reef-pi to be able to rotate the Servo, using the fixed profile changing the PWM up and down it worked for "only" 45degrees rotation.
I am planning to make a cam that I can put into the water with a glass dome upside down, so you can look around inside the aquarium:

Is it possible to add some software to be able to control servos like the one on the picture?

In the future, I am thinking to make a feeder with servos to give dry food to my fish.

And maybe there are other possibilities like mechanical switching or opening valves.

Hi, all you have some other suggestions to use an RC servo??

In 3.0 we are introducing an ability to define custom pwm profile . That in conjunction with a macro or timer should be enough assuming we can solve the Servo /gear specific thing in the hardware/circuit. If not we may have to do some servo specific in software as well. Let me read up on servo and stepper control and I’ll get back to this next week. No promise I’ll have something in 3.0, but I think it should mostly work

Is there anything specific you are looking for ? Or just want to resolve the 45 degree issue ?

 

[Ranjib]

Meanwhile,
Tank is chugging along. I have to prune the green slimer monthly.

Different corals are invading their neighbors at different spots in the tank. Past three years taught me kinda project their future growth and I can somewhat anticipate one of the possible fates of every small place in the tank .

Depending upon which coral overgrows whom the landscape will change

And the books and crannies provide tactical advantage to one or the other coral :-)

I’m happy to see the red dragon growth spurt to continue :-) . I’m there to assist and resist any green slimer or rainbow montipora encroachment . Any overnight sudden growth on that area will be dealt with bone cutter and chisel swiftly.

 

[BenB]

In 3.0 we are introducing an ability to define custom pwm profile . That in conjunction with a macro or timer should be enough assuming we can solve the Servo /gear specific thing in the hardware/circuit. If not we may have to do some servo specific in software as well. Let me read up on servo and stepper control and I’ll get back to this next week. No promise I’ll have something in 3.0, but I think it should mostly work

Is there anything specific you are looking for? Or just want to resolve the 45 degree issue ?

That sounds great!! I will upgrade to 3.0 and try out the possibilities with the custom PWM profile and show the results. Probably it will take me some time, family first :)

It will be nice if you can manually (with a moving bar, or left and right and up and down buttons) move the camera to look around (without the need to press save or confirm). And if it is possible using the macro to go to a specific camera position and take a daily picture.

 

[BenB]

Or maybe add the moving bar or left and right buttons in the camera tab.

 

[Schreiber]

Pin 18 not working? Thats pwm pin 0 right? check your dtoverlay configuration (/boot/config.txt) and then check the content of /sys/class/pwm/pwmchip0/pwm0/duty_cycle and /sys/class/pwm/pwmchip0/pwm0/period . Report back those details,

I actually started over with a fresh pi to eliminate all the variables. I got ~2.4V out of GPIO 18. So, I copied the exact configuration over to my installed pi & still 0V straight from the pin, so it wasn't the circuit.

I also double checked the config file & I definitely had the dtoverlay configuration set correctly. I didn't check the contents of the other 2 things you called out, since I hadn't seen this message until now. I simply re-formatted & started fresh. It seems to be in working order now!

 

[Mejia.j]

I recently got a Raspberry pi 3, i downloaded reefpi. It says is active but the browser doesn’t open. Or i can not find it anywhere to open it. Any ideas?