dmolavi
Well-Known Member
Are you using the 4 head doser and controlling w/ ReefPi? If so, how? I don't see any external control mechanism for it, short of the built in control pad.
reef-pi :: An opensource reef tank controller based on Raspberry Pi.
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Are you using the 4 head doser and controlling w/ ReefPi? If so, how? I don't see any external control mechanism for it, short of the built in control pad.
b4tn
Valuable Member
Here is a link with some pictures of the modified doser. You just run the two output wires from the motor controller direct to the doser motors, I used a TB6612. The Jaebo controller is 100% bypassed.
bishoptf
Valuable Member
I have the Jaebo slave 4 head doser tied to reef-pi via @Michael Lane module attached via cat5 wire. Seems to work like its supposed to but I have not started using it yet, have been manually dosing so far.Here is a link with some pictures of the modified doser. You just run the two output wires from the motor controller direct to the doser motors, I used a TB6612. The Jaebo controller is 100% bypassed.
b4tn
Valuable Member
ooo... That is handy. I didnt know that was a thing. It has the motor driver built in, Very nice!I have the Jaebo slave 4 head doser tied to reef-pi via @Michael Lane module attached via cat5 wire. Seems to work like its supposed to but I have not started using it yet, have been manually dosing so far.
bishoptf
Valuable Member
Yeah the slave doser is supposed to be daisy chained to the master Jaebo doser and it doesnt have any electronics in it, with @Michael Lane module its pretty plug and play. I picked it up on ebay new for like $26, I think some folks purchase thinking its a normal doser and then have no use for it...
Mikeneedsahobby
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I run two 4 head jebao dosers. Both use the Michael lane adopter and are controlled by reefpi. I’m not a big fan of them, but I havent had any serious issues. I think they are far more likely to under dose than overdose.Man get busy and blink and reef-pi is out with v4, congrats.Where can I go to find the release notes in the threads, anyone have that handy?Found it...wish my tank looked as nice as your @Ranjib I'm currently in Dino hades. Things are running so well on 3.x that I am always reluctant to mess with things.
On another note, I am wanting/needing to start dosing Kalk and I do not want to run it in my ATO, I have @Michael Lane hat and dosing module hooked up to a jaebo doser but having second thoughts on using the Jaebo. Thinking of going with w/ a BRS doser controlled by reefpi on a timer. What is everyone using for dosing, I have a Nano tank and overdosing is much easier to accomplish, I've given a lot of thought to try to make it as fail proof as possible just looking for some advice.
Thanks
my freshwater tank uses 2 heads for water change. And 2 heads for fertilizer dosing. The salt tank uses 3 heads for water change and top off and 1 head for all for reef dosing. The water change storage containers are in my basement so there is signifant head pressure. This is likely why I have more problems than others.
the first problem I had was that all of the heads were assembled wrong. The spacer ring was on the wrong side of the head. This causes the rollers to be angled and slip on the drive pin. The fix is easy once you know about it. And maybe they are being built right the first time now. But I spent several weeks trying figure out why sometimes it was fine and sometimes it was loud with no fluid flow.
The next problem I have is I’m pushing the limit on head pressure in my water change. The dosing heads make a loud smacking noise when they just can’t pull hard enough. I’m guessing the noise is the rollers popping over an area of high pressure water it can’t move. When this starts happening flow is reduced.
The last problem is the tubes in the heads wear out and stop flowing. They take a permanent flat set and no longer open up. The rollers stop moving fluid. Again this is on my water change heads that are running hours per day and pulling water from the basement.
I’m going to switch all the tubing in the heads to neoprene a60g. This material is supposed to be capable of higher pressure. I tried silicone tubing but it has less pressure capability.
I haven’t had problems in any of the short distance fertilizer or all for reef dosing heads. And the problems I have would occur in any of the lower cost dosers that use the 3 plastic roller design. It’s jebao specific. I’m pushing the limits and finding faults that under dose on the heads that run a lot with pressure.
I would have been better off using the geared dosing heads from Kamoer for my application.
I am running a @Michael Lane board with a Jebao slave. It has been working without issue for a good 4-6 months. Just need to calibrate the heads to know that 100% at 1 second will vary. Mine takes 75% for a few seconds to hit 5ml, and the other is at I think 85% to reach the same volume.
Love not having to manually dose.
I am a weird one that really enjoys testing. I actually like the new Hanna checker Nitrate steps.
I say this because I can watch when my tank is requiring the 2 part to increase on my excel chart, and adjust as necessary. Much easier through the ReefPi interface to correct, it will always dose, compaired to when I had to manually dose, I may have skipped a few.
Love not having to manually dose.
I am a weird one that really enjoys testing. I actually like the new Hanna checker Nitrate steps.
I say this because I can watch when my tank is requiring the 2 part to increase on my excel chart, and adjust as necessary. Much easier through the ReefPi interface to correct, it will always dose, compaired to when I had to manually dose, I may have skipped a few.
92Miata
Valuable Member
Rage. Flames. Rage.
Apparently this Michael Lane guy lives a couple of minutes away from me and I could have bought a $5 board and a $26 jebao slave pump instead of 3d printing pump bodies and learning how to wire stepper motors and how to not burn myself with a soldering iron. I mean, I learned some stuff though?
(This whole thing is pretty great. Keep coming up with stuff and eventually we can have a totally open ecosystem for these things)
Apparently this Michael Lane guy lives a couple of minutes away from me and I could have bought a $5 board and a $26 jebao slave pump instead of 3d printing pump bodies and learning how to wire stepper motors and how to not burn myself with a soldering iron. I mean, I learned some stuff though?
(This whole thing is pretty great. Keep coming up with stuff and eventually we can have a totally open ecosystem for these things)
Mikeneedsahobby
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You should buy him a beer and see what else he has. He certainly has made my life easier!
dmolavi
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Hmm I have a master pump for Jebao, but I am comfortable w/ electronics to bypass the control module in it. Thanks for
Hmm I have a master pump for Jebao, but I am comfortable w/ electronics to bypass the control module in it. How are you powering them individually though?
Here is a link with some pictures of the modified doser. You just run the two output wires from the motor controller direct to the doser motors, I used a TB6612. The Jaebo controller is 100% bypassed.
Hmm I have a master pump for Jebao, but I am comfortable w/ electronics to bypass the control module in it. How are you powering them individually though?
b4tn
Valuable Member
The wires that come off the motor controller are either positive or negative depending on which direction you want the motor to spin (configurable in reefpi) you just have to supply the controller breakout board with the appropriate voltage source. In my case I think I am using 12 volts.
Vmotor gets the voltage source for the motors, vcc is the logic voltage (3-5v), PWM A and B are the PWM sorce, Ain and Bin are your gpio inputs, and motor a and b go direct to the motors.
Adafruit TB6612 1.2A DC/Stepper Motor Driver Breakout Board
Fire four solenoids, spin two DC motors or step one bi-polar or uni-polar stepper with 1.2A per channel (3A peak) using the TB6612. These are perhaps better known as "the drivers in our assembled Adafruit Motorshield or Motor HAT." We really like these dual H-bridges, so if you want to control...
bishoptf
Valuable Member
Looks like I will start to tinker with the Jaebo doser, anyone have any tips on calibration and speed? I know in reef-pi you can set the speed to a certain percentage, any advantages for going slower etc? Since I have a nano tank my volumes are going to be pretty small so hoping I can get them to run close to 1ml per minute or there abouts. The other thing is I'd rather run hard tubing like rodi tubing for the longet portions and convert to the soft tubing close to the doser head, any issues with doing that?
Thanks
Thanks
You set the speed and time in reef pi
I calibrated by running 100% for 8-7-6-5 seconds and recorded the ml volume dispensed for each head. Using RODI for testing.
Then you have a pretty good baseline for inputting your dosing regimens or for imputing into an online dosing calculator.
You can dispense as fast or slow as you want.
I don’t know what you would does at 1ml over a minute for.
I have mine dispense in the last overflow of my sump to mix it up before hitting my return pump.
My PH only rises about .1 max after the addition, and only for about 2 minutes, as I have my probe in the return pump chamber.
I calibrated by running 100% for 8-7-6-5 seconds and recorded the ml volume dispensed for each head. Using RODI for testing.
Then you have a pretty good baseline for inputting your dosing regimens or for imputing into an online dosing calculator.
You can dispense as fast or slow as you want.
I don’t know what you would does at 1ml over a minute for.
I have mine dispense in the last overflow of my sump to mix it up before hitting my return pump.
My PH only rises about .1 max after the addition, and only for about 2 minutes, as I have my probe in the return pump chamber.
b4tn
Valuable Member
my pumps run mid 80’s. 1 second per ml. I fine tune it my running it for 20 seconds into a measuring cup and tweak the numbers till it hits the 20ml mark at 20 seconds of run time. If you wanted to further fine tune it you could run it for longer like 40 seconds for 40 ml. I have never had to dose less that 1 ml of anything
Mikeneedsahobby
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I run all of mine at 100%. Depending on the tube wear I get from 0.8ml/s to 1.3 ml/s.
I do have problems connecting hard rodi (polyethylene) tubing to the doser. I bought a big roll of the cheap polyethylene at Home Depot. It tends to split over time at the doser connector. I have some other colored tubing that came with my rodi that has held up okay though. I now connect the polyethylene to small piece of silicone tube then that to the doser connector.
I do have problems connecting hard rodi (polyethylene) tubing to the doser. I bought a big roll of the cheap polyethylene at Home Depot. It tends to split over time at the doser connector. I have some other colored tubing that came with my rodi that has held up okay though. I now connect the polyethylene to small piece of silicone tube then that to the doser connector.
bishoptf
Valuable Member
Yep just played with it, I was using 70% for 14s on one head gave me about 10ml. For kalk I was wanting to do 10ml every hour per the calculations gives me roughly 240ml per day. I assume since it's calc you would want to do a little at a time spaced out, still learning but I think this will work. I wasn't sure if short run times would be as accurate as longer run times.
What I am looking for and going to look tonight, but what I would like to find is a push to connect with a barb fitting, that way I could run the rodi tubing to the fitting then silicon to the doser connector. Going to look for something tonight and see what I can find. I just didn't want to run the silicon tubing through my cabinet since it kinks so easily.
Thanks for all the input, great advice.
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encrustingacro
Valuable Member
I planning on building myself a reef pi and researching how to build it. I am looking for a tutorial full tutorial online but can only find the adafruit tutorials, which is a bit confusing. Are there any other tutorials that cover how to build everything besides the adafruit tutorials?
b4tn
Valuable Member
Honestly the adafruit tutorials are an excellent way to learn the system. It covers the basics and as you get a feel for it you can modify it as you go. But they show you how to build everything that you need. There are other builds based of reefpi with pre built boards that are still priced reasonably. Leviathan and robo tank are two that come to mind right away but there are some other boards out there also like the Michael lane board.
encrustingacro
Valuable Member
I was looking through the adafruit tutorials and noticed that you need more than one raspberry pi for the whole build.
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