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

[Ranjib]

So yours are wired as NO. Strange that we are getting the same behavior then.
Ranjib, are you currently wired as NO or NC?

I am using SSD relays, so NC.

 

[Ranjib]

Yep, looks like the sale is posted to the FB page.

If I could get just the LED retro board from him, along w/ the driver specs required, that would greatly help me out with putting together my system. But that's a different discussion.

build thread link please :-)

 

[Somnifac]

I am using SSD relays, so NC.

The SSD relays linked from the reef-pi example builds aren't NO? Interesting, I thought they were.

It seems to me that NO would be preferred for some items, say an ATO, just as a precaution that happens to the Pi and it drops voltage to the relay. If that happened, it could pump all the contents of your top off container into your tank, could it not?

build thread link please :)

Once I have enough info to post, I will be posting one.

 

[Somnifac]

Addendum to previous post:

If that's the case, it sounds like the mechanical relays w/ the NC and NO terminals might be the way to go, especially considering that you've added the toggle to tell reef-pi what the default state of the relay is. There are some items that I would prefer to default state of ON if the Pi were to fail (circulation pumps, and others), and others to default to an OFF state (ATO pump, among others).

 

[Ranjib]

The SSD relays linked from the reef-pi example builds aren't NO? Interesting, I thought they were.

It seems to me that NO would be preferred for some items, say an ATO, just as a precaution that happens to the Pi and it drops voltage to the relay. If that happened, it could pump all the contents of your top off container into your tank, could it not?



Once I have enough info to post, I will be posting one.

Oops. I was wrong, they are normally open. i.e Unless reef-pi powers them on, the equipments wont start.

 

[Ranjib]

@AshwinRavi , this is how I interpret the reef-pi equipment on/off button:

First:

From the screen shot above, I think that equipment Eq1 is running, and clicking the "off" button will turn it off, generally reef-pi expects equipment to be running, so turning "off" is not the expected state , hence its in red (like return pumps, lights , skimmer etc), i.e. "not safe to do" or "do with caution"

Second:

Here, I interpret, Eq1 is not running, and clicking the "on" button will switch it on, and thats what normal, hence this is "green" or safe to do.

 

[AshwinRavi]

Hello Ranjib,

this is how I am reading mine.

I have outlets connected to channels 2,4,6 and 8 being on and outlet on channel 1 being off, and that's what I see on the relay.

 

[Somnifac]

@Ranjib

Maybe that's the problem. In my mind, it makes sense for items to be color-coded green if they are in their powered state, with red for their powered state. Additionally, if the display were broken up into a "Current State" informational display and a "Toggle State" button, that would probably lead to less confusion.

Looking at your images, I interpret them state of the items completely inverse from you. I see red for Eq1 int he first image and assume it is off. Conversely, in the 2nd I see green for Eq1 and assume it is on. Couple that with the "On" and "Off" text within the button, it's sending mixed messages. You have to "know" the logic behind it, rather than it being intuitive.

 

[AshwinRavi]

I am sorry, maybe I created a little confusion by not labeling it properly. on the first image, top to bottom are relays 8,6,4,2 and 1. on the second image, left to right are 8,7,6,5,4,3,2 and 1.

 

[Somnifac]

@AshwinRavi

The behavior at the outlet I would interpret from your image would be:

Heater, AC8: Outlet on (Heater on)
Blue Channel, AC6: Outlet on (Lights on)
White Channel, AC4: Outlet on (Lights on)
Fans, AC2: Outlet on (Fans on)
Channel 1, AC1: Outlet off

Since you only have outlets hooked up to AC8 and AC2, is that the behavior you see at those outlets?

 

[AshwinRavi]

yes, I would completely agree with you

 

[marspeed]

red means off and green means on

 

[Ryan115]

I would agree with the others here. I interpret the display to reflect the current state.
If it is green and says "On" then it is on.
If it is red and says "Off " then it is off.

 

[Somnifac]

I can mock up a table design when I get home to outline the sort of thing that makes sense in my head, if that would be of value.

 

[Ryan115]

Ranjib, since you are using NO relays, I am assuming that is the "standard" configuration for the outlets in reef-pi.
Therefore clicking the Reverse button for the outlets would put them set for NC.
If this is the case, this would be good to have in the build guide and elsewhere in the documentation.

 

[Somnifac]

And, a hardware idea that just came to me:

Since, as I understand it, we can define a relay as being wired either NC or NO, the mechanical relays can be wired in either state on a per relay basis, and different pieces of hardware have a more desirable default failure state:

What does everyone think of wiring a switch that would toggle an outlet between the NO and NC states. That way we wouldn't be tied to any particular outlet/relay for any particular piece of equipment. It would leave it a little more configurable for future reuse.

 

[Ryan115]

And, a hardware idea that just came to me:

Since, as I understand it, we can define a relay as being wired either NC or NO, the mechanical relays can be wired in either state on a per relay basis, and different pieces of hardware have a more desirable default failure state:

What does everyone think of wiring a switch that would toggle an outlet between the NO and NC states. That way we wouldn't be tied to any particular outlet/relay for any particular piece of equipment. It would leave it a little more configurable for future reuse.

Ranjib just added the configuration for that in the new release. When you tell reef-pi which pin corresponds to which outlet, you can set it up either way.
If you ever want to re-wire the outlet to NO/NC you would need to delete it in reef-pi and re-define it. Takes about 10 seconds.

 

[Ranjib]

Hello Ranjib,

this is how I am reading mine.

I have outlets connected to channels 2,4,6 and 8 being on and outlet on channel 1 being off, and that's what I see on the relay.

So, here it means clicking on "Off" will turn Channel_1 off, or in other words it is currently "on"

 

[Ranjib]

So, what I think reef-pi doing is the right thing in terms of turning it off or on (i.e. if you click off, then the equipment will be turned off, and it also means the equipment is currently on).

Do you all think the color coding should be reversed? i.e. red when the button says "On" and green when the button says "Off"

 

[AshwinRavi]

In my setup from above, @Ranjib clicking "off", will turn Channel_1 off, which in my setup turns Channel 1 off, letting no power through