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

[Ranjib]

@Ranjib I've been following along quietly while working on other projects.
The tank is still running 1.3 and has been stable for months!
I haven't put any new equipment on the tank, so I have not upgraded yet to use any of the new features.

However I have been testing a pi-zero to run as a Chicken-Pi. Yep porting it out to the yard to run my chicken coop.
So far the plan is to have it monitor temp in the coop, control a fan (and maybe a heat lamp), and control the door to the coop (open in morning and close at night). Motor control is using a TB6612FNG to drive a gear motor and lead-screw.
I have been running it in a spare bedroom until I can get power out to the coop, which makes it perfect for a test platform.

Anyway, that has been running 2.0.0 beta for a while and I just updated to beta-7.
First off, I really like all of the new UI changes. Most things are much more intuitive and they display better.
While testing out some of the new lighting control, I found one potential issue with the way it reads time input. This may be limited to the diurnal control where the user inputs time. I am interpreting this as only needing minutes and hours with a : separating them.
Would it be possible to have either an example input shown on the UI or to have them as individual drop downs for hours, minutes and seconds.
I would think the same thing would help in the timers section as well.

Aug 12 10:57:58 raspberrypi reef-pi[22633]: 2018/08/12 10:57:58 ERROR: lighting subsystem, failed to parse start time in diurnal cycle. Error: parsing time "0800" as "15:04": cannot parse "00" as ":"

Aug 12 11:12:21 raspberrypi reef-pi[22633]: 2018/08/12 11:12:21 ERROR: lighting subsystem, failed to parse start time in diurnal cycle. Error: parsing time "08:00:00": extra text: :00

Keep up the amazing work!

Thats awesome :-)
You are right the diurnal profile assumes the time is in "hh:mm" format. reef-pi needs improvements across the board around input validation. I have a issue to track this already and plan to improve the validation before 2.0 release. I have added your feedback around diurnal cycle there: https://github.com/reef-pi/reef-pi/issues/467
I'll make sure this happens before we get the final 2.0 release

We'll get that chicken :-)

 

[Cal_stir]

Which version of reef-pi you are using? In 2.0 series GPIO pin numbers are always associated with connectors. Outlets are connectors that control output (relays), Inlets are connectors that control input (water level, switches etc). We then associate individual outlet with equipment and inlet with ato

I think I screwed up, I went to the download page and downloaded the customizable dashboard because it said latest version beside it, The dashboard worked and everything seemed ok but today when I started my pi the screen blacks out for a second every 10 seconds or so. I am powering the pi with my laptop, could it be not enough power or should I remove the program and start over.

 

[Ranjib]

I think I screwed up, I went to the download page and downloaded the customizable dashboard because it said latest version beside it, The dashboard worked and everything seemed ok but today when I started my pi the screen blacks out for a second every 10 seconds or so. I am powering the pi with my laptop, could it be not enough power or should I remove the program and start over.

Screen as in pi-touch screen ? I doubt its related to reef-pi, try powering it via a dedicated power source.

 

[Cal_stir]

Screen as in pi-touch screen ? I doubt its related to reef-pi, try powering it via a dedicated power source.

Turns out it's my tv, pi is ok, I'm not sure what release I'm supposed to install, the macro subsystem (reef-pi-2.0.0-beta-7-pi3.deb), the source code (zip).
Do I download and install from the pi browser or type it in the terminal, sorry to be a bother but I'm pretty green to this.

 

[Ranjib]

Turns out it's my tv, pi is ok, I'm not sure what release I'm supposed to install, the macro subsystem (reef-pi-2.0.0-beta-7-pi3.deb), the source code (zip).
Do I download and install from the pi browser or type it in the terminal, sorry to be a bother but I'm pretty green to this.

this is the general steps: https://reef-pi.github.io/additional-documentation/upgrade/
change the download link and deb file to 2.0.0-beta-7

 

[Des Westcott]

Hey all. Just a little warning - although t may be obvous to most of you out there. I hooked my Jebao RW8 Wavemaker up to one of the relay circuits and ran it as equipment. I soon noted that it was running all the time regardless of whether it was "on" or "off" according to Reef-Pi. Anyway, after a bit of experimentation, I found that it burns the relays closed.

So, anyone planning to use a RW8, be aware!

The RW8 is rated at 23W. What size relay should I look for to accomodate that?

 

[wykat]

So I've completed the HAT testing successfully :)

Only I2C I couldn't test (don't know what happened to my PWM module) but expect it to be ok as well. The board is relatively easy to build and fits nicely on the PI.

The files can be found at https://github.com/vandegraaf/Reef-PI_PCBs

the Reef-PI_HAT.zip file contains all the required files for ordering PCB's. There are some improvements to the PCB lay-out to have better connections for power and the dosing pumps but should have no impact on the functionality.
There is also a PDF file describing all the connectors and related GPIO signals.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

Hey all. Just a little warning - although t may be obvous to most of you out there. I hooked my Jebao RW8 Wavemaker up to one of the relay circuits and ran it as equipment. I soon noted that it was running all the time regardless of whether it was "on" or "off" according to Reef-Pi. Anyway, after a bit of experimentation, I found that it burns the relays closed.

So, anyone planning to use a RW8, be aware!

The RW8 is rated at 23W. What size relay should I look for to accomodate that?

That will likely be an issue with the relay, not the pump. All relays can fail and unfortunately yours happened to fail in the on position. It's likely just an unlucky failure. Someone posted a video earlier about cheap relays vs expensive ones and their failures, at the end of the day the cheap relays will almost always be good enough for our purposes but there is always a chance one will fail.

 

[MaccaPopEye]

So I've completed the HAT testing successfully :)

Only I2C I couldn't test (don't know what happened to my PWM module) but expect it to be ok as well. The board is relatively easy to build and fits nicely on the PI.

The files can be found at https://github.com/vandegraaf/Reef-PI_PCBs

the Reef-PI_HAT.zip file contains all the required files for ordering PCB's. There are some improvements to the PCB lay-out to have better connections for power and the dosing pumps but should have no impact on the functionality.
There is also a PDF file describing all the connectors and related GPIO signals.

That is great to hear! I'll look into how much it would cost to get one shipped to Aus in the next couple of days, awesome job! P.S I wanna see some more pics of it too :p

 

[sjeff35]

So I've completed the HAT testing successfully :)

Only I2C I couldn't test (don't know what happened to my PWM module) but expect it to be ok as well. The board is relatively easy to build and fits nicely on the PI.

The files can be found at https://github.com/vandegraaf/Reef-PI_PCBs

the Reef-PI_HAT.zip file contains all the required files for ordering PCB's. There are some improvements to the PCB lay-out to have better connections for power and the dosing pumps but should have no impact on the functionality.
There is also a PDF file describing all the connectors and related GPIO signals.

Great work!!!

Thanks for this!

 

[janos]

Hi to all,Q to Ranjib,the temp sensor have only 60 sec interval ?Thank you

 

[wykat]

That is great to hear! I'll look into how much it would cost to get one shipped to Aus in the next couple of days, awesome job! P.S I wanna see some more pics of it too :p

What do you want to see? I don't have an aquarium yet :confused: , am still in the 'planning phase'. Should become a reefer 250, still reading.

ps: I love Australia, been there twice. live however in Aus(tria)

 

[Cal_stir]

Thinking about getting a 7" touchscreen for my build, anybody using one, pros and cons, advice,
Thanks

 

[Brad Cox]

So I've completed the HAT testing successfully :)

Only I2C I couldn't test (don't know what happened to my PWM module) but expect it to be ok as well. The board is relatively easy to build and fits nicely on the PI.

The files can be found at https://github.com/vandegraaf/Reef-PI_PCBs

the Reef-PI_HAT.zip file contains all the required files for ordering PCB's. There are some improvements to the PCB lay-out to have better connections for power and the dosing pumps but should have no impact on the functionality.
There is also a PDF file describing all the connectors and related GPIO signals.

Where do you order these from?

 

[Ranjib]

Thinking about getting a 7" touchscreen for my build, anybody using one, pros and cons, advice,
Thanks

I have two, i used one for several months and another one dedicated for makerfaire. My learning was its nice, you dont need a internet or even local network, but I dont have that usecase. I always have internet, and almost always with a internet connected device (laptop or phone) and I most time I found walking upto the tank is a lot of work :-) , when the everything is right here with me (since i have laptop or phone). I can see folks with bigger tanks have use for something like this. I would expect some improvement around turn on/off (like adding mechanical buttons) etc.

 

[Ranjib]

Hi to all,Q to Ranjib,the temp sensor have only 60 sec interval ?Thank you

you can edit the interval and set it to something lower, like 15 or even 5 seconds.

 

[janos]

Thank you Ranjib as always you r very helpful

 

[wykat]

Where do you order these from?

I ordered from jlcpcb.com. PCB's are very cheap but shipping costs high (especially for fast delivery). Hat a quick view at allpcb.com as well, they may be cheaper for single boards (5) and fast delivery for $20. For me the advantage from jlcpb is that you can upload the gerber (zip) file and directly see the result and if it's producible. I've read some claims that sometimes for more complex boards they suddenly cancel the order without notice, just refund. Of course for professional use this is not ok, but for our purposes, if they can't make the board, we probably can't solder it.... :p

 

[Ranjib]

 

[Ranjib]