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

[pickupman66]

I got some new parts in this week. This is the start for my jebao pump controls.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

I got some new parts in this week. This is the start for my jebao pump controls.

Is it just on/off functionality, or can we use this to randomize flow and the such? This is incredibly interesting to me. I'm not certain my 40b sump can handle the flow I'd need to avoid using wave makers, and last i checked the reef-pi could only power them on/off via the power controller. Exciting stuff.

 

[pickupman66]

Is it just on/off functionality, or can we use this to randomize flow and the such? This is incredibly interesting to me. I'm not certain my 40b sump can handle the flow I'd need to avoid using wave makers, and last i checked the reef-pi could only power them on/off via the power controller. Exciting stuff.

As of right now there is nothing written for programming yet. However I am anxious to get the parts and pieces ready to go for when it gets to testing.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

As of right now there is nothing written for programming yet. However I am anxious to get the parts and pieces ready to go for when it gets to testing.

So exciting!

 

[Erica-Renee]

All temp probes use same circuit. They are self identifying. Here are my three connected together.

This did not work for me if any of the 3 probes where on a wire longer then 10 feet. They would randomly drop off and reef- pi would lose them. If less then 10 feet for each of them you are probably fine thou... One of my Probes is 25 feet away ...

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

This did not work for me if any of the 3 probes where on a wire longer then 10 feet. They would randomly drop off and reef- pi would lose them. If less then 10 feet for each of them you are probably fine thou... One of my Probes is 25 feet away ...

25 feet is a bit of a run

 

[Diamond1]

Ranjib YOU THE MAN!!!
Getting ready to pull the trigger on this. This is so cool!
Thanks to all for the dedication to advancing this thread and testing everything.
Was also wondering if there was going to be any support for either of these things in the future.
Flow meter https://www.adafruit.com/product/828
Humidity sensor https://www.adafruit.com/product/385
Was thinking the humidity sensor would be nice to have under the stand or in a fishroom to turn on a fan or dehumidifier and the flow meter to keep an eye on the return pump efficiency.

 

[Ranjib]

Ranjib YOU THE MAN!!!
Getting ready to pull the trigger on this. This is so cool!
Thanks to all for the dedication to advancing this thread and testing everything.
Was also wondering if there was going to be any support for either of these things in the future.
Flow meter https://www.adafruit.com/product/828
Humidity sensor https://www.adafruit.com/product/385
Was thinking the humidity sensor would be nice to have under the stand or in a fishroom to turn on a fan or dehumidifier and the flow meter to keep an eye on the return pump efficiency.

Thank you for the props , recently @Zekth and @Michael Lane is contributing a lot of code as well.
I have looked at those sensors. Flow meter is kinda too slow for our use , if I understand correctly. i.e they won’t work for several gallons per hour flow.
I want to add humidity sensor in future for sure, particularly to gauge ambient humidity and how it impacts evaporation and ato usage. But we need more comprehensive logic for that and it’s not the most useful thing , so current focus is to nail down the basics (temperature, ato, light, power , ph and doser) with proper documentation and as much testing as possible. There’s also a lot of work on making the UI work smoothly on mobile as well. Once 2.0 public release is done (around thanksgiving ) we’ll start working on the new set of features

 

[b4tn]

Has anyone done anything to make the DS18B20 probe more corrosion resistant? I am not sure plastidip is reef safe. What about silicone or epoxy? How much will dipping it in something affect its accuracy? I am actually thinking to dip the sensor in fiberglass resin.

 

[speedstar]

Has anyone done anything to make the DS18B20 probe more corrosion resistant? I am not sure plastidip is reef safe. What about silicone or epoxy? How much will dipping it in something affect its accuracy?

I just covered one of mine in silicone, make sure to use 100% or the stuff made for aquariums. Also in the past I used heat shrink and sealed the end.

 

[Zekth]

Hello everyone,

We are looking to make Reef-Pi multilanguage, even if most of users are english fluent. At the moment we have resources to translate the app in English and French. We are looking for people ( even non coders ) to contribute on the translations.

A goal is to translate the app in those languages:

• English
• French
• German
• Spanish

and even more if some people have the skills and the will to contribute. So is there any volunteers?

 

[Ranjib]

Has anyone done anything to make the DS18B20 probe more corrosion resistant? I am not sure plastidip is reef safe. What about silicone or epoxy? How much will dipping it in something affect its accuracy? I am actually thinking to dip the sensor in fiberglass resin.

I use the canakit ds18b20 , which has black powered coating, it’s been going rust free for two years . Interestingly my other normal stainless steel enclosed probes also don’t show any rusting yet , even after more than a year of usage

 

[Ranjib]

Hello everyone,

We are looking to make Reef-Pi multilanguage, even if most of users are english fluent. At the moment we have resources to translate the app in English and French. We are looking for people ( even non coders ) to contribute on the translations.

A goal is to translate the app in those languages:

• English
• French
• German
• Spanish

and even more if some people have the skills and the will to contribute. So is there any volunteers?

Added a poll

 

[janos]

Hi i used silicon to cover the hole probe

Has anyone done anything to make the DS18B20 probe more corrosion resistant? I am not sure plastidip is reef safe. What about silicone or epoxy? How much will dipping it in something affect its accuracy? I am actually thinking to dip the sensor in fiberglass resin.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Hi i used silicon to cover the hole probe

With silicone being an insulator, that doesn't skew your readings?

 

[speedstar]

Hi everyone, I have reef-pi up and running with the temp sensor :) Thanks it is great now on to power control. I am not using the DJ 12v relay outlets, I instead bought the 8 relay 5V module https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTELP3I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also bought this PS https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0140K8AXE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I am wondering and doubt the 5v and ground from the Pi itself can be used to power the relay board, is this correct? My guess would be I connect ground from the Pi to Ground from the PS I bought at the relay board then use 5v from the new PS. Then can the IO of the Pi go direct to the input pins on the relay board? Thanks for any help or direction, already on my second Pi do to a probe slip the first time.

 

[Michael Lane]

With silicone being an insulator, that doesn't skew your readings?

I've done pretty much the same thing. I placed the sensor end in a styrene tube filled with silicone. I've had it running for a few years in my tank, along with a RKL sensor. They both read pretty much the same temperature and the silicone doesn't seem to have any effect on the readings. On the other hand, there aren't any rapid changes, so there could be a theoretical difference.

 

[Ranjib]

Hi everyone, I have reef-pi up and running with the temp sensor :) Thanks it is great now on to power control. I am not using the DJ 12v relay outlets, I instead bought the 8 relay 5V module https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTELP3I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also bought this PS https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0140K8AXE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I am wondering and doubt the 5v and ground from the Pi itself can be used to power the relay board, is this correct? My guess would be I connect ground from the Pi to Ground from the PS I bought at the relay board then use 5v from the new PS. Then can the IO of the Pi go direct to the input pins on the relay board? Thanks for any help or direction, already on my second Pi do to a probe slip the first time.

I used relays like the ones you have mentioned till recently before switching to the ADJ powerstrip. They worked just fine , driven straight from Raspberry Pi. Though most of the official documentation from SainSmart recommends to use a transistor (you can use something like ULN2803a as well).

 

[speedstar]

Hi everyone, I have reef-pi up and running with the temp sensor :) Thanks it is great now on to power control. I am not using the DJ 12v relay outlets, I instead bought the 8 relay 5V module https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTELP3I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I also bought this PS https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0140K8AXE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I am wondering and doubt the 5v and ground from the Pi itself can be used to power the relay board, is this correct? My guess would be I connect ground from the Pi to Ground from the PS I bought at the relay board then use 5v from the new PS. Then can the IO of the Pi go direct to the input pins on the relay board? Thanks for any help or direction, already on my second Pi do to a probe slip the first time.

Or it appears I can connect my new power supply to ground and vcc of the relay board and use the 3.3v gpio lines direct to turn on the inputs? A high it appears is anything over 2.5v. About to try it

 

[Michael Lane]

This did not work for me if any of the 3 probes where on a wire longer then 10 feet. They would randomly drop off and reef- pi would lose them. If less then 10 feet for each of them you are probably fine thou... One of my Probes is 25 feet away ...

I2c is made for short distances, so this isn't very surprising. Shielded cable may help, but 25 feet is still probably too much. There are i2c bus extenders that could help with this. P82B715 seems to be a fairly popular chip for this. Sparkfun also sells a breakout board based on a different chip (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14589). I haven't tried either of these, but they seem to solve the problem you are experiencing.

That's bad info. I forgot the temp sensors are 1 wire. Thanks for correcting me.