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

[MaccaPopEye]

Constantly changing and updating the housing design as I go :p the ability to so easily change and print out the design is both a blessing and a curse haha

I have now printed out V2 of my Reef-Pi power board after I made a list of issues with V1. The biggest issue I had was that outlets were mounted on the top of the housing and the relay and other electronics on the bottom of the housing. This made it really difficult to wire up as I either had a heap of excess wire I had to squeeze in, or I wasn't able to open the housing without undoing half of the wiring.

V2 has all the electronics (outlets, 5V supply and relays) on the top of the housing and the bottom is essentially just a lid that nothing mounts to and can be removed easily for access.

Looking back I can also see how much I'll have dialed in my printer :D

The new designs will be uploaded to Thingiverse soon.

Today I went and got some 2.5mm wire and other supplies so I plan to get this wired up in the next couple of days.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Ofcourse :0-)

That red dragon, that's an sps?

 

[speedstar]

I am feeling jealous :-0).
Jokes aside, it looks very nice. Keep us posted once you solder the parts and put it into action. Do you have a build thread? this definitely deserves one.

I built one out already but it is old school perf board and flea collars. So this will clean it up some and shrink the size.

 

[ZHUGHENN]

do you know what voltage the vdim+ /vdim- is required? any docs/link on the light will be helpful

I don't have any docs/links on the light specifically, but i know that the driver is a well lit driver, I can post pictures of one in a bit, I do however believe it is 10v analog

 

[ZHUGHENN]

 

[ScottBrew]

@Ranjib I think I have found a bug in the macro tab. If I make multiple macros and then delete one, all the macros below the one deleted move one title and the last macro's instructions get deleted. For instance, if I have 3 macros made, named macro 1, macro 2 and macro 3 in that order from the top. I delete macro 1, the title gets deleted but the instructions for macro 1 are still there but now are titled macro 2, macro 2 instructions are now titled macro 3 and macro 3 instructions disappear altogether. Hope that makes sense?

 

[b4tn]

Constantly changing and updating the housing design as I go :p the ability to so easily change and print out the design is both a blessing and a curse haha

I have now printed out V2 of my Reef-Pi power board after I made a list of issues with V1. The biggest issue I had was that outlets were mounted on the top of the housing and the relay and other electronics on the bottom of the housing. This made it really difficult to wire up as I either had a heap of excess wire I had to squeeze in, or I wasn't able to open the housing without undoing half of the wiring.

V2 has all the electronics (outlets, 5V supply and relays) on the top of the housing and the bottom is essentially just a lid that nothing mounts to and can be removed easily for access.

Looking back I can also see how much I'll have dialed in my printer :D

The new designs will be uploaded to Thingiverse soon.

Today I went and got some 2.5mm wire and other supplies so I plan to get this wired up in the next couple of days.

I love this! I need to find a way to get this printed once you upload the file.

 

[Ranjib]

Constantly changing and updating the housing design as I go :p the ability to so easily change and print out the design is both a blessing and a curse haha

I have now printed out V2 of my Reef-Pi power board after I made a list of issues with V1. The biggest issue I had was that outlets were mounted on the top of the housing and the relay and other electronics on the bottom of the housing. This made it really difficult to wire up as I either had a heap of excess wire I had to squeeze in, or I wasn't able to open the housing without undoing half of the wiring.

V2 has all the electronics (outlets, 5V supply and relays) on the top of the housing and the bottom is essentially just a lid that nothing mounts to and can be removed easily for access.

Looking back I can also see how much I'll have dialed in my printer :D

The new designs will be uploaded to Thingiverse soon.

Today I went and got some 2.5mm wire and other supplies so I plan to get this wired up in the next couple of days.

Wow :-).
Hats off

 

[Ranjib]

That red dragon, that's an sps?

Yes. This is the hardest to keep sps (acro) among all of my sticks. Its my alternative to hanna and API checkers :-)

 

[Ranjib]

If its only two channel, you dont need the PCA9685 board. Just Pi will do (it has two pwm channel). If you are comfortable with computer/terminal, get pi zero, else pi 3. You'll need lm2596 modules, to convert 12V to 5V for pi, and couple of transistor to convert pi's 3.3v PWM to 10V pwm. I think it will work, even if the circuit expects 0-10V analog. If this does not you can build an RC circuit to make the pwm signal triangular.I never built an RC circuit, since 10PWM always worked out for me (and for most of the community builders). You'll need few resistors for safety. Use the guides to get a basic understanding, and ask question where you are unclear. It will be easier if you create a dedicated build thread.

 

[Ranjib]

@Ranjib I think I have found a bug in the macro tab. If I make multiple macros and then delete one, all the macros below the one deleted move one title and the last macro's instructions get deleted. For instance, if I have 3 macros made, named macro 1, macro 2 and macro 3 in that order from the top. I delete macro 1, the title gets deleted but the instructions for macro 1 are still there but now are titled macro 2, macro 2 instructions are now titled macro 3 and macro 3 instructions disappear altogether. Hope that makes sense?

Yes :0( . It's a bug. We had exactly the same bugs in other tabs as well. We fixed those, this one we missed. We'll get it fixed as soon as possible. Thank you for reporting.

 

[b4tn]

Yes. This is the hardest to keep sps (acro) among all of my sticks. Its my alternative to hanna and API checkers :)

I’m so upset. I had one about a year back that was growing like a weed. I was away for a month and it died. I have been looking for another one but haven’t been able to find one local.

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Hey, has anyone considered using magnetic tape and stainless steel strips to attach their reef-pi to their stand, while allowing for it to be removed?

 

[ScottBrew]

Hey, has anyone considered using magnetic tape and stainless steel strips to attach their reef-pi to their stand, while allowing for it to be removed?

Magnets are not usually attracted to stainless, the stainless quality and strength of magnet are variables but I doubt most average magnets (I'm looking at an MRI right now) will support what you are trying to do. Paint some standard steel bars and call it a day. That being said, not a bad idea as I'm trying to mount my power module under my tank with something other than tie wraps.

 

[ScottBrew]

Yes :0( . It's a bug. We had exactly the same bugs in other tabs as well. We fixed those, this one we missed. We'll get it fixed as soon as possible. Thank you for reporting.

Thank you! Your commitment is awesome!

 

[Ranjib]

Hey, has anyone considered using magnetic tape and stainless steel strips to attach their reef-pi to their stand, while allowing for it to be removed?

I did. In the very beginning, I used SPI based MC3008 and etape to detect water level (not boolean, but a nominal value). They were fancy. I hated SPI (lots of wire), the cost (which is why I also dont like pH probes), and I had an alternative to solve most of my water level issues (float switch and optical sensors). We should definitely revisit this, but with some sound/common use cases in mind. Because it takes more money, more code, and more build time/circuits, there has to be a good ROI.

 

[Ranjib]

I’m so upset. I had one about a year back that was growing like a weed. I was away for a month and it died. I have been looking for another one but haven’t been able to find one local.

Sorry for your loses. You had monitoring/controller in place? Any idea what went wrong?

 

[Ranjib]

Hey, has anyone considered using magnetic tape and stainless steel strips to attach their reef-pi to their stand, while allowing for it to be removed?

I use velcro now :-) . Early days I used use the brass/metal right angle braces. I dont know this is a right thing to do or not, but the velcro strips are rated for much higher weight.

 

[speedstar]

and parts to populate that board just arrived.

 

[Erica-Renee]

Constantly changing and updating the housing design as I go :p the ability to so easily change and print out the design is both a blessing and a curse haha

I have now printed out V2 of my Reef-Pi power board after I made a list of issues with V1. The biggest issue I had was that outlets were mounted on the top of the housing and the relay and other electronics on the bottom of the housing. This made it really difficult to wire up as I either had a heap of excess wire I had to squeeze in, or I wasn't able to open the housing without undoing half of the wiring.

V2 has all the electronics (outlets, 5V supply and relays) on the top of the housing and the bottom is essentially just a lid that nothing mounts to and can be removed easily for access.

Looking back I can also see how much I'll have dialed in my printer :D

The new designs will be uploaded to Thingiverse soon.

Today I went and got some 2.5mm wire and other supplies so I plan to get this wired up in the next couple of days.

What 3d Printer do you use . I have been considering getting one But i think i want something fairly cheap .Of course i know quality and issues might occur but some of the sub 200 printers seem to have good ratings
My Trigger Finger is Trigger happy but my Sensible mind says STOP!!!