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

[Simonv92]

The light graphs are broken since 3.0 due to significant changes in pwm profiles. 3.0 introduced a host of different pwm profiles that can be applied (including lunar, sine , random profiles...) and we didnt have enough time to implement those in the charts. 3.5 (will be released in couple of weeks) will have interval (auto), fixed and diurnal charts (its already in master, i just have to cut a release).

Currently the only i2c based ADC thats supported is the official ph driver (pico board from blueacro also utilizes an ADC based on i2c). If theres a common chip that you think will be useful for general audience, we are happy to add a driver for the same. Since 3.0 HAL inclusion, adding new driver is pretty straight forward (which is why we have now so many different types of drivers in reef-pi).

Thank you as always :D No problem for the lights graphs, It's not a problem :D

Regarding the ADC driver maybe the ADS1115 could be a nice IC, there's a tiny Adafruit board ready to use... It only has 4 channel but for most application they should be fine ;) It also works with I2C :)

Another, at least in my opinion, great possible add could be this module:

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for all of the users (works fine with 110V and 230V) who wants to have track of their tank power consumption :)
The only downside is that it works with serial communication, and a few mods are required to make it work with 3,3V.
Nothing so complicated, only a 1K resistor to solder between two points on the pcb..

P.S. if any of you is searching for an IC to extend the I2C lines, maybe to connect the control box to the PWM expander on the hood, the Texas Instruments P82B96 chip works very very good! I'm testing it with more than 10mt (32ft) of CAT5 cable without any problem!

 

[BenB]

Thank you as always :D No problem for the lights graphs, It's not a problem :D

Regarding the ADC driver maybe the ADS1115 could be a nice IC, there's a tiny Adafruit board ready to use... It only has 4 channel but for most application they should be fine ;) It also works with I2C :)

Another, at least in my opinion, great possible add could be this module:

9.45US $ 30% di SCONTO|PZEM 004T Nuova Versione TTL Power Energy Watt Meter AC 220V 100A di Energia Elettrica Volt Amp PF Frequenza Kwh Voltmetro Per arduino CT|Contatori di energia| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

it.aliexpress.com

for all of the users (works fine with 110V and 230V) who wants to have track of their tank power consumption :)
The only downside is that it works with serial communication, and a few mods are required to make it work with 3,3V.
Nothing so complicated, only a 1K resistor to solder between two points on the pcb..

P.S. if any of you is searching for an IC to extend the I2C lines, maybe to connect the control box to the PWM expander on the hood, the Texas Instruments P82B96 chip works very very good! I'm testing it with more than 10mt (32ft) of CAT5 cable without any problem!

Micheal Lane is working on a driver for ADS1015, that possibly works with ADC1115 as well.

I've got a ADS1015 and I'm working on a driver. It will probably be a few weeks before its done though; I have to wrap up some Open Api documentation. I think it will be compatible with ADS1115.

 

[Yov]

I have a reading on humidity now! i have to chose PH status switched off and then i can select 2 point for calibration. when i calibrate i can see the readout.

but i stil get the errors and no graphs.

@Ranjib i think you missed the last line XD

but i stil get the errors and no graphs.

 

[Ranjib]

@Ranjib i think you missed the last line XD

I purposefully didn’t answer that as it was not clear what you are doing.i can chart humidity fine, so I’m pretty sure there’s no bug. Often time folks will try different things or not wait enough for the chart to appear. I prefer to wait out, instead of helping immediately. This is a diy project , without the builder working hard on their build it’s more work to extend support. You would notice in this thread many times folks will hit an issue and immediately reach out , only to find out after some time a workaround or tiny mistakes.

For your case, I was not sure why you are calibrating and with what reference . I would start with charting the uncalibrated sensor values first and then proceed to next. Once you have that, then proceed with calibration (if it makes sense ).

 

[Nerowolfe]

I am new to Reef-pi, but I have been reading the forum with interest for some time now. First up, great project with a huge potential.

When reading the setup manual, I was a little puzzled by a few things:
-> would it not be best to setup the Reef-pi with a static address, as it is a remotely managed/accessed device?
-> in the settings tab, you can select http/https, and you then enter the IP address .. my question on this, does this IP address have to be the same as the physical address, or can it be a 'virtual address' from the same range as your home network? If it is the physical address, then this is a good reason to use static address.

 

[robsworld78]

I think I came across a bug in v3.4. I just did a fresh install and got to the pH circuit which uses the ph-ezo driver, after adding it the pH is random like it's using the ph-analog driver instead and no probe connected. The circuit doesn't blink so it's not coming from it. I tried many times and checked I2C address which shows up and I can get valid readings using a terminal.

It seems if the driver was setup prior to 3.4 it didn't break when updated as mine updated fine but new additions won't.

Does this seem possible?

 

[Fishwampum]

I have the same problem robsworld78 has.

 

[robsworld78]

I have the same problem robsworld78 has.

I got it working by doing the following but you'll lose all your settings.

Delete the pH, connector and driver in that order.

Revert back to v3.3.1 with the following.

wget -c https://github.com/reef-pi/reef-pi/releases/download/3.3.1/reef-pi-3.3.1-pi3.deb
sudo dpkg -i reef-pi-3.3.1-pi3.deb

I tried it at this point but still didn't work so I reset the database.

sudo systemctl stop reef-pi.service
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/reef-pi/reef-pi.db
sudo systemctl start reef-pi.service

Did the reload in reef-pi and was able to add it.

Then I updated back to 3.4 and it remains working.

 

[Ranjib]

@robsworld78 my robotank controller has arrived and it looks awesome :-)

I love the light green color, it’s same as our ui.

The USB port based ato works already ? I don’t think we have driver for this in reef-pi

Circuit looks very clean

i tried the robotank board today. noticed the manual says use ph-Ezo driver , are you simulating that protocol ? I thought it’s using the reef-pi ph board protocol.
The outlets (for both db9 Connectors ) are not working as well. I have followed the instructions to setup exactly same gpio pin based connectors as prescribed , but none of the adj power strip is working with any of the connectors . Is there any specific jumper that i have to configure ? I am using a 12v 2amp switching adapter as power source

 

[Yov]

I purposefully didn’t answer that as it was not clear what you are doing.i can chart humidity fine, so I’m pretty sure there’s no bug. Often time folks will try different things or not wait enough for the chart to appear. I prefer to wait out, instead of helping immediately. This is a diy project , without the builder working hard on their build it’s more work to extend support. You would notice in this thread many times folks will hit an issue and immediately reach out , only to find out after some time a workaround or tiny mistakes.

For your case, I was not sure why you are calibrating and with what reference . I would start with charting the uncalibrated sensor values first and then proceed to next. Once you have that, then proceed with calibration (if it makes sense ).

i calibrated becous it did not work at first. I removed everything and started al over again. Now it seems to plot a chart in dashboard. The chart is very flat but it is only measuring for a short periode , the value i get from the humidity how do i
interpret this? Is it in % of m3?

 

[Ranjib]

i calibrated becous it did not work at first. I removed everything and started al over again. Now it seems to plot a chart in dashboard. The chart is very flat but it is only measuring for a short periode , the value i get from the humidity how do i
interpret this? Is it in % of m3?

its relative humidity in percentage. I still dont understand what you mean by not working. The sensor data will start appearing as it being used, soon after the first check period. anyway.. my suggestion will be to have some patience and tinker with it.. and seek help once you know something is systemic (not immediately).

 

[Kurtzisa]

hello, I need to power on the skimmer after 5 minutes from the blackout, can I set this type of timer in reef-pi?

 

[robsworld78]

@robsworld78 my robotank controller has arrived and it looks awesome :)

I love the light green color, it’s same as our ui.

The USB port based ato works already ? I don’t think we have driver for this in reef-pi

Circuit looks very clean

i tried the robotank board today. noticed the manual says use ph-Ezo driver , are you simulating that protocol ? I thought it’s using the reef-pi ph board protocol.
The outlets (for both db9 Connectors ) are not working as well. I have followed the instructions to setup exactly same gpio pin based connectors as prescribed , but none of the adj power strip is working with any of the connectors . Is there any specific jumper that i have to configure ? I am using a 12v 2amp switching adapter as power source

Right on, good to see it arrived in one piece.

That optical box is just an extension to two sensor ports + backup float on controller, idea is you don't have to cut optical connector and can extend cable easy. Allows you to setup ATO quick. Going to look around for cable extensions instead, should have done that I think, this has lead to a lot of questions. Reef-pi reads LOW/HIGH on the optical sensors so they work good.

Yeah pH works same as Atlas, soon I'll have a python script so calibration data can go in it as an alternative.

Any chance you're trying to connected one of these?

Amazon product

These don't work direct, still need the circuit you drew up. I hope I didn't say it would or have that somewhere?

It works with mine and the standard Arduino relay board. The pins on both are straight to Pi with circuit in the power bar. Did it like that so they could be used for anything else if someone wants to break out using one of those DB9 terminal adapters.

 

[Yov]

its relative humidity in percentage. I still dont understand what you mean by not working. The sensor data will start appearing as it being used, soon after the first check period. anyway.. my suggestion will be to have some patience and tinker with it.. and seek help once you know something is systemic (not immediately).

Hello Ranjib, It just did not "work" i had the same errors as when i used the wrond ID. But when i checked the "calibration box" i got a live value. But no Charts. i removed everything (driver/ analog inputs / PH configurations) and started over again. Now it works like a charm!

@robsworld78 i just realised you are the brain behind the robo-tank controller! I contacted you couple days ago! this is the controller i would like to use on the paludarium build!

 

[Badfish2too]

Rob is the man, playing with my new one as we speak. I had a prototype and now the new version

 

[robsworld78]

Rob is the man, playing with my new one as we speak. I had a prototype and now the new version

Now I know who you are lol...

Hello Ranjib, It just did not "work" i had the same errors as when i used the wrond ID. But when i checked the "calibration box" i got a live value. But no Charts. i removed everything (driver/ analog inputs / PH configurations) and started over again. Now it works like a charm!

@robsworld78 i just realised you are the brain behind the robo-tank controller! I contacted you couple days ago! this is the controller i would like to use on the paludarium build!

Hi, small world. If you have any controller related questions send me a PM or email.

 

[Ranjib]

I think I came across a bug in v3.4. I just did a fresh install and got to the pH circuit which uses the ph-ezo driver, after adding it the pH is random like it's using the ph-analog driver instead and no probe connected. The circuit doesn't blink so it's not coming from it. I tried many times and checked I2C address which shows up and I can get valid readings using a terminal.

It seems if the driver was setup prior to 3.4 it didn't break when updated as mine updated fine but new additions won't.

Does this seem possible?

Unless dev mode is selected , reef-pi should not return random value, it has to be from the analog connector. I don’t know if it’s a bug , it’s tested with ezo circuit. I am assuming you are using it with your own circuit ?

 

[Ranjib]

Right on, good to see it arrived in one piece.

That optical box is just an extension to two sensor ports + backup float on controller, idea is you don't have to cut optical connector and can extend cable easy. Allows you to setup ATO quick. Going to look around for cable extensions instead, should have done that I think, this has lead to a lot of questions. Reef-pi reads LOW/HIGH on the optical sensors so they work good.

Yeah pH works same as Atlas, soon I'll have a python script so calibration data can go in it as an alternative.

Any chance you're trying to connected one of these?

Amazon product

These don't work direct, still need the circuit you drew up. I hope I didn't say it would or have that somewhere?

It works with mine and the standard Arduino relay board. The pins on both are straight to Pi with circuit in the power bar. Did it like that so they could be used for anything else if someone wants to break out using one of those DB9 terminal adapters.

Yes, that’s exactly what it is. The manual does not say , I assumed it due to the db9 connector And 12v input power (similar to the power controller guide ) . This mean users either have to build their own powerstrip or use the ones from robotank. I think it’s worth calling out ( or that it’s 5v digital output ).

 

[Ranjib]

Too much tech talk :-)

tanks are recovering slowly . I had lost large part of most of my sps corals during the transfer , some of them are growing back, tank is still not as cared after as it used to be , mostly due to the new home related chores. But I have kept up with water changes (talking about that , water of my current place is way worse than last place ).
here are some pics , still not as good as it used to be,
Fts of the

Side view

Goniopora

One of the old Acro, growing back from nubs

 

[Des Westcott]

hello, I need to power on the skimmer after 5 minutes from the blackout, can I set this type of timer in reef-pi?

I have a similar requirement. I'm guessing your level in your sump rises when return pump is off?

On any of my macros that turn return pump off, I switch my skimmer off first and then when I turn stuff back on, I have a 3minute wait between turning return pump and skimmer back on.

That's easy to do for Macros. So my suggestion would be to turn equipment off manually, but have a "Turn On" Macro that has the required wait period in between and only use that to turn on return pump and skimmer.

You are still faced with a challenge if you lose power unexpectedly. When that happens they will both turn on together.