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

Adahm · Jan 11, 2022

Came across a Home Assistant integration for Reef-Pi made by RedViper.

Since I am already using HA for home automation this was very cool.

It took but a few minutes to get reef-pi integrated. I am able to control reef-pi entities via home assistant. Yay! This mean I can run logic based automations for my use case.

It doesn’t have the ATO sensor pulled in yet though …

Ranjib · Jan 11, 2022

Adahm said:
Came across a Home Assistant integration for Reef-Pi made by RedViper.

Since I am already using HA for home automation this was very cool.

It took but a few minutes to get reef-pi integrated. I am able to control reef-pi entities via home assistant. Yay! This mean I can run logic based automations for my use case.

It doesn’t have the ATO sensor pulled in yet though …

Super cool :-)

Ranjib · Jan 11, 2022

I noticed this on pcbway yesterday,

Reef-Pi breakout board - Share Project - PCBWay

Feature:All current features of Reef Pi 3.2 are compatible, including:Equipment Control - 8 dedicated GPIO channels for equipment output control (via 5V relay cards)Lighting Cycles - 4 independent lig...

www.pcbway.com

Looks super cool. All through hole components. PCA9685, Ezo, etc are i2c additional, that we have to plug in. I like it a lot :-),

dadarara · Jan 11, 2022

guys,
basic question :how to run a macro based on a temperature sensor ?

its not a simple issue. I want to switch the chiller if it below 15 degrees , not to freeze.
but switch it on to normal operation again if its simply 0.
I have a temp sensors that disconnect once in a while. so its kind of get a 0 reading.
the temp sensor is actually switches off the chiller case its below 15 celsius , but thats the problem, I want to reverse this action in case its simply disconnect (and thus 0 reading).

I was thinking to create a macro that checks if the temp is 0 and switches on/off the equipment
in the macro setup I see temperature step and can switch it on/off. not exactly sure I understand what that means for temp sensor ???

hope its clear.

P.S the disconnecting sensors is another issue that I need to solve. but I wish to have the above as a safe measure

bishoptf · Jan 11, 2022

Ranjib said:
I noticed this on pcbway yesterday,

Reef-Pi breakout board - Share Project - PCBWay

Feature:All current features of Reef Pi 3.2 are compatible, including:Equipment Control - 8 dedicated GPIO channels for equipment output control (via 5V relay cards)Lighting Cycles - 4 independent lig...

www.pcbway.com

Looks super cool. All through hole components. PCA9685, Ezo, etc are i2c additional, that we have to plug in. I like it a lot :)Funn,

Funny I also saw that last night, I am about to pull the trigger on an order for some viparspectra boards and noticed it. I am also thinking of having some of his goby hat boards made but cannot find the latest gerber files. :(

If anyone can point me to where they may be would be appreciated, looking on githiub there are three versions but none of them match the latest version that I have from him.

bishoptf · Jan 11, 2022

@robsworld78 was looking through your automated script and the question I have is when using the script do you still need to go into raspi-config to complete the setup for 1-wire etc? If not using a robotank setup I assume the answer is yes but if you were using a robotank are those settings done for you also?

Adahm · Jan 11, 2022

Adahm said:
Came across a Home Assistant integration for Reef-Pi made by RedViper.

Since I am already using HA for home automation this was very cool.

It took but a few minutes to get reef-pi integrated. I am able to control reef-pi entities via home assistant. Yay! This mean I can run logic based automations for my use case.

It doesn’t have the ATO sensor pulled in yet though …

Thanks to RedViper twho added ATO sensors upon request. Please do remember to recognize if you use the integration. The on/off controls are almost instant through Home Assistant.

robsworld78 · Jan 12, 2022

Tom Bishop said:
@robsworld78 was looking through your automated script and the question I have is when using the script do you still need to go into raspi-config to complete the setup for 1-wire etc? If not using a robotank setup I assume the answer is yes but if you were using a robotank are those settings done for you also?

That script does eliminate the need to make any config changes to the Pi, it can be used on any install not just my controller. During the install it'll ask if you have controller, that's just to copy over a database setup for it.

This is what it does.

Asks for time zone (it provides a clickable link to find)
Updates the Pi operating system
Installs I2C tools (this adds i2cdetect feature)
Asks what Raspberry Pi your are using so it can install the correct reef-pi (currently installing 4.3)
Asks if Robo-Tank is being used (if so it copies over a database with drivers / connectors etc added)
Overwrites /boot/config.txt file on Pi (this setups 1-wire, I2C, etc)
Deletes the download and install script
Confirms install complete and provides link with your local IP to access reef-pi webpage
After user presses Enter key when install is finished it will expand the file system on Pi and reboot

These are the 3 commands to run the script, first downloads, 2nd unzips and 3rd runs the script.

sudo wget -c https://www.robo-tank.ca/reef-pi_install_files.zip
sudo unzip reef-pi_install_files.zip
sudo bash reef-pi_install_files/install_reefpi.sh

bishoptf · Jan 12, 2022

robsworld78 said:
That script does eliminate the need to make any config changes to the Pi, it can be used on any install not just my controller. During the install it'll ask if you have controller, that's just to copy over a database setup for it.

This is what it does.

Asks for time zone (it provides a clickable link to find)

Updates the Pi operating system

Installs I2C tools (this adds i2cdetect feature)

Asks what Raspberry Pi your are using so it can install the correct reef-pi (currently installing 4.3)

Asks if Robo-Tank is being used (if so it copies over a database with drivers / connectors etc added)

Overwrites /boot/config.txt file on Pi (this setups 1-wire, I2C, etc)

Deletes the download and install script

Confirms install complete and provides link with your local IP to access reef-pi webpage

After user presses Enter key when install is finished it will expand the file system on Pi and reboot

These are the 3 commands to run the script, first downloads, 2nd unzips and 3rd runs the script.

sudo wget -c https://www.robo-tank.ca/reef-pi_install_files.zip

sudo unzip reef-pi_install_files.zip

sudo bash reef-pi_install_files/install_reefpi.sh

Yup I'm a linux guy, I just didn't make it back here to update my original posting. Looks like it covers everything that needs to be covered, I would probably add in an option to update the password or even maybe add an additional user or I could go on, but its a really good start and makes for an easy setup. I would also prefer to see the output of some of the commands as to see it updating etc, but understand not everyone cares about that. I may kick it around and see if I can add anything to it like maybe the timezone lookup etc.

I was looking at a slightly different tack in that you have an image already prepared, all the end user has to do is update the wpa_supplicant file with the wireless info for the wireless units and reboot and then be able to access the webpage. Lots of ways of doing things, one of the things I am working on in another forum is to have a sample reef-pi kit that I can loan out that has a small setup with a temp probe, kasa outlet, ato float etc. The the user can configure and play around with it and see if its something they want to pursue, if they do I have been steering them to your product or leviathon etc. Once the user is done playing they ship it back to me and I send it on it's way to someone else, still working out the kinks but I thought the loaner setup may get users more comfortable with how it works and thereby bring more users into using reef-pi.

Thanks for all the work you have put into it, really shows. :)

Ranjib · Jan 12, 2022

Tom Bishop said:
Funny I also saw that last night, I am about to pull the trigger on an order for some viparspectra boards and noticed it. I am also thinking of having some of his goby hat boards made but cannot find the latest gerber files. :(

If anyone can point me to where they may be would be appreciated, looking on githiub there are three versions but none of them match the latest version that I have from him.

here is @Michael Lane 's goby hat repo: https://github.com/Ranthalion/reef-piHat

robsworld78 · Jan 12, 2022

Tom Bishop said:
Yup I'm a linux guy, I just didn't make it back here to update my original posting. Looks like it covers everything that needs to be covered, I would probably add in an option to update the password or even maybe add an additional user or I could go on, but its a really good start and makes for an easy setup. I would also prefer to see the output of some of the commands as to see it updating etc, but understand not everyone cares about that. I may kick it around and see if I can add anything to it like maybe the timezone lookup etc.

I was looking at a slightly different tack in that you have an image already prepared, all the end user has to do is update the wpa_supplicant file with the wireless info for the wireless units and reboot and then be able to access the webpage. Lots of ways of doing things, one of the things I am working on in another forum is to have a sample reef-pi kit that I can loan out that has a small setup with a temp probe, kasa outlet, ato float etc. The the user can configure and play around with it and see if its something they want to pursue, if they do I have been steering them to your product or leviathon etc. Once the user is done playing they ship it back to me and I send it on it's way to someone else, still working out the kinks but I thought the loaner setup may get users more comfortable with how it works and thereby bring more users into using reef-pi.

Thanks for all the work you have put into it, really shows. :)

Well then you can see how poorly written it is. :) I've never used linux until reef-pi, it can get overwhelming quick with the commands but slowly getting better. Having an auto timezone lookup would be cool, if a wrong country code is entered in script it won't work so not error proof. I choose to hide the output (my latest discovery) and use custom text so it's not rolling out of control and nobody misses any questions/instructions, it also looks much cleaner. As reef-pi doesn't use any missing packages nothing can really go wrong but I hear you it would be nice to have confirmation.

I tried making an SD image but that didn't go so well as I couldn't keep the file small. Now that I've been using this for some time I do like it, people seem to have little trouble and it allows me to configure things for different versions of controller easier.

That's a cool loaner system you have going and thanks for telling people about me. Once and a while I have someone asking if they can try and return if they don't like, you're system sounds like a good work around that. A lot of the interest I see are from people who never heard of reef-pi so I've always thought it would be nice to setup a Pi, somehow assigning my domain or subdomain to a page where people can log into a live controller and explore reef-pi but that's a little over my head still as it would require resetting reef-pi database etc and worried about the security as it'll be on my local network, I guess I could setup a 2nd router/network for it though.

Ranjib · Jan 12, 2022

robsworld78 said:
Well then you can see how poorly written it is. :) I've never used linux until reef-pi, it can get overwhelming quick with the commands but slowly getting better. Having an auto timezone lookup would be cool, if a wrong country code is entered in script it won't work so not error proof. I choose to hide the output (my latest discovery) and use custom text so it's not rolling out of control and nobody misses any questions/instructions, it also looks much cleaner. As reef-pi doesn't use any missing packages nothing can really go wrong but I hear you it would be nice to have confirmation.

I tried making an SD image but that didn't go so well as I couldn't keep the file small. Now that I've been using this for some time I do like it, people seem to have little trouble and it allows me to configure things for different versions of controller easier.

That's a cool loaner system you have going and thanks for telling people about me. Once and a while I have someone asking if they can try and return if they don't like, you're system sounds like a good work around that. A lot of the interest I see are from people who never heard of reef-pi so I've always thought it would be nice to setup a Pi, somehow assigning my domain or subdomain to a page where people can log into a live controller and explore reef-pi but that's a little over my head still as it would require resetting reef-pi database etc and worried about the security as it'll be on my local network, I guess I could setup a 2nd router/network for it though.

i like that idea. I'll see if i can do something about it.

robsworld78 · Jan 12, 2022

Ranjib said:
i like that idea. I'll see if i can do something about it.

I think that would be the icing on the cake. ;)

bishoptf · Jan 12, 2022

Ranjib said:
here is @Michael Lane 's goby hat repo: https://github.com/Ranthalion/reef-piHat

robsworld78 said:
Well then you can see how poorly written it is. :) I've never used linux until reef-pi, it can get overwhelming quick with the commands but slowly getting better. Having an auto timezone lookup would be cool, if a wrong country code is entered in script it won't work so not error proof. I choose to hide the output (my latest discovery) and use custom text so it's not rolling out of control and nobody misses any questions/instructions, it also looks much cleaner. As reef-pi doesn't use any missing packages nothing can really go wrong but I hear you it would be nice to have confirmation.

I tried making an SD image but that didn't go so well as I couldn't keep the file small. Now that I've been using this for some time I do like it, people seem to have little trouble and it allows me to configure things for different versions of controller easier.

That's a cool loaner system you have going and thanks for telling people about me. Once and a while I have someone asking if they can try and return if they don't like, you're system sounds like a good work around that. A lot of the interest I see are from people who never heard of reef-pi so I've always thought it would be nice to setup a Pi, somehow assigning my domain or subdomain to a page where people can log into a live controller and explore reef-pi but that's a little over my head still as it would require resetting reef-pi database etc and worried about the security as it'll be on my local network, I guess I could setup a 2nd router/network for it though.

I have an 8G image up now, they are easy to make but I did not have a 4g sd card to make a smaller image, hard to make one after the fact but will see what I can come up with today. The only thing that would need to be adjusted once they install it would be the timezone and expanding the filesystem both of them could be accomplished via raspi-config but thats what I am trying to avoid, so something to think about. I live in the cli world but it makes it more complicated for the average user, I can make images but need to figure out the flow for the last few bits.

In regards to the loaner system, I've kept it simple, one of @Michael Lane hat in a sandwich tupperware container with a pi 0 and temp, ato float and a kasa outlet. Pretty low overhead and low cost, gives them a chance to configure a few things and see how things work, I think its a good enough to see if it's something they like or not and if they do I just send them to the more polished versions.

bishoptf · Jan 12, 2022

Ranjib said:
here is @Michael Lane 's goby hat repo: https://github.com/Ranthalion/reef-piHat

Yeah I've been all over his sight, I have a later version of his goby its called out on Tindie - https://www.tindie.com/products/ranthalion/ml-reef-pi-hat-goby/#specs but I cannot find the gerber files for that version, he has 3 versions listed but none of them are the one shown here or the one that I have. Maybe he was going to host them up but so far I cannot find them. I was actually going to have some PCB's made of these also, like 5 of them to have on hand for spares and that loaner setup I was talking about but need to find the gerbers.

BlakeFL · Jan 12, 2022

Tom Bishop said:
Yeah I've been all over his sight, I have a later version of his goby its called out on Tindie - https://www.tindie.com/products/ranthalion/ml-reef-pi-hat-goby/#specs but I cannot find the gerber files for that version, he has 3 versions listed but none of them are the one shown here or the one that I have. Maybe he was going to host them up but so far I cannot find them. I was actually going to have some PCB's made of these also, like 5 of them to have on hand for spares and that loaner setup I was talking about but need to find the gerbers.

You could try contacting him here on Reef2Reef. I was in the same situation as you, looking to buy one of his Goby hats. I contacted him and he said he had none in stock but would be making more in a few months.

bishoptf · Jan 12, 2022

BlakeFL said:
You could try contacting him here on Reef2Reef. I was in the same situation as you, looking to buy one of his Goby hats. I contacted him and he said he had none in stock but would be making more in a few months.

I've tried to reach out to him but haven't been able to contact him yet, I am going to try to make some units and if I am successful I will post if and when I have some on hand. :)

bishoptf · Jan 12, 2022

@robsworld78 I have some updates for your load script, let me know how to get you an updated file so you can kick the tires, basically I have it calling tzdata interactively which then the user just scrolls and selects the timezone vs having to look it up etc, if interested let me know, real simple change. :)

robsworld78 · Jan 12, 2022

Tom Bishop said:
@robsworld78 I have some updates for your load script, let me know how to get you an updated file so you can kick the tires, basically I have it calling tzdata interactively which then the user just scrolls and selects the timezone vs having to look it up etc, if interested let me know, real simple change. :)

That sounds awesome, definitely interested, thank-you! :) I'll send you a PM.