Robo-Tank Build Journal

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swisschris104

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Hello,

New to the forum and new to Reef-Pi. I recently ordered Robo-tank PNP kit and Rob got it shipped out super fast. I was going to wait to post until it arrived and I got a few things to work so this doesn't turn into a dead thread on a project that i just eventually give up on, but I think I got a bit of confidence that I will be able to get this setup and working, and even if I do give up the i build plans may help someone eventually anyway. I will be updating it with photos on how i plan to connect everything and photos and youtube videos on my setup progress and process, and I will be likely bugging you guys and Rob @Robo-Tank during this processes.

Keep in mind every piece in this build won't be setup in a matter of days or even weeks. I will be picking up components every few weeks and setting things up as I have free time.

Well here it is:


Robo-Tank Build
​

Items:

(Added space after the . because links were breaking)




Logic
​

Macros

Feeding mode

Turn off Skimmer -> Turn Off Return Pump - > Turn off WaveMaker - > Turn off Reactor -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Return Pump -> Turn on Wave Maker -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Reactor -> Turn on Skimmer

Auto Feeder

  • Turn off Skimmer -> Turn Off Return Pump - > Turn off WaveMaker - > Turn off Reactor -> Run auto feeder -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Return Pump -> Turn on Wave Maker -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Reactor -> Turn on Skimmer
Turn off Return Pump
  • Turn Off return pump - > Turn off Skimmer

Turn on Return Pump
  • Turn on Return Pump -> (5 Minute Delay) -> Turn On skimmer


Sensors

Sump Temperature sensor
  • If temp is over 80, turn off heater outlet and alert and turn on Noctua fan (If possible since Fan will be plugged into DC connector on board)
  • Will like it to also activate the DC port with
PH Temperature sensor
  • High/Low Alerts
  • I would like for it to turn off the ATO if PH goes too high. (Since I may be using Kalk in ATO) – But I do not know if this is possible.
Water Detection Sensors

  • Will place in area where water is likely to leave if tank floods.
  • I would like to use multiple, but I am unsure if I can add multiple sensors on a single port or utilize any unused temperature sensor ports.
  • Want to set it to alert me if sensor is triggered and activate dc port with the buzzer.
  • May add one near the emergency overflow holes on top of the sump so I can get an alert that I’m lazy and didn’t change out the filter sock
Optical Sensor
  • Will be used for the ATO in the sump to monitor water levels.

Float Switch
  • Failsafe for ATO

Flow Sensor
  • Used on the return pump to monitor the flow rate.
  • Alert when falls below a certain threshold indicating pump failure or blockage
Magnetic Switch
  • Added to sump door to automatically turn on light when door open and turn off when it is closed.


Equipment
Peristaltic pump
  • Will be starting off with a single pump and using it to dose vibrant because it’s the only thing I use in tank right now(algae control).
  • If all goes well will add more pumps and start dosing to be able to do less water changes
  • Speaking of water changes I may try to setup some sort of AWC macro using these pumps down the road, but no current plans
Eheim Auto Feeder
  • Will be placed on a timer to run the auto feeder macro

Robo-Tank Powerbar
  • Includes 8 relay-controlled outlet, with the following plugged into it.
    • Reef Light
    • Skimmer
    • Reactor
    • Return Pump
    • Heater
    • Wavemaker
    • Wavemaker (do not currently own)
    • Air pump (do not currently own)
Lighting
  • Will be using Nicrew light that has 0-10vdc port installed. Will be using the selection output on the board to control brightness and color. (So able to control lighting from the reefpi)

Timers

Good morning
  • Ramps up lights over time using the selection output on the board.
Goodnight
  • Ramps down light using the selection output on the board.
Auto feed
  • Activates the auto feeder macro at same time every day.
Dosing
  • Turns off skimmer X amount of time, activates dosing pump for x amount of seconds to output the correct amount
Microbubble scrubbing
  • Activate air pump that is in sump near return pump sometimes at night and turn off early in the AM.


________________________________________________



Things that I would like to figure out one day.

  • Using Alexa to trigger macros maybe by using home assistant and mqtt. (I don’t know if I can run home assistant on the same pi as reef-pi

  • Changing the front-end dashboard, I want to be able to activate macros and outlets from the dashboard to make it similar to interact with the tablet from a single screen (But I hear this may be coming in a future update!! =) )

  • Momentary press button to activate macros
 
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Flow sensor?... COOL! had no idea these were even a thing. Unless your an apex user.
what does that hook to for power and how does it monitor the flow. Wonder if it connect could connect to some LCD panel or something?
 
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swisschris104

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Yeah Rob created a post here just the other day with a driver to get flow sensors to work.

www.reef2reef.com

Flow Meter Addon for reef-pi

Hi, quite a few people ask about flow meters so I thought I would make up a simple program to manage them as my skills aren't up to messing in reef-pi. I'll have to put this in the intermediate category right now as it's a little messy changing settings but it's basically set and forget so not...
www.reef2reef.com www.reef2reef.com
 
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swisschris104 said:
Hello,

New to the forum and new to Reef-Pi. I recently ordered Robo-tank PNP kit and Rob got it shipped out super fast. I was going to wait to post until it arrived and I got a few things to work so this doesn't turn into a dead thread on a project that i just eventually give up on, but I think I got a bit of confidence that I will be able to get this setup and working, and even if I do give up the i build plans may help someone eventually anyway. I will be updating it with photos on how i plan to connect everything and photos and youtube videos on my setup progress and process, and I will be likely bugging you guys and Rob @Robo-Tank during this processes.

Keep in mind every piece in this build won't be setup in a matter of days or even weeks. I will be picking up components every few weeks and setting things up as I have free time.

Well here it is:


Robo-Tank Build
​

Items:

(Added space after the . because links were breaking)




Logic
​

Macros

Feeding mode

Turn off Skimmer -> Turn Off Return Pump - > Turn off WaveMaker - > Turn off Reactor -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Return Pump -> Turn on Wave Maker -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Reactor -> Turn on Skimmer

Auto Feeder

  • Turn off Skimmer -> Turn Off Return Pump - > Turn off WaveMaker - > Turn off Reactor -> Run auto feeder -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Return Pump -> Turn on Wave Maker -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Reactor -> Turn on Skimmer
Turn off Return Pump
  • Turn Off return pump - > Turn off Skimmer

Turn on Return Pump
  • Turn on Return Pump -> (5 Minute Delay) -> Turn On skimmer


Sensors

Sump Temperature sensor
  • If temp is over 80, turn off heater outlet and alert and turn on Noctua fan (If possible since Fan will be plugged into DC connector on board)
  • Will like it to also activate the DC port with
PH Temperature sensor
  • High/Low Alerts
  • I would like for it to turn off the ATO if PH goes too high. (Since I may be using Kalk in ATO) – But I do not know if this is possible.
Water Detection Sensors

  • Will place in area where water is likely to leave if tank floods.
  • I would like to use multiple, but I am unsure if I can add multiple sensors on a single port or utilize any unused temperature sensor ports.
  • Want to set it to alert me if sensor is triggered and activate dc port with the buzzer.
  • May add one near the emergency overflow holes on top of the sump so I can get an alert that I’m lazy and didn’t change out the filter sock
Optical Sensor
  • Will be used for the ATO in the sump to monitor water levels.

Float Switch
  • Failsafe for ATO

Flow Sensor
  • Used on the return pump to monitor the flow rate.
  • Alert when falls below a certain threshold indicating pump failure or blockage
Magnetic Switch
  • Added to sump door to automatically turn on light when door open and turn off when it is closed.


Equipment
Peristaltic pump
  • Will be starting off with a single pump and using it to dose vibrant because it’s the only thing I use in tank right now(algae control).
  • If all goes well will add more pumps and start dosing to be able to do less water changes
  • Speaking of water changes I may try to setup some sort of AWC macro using these pumps down the road, but no current plans
Eheim Auto Feeder
  • Will be placed on a timer to run the auto feeder macro

Robo-Tank Powerbar
  • Includes 8 relay-controlled outlet, with the following plugged into it.
    • Reef Light
    • Skimmer
    • Reactor
    • Return Pump
    • Heater
    • Wavemaker
    • Wavemaker (do not currently own)
    • Air pump (do not currently own)
Lighting
  • Will be using Nicrew light that has 0-10vdc port installed. Will be using the selection output on the board to control brightness and color. (So able to control lighting from the reefpi)

Timers

Good morning
  • Ramps up lights over time using the selection output on the board.
Goodnight
  • Ramps down light using the selection output on the board.
Auto feed
  • Activates the auto feeder macro at same time every day.
Dosing
  • Turns off skimmer X amount of time, activates dosing pump for x amount of seconds to output the correct amount
Microbubble scrubbing
  • Activate air pump that is in sump near return pump sometimes at night and turn off early in the AM.


________________________________________________



Things that I would like to figure out one day.

  • Using Alexa to trigger macros maybe by using home assistant and mqtt. (I don’t know if I can run home assistant on the same pi as reef-pi

  • Changing the front-end dashboard, I want to be able to activate macros and outlets from the dashboard to make it similar to interact with the tablet from a single screen (But I hear this may be coming in a future update!! =) )

  • Momentary press button to activate macros
Click to expand...
That's one heck of a plan, I love it. Looks well thought out and I think everything should work. If you have any snags let us know, someone probably will have the answer.

For ATO use a 12v DC pump so you can use the backup float port, they can't be used on an AC outlets. I don't see ATO pump for power bar so you probably know this.

In theory you can disable the ATO based on pH but I'm not sure if it actually works. When I have tried to disable/enable ATO via macros it causes the system to hang but maybe you can have a macro disable the pump instead which might override the ATO.
 
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Looks like nice plan. Please let me know how robo-tank goes. I am considering it myself, just not sure i am smart enough . Was a computer programmer early in my career, but some of this reef-pi stuff still seems intimidating.
 
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Greatreefer said:
Flow sensor?... COOL! had no idea these were even a thing. Unless your an apex user.
what does that hook to for power and how does it monitor the flow. Wonder if it connect could connect to some LCD panel or something?
Click to expand...
There isn't much you can't pull off with reef-pi. The flow meters run at 5-12v so you can't connect directly to a Pi, you need a couple resistors to drop the signal to 3.3v. But other than that not to hard to get working. In reef-pi it comes in as a pH reading but obviously not. :)

 
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It only cost like $60 to monitor amperage on equipment, with the KASA strip. It is so cool. I have it on non-essentials right now hoping there becomes a driver for the single outlet KP115 but I do not think it is supported. I'd put it on my return and skimmer for amp only.
 
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Thanks for all your replies, Aha thanks, you are right I may have to think about that high water alarm. I am getting a new tank/sump and will have to see how high the sump will get with return and everything turned off. The alert won't be annoying because i will be expecting it, but sensor will prob wear out due to always being exposed to saltwater. I will see what i can figure out.
 
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swisschris104

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Here is a quick update:

Update:


Installing Rasberri OS

My Pi-3 arrived, and I was lucky to already have a few micro-SD cards laying around, so I was able to get the OS installed and Install Reef-PI 4. 1.. I am not going to go into a lot of detail on installing the OS nor Reef Pi because it is super simple and there are tons of guides on doing it.

Tips

  • Make sure you have some sort of USB to micro-SD, or a Micro SD card reader on your laptop. (I got lucky that my laptop had one, I did not plan for this. I figured I would insert SD card into PI and load OS using flash drive.)
    1616792965270.png

  • Install VNC ASAP, so you can control from your computer, PLUS Copy/Paste works over VNC
    1616792982531.png
    1616792989662.png
  • If you are planning on installing the latest version of Reef-Pi, be sure to update the URL in your wget -c “URL” command.
    1616793003965.png
  • The Pi Will complain about low voltage if you are just using a typical Micro-USB cable and phone charging box. I think this caused my installation to take a bit longer than expected.
    1616793011020.png

  • Do not setup a static IP address. Setup a DHCP reservation from whatever is acting as your DHCP server. (When I setup Static I lost connection to my PI via vnc, I could not ping, I could not access Reef-PI. I could see it on the network, however I could not do anything with it) (For me it was a PITA because my PI did not recognize my USB Mouse, so I had to play around with terminal and figure out how to remove that static)
    1616793017601.png



Configuring Reef PI



  • I accessed Reef-PI web interface by going to http://192.168.0.22(LAN IP of the PI)
    • To find the IP address of the Pi you can open terminal and enter the command ifconfig.
    • Default creds are reef-pi/reef-pi
      1616793049296.png
      1616793052636.png
  • Enabled Capabilities that I will be using
    1616793061392.png
  • Created Adafruit.IO account added info to Telemetry and setup Email Alerts using Gmail as my SMTP
    1616793082310.png
  • Created the Additional Drivers that will be needed
    1616793138254.png
  • Changed Login Credentials
    1616793145646.png
  • Added all relevant connectors (However I think this might bite me later with troubleshooting, or I may be fine =) )
    1616793156270.png
  • Created Equipment that I plan to utilize as some of Day 1 of going live with the PI (minus the feeder, I just added that because I know I am not going to use anything else for that pin)
    1616793165034.png
  • Created Timers that I will use Day 1 of going live with controller (However these will be deleted when I get my new tank and lighting will be controlled through 0-10vdc)
    1616793172351.png
  • Created Feeding Mode Macro that I will be using Day 1 (That I may have to select box to make it reversible for it to work)
    1616793181877.png


Besides these configurations I played around with all the other configurations and I determined I will do the following




What I learned from actually using the software and reading forums
  • Lighting Plans
    • Buying Lights with built in 0-10vdc 3.5mm outlet, which will make connecting and controlling the channels simple using signal ports
    • Will likely use Diurnal mode
  • Potential Overflow Detection Purposed Fix :
    • Going to purchase 2 non-contact liquid sensors.
      • Place one higher on the sump that will indicate high water levels and one near the filter sock overflow (where the water goes when socks are clogged) that will indicate that my filter sock is clogged and causing water to go into emergency drain.
      • These will not be triggered when I run macros because I will add step to turn off “ATO” object that would be responsible for triggering those alerts, and then at the end I will add a step for it to turn back on (Haven’t tested it, but I hope it works, but hopefully hit works and my dc buzzer does not go off every time I feed the fish)
    • Will be getting a third non-contact sensor when I implement ATO to trigger a low water in reservoir alert and disable ATO
  • Potential Optical sensor issue
    • When return pump goes off, optical sensor will be submerged and it is not waterproof
    • I will use reef-safe silicone on top of optical sensor, if it still fails (I have backup float switch)
    • If it fails i will use another contactless sensor instead of optical
  • Reef-Pi Controlled Wave Maker
    • I am using Jebao wavemakers I learned the following.
      • Tan Wire is 24v DC
      • Blue is ground.
      • Yellow is 5v PWM
  • I plan to bypass controller and use the reef-pi to control it. I plan plug in like this and use the random mode under lighting to control it (not sure if it will work)

1616793671059.png


Will this work?​
Robo-tank board is coming tomorrow hopefully, so my next update will have real world updates, my new (used) 60g cube will be picked up in 2 weeks, so will hopefully have fully functioning reef-pi controller in about a month or so.
 
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Looks good and you have the wiring for the Jebao correct. Remember to set the dip switches for ports, the default 0-10v.
 
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swisschris104 said:
Hello,

New to the forum and new to Reef-Pi. I recently ordered Robo-tank PNP kit and Rob got it shipped out super fast. I was going to wait to post until it arrived and I got a few things to work so this doesn't turn into a dead thread on a project that i just eventually give up on, but I think I got a bit of confidence that I will be able to get this setup and working, and even if I do give up the i build plans may help someone eventually anyway. I will be updating it with photos on how i plan to connect everything and photos and youtube videos on my setup progress and process, and I will be likely bugging you guys and Rob @Robo-Tank during this processes.

Keep in mind every piece in this build won't be setup in a matter of days or even weeks. I will be picking up components every few weeks and setting things up as I have free time.

Well here it is:


Robo-Tank Build
​

Items:

(Added space after the . because links were breaking)




Logic
​

Macros

Feeding mode

Turn off Skimmer -> Turn Off Return Pump - > Turn off WaveMaker - > Turn off Reactor -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Return Pump -> Turn on Wave Maker -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Reactor -> Turn on Skimmer

Auto Feeder

  • Turn off Skimmer -> Turn Off Return Pump - > Turn off WaveMaker - > Turn off Reactor -> Run auto feeder -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Return Pump -> Turn on Wave Maker -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Reactor -> Turn on Skimmer
Turn off Return Pump
  • Turn Off return pump - > Turn off Skimmer

Turn on Return Pump
  • Turn on Return Pump -> (5 Minute Delay) -> Turn On skimmer


Sensors

Sump Temperature sensor
  • If temp is over 80, turn off heater outlet and alert and turn on Noctua fan (If possible since Fan will be plugged into DC connector on board)
  • Will like it to also activate the DC port with
PH Temperature sensor
  • High/Low Alerts
  • I would like for it to turn off the ATO if PH goes too high. (Since I may be using Kalk in ATO) – But I do not know if this is possible.
Water Detection Sensors

  • Will place in area where water is likely to leave if tank floods.
  • I would like to use multiple, but I am unsure if I can add multiple sensors on a single port or utilize any unused temperature sensor ports.
  • Want to set it to alert me if sensor is triggered and activate dc port with the buzzer.
  • May add one near the emergency overflow holes on top of the sump so I can get an alert that I’m lazy and didn’t change out the filter sock
Optical Sensor
  • Will be used for the ATO in the sump to monitor water levels.

Float Switch
  • Failsafe for ATO

Flow Sensor
  • Used on the return pump to monitor the flow rate.
  • Alert when falls below a certain threshold indicating pump failure or blockage
Magnetic Switch
  • Added to sump door to automatically turn on light when door open and turn off when it is closed.


Equipment
Peristaltic pump
  • Will be starting off with a single pump and using it to dose vibrant because it’s the only thing I use in tank right now(algae control).
  • If all goes well will add more pumps and start dosing to be able to do less water changes
  • Speaking of water changes I may try to setup some sort of AWC macro using these pumps down the road, but no current plans
Eheim Auto Feeder
  • Will be placed on a timer to run the auto feeder macro

Robo-Tank Powerbar
  • Includes 8 relay-controlled outlet, with the following plugged into it.
    • Reef Light
    • Skimmer
    • Reactor
    • Return Pump
    • Heater
    • Wavemaker
    • Wavemaker (do not currently own)
    • Air pump (do not currently own)
Lighting
  • Will be using Nicrew light that has 0-10vdc port installed. Will be using the selection output on the board to control brightness and color. (So able to control lighting from the reefpi)

Timers

Good morning
  • Ramps up lights over time using the selection output on the board.
Goodnight
  • Ramps down light using the selection output on the board.
Auto feed
  • Activates the auto feeder macro at same time every day.
Dosing
  • Turns off skimmer X amount of time, activates dosing pump for x amount of seconds to output the correct amount
Microbubble scrubbing
  • Activate air pump that is in sump near return pump sometimes at night and turn off early in the AM.


________________________________________________



Things that I would like to figure out one day.

  • Using Alexa to trigger macros maybe by using home assistant and mqtt. (I don’t know if I can run home assistant on the same pi as reef-pi

  • Changing the front-end dashboard, I want to be able to activate macros and outlets from the dashboard to make it similar to interact with the tablet from a single screen (But I hear this may be coming in a future update!! =) )

  • Momentary press button to activate macros
Click to expand...
swisschris104 said:
Hello,

New to the forum and new to Reef-Pi. I recently ordered Robo-tank PNP kit and Rob got it shipped out super fast. I was going to wait to post until it arrived and I got a few things to work so this doesn't turn into a dead thread on a project that i just eventually give up on, but I think I got a bit of confidence that I will be able to get this setup and working, and even if I do give up the i build plans may help someone eventually anyway. I will be updating it with photos on how i plan to connect everything and photos and youtube videos on my setup progress and process, and I will be likely bugging you guys and Rob @Robo-Tank during this processes.

Keep in mind every piece in this build won't be setup in a matter of days or even weeks. I will be picking up components every few weeks and setting things up as I have free time.

Well here it is:


Robo-Tank Build
​

Items:

(Added space after the . because links were breaking)




Logic
​

Macros

Feeding mode

Turn off Skimmer -> Turn Off Return Pump - > Turn off WaveMaker - > Turn off Reactor -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Return Pump -> Turn on Wave Maker -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Reactor -> Turn on Skimmer

Auto Feeder

  • Turn off Skimmer -> Turn Off Return Pump - > Turn off WaveMaker - > Turn off Reactor -> Run auto feeder -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Return Pump -> Turn on Wave Maker -> (15 minute Delay) -> Turn on Reactor -> Turn on Skimmer
Turn off Return Pump
  • Turn Off return pump - > Turn off Skimmer

Turn on Return Pump
  • Turn on Return Pump -> (5 Minute Delay) -> Turn On skimmer


Sensors

Sump Temperature sensor
  • If temp is over 80, turn off heater outlet and alert and turn on Noctua fan (If possible since Fan will be plugged into DC connector on board)
  • Will like it to also activate the DC port with
PH Temperature sensor
  • High/Low Alerts
  • I would like for it to turn off the ATO if PH goes too high. (Since I may be using Kalk in ATO) – But I do not know if this is possible.
Water Detection Sensors

  • Will place in area where water is likely to leave if tank floods.
  • I would like to use multiple, but I am unsure if I can add multiple sensors on a single port or utilize any unused temperature sensor ports.
  • Want to set it to alert me if sensor is triggered and activate dc port with the buzzer.
  • May add one near the emergency overflow holes on top of the sump so I can get an alert that I’m lazy and didn’t change out the filter sock
Optical Sensor
  • Will be used for the ATO in the sump to monitor water levels.

Float Switch
  • Failsafe for ATO

Flow Sensor
  • Used on the return pump to monitor the flow rate.
  • Alert when falls below a certain threshold indicating pump failure or blockage
Magnetic Switch
  • Added to sump door to automatically turn on light when door open and turn off when it is closed.


Equipment
Peristaltic pump
  • Will be starting off with a single pump and using it to dose vibrant because it’s the only thing I use in tank right now(algae control).
  • If all goes well will add more pumps and start dosing to be able to do less water changes
  • Speaking of water changes I may try to setup some sort of AWC macro using these pumps down the road, but no current plans
Eheim Auto Feeder
  • Will be placed on a timer to run the auto feeder macro

Robo-Tank Powerbar
  • Includes 8 relay-controlled outlet, with the following plugged into it.
    • Reef Light
    • Skimmer
    • Reactor
    • Return Pump
    • Heater
    • Wavemaker
    • Wavemaker (do not currently own)
    • Air pump (do not currently own)
Lighting
  • Will be using Nicrew light that has 0-10vdc port installed. Will be using the selection output on the board to control brightness and color. (So able to control lighting from the reefpi)

Timers

Good morning
  • Ramps up lights over time using the selection output on the board.
Goodnight
  • Ramps down light using the selection output on the board.
Auto feed
  • Activates the auto feeder macro at same time every day.
Dosing
  • Turns off skimmer X amount of time, activates dosing pump for x amount of seconds to output the correct amount
Microbubble scrubbing
  • Activate air pump that is in sump near return pump sometimes at night and turn off early in the AM.


________________________________________________



Things that I would like to figure out one day.

  • Using Alexa to trigger macros maybe by using home assistant and mqtt. (I don’t know if I can run home assistant on the same pi as reef-pi

  • Changing the front-end dashboard, I want to be able to activate macros and outlets from the dashboard to make it similar to interact with the tablet from a single screen (But I hear this may be coming in a future update!! =) )

  • Momentary press button to activate macros
Click to expand...
@swisschris104 AWESOME!! My build is still a couple of months off but have been following most of the ReefPi and RoboTank threads since day one. Your operational description is almost exactly what I have been mapping out so definitely will be following. Good luck, take your time but don’t give up the ship.
 
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Weasel1960 said:
@swisschris104 AWESOME!! My build is still a couple of months off but have been following most of the ReefPi and RoboTank threads since day one. Your operational description is almost exactly what I have been mapping out so definitely will be following. Good luck, take your time but don’t give up the ship.
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Thanks, I plan on riding it out, and I am happy that someone is able to refer to my thread when they are setting up their controller.
 
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Small Update:


The PNP Kit arrived!!!​


Everything was packaged securely, shipping was speedy quick.
1616959285442.png
"
1616959293684.png

1616959299787.png

1616959304489.png

1616959311015.png



PH Issue

Ran into a possibly with the PH Circuit, I am getting an error stating. Rob helped me troubleshoot the issue and will be sending out a new board, I will be shipping him this one back. I will follow up with him to see what he discovers was the cause and report it in this thread. He was SUPER Helpful.

{"error":"Failed to json decode. Error: json: unsupported value: NaN"} | HTTP 500
1616959387572.png



What I learned from this:
  • When setting up the PI, you need to enable I2C, there are two or three ways to do this.
    • Go to Menu->Preferences -> Raspberry Pi Configuration -> Interfaces -> Enable I2C
      1616959417432.png
    • Open Terminal and sudo nano /boot/config.txt and uncomment dtparam=i2c_arm=on
      1616959433805.png

    • Open Terminal and sudo raspi-config -> Interface Options -> P5 I2C -> Yes (I didn’t try this myself; I am just assuming it will work)
      1616959471609.png

  • To check connected objects i2c address run command i2cdetect -y 1


Optical Sensor Extension Board Trouble


I was having an issue getting the Optical sensor to actually trigger the ATO, but it turns out I was using the wrong sensor/connector. In the robo-tank documentation, photo it shows
1616959531124.png



Mine were the opposite.
1616959537109.png



But I got it figured out and that is now it is working!!


Power Bar issue I ran into.

I was trying to control outlets and some just were not triggering, that was due to me not having the db9 cable completely plugged in. Since I was just testing, I did not use standoff thumb screws, but it's not hard to screw them in and unscrew them so just use the thumb screws.

But I got it figured out and that is now it is working!!

----

This might be my last update on this thread for a week or two, so I will leave you with photos of my current cube and sump photos.

1616959791085.png


1616959800176.png


1616959809930.png

(That rusty hinge :p )
 
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Sorry for the set back...Rob and Ranjib are prime examples of good customer service. Tank looks great.
 
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Oh no, not sure I how made up that image wrong, what you have is expected and thought that's how I had it documented, nice job figuring that out.

I didn't mentioned this earlier because you went through all the work of setting up reef-pi manually, if you need to do again this page shows how to run a script that sets up I2C and other Pi settings and installs a database for reef-pi with drivers and all connectors added.

docs.google.com

Software Installation Manual - Windows.docx

docs.google.com docs.google.com
 
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robsworld78 said:
robsworld78 said:
Oh no, not sure I how made up that image wrong, what you have is expected and thought that's how I had it documented, nice job figuring that out.

I didn't mentioned this earlier because you went through all the work of setting up reef-pi manually, if you need to do again this page shows how to run a script that sets up I2C and other Pi settings and installs a database for reef-pi with drivers and all connectors added.

docs.google.com

Software Installation Manual - Windows.docx

docs.google.com docs.google.com
Click to expand...

Oh no, not sure I how made up that image wrong, what you have is expected and thought that's how I had it documented, nice job figuring that out.

I didn't mentioned this earlier because you went through all the work of setting up reef-pi manually, if you need to do again this page shows how to run a script that sets up I2C and other Pi settings and installs a database for reef-pi with drivers and all connectors added.

docs.google.com

Software Installation Manual - Windows.docx

docs.google.com docs.google.com
Click to expand...

Ahhh, I see now. I saw that on your site I just figured it was just a mirror link to install reef-pi if your running Raspberry core/lite(which i decided not to do because I was never a Linux kid and troubleshooting would be pain for me, throw windows server core in front of me I’m ready to go =) ) .

Thanks now I have that for next time I have to reinstall. I’m kinda happy I went through it manually, it forced me to read through the documentation and gave me a grasp on how things are suppose to work.
 
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I've been playing around with getting a few more things functioning, but i wont bore you guys with that right now. New board should hopefully be in by end of next week at the same time as i should be getting new tank, so it works out.

For now I will show you how i am using iOS webclips to make the reef-pi website appear as an "full screen app" on my phone. Hope someone finds this useful

Reef-Pi "IOS App”.


  1. Go to https://routinehub.co/shortcut/8519/ (There may be a)from your iPhone
  2. Choose Get shortcut
    1617328408488.png

  3. The shortcuts app should automatically open and you have to choose “Add Untrusted Shorcut”
    (You are unable to add untrusted shortcuts unless you enable allow untrusted shortcuts in your iphone settings)
    1617328419277.png

  4. Download a image that you want to use as the your icon
    1617328433834.png
  5. Run the “Make app from URL” shortcut (shortcut that you just installed)
    1617328439417.png

  6. Enter the information when prompted (You don’t have to use the same as me, if you have port forwarding setup use you WAN IP or FQDN instead of private IP so it works from anywhere)
    1617328446761.png
    1617328466213.png
    1617328471881.png
    1617328476788.png
  7. Click done and it will redirect you to a website/download. Allow the website to download the profile
    1617328483581.png
    1617328493582.png
  8. Go to settings -> General -> Profiles ..Click the downloaded profile and choose installon the top right. I will just install the fullscreen webclip. You are not installing some sort of MDM profile that will have partial control over your phone
    1617328500628.png

  9. The "app" will now appear on your home screen ()
    1617328627768.png

  10. It is just fullscreen copy of the website, but it just looks nicer than accessing it through web browser and easier to get to
    1617328585039.png
 
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Not a real update:

- I got the new board from Rob, it came super fast and pH is now working
- I am using robo-tank/reef-pi on my current tank for just temperature, ph and for ATO

- Still waiting to get my new tank to setup everything up. going to follow up with the guy i am buying tank from on thursday. His new tank is still cycling.

just giving update to say I did not abandon thread, just waiting
 

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