DIY Reef Controller
- Thread starter nkd5024
- Start date
WSPepsilon
New member
I've actually given allot of thought to the automated water change idea... I know many people which automate this process end up going this route however, I tend to believe it's not as effective as a larger volume change less often. Think of it this way, daily 1% changes mean that your taking out a very small amount of old water and after the first day or two you may actually remove some of the newer water vs the old. Whereas if you do one larger volume once a week, you change out 100% old for new every time.
Still completely doable either way with a controller like this. I personally want to get it completely automated in regards to wcs. Auto mixing salt, testing and everything. I'd still probably leave the final say up to me as a botched water change would have some dire results. However, if all I have to do is glance at the temp, ph, salinity readouts (or manually test them), and press a button to do a water change; how cool would that be!?
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
DrewPalmer04
New member
I anutomated my water changes. The issue for me is. I dont trust probes long-term. I could automate filling my water container then adding salt. But I'm not going to trust this to a salinity probe. So instead. I have two floats. HIGH and LOW. Start draining...HIGH is active then inactive while LOW is active until inactive. LOW inactive leads to drain pump off and fill pump start. Fill pump on until HIGH active once again. End water change cycle...The reason I do it this way is because my water container is only so large. So I do bigger water changes so I can then also keep an eye on my level of my fresh salt water in my container 
WSPepsilon
New member
Yeah that's why I said I'd probably manually check the parameters before actually using a water change mix. At least until an accurate over long time probe can be economically provided. Sure it'll happen some day...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
I don't have a problem mixing, but my new setup is going to have a container for fresh and salt premade. I am not concerned with mixing automation as I would also have a problem trusting the probe. I would still like to automate the water change daily or weekly. I would also like to kick on an extra pump while preforming the change to help stir things up.
My real intrest is in luner cycles and controlling tide. I would like to simulate water conditions a little better than most currently do just to see the reaction. The possobilities are endless.
My real intrest is in luner cycles and controlling tide. I would like to simulate water conditions a little better than most currently do just to see the reaction. The possobilities are endless.
WSPepsilon
New member
nkd5024
New member
jtmb,
Remember that the due is not support yet and may take some time due to the compatibility issues with hennings libraries.
I also like the water change ideas but would personally have the controller mix the salt and then produce an alarm for the time set for the water change. I would then hear the alarm and check the salinity with a refractometer to verify it is okay before proceeding. Then we could have a simple button to start the water change. I also don't trust probes or float switches long term so would prefer to use more pressure sensors. Although the whole salinity issue is based on the face that we can automate the salt dispensing as well.
Drew, did you somehow automate the process of dumping the salt into your salt bucket or do you just throw in the correct amount of salt once a week?
Remember that the due is not support yet and may take some time due to the compatibility issues with hennings libraries.
I also like the water change ideas but would personally have the controller mix the salt and then produce an alarm for the time set for the water change. I would then hear the alarm and check the salinity with a refractometer to verify it is okay before proceeding. Then we could have a simple button to start the water change. I also don't trust probes or float switches long term so would prefer to use more pressure sensors. Although the whole salinity issue is based on the face that we can automate the salt dispensing as well.
Drew, did you somehow automate the process of dumping the salt into your salt bucket or do you just throw in the correct amount of salt once a week?
nkd5024
New member
I am really trying to use as few settings as possible to enable the most diversity in how your leds will be run.
Here are the main settings for the lighting I have built into the UI currently. They may not all be ready for the first release though.
Main Leds:
1) Sunrise/Senset on/off - off will just use a timer to turn the leds on/off with no ramping.
2) "Equinox mode" - This mode will move back your sunrise/sunset time (preset to a specific time) by a small amount of time each day so the days will get longer/shorter throughout the year.
3) Fade Delay - This will allow you to start different channels at different times.
ex. You set a value of 0 to your whites, 120 for the blues, and 60 for green/red. This would result in your whites starting to ramp at the preset lights on time while your green/red channel would start and hour later and the blues an hour after that.
4) Maximum Brightness - Sets the maximum brightness for each of the led channels.
5) Fade length - This sets how long each channels ramp will last.
Weather:
1) Weather On/Off
2) Lightning On/Off
3) Slightly cloudy(0-9%) - Ratio of weather pattern with a cloud cover of 0-9% dimming.
4) Cloudy(10-24%) - Ratio of weather pattern with a cloud cover of 10-24% dimming.
5) Very Cloudy(25-50%) - Ratio of weather pattern with a cloud cover of 25-50% dimming.
The weather functions create a random number and based on the ratios you choose for the varying degrees of cloud cover will determine an exact max cloud cover for the weather pattern. A weather pattern length, ramp down, and ramp up length are also created. This allows for varying lengths of weather patterns which could move in fast but linger around for a while or move in very slowly.
The weather patterns are determined before the current one is terminated so that if the next pattern is cloudier it will ramp down to a more cloudy weather or ramp up a bit if it only clears up a bit.
Hopefully that wasn't to hard to understand I don't know how well I worded that. I really wanted the weather patterns to be very random so it wasn't the same weather patterns repeated all the time.
Moonlights:
The moonlight functions only work if you have your moonlights setup as individual leds instead of in a string so they can be individually controlled. The controller will originally only support 4 moonlight leds.
The moonlights are also subject to the weather patterns, so if its a full moon but there is a 30% could cover it will be dimmer.
1) Lunar phases - Simulates the lunar phases throughout the month starting with a full month and progressively moving to a new moon. This also includes the moonlight "moving" across the tank which is simulated by ramping each led up/down in series across the tank.
2) Sunset Overlap - Allows you to set a value which will start your moonlight ramp before the sunset finished.
3) Maximum Brightness - Sets the max brightness of your moonlights.
I think with all of these settings combined together the lighting will be very realistic although whether or not this will have any effect on coral will be fun to see.
Here are the main settings for the lighting I have built into the UI currently. They may not all be ready for the first release though.
Main Leds:
1) Sunrise/Senset on/off - off will just use a timer to turn the leds on/off with no ramping.
2) "Equinox mode" - This mode will move back your sunrise/sunset time (preset to a specific time) by a small amount of time each day so the days will get longer/shorter throughout the year.
3) Fade Delay - This will allow you to start different channels at different times.
ex. You set a value of 0 to your whites, 120 for the blues, and 60 for green/red. This would result in your whites starting to ramp at the preset lights on time while your green/red channel would start and hour later and the blues an hour after that.
4) Maximum Brightness - Sets the maximum brightness for each of the led channels.
5) Fade length - This sets how long each channels ramp will last.
Weather:
1) Weather On/Off
2) Lightning On/Off
3) Slightly cloudy(0-9%) - Ratio of weather pattern with a cloud cover of 0-9% dimming.
4) Cloudy(10-24%) - Ratio of weather pattern with a cloud cover of 10-24% dimming.
5) Very Cloudy(25-50%) - Ratio of weather pattern with a cloud cover of 25-50% dimming.
The weather functions create a random number and based on the ratios you choose for the varying degrees of cloud cover will determine an exact max cloud cover for the weather pattern. A weather pattern length, ramp down, and ramp up length are also created. This allows for varying lengths of weather patterns which could move in fast but linger around for a while or move in very slowly.
The weather patterns are determined before the current one is terminated so that if the next pattern is cloudier it will ramp down to a more cloudy weather or ramp up a bit if it only clears up a bit.
Hopefully that wasn't to hard to understand I don't know how well I worded that. I really wanted the weather patterns to be very random so it wasn't the same weather patterns repeated all the time.
Moonlights:
The moonlight functions only work if you have your moonlights setup as individual leds instead of in a string so they can be individually controlled. The controller will originally only support 4 moonlight leds.
The moonlights are also subject to the weather patterns, so if its a full moon but there is a 30% could cover it will be dimmer.
1) Lunar phases - Simulates the lunar phases throughout the month starting with a full month and progressively moving to a new moon. This also includes the moonlight "moving" across the tank which is simulated by ramping each led up/down in series across the tank.
2) Sunset Overlap - Allows you to set a value which will start your moonlight ramp before the sunset finished.
3) Maximum Brightness - Sets the max brightness of your moonlights.
I think with all of these settings combined together the lighting will be very realistic although whether or not this will have any effect on coral will be fun to see.
WSPepsilon
New member
I haven't built anything yet but I've given a great deal of thought to salt dispensing. My current diy theory would be to find an old meat grinder type apparatus that I could funnel salt into from a sealed holding container. Then use a worm screw type setup to drive it. Then either run it at set intervals to see if out put is consistent or have it dump onto a tilting scale and go by weight. Obviously adding the scale would be slightly more costly and mechanically cumbersome but it may be the only way to get consistent output.
I don't want to hijack this thread with build concepts as this really would require its own thread. I do have one started on another forum. Pm me if interested.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
I don't want to hijack this thread with build concepts as this really would require its own thread. I do have one started on another forum. Pm me if interested.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2
I got my boards today, they look great. Nick, do you have a BOM that shows the reference designators for each component. I would like to start soldering it together and want to make sure its correct. Thanks again for the hard work on this project, we all appreciate it. Good luck on finishing up school.
nemosworld
Active member
woo hoo!, now i get to see this thing in action.
ozworld
New member
+ 1, got mine as well. Any references will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Nick.
