My Neptune Apex web interface compatible DIY reef controller

[geekengineer]

So far nothing has a huge draw
Not sure about the network shield but:
Each relay 2.15mA (x8.)
Sr04 6mA
Lcd. 2.75mA

Ok what about the relay coils then how much current are those using? did you try making those totally separate supply? I would power the relay coils with your LM7805 and use the USB power for your arudinio for instance. maybe it's still drawing too much power for everything. Maybe check and make sure you don't have a wrong connection on your jumpers??

I don't know I know that network shield does get fairly hot so it probably uses a fair amount of power too. I haven't had it dim out on me like you have, but then again I wasn't using the 5V relay board. I used the relays in the SR-8 powered with separate 12V supply and driving with that darlinton buffer (forget PN) .

But I assume others have done what your trying without issues.

 

[shiftline]

So each coil takes 30-40ma each

No relays on 1.6 > 46 > 80 > 100 > 130 > 150 > 175 > 200mA

next test
12V1A USB into Arduino and my 12V2A into my 5v reg addon. Both feeding in power

Relays seems to work, however my 5V reg is extremely hot.. so defiantly power related some where.. Ill see if i can find a 6V adapater to try.. but it almost seems like i need to feed power to both the arduino and the add on board.. should be able to share the 5v line.. as i have in the past on another project.

 

[geekengineer]

So each coil takes 30-40ma each

No relays on 1.6 > 46 > 80 > 100 > 130 > 150 > 175 > 200mA

next test
12V1A USB into Arduino and my 12V2A into my 5v reg addon. Both feeding in power

Relays seems to work, however my 5V reg is extremely hot.. so defiantly power related some where.. Ill see if i can find a 6V adapater to try.. but it almost seems like i need to feed power to both the arduino and the add on board.. should be able to share the 5v line.. as i have in the past on another project.

hmm so how much is the total current usage does that seem to add up right? I don't know if you got something partially shorted someplace? maybe one of your pins is shorting something like dependent on what the IO level is driving etc.. I'm not sure I guess its hard to tell without being there to an extent..

 

[shiftline]

I plugged it all into a killawatt meter 5V2A plug into the arduino board
No Relays on 0.03A
All Relays on 0.05A (only six clicked on.. last too was just the LED)


Partial short.. is possible and may explain... Ill take things off one at a time and see if anything fixes it

 

[geekengineer]

I plugged it all into a killawatt meter 5V2A plug into the arduino board
No Relays on 0.03A
All Relays on 0.05A (only six clicked on.. last too was just the LED)


Partial short.. is possible and may explain... Ill take things off one at a time and see if anything fixes it

I take it you can't measure the DC current coming from your supply? The AC sort of more complicated to tell what it is since its going to depend on efficiency of the supply etc.

 

[shiftline]

My Neptune Apex web interface compatible DIY reef controller

Okay measuring amps powering everything board via my 5V voltage regulator add on.

All relays off: 223 mA
5 realys that click: 436mA
All relays on: 536 mA (only 5 clicked on)


Inject to arduino and top 5v Rail via same power source

All Relays off: 296mA
All relays on: 792mA (all relays clicked and worked)

So it works if inject 5V to both the arduino barrel plug AND the 5V/Ground rail that connect to the 5v/ground pins on the arduino.

So maybe the arduino has a current limit that it's regulator provides to the 5v pins? Orr a limit comming in from the 5v pin to the rest of it?

Another oddity. Or if I apply power to the board and prior to the 5v reg I get the relay issue. If I apply it directly to the 5v rail the. All the relays work. Maybe I have a bad 5v reg..?


Update: Victory! Bypassing the 5V reg using a 5V2A power-supply and powering the 5V/Ground pins directly seemed to fix the problem. Everything appears to be working properly.

 

[geekengineer]

well at nearly 800mA you would be really pushing that LM7805 to the edge especially if there is much of a voltage differential on it. My guess is it was probably thermally current limiting. Maybe you were even hitting the thermal current limit on the regulator on the Arudinio board.

Why your using that much current I'm not sure I know enough about the whole setup to understand. Maybe that network board is really using that much extra current. When I have some spare cycles I have to see if I can tell how much current mine is using.

 

[shiftline]

Is there any issues powering the board directly off the 5v pins? Seems to be working well this way. Is there anything in the arduino board that be be damages or potentially overloaded? From my understanding it should be fine..
Thanks again for the tips!

 

[shiftline]

My Neptune Apex web interface compatible DIY reef controller

I got my auto feeder working today but using a pin to turn on a relay and "push" the auto feed button. I added the code to this at the end of the feed if statement in the apex.ino file. Now it triggeres anytime anything is pushed including the cancel button.

Where is the code specific to each feed mode? Or is that part of the nested if statement in apex.ino

I would like to have two feed modes, one that just turns off pumps for x# of time. and the second that turns pumps off and activates feeder. (For mysis vs dry food )

 

[geekengineer]

Is there any issues powering the board directly off the 5v pins? Seems to be working well this way. Is there anything in the arduino board that be be damages or potentially overloaded? From my understanding it should be fine..
Thanks again for the tips!

Yeah I assume its not a problem if it hasn't fried already, but I don't know why your drawing so much current that your having this issue. So far I haven't run into the running out of juice issue. Maybe it has always been marginal I don't know. :hmm4: I would still be on the lookout for something that might be wrong that drawing a lot more current than it should be.

 

[geekengineer]

I got my auto feeder working today but using a pin to turn on a relay and "push" the auto feed button. I added the code to this at the end of the feed if statement in the apex.ino file. Now it triggeres anytime anything is pushed including the cancel button.

Where is the code specific to each feed mode? Or is that part of the nested if statement in apex.ino

I would like to have two feed modes, one that just turns off pumps for x# of time. and the second that turns pumps off and activates feeder. (For mysis vs dry food )

As for the feeder code I haven't dove into the feeder code yet. Hoping someone else will volunteer information. I still working on ATO hardware lol. I also I want to add an emergency return pump shut off sensor.

Then I got issue with my PH sensor I going to have to isolate the power cause I got a ground loop issue.. So I have to add another circuit in between the board and the PH stamp.

 

[shiftline]

Okay.. I figured it out.. If anyone else would like to go this route.. I used Pin38 to trigger a relay and the relay to push the button.

In Apex.ino around line 327 look for

} else if ((idx=getparamidx("FeedCycle",params_))!=-1) {
if ((idx=getparamidx("FeedSel",params_))!= -1) {
int fmode = atoi(params_[idx+1]);


Then add in this code

//Turn on Feeder for Feedmode B
if(fmode==1){
pinMode(38, OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(38, LOW);
delay(1000);
digitalWrite(38, HIGH);
}


Worked like a charm and only turns on in Mode B.. which is perfect. Mode B feeds dry food.. Mode C just turns off pumps and will allow me to feed frozen.! woo

now how to rename the feed modes.
in Index.html there is this code

button onClick="setFeed(0);" value="Feed A" id="feed1"
button onClick="setFeed(1);" value="Feed B" id="feed2"
button onClick="setFeed(2);" value="Feed C" id="feed3"
button onClick="setFeed(3);" value="Feed D" id="feed4"
button onClick="setFeed(4);" value="Feed Cancel" id="feedcancel"

However I tried changing the Vales= for Feed B/C and the change does not show up on my phone.. Does it pull this from anywhere else or some strange caching issue?

 

[geekengineer]

very cool.

I haven't tried it from my phone yet so I don't know..

 

[shiftline]

Before I reinvent the wheel has anyone else tried using these soil moisture sensors for leak detection ?

 

[geekengineer]

I assume that would work OK but probably only for a very large leak maybe not for a small one. I was thinking if I have some time later here of taking two wires and sheathing them with something water permeable. Then twisting them together. That way if water leaks along a larger area you can detect it. They sell wire like that but want a lot of $$$ for it. Be nice if you could DYI something that be close enough.

 

[shiftline]

The zapper wire for horse field fences would likely work well but I don't know if anywhere sells it in small quantitie.. Backup plan

My other goal is finding a way to enable feed mode on my mp10/mp40 pumps There is a reef angel RF add on that I can prob get to work with this...however I'm not sure if it will still work with reef link as all I want arduino to do is kick off feed mode.

Another question. Is there a quick easy way to disable the Jeabo pumps from the screen (like you can comment out temp/ph) or are they all hard coded in there?

 

[geekengineer]

wouldn't know on that.. hopefully someone else chime in :worried:

 

[geekengineer]

Anyone run into an issue where you can access the controller setup from local network but not from remote location like over internet? I wonder if its a bug cause maybe taking to long to respond? I get an unable to connect to apex error. Or is that intentional?

 

[chucklez]

Need to make sure default gateway is set in your config. I'd start checking there.

 

[geekengineer]

I not sure if this changes what your thinking but I can access most other things just not the one menu. So that is what is weird. So it isn't like not totally working.