Remote Screen for AC3 (WIN/MAC/*NIX) ::WIP::

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10931342#post10931342 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wizsmaster
mark,

I think the screen with custom picture frame & all cost me ~ $130 - $140 ... not too bad at all.

Joe,

Does that cost estimation also include the PC used to drive the LCD screen ? I was following this thread a while back, when it first started, and just went back to re-acquiant myself with it. So on the second, more recent, read through I didn't read it in as much detail. Correct me if I am wrong, but for the most part there is a PC near the LCD screen location that is setup basically to solely poll the AC and populate the info to the LCD screen ? I mean there is only so far you can stretch a USB cable . Are you using an old laptop perhaps ? I guess a cheap, old eMachines PC or something similar would be more than sufficient, just something with a small enough monitor that you could put it into a closet or somewhere else out of the way ?

BTW, love the frame that you used. Like you said, clean and classic.. most definitely. I am thinking of trying to setup a standing picture frame/box for ours to put the display up onto a shelf in a shelving unit near our tank. Thanks for the idea

 

[keith1569]

oh man very cool..i want!!

 

[wizsmaster]

Tom,

the $ mentioned is w/out any Computer to drive the display. I had a spare machine laying around ...
For a standing picture box - look into shadow boxes ... I was going to go with that .. but the frame material for the shadowbox was out of stock and this worked out perfect.

 

[Sparkss]

I have an old IBM thinkpad around here somewhere, I just need to dig it out to see if it even has a USB port , but I am pretty sure that it does.

Thanks for the heads up on the shadow box material option. I will just be happy to get to that point

 

[ebacon]

making aqua controller work with pda

making aqua controller work with pda

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10887211#post10887211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by manderx
once i have the time, i am going to do this with a PDA (i do pda programming for work and have a stack of old ones laying here collecting dust). that way it can do everything all by itself without needing a PC to drive it. and with it's touchscreen, even control the AC3. plus it would also give me the exact same remote access from another pda anywhere it's got wifi.

i was initially going to go so far as to do *all* my AC3 programming inside it for a far more flexible language, timers down to the second (for controlling dosing pumps), day-of-week control, and timer status logs without aquanotes, but i just don't trust it enough to be reliable 24/7 for long periods of time, so i'll just have short-term controls on it like feed mode/lighting overrides/...

I have my aqua controller set up so I can log into it with my apple iphone. So I can alter programming and do whatever i wnat from anywheere in the world on my phone. No special software needed, I simply set the aqua contorller up on my lan and then registered a redirect with dynds.org. The forwarded the ip to the proper port on my aC - i changed it from the default of 80 for security but this will work either way. then i type the web adsress on my phone and viola!! reef data 24x7 (And they laughed when steve jobs reduced the price HAHAHAAHHA WHos laughing now??)

 

[ebacon]

making aqua controller work with pda

making aqua controller work with pda

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10887211#post10887211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by manderx
once i have the time, i am going to do this with a PDA (i do pda programming for work and have a stack of old ones laying here collecting dust). that way it can do everything all by itself without needing a PC to drive it. and with it's touchscreen, even control the AC3. plus it would also give me the exact same remote access from another pda anywhere it's got wifi.

i was initially going to go so far as to do *all* my AC3 programming inside it for a far more flexible language, timers down to the second (for controlling dosing pumps), day-of-week control, and timer status logs without aquanotes, but i just don't trust it enough to be reliable 24/7 for long periods of time, so i'll just have short-term controls on it like feed mode/lighting overrides/...

I have my aqua controller set up so I can log into it with my apple iphone. So I can alter programming and do whatever i want from anywhere in the world on my phone. No special software needed, I simply set the aqua controller up on my LAN and then registered a redirect with dynds.org. The forwarded the ip to the proper port on my AC - I changed it from the default of 80 for security but this will work either way. then I type the web address on my phone and viola!! reef data 24x7 (And they laughed when Steve jobs reduced the price HAHAHAAHHA Whose laughing now??)

 

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10887211#post10887211 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by manderx
once i have the time, i am going to do this with a PDA (i do pda programming for work and have a stack of old ones laying here collecting dust). that way it can do everything all by itself without needing a PC to drive it. and with it's touchscreen, even control the AC3. plus it would also give me the exact same remote access from another pda anywhere it's got wifi.

i was initially going to go so far as to do *all* my AC3 programming inside it for a far more flexible language, timers down to the second (for controlling dosing pumps), day-of-week control, and timer status logs without aquanotes, but i just don't trust it enough to be reliable 24/7 for long periods of time, so i'll just have short-term controls on it like feed mode/lighting overrides/...

As I was collecting the items together for this projet I realized that I also had a spare iPaq Pocket PC. Since I was already looking for a "stand up" solution versus a wall mounted one, this seemed to be the perfect answer. I also was looking at basic control features such as feed mode and lighting overrides.. in fact those were exactly what I had planned also. I was going to implement them for either the PDA or LCD solution.

What IDE do you develop Windows Pocket PC applicaitons in ? I have created a couple of gui apps for my job that consisted of an HTML front end with VBS and JS backend code that performed complex tasks and also manipulated the front end HTML/HTA in real time. If this would translate over to PPC then I could leverage the telnet work that JBNY has already finished and create a workable display.

Any thoughts on that ?

I would prefer to collect the data and present it in my own format since just displaying the AC III's web page is way too clutterred for my tastes. Although the iPaq could do that right out of the box (but again, that is far from a "clean" solution).

Have you started working on your app yet ?


Thanks

 

[jnarowe]

Wow, what an interesting thread. I am still stuck on why you need a remote screen. I run AquaNotes on my home office PC, so when I am upstairs I can view tank conditions that way. When I am downstairs at the tank, I read the ACIII Pro itself. So what is the advantage of the remote screen for you guys?

I still have not been able to log in to my system from a remote location, but I do get alarm emails when something is out-of-whack. Maybe one of you geniuses can coach me on how to tap in from a remote PC?

One thing I have considered is mounting a lap-top in my tank room for better programming control, but I see some of you linking your PDAs as well. I have a fairly powerful PDA so would that be better than a PC mounted in the tank room?

 

[wizsmaster]

Well .. my AC3 is in the garage, and the tank is in the living room ... The remote display is next tot he tank in the living room ... this way I can view tank status from the living room, w/out having to walk into the garage.

 

[jnarowe]

OK. that makes sense. So for remote tank rooms this is a big plus. And you wouldn't want a PC next to the tank. I get that.

 

[Sparkss]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11235880#post11235880 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by wizsmaster
Well .. my AC3 is in the garage, and the tank is in the living room ... The remote display is next tot he tank in the living room ... this way I can view tank status from the living room, w/out having to walk into the garage.

Ditto for us, this is identical to our setup...Well, ours is in-wall, but the viewing pane is in the livingroom and sump/tank/equipment (And AC) is in the garage.

 

[wizsmaster]

hey Joe,

quick question for macro Scheduler software.
After my PC reboots, it never restarts the macro. I always have to go & re-schedule it and then make it go again ... how do you have yours setup to run?

this is what mine is set to run.

Thanks,
--marco

 

[RGibson]

Joe why not do away with the AC3 and used a pc the programming would be much better and the cost in the long run would be the same.

 

[JB NY]

I use the AC3 with the hardwired solution. Using the PC, every once in a while, maybe 2-3 months, the contoller module locks up. It only happens a few times a year but that is enough for me to still use the AC3.

 

[erics3000]

so no one has got it to work with ac junior yet??? I remember it was mentioned it didn't have telnet

 

[JB NY]

yeah ac jr has no telnet, so no deal.