Reef Discussion

Rob

Member
Apr 26, 2012
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424
Hi,
Thread could not of come at a better time. Just about to embark on an arduino monitor system.

PH / ORP I have got the atlas scientific stamps with serial MUX. tested this out this week with the unit simply connected to hyperterminal on a laptop. All OK and it seemed easy to communicate to the ph and ORP.

Temperature : Tank temperature is by 1wire DS18B20 got off ebay supposed to be water proof. Ambient temperature by a freetronics humidity/temp sensor.

Arduino -Freetronics Etherten has ethernet onboard. This is coupled with a small wireless bridge to get to the net.

CODE: All I want to do at this stage is get the data and then send it to the "net".
1) Pachube is a cloud data historian which provides trends via web page or iphone.
2) Avviso prowl, will provide push notifications to iphone on high levels or maybe once per day.


I have all the code pieces need to assemble into one program. Thus welcome this thread.. I'll be back to ask questions I'm sure. :)

BTW my current tank monitor is hosted by my own linux server connected via a 1wire network to ph /temp devices however want to simplify it with 1 arduino and use cloud applications for history and alerts. www.rjconway.homeip.net is my old FW site, now only monitors temperatures and ph.

Rob
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
Sounds like a great project.

Just be careful with the 'waterproof' temp sensors as I have read reports of these rusting and leaking. Stainless steel, especially low grade SS, will rust in saltwater - it is just a matter of time.

DS18B20's can be purchased relatively cheaply over the net, primarily from China, so I found this the best way to go.

You are going a step further than me with the ethernet/web interface but happy to answer any questions that I can.
 

rockerpeller

Member
Oct 14, 2011
1,261
436
Hastings, Vic
On the Jarduino build, tangtastic (from UK reefs) used a small lightbulb with the DSB18B20 inside the glass bulb part (metal plug and internals removed). The bulb was filled with thermal paste, and sealed with silicone.
It seems to work well and according to him its performance is spot on.
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
I have used on old glass tube from a test kit with a dob of silicon in the end - in our situation the temperature doesn't change quickly so some glass/air between the water and the sensor isn't a major problem.
 

rockerpeller

Member
Oct 14, 2011
1,261
436
Hastings, Vic
Awesome! Do you need the link to his build? I'm not going to go as far as him, with the sensors other than 2 temp sensors (1 for heatsink, 1 for tank).
 

Synodontis

Member
Aug 1, 2011
1,979
968
Melton, Victoria
OK,
I'm at work, bored & should not be in here asking silly questions. Plus my boss has just left from a flying visit lol.

A few questions if I may....
How many channels can a Arduino controll?
Is there a limit to how many ELN-60-48P drivers you can have on each channel for dimming?
Is there a windows based program you can use to set up the ArduinoUSB style?
Is there someone around who can put it together for me? :p
After doing the google thing for PWM controllers, Can the MeanWells be controlled with a commerical DMX controller they use for stage lighting? Some of these things have up to 148 channels. When ever I search PWM, DMX comes up?

Just getting ready for when the lights come down for additions & final fitment with covering's & the pretty stuff. :)
 

rockerpeller

Member
Oct 14, 2011
1,261
436
Hastings, Vic
Going off the site,
Mega can control up to 14 PWM outputs (54 inputs/outputs all up but some will be used for RTC?, screen, etc)
Uno + Duemilanove + Nano = 6 PWM outputs each model

The programme that is used to put code on the Arduinos works on Windows.

as for the last question, I'm not entirely sure, but I don't see why not. How many Meanwells are you planning to run? 148 channels is a hell of alot or channels to play around with...

I went for this arduino project because I came across this vid on youtube


I liked the whole moon phase etc thing, not to mention he controls just about everything through it (including a fish feeder).

Here's his project code site if you want to have a nosey, and if you want a link to his build thread you can find it on the left of his page.
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
rockerpeller has answered a few of your questions :)

How many channels can a Arduino controll? The Arduino comes in a few different versions with the main ones being the Mega and Duemilanove - the number of PWM pins noted above is correct. The RTC and some screens actually operate over the i2c bus and don't actually use any of the I/O pins. The colour touch screen shown above is a different beast and uses quite a few.

Is there a limit to how many ELN-60-48P drivers you can have on each channel for dimming? In theory yes, but you are not likely to reach that limit. The Arduino PWM pins operate at 5V however the Meanwell's require a 10V control signal. We need to use a simple transistor switching circuit to connect between the Arduino and Meanwell driver with a seperate 10v power supply. The current used by the driver is in the milliamp range - with a standard 1 amp power supply you will have lots of spare capacity.

Is there a windows based program you can use to set up the ArduinoUSB style? As in a graphical interface? There are a few web based interfaces around but they are not something I have looked into at all. The Arduino itself is programmed via your computer.

Is there someone around who can put it together for me? :p I am sure you can manage it yourself with a bit of assistance :rolleyes

After doing the google thing for PWM controllers, Can the MeanWells be controlled with a commerical DMX controller they use for stage lighting? Some of these things have up to 148 channels. When ever I search PWM, DMX comes up? Not familiar with DMX - I will have a look later.

So, with a Mega you have 14 PWM pins which can all be controlled seperately - connect 2,3,4,5.... drivers to each PWM and that is a lot of drivers :p
 

Synodontis

Member
Aug 1, 2011
1,979
968
Melton, Victoria
Been doing some research on these DMX things. Talk about flash Trev! Somewhere in here someone posted a couple of videos showng a house done up with LED's & set to music. DMX controller's are what they use to set it all up.

As per usual the the box of gog's went into overdrive & I lost track of the options I was coming up with. The plan at the moment is this...

10Ft light nearly done, just have to add a few more blinky bits,
8Ft light planned & about to order bits & bobs,
Decide on DMX or E1.31 controller,
Decide on Windows based GUI software,
Set both tanks up to be controlled wireless,

Still have enough channels left over & options to add more channels to maybe start playing around with a Christmas light display unlike Melton has seen before. :)

If this goes ahead I will have to start a DMX thread in stead of hijacking this one! :p but that's the Reefuge way isn't it:)
 

MagicJ

Moderator
Jul 11, 2011
9,650
3,761
Hobart, Tasmania
Synodontis

I have had a quick look at these controllers - from what I can see they are generally used to drive led's directly (without using a seperate constant current driver like a Meanwell) - is that your understanding??

For our purposes the current determines the brightness of the led, and to a certain extent the wavelengths produced - you don't want this changing or you will notice the lights getting dimmer/brighter. Now, this would not matter if you were producing lighting effects for a stage or a Christmas display as no-one would notice but it does for us.

As I said, I have only had a quick look and may not fully understand what is available - do you have a link for anything you have been looking at?
 

Synodontis

Member
Aug 1, 2011
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Melton, Victoria
Your right MagicJ,
They do work on a slightly different level. Have been speaking to a guy who builds these units on a commercial level & he has some ideas. I have given him the link to the Mean Well ELN-60-48P drivers for the spec sheet. He can see the Hz difference between the Mean Well's they use & the ones we use in this hobby. Like the 5V to 10V circuit you have shown us, he thinks he can come up with a nine channel PCB that may work in with the DMX system.
This way we can keep the ELN's but still control from the windows light desk that they use. This would also allow us to use the wireless tech that they use in out door light shows.
Will start a DMX thread because looks like this might go somewhere lol :)
 
V

'vspec'

Guest
Great thread.

That vid was pretty sweet, although I could have killed you based on the music..lol
 

newbiereef

Member
Nov 8, 2011
874
154
gracemere
Depends on what you want to do yourself, but I have been following a thread on Reef Central for over a year where some smart guys developed their own circuit board for a LED controller using the same chip as some of the Arduino's. As allowed under the open source Creative Commons rules this project has now been commercialised and is available as a completed project, minus a project box.

Have a look here for more details http://www.boostled.com/collections/diy/products/typhon-led-controller-kit. At $55 USD this is a pretty good price considering it comes with an LCD and 4 buttons to allow input of variables, a Real Time Clock, and a voltage regulator to increase the output to 10v to allow easy interface with the Meanwells. The major downside is that it doesn't have a USB port built in and it only uses the 328P chip which means that it would struggle with memory to hold a sketch such as the one I use.
these would run 5 strings of leds????
 

DavidS

The Resident Loony
Jul 17, 2011
3,337
1,033
Ballarat, Victoria
DavidS is using one - any thoughts mate?
Yup. Both myself and Synodontis are using them.

Making the box is easy enough if you have a dremel and a drill. Synodontis went for buttons... I just drilled holes and use a pin to change the settings on the off chance I ever need to.

Far cooler gizmo than a generic PWM controller. They're really not very big, and it's a pretty easy build.
 

Synodontis

Member
Aug 1, 2011
1,979
968
Melton, Victoria
The new Typhon comes with taller buttons according to their website. That would make life a lot easier!.

The Typhon is able to control 4 channels, but you are able to wire up 2 drivers to each channel.
True & correct. We are running four ELN-60-48P driver's on each channel & the Typhon is going well. :)