OK, time for an update.
Given that I have not provided too many details so far I will start with some stand pictures.
I made the stand based on this thread - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964. I think it is probably over engineered, but at least it won't collapse :laugh: . I also wanted to have an open sump area and so it was designed without a centre brace at the front. The stand has been clad in blackwood boards, the same as our new flooring. Whilst the tank is a 4 footer, the stand is 6 foot long to accommodate an 'electrical' area on the left and to provide an area on the top for my controller module (more on this later) and for doing water tests etc.
Main sump area
On the back left wall is my DIY powerboard controlled by an Arduino based micro controller. ATO container is on the left which is also controlled by the Arduino and a float switch:
The left hand side of the stand is my dedicated electrical area which currently containes my MH transformers and the Arduino box.
Looks all neat and tidy now - we will have to see what it is like in 6 months time ;)
After building the stand, the next thing I worked on was my aquarium controller.
After coming across a thread on Reef Central about an Arduino based contoller, I looked at what was available on the net and began purchasing the required parts to put together my own controller. I am not an electrical engineer, but with a bit of research and some common sense :thumbsup: it was not difficult to put together the hardware. The Arduino is programmed using the C programming language - I have done a bit of computer programming in the past but have never used C - the good thing is that there is a very active online community and being an open source project there is lots of sample code available on the net.
After quite a few months I now have the code to a stage where I feel confident to release it on my tank.
In summary, the contoller currently does:
- performs 'macro's' i.e. press a button to clean the skimmer - turns off skimmer pump and turns on sump light. Press a button to do a water change - turns off skimmer, return pump and powerheads and turns on sump light. I have quite a few of these macro's set up.
- controls the ATO via a float switch and a small pump in the ATO container. Multiple 'fail safes' have been built into the program to limit the amount delivered each day and to prevent the ATO container running dry.
- timing control for LED lights, including sunrise/sunset
- temperature sensing of tank water - the option for multiple temperate sensors is built into the system. When I am confident that this is working correctly I will use this to control my heaters.
- built in Real Time Clock maintains time
- every critical variable is saved to EEPROM so that the controller will operate correctly following a power outage.
- multiple wavemaker options - works well but the cheap AC powerheads do not like it very much. I am looking to get some DC powerheads which should work well.
- all user defined variables can be changed via the keypad - no need to go back to the computer to hard code variables :clap:
This has been a great project to complete - at least when you program it yourself you can make it do whatever you like.
This is my DIY controller box which includes a keypad, 20x4 LCD, reset button and 4 LED's to display status of electrical equipment.
And this is my controllable powerboard - each point can be turned on/off via the Arduino.
Thanks for reading.
:)
Given that I have not provided too many details so far I will start with some stand pictures.
I made the stand based on this thread - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169964. I think it is probably over engineered, but at least it won't collapse :laugh: . I also wanted to have an open sump area and so it was designed without a centre brace at the front. The stand has been clad in blackwood boards, the same as our new flooring. Whilst the tank is a 4 footer, the stand is 6 foot long to accommodate an 'electrical' area on the left and to provide an area on the top for my controller module (more on this later) and for doing water tests etc.
Main sump area
On the back left wall is my DIY powerboard controlled by an Arduino based micro controller. ATO container is on the left which is also controlled by the Arduino and a float switch:
The left hand side of the stand is my dedicated electrical area which currently containes my MH transformers and the Arduino box.
Looks all neat and tidy now - we will have to see what it is like in 6 months time ;)
After building the stand, the next thing I worked on was my aquarium controller.
After coming across a thread on Reef Central about an Arduino based contoller, I looked at what was available on the net and began purchasing the required parts to put together my own controller. I am not an electrical engineer, but with a bit of research and some common sense :thumbsup: it was not difficult to put together the hardware. The Arduino is programmed using the C programming language - I have done a bit of computer programming in the past but have never used C - the good thing is that there is a very active online community and being an open source project there is lots of sample code available on the net.
After quite a few months I now have the code to a stage where I feel confident to release it on my tank.
In summary, the contoller currently does:
- performs 'macro's' i.e. press a button to clean the skimmer - turns off skimmer pump and turns on sump light. Press a button to do a water change - turns off skimmer, return pump and powerheads and turns on sump light. I have quite a few of these macro's set up.
- controls the ATO via a float switch and a small pump in the ATO container. Multiple 'fail safes' have been built into the program to limit the amount delivered each day and to prevent the ATO container running dry.
- timing control for LED lights, including sunrise/sunset
- temperature sensing of tank water - the option for multiple temperate sensors is built into the system. When I am confident that this is working correctly I will use this to control my heaters.
- built in Real Time Clock maintains time
- every critical variable is saved to EEPROM so that the controller will operate correctly following a power outage.
- multiple wavemaker options - works well but the cheap AC powerheads do not like it very much. I am looking to get some DC powerheads which should work well.
- all user defined variables can be changed via the keypad - no need to go back to the computer to hard code variables :clap:
This has been a great project to complete - at least when you program it yourself you can make it do whatever you like.
This is my DIY controller box which includes a keypad, 20x4 LCD, reset button and 4 LED's to display status of electrical equipment.
And this is my controllable powerboard - each point can be turned on/off via the Arduino.
Thanks for reading.
:)
