Beerfish Controller v1.0

[beerfish]

Ok, so I'm not at version 1.0 yet, but this is what happens when I get bored.

I started thinking about a DIY LED controller, but since I don't have the LEDs yet, I decided to break out my Arduino, breadboard, and some DS18B20 temperature sensors I had laying around and start playing. Next I'll get some relays and a real time clock and work on control functionality.

Beerfish v0.1a in action:

 

[beerfish]

Proof of concept checked out ok. I've attached an LED that lights when the temp is over 70 and shuts off when it drops below the threshold. Now I replace the LED with a relay and I have a single stage temperature controller.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Congrats.
Welcome to the Arduino World

 

[cmantis]

You do know there are sketches out for this already?

 

[smoq]

Great project, following!

 

[beerfish]

You do know there are sketches out for this already?

Yes. I'll be incorporating some of them into my design, but there are features I'd like to add that I haven't seen on any other controller, so I've decided to build it from the ground up.

I've done all sorts of programming, and jumping into someone else's code is always a pain.

Just as an example, most of the sketches I've seen use a TMP31 temperature sensor. While this probe will work fine as a stand-alone device, the DS18B20 I've chosen will only use a single pin, regardless of how many probes I add. This allows me to effectively add as many temperature probes as I want (i.e. tank, sump, ambient, top-off, water change), without using additional pins on the arduino.

 

[beerfish]

Picked up an ethernet shield tonight so that I can incorporate a web server and pull realtime weather data from reef locations.

I'm going to try to keep track of the supplies I use to put it together and where I got everything so that people who are thinking about trying something similar can see the costs involved. I'm sure the original prototype will get expensive as I change my mind a million times and upgrade parts (I may add a color TFT screen or touch screen). I won't post any code until the project is done, but if anyone is interested, I'm more than happy to share my code and collaborate.

Arduino Uno: $29.99 Radio Shack
Arduino Ethernet Shield: $29.97 Radio Shack
LCD Display (I already had this): $17.95 Adafruit.com
DS18B20 Temp Probe (pack of 10): $9.22 Ebay (Shipped from China)
Misc LEDs Wires, Pots, Resistors, Buttons: $20.00 estimated

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Touch Screen is the way to go. I am changing mine to touch screen in the next version.

As for the temperature probe you mentioned, do you mean 10 pcs of the the probe for a total of $9.22?

Will be interested in seeing the BOM when you have it all settled.

 

[beerfish]

Touch Screen is the way to go. I am changing mine to touch screen in the next version.

As for the temperature probe you mentioned, do you mean 10 pcs of the the probe for a total of $9.22?

Will be interested in seeing the BOM when you have it all settled.

I'll probably decide on the touch screen once everything else is running.

10 of the actual temp sensors. I still need to heat shrink them and waterproof them, but the sensors were less than $1 / each.

I'm planning on posting everything here, so stay tuned. I'm not planning on taking this to market, but if people are interested, I'd consider assembling them for people.

 

[Captain Ron]

Tagging along on this thread...

 

[annanymous]

tagging.. looks like a promising ride-along

 

[beerfish]

Haven't had much time to work on it lately, but I hope to get back to it soon.

 

[Greagzter]

Wow, pretty cool. Been wanting to tackle this thing for a while now and have it working with DIY LEDS. Tagging along, post pics when possible please.

 

[TommyP]

tagging along as well. Seems interesting

 

[TommyP]

Hey,how's the controller going?have you worked on it yet? If you can make one for temp, salinity etc that would be cool.

 

[beerfish]

I've been playing with different arduino sketches, but nothing new to show. As with everything else, life gets in the way of sitting down for a week and getting it figured out. My next step is to buy some relays and do some live testing with pumps / lights.

 

[cmantis]

What kind of relays? I am also building a controller and am not sure what to get. SSR have a slight leak that might shorten equipment life I am told but don't produce a click. Also I am looking at the I2C and isolated version which would mean less wiring.

 

[beerfish]

What kind of relays? I am also building a controller and am not sure what to get. SSR have a slight leak that might shorten equipment life I am told but don't produce a click. Also I am looking at the I2C and isolated version which would mean less wiring.

I'm going to get a cheap 8 relay board that can handle 110v and at least 10 amps for now. I need to test everything for now, then I'll consider SS Relays. They're too expensive for testing.

 

[beerfish]

What kind of relays? I am also building a controller and am not sure what to get. SSR have a slight leak that might shorten equipment life I am told but don't produce a click. Also I am looking at the I2C and isolated version which would mean less wiring.

Ordered the real time clock and relay board today.

I'm actually working on 3 arduino projects right now, so I'm trying to slowly accumulate parts that I can use / test for all three. Once I get them, I'll be able to work more on this.

 

[beerfish]

I ordered the wrong RTC, so I'm getting a new one shipped, but the relays work perfectly.

I also found a source for non-arduino branded boards that I'm going to test. All of the reviews I've read are excellent and the pinouts are identical, but the price is much cheaper. I've also realized that an Uno isn't going to cut it, so I ordered some of the Mega knock offs boards. I have an Arduino branded Mega that I'm going to compare to so I can test the sketches on both.

I'm looking into local 3D printing sources to make enclosures for the components so that I can easily produce multiples in the event that I want to replicate the pieces. (If anyone has a 3D printer, message me!)

Not much to show, but here's an updated price list. You'll notice that with Sain Soft (Non-Arduino Branded) parts, I've managed to drop the cost while adding more capability:

Arduino Mega Knockoff: $23.99 Sain Smart
Arduino Ethernet Shield: $15.99 Sain Smart
Relay Board: $11.99 Sain Smart
LCD Display (I already had this): $7.99 Sain Smart
DS18B20 Temp Probe (pack of 10): $9.22 Ebay (Shipped from China)
Misc LEDs Wires, Pots, Resistors, Buttons: $20.00 estimated

Total So far: $89.18