The Dewd Robo-Tank build thread

[Dewd]

Hi all.  

A bit of an introduction first and then some specifics.  My name is Des and I hail from Durban - South Africa.  

I'm about to embark on my third Reef-Pi build and my first with Robo-Tank.  By first build was nearly 3 years ago on a Nano tank and I did it all from scratch - no hat boards or anything.  I'm a Civil Engineer, so this electronics stuff was a huge learning curve for me.  But I got a system working and when I upgraded my tank to the current one, I decided to go with another type of hat made by Michael Lane.  It has worked well so far, but in the meantime, Robo-Tank has come on the scene and I think it is a much better "system" and have decided to upgrade once again.  One of the main reasons is the Power Bars that make it easy to plug equipment in.

For those interested, below is a "capability list of my current Reef-Pi system - You can find a sort-of build thread here :- Dewd's Big Cube Reef-Pi build | REEF2REEF Saltwater and Reef Aquarium Forum


[b]Hardware[/b]

• Raspberry Pi 3B+
  
  
• Michael Lane’s Goby Hat board
  
  
• 2 x 8-relay boards to control equipment
  
  
• Michael Lane’s pH adaptor + pH probe
  
  
• 220-12V DC power supply
  
  
• 12V-5V buck converter
  
  
• DIY Doser Control board
  

[b]Features[/b]

• [b]ATO[/b]
  
  • Normal running level ATO
    
  • Auto Water Change (AWC) (OUT) ATO
    
  • Auto Water Change (AWC) (IN) ATO
    
  • AWC OUT and IN controlled by Timers and Macros to do water changes
    
• [b]Temperature[/b]
  
  • Tank Temperature controls Heater and Chiller
    
  • Temp sensor on the chiller pipe coming from the chiller to monitor that it is indeed cooling the water
    
  • Room temperature
    
  
  
• [b]pH[/b]
  
  • One pH sensor
    
  
  
  
• [b]Dosing[/b]
  
  • 1 x 3 head Jebao slave doser (DP3S)
    
  • 1 DIY doser adaptor based on Michael Lane’s design to allow reef-pi to control doser
    
  
  
  
  
• [b]Macros[/b]
  
  • Feed (turns pumps etc on and off they way I want when I feed)
    
  • Auto pellet feeder (controls the Juwel feeder)
    
  • AWC process
    
  • Kalk stir process
    
  • Equipment turn on procedure (turns on return and then waits for sump level to stabilise before turning skimmer on)
    
  
  
  
  
  
• [b]Timers[/b]
  
  • Auto feeds (Feeding via pellet feeder) – various which get turned on and off as I see fit
    
  • AWC – various depending on how often and when I want
    
  • Flow / Wavemaker control – creating more random flow by turning various pumps on and off.
    
  • Refugium Light cycle
    
  • Kalk stirrer cycle
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
• [b]Equipment (Relays)[/b]
  
  • 220V
    
    • Return Pump
      
    • Skimmer
      
    • 4 x wavemakers
      
    • Heater
      
    • Chiller
      
    • LED lighting
      
    • Refugium lighting
      
    • Sonoff Humidity sensor for cabinet (temporary measure – plan to move this to reef-pi when I can)
      
    • Kalk Stirrer
      
  • 12VDC
    
    • Peristaltic pump for ATO
      
    • AWC Out pump
      
    • AWC In pump
      
  • 5VDC
    
    • Pellet feeder
      

---

So, now for the Robo-Tank content

I have ordered a DIY kit from Rob and it should be with me within a week.  I'll then start assembling the board and power bars and try keep everything updated here.

Total build will have very similar capabilites to my current system, but I'm hoping it will be more robust.  I'm having some pH spiking issues that I can only put down to bad wiring / electronic assembly on my part which I'm hoping a fresh start will eliminate.