DIY Reef Controller ( Help would be great)

Discussion in 'I made this!' started by mati_L, Aug 31, 2011.

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  1. mati_L

    mati_L Fire Shrimp

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    20 amps would be way overkill for a small pump, I saw that earlier ! thats a great find lets see if we can get a hold of one of those which would really make life a lot easier, are you placing a bid?

    *edit: i found a lot more of them doing a search i thought it was the only one for a second

    For the LCD i was thinking woulding we be better of going with one that already has the keys on the same PCB board for moving through the display ?
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2011
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  3. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    Woah woah, slow down there. Lol. You are talking about having a built in menu so the unit is stand alone. That's a TON of coding, and since I'm still learning the ropes, that is along ways away. It's so easy to plug a usb cable in and upload new programs to the board, I dont really see a need for an onboard menu right now anyways. This is going to start out pretty simple at first, but will keep getting better as I get better.
     
  4. mati_L

    mati_L Fire Shrimp

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    lol see now that makes more sense i was looking to that, making its own menu stand alone and i was getting so confused with the amount of codes that need to be set.. i was thinking a step at a time, well so your saying set a program and it will run at that program unless changed via usb on the PC correct?

    as of now im off to a very slow start, i saved the zipped files then extracted them but nothing opens up? just a bunch of folders
     
  5. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    Exactly, it will just run the program you load. Once you get it setup you really don't need a built in menu. The only time u would need to hook the pc up is if you wanted to change the light timing.

    Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk
     
  6. mati_L

    mati_L Fire Shrimp

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    That sounds simpiler than my route, on the Arduino library they have a code made for a menu screen im not sure if that helps any.

    Once i unzip the files from the Arduino, what do i do to launch the program?
     
  7. DBOSHIBBY

    DBOSHIBBY Sleeper Shark

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    reading this thread makes me feel really stupid.
    Thanks guys lol
     
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  9. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    Lmao. I would like to get this to where someone can buy the parts, assemble it, and copy and paste the code and have a cheap diy controller.

    Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk
     
  10. mati_L

    mati_L Fire Shrimp

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    okay i give up i still cant get the software open! what do i do ? am i missing something here?

    lets setup a parts list so i dont miss anything
     
  11. insanespain

    insanespain Ocellaris Clown

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    What is it that you are having problems with? Installing the arduino development environment?
     
  12. chappy85

    chappy85 Coral Banded Shrimp

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    This sounds fun, tho I think it would work out cheaper (and easier!) for me to just get the reef angel to start with.
    do you have a particularly technical or programming background insainspain? or is arduino simple enough for someone to learn through google, trial and error?