New open-source LED controller...

[Blue World Aquariums]

For Kessil A360 pendants, DIY LED setups, and AquaIllumination fixtures.


6-channel dimmable control (3 x 3.5mm jacks)
0-10v analog, PWM, serial
Sunrise, sunset, weather effects (thunderstorm, etc.)
Cross-channel dimming for sun simulation across multiple lights (sun “rises” across tank)
Bluetooth 4.0 Expansion chip available (Android, iPhone control)
Open-source, Arduino compatible

Render of what the final product will look like:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o7u6hG571Fk/UYvpPNyzLDI/AAAAAAAAFDQ/8zxGK18CPJw/s800/reefduino-render.png

Current prototype:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Hv1KPZOUNjo/UYvpRgDUjLI/AAAAAAAAFDY/WGXp8_BhWho/s640/reefduino.png

Website:
http://aquarium-led-controller.com/features/

[windcoast reefs]

Looks great! Can't wait to see it up and running!

[Blue World Aquariums]

Looks great! Can't wait to see it up and running!
We're just finishing up the latest hardware version and then we will need some testers.

Early prototyping:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hJFEp1_Owr0/UYwNc1SMORI/AAAAAAAAFD0/e9K6jbRiovY/s800/early-proto.jpg

[Cjm]

Looks interesting! Does it deal with the meanwell drivers that domt go below 10%?

Cost?

How are you selecting testers?

[ScubaSteve]

we will need some testers

Sign me up as a tester! I was just about to go out and invent a controller for myself. I am currently using a typon controller on my DIY set up but I find it too limited. I'd love to help you guys out where I can (I am an engineer and product design)

[Blue World Aquariums]

Looks interesting! Does it deal with the meanwell drivers that domt go below 10%?
I believe this is part of the driver functionality, and not related to the control signal being fed into the driver.
Cost?

How are you selecting testers?
Cost is to be determined, but likely between $130-$150.

We don't have any specific criteria for testers yet, as we're not quite at that stage. Having an appropriate light setup to test the controller with would be a good start!

[Blue World Aquariums]

Sign me up as a tester! I was just about to go out and invent a controller for myself. I am currently using a typon controller on my DIY set up but I find it too limited. I'd love to help you guys out where I can (I am an engineer and product design)
We will be in touch! :) ps. your PM box is full

[Cjm]

Meanwell lpf drivers with a diy led system. Total 450 watts

[The Grizz]

Here's my DIY LEDs, the biggest build that I have seen on here thus far. Would be willing to test it out on these.

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=80996

[davej]

I am in the process of ordering an LED setup for my tank. Would love to be a test subject. I am especially interested in being able to control my lights from my iPhone.
Let me know if you still need testers.
If not do you have a more precise estimate as to when its coming to market?

[Blue World Aquariums]

We're currently on schedule for a September release. We will be accepting beta testers (likely) in July. Stay tuned to this thread or the website for details: http://aquarium-led-controller.com

Thanks for the interest!

[Blue World Aquariums]

A few new details on this for you guys:

-We've now built-in the Bluetooth module that was originally planned as an add-on module. We feel this move will help us more completely fulfill our vision of an app-enabled controller. There is no longer any physical user input on the hardware, it is programmed through a mobile app. This is a major change to the product, and it has pushed our release date back to early 2014.

-Monitoring modules in the works to launch with the controller: pH, Salinity, ORP, Disolved oxygen, and Water flow.

-PowerPWM adapter to enable control of some popular LED products that lack a 0-10V control input (eg. Ecoxotic, Current USA products) to launch with the controller.

-Early development has started for a powerbar.

Some screenshots of the Android app:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zF7dLZ6keFo/UhfIdnlRiWI/AAAAAAAAFqI/sGdAaCfLJNI/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-22-00-33-31.png

This is the "home screen" of the app. Pretty self explanatory.


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Rqa1mpo5D38/UhfIY8WmbHI/AAAAAAAAFpE/h3-id50JLzQ/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-20-18-19-41.png

This is the Scenes screen...my favorite part. This screenshot is from the Advanced Lighting Mode. You can customize the colors, names, and functions of the channels that appear here.

The really cool part here, though...is that you can set custom audio files to play with the scene. (for the full effect, you should have a Bluetooth speaker. :) ) You can set your light levels that will play with the scene, OR for full control, you can program your lights to change as the scene progresses.

This Thunderstorm scene is a default that comes with the app, but you can make your own custom scenes. For this scene we ramp light levels down to simulate cloud cover, and then we timed lightning flashes to the audio.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ns-6JVAIOVs/UhfIb9NDtvI/AAAAAAAAFp4/zeiHmRFOTjs/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-22-00-22-56.png

Here's the Scene Settings screen (Kessil A360 mode). You can choose from a few audio files included with the app, or add your own from your device.

People with a bit of programming experience should take note of the code...you can define functions, variables, use loops, etc. This gives you complete control over the behavior of your light. Making a change to your code and testing it is very quick and easy!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eyayTNkmGk0/UhfIbH4e3CI/AAAAAAAAFpw/8BW1_l-Faq8/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-22-00-22-31.png

The main settings menu.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mOgj-7Nf8zs/UhfIY5zaV4I/AAAAAAAAFpI/aAFLywZy-78/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-22-00-20-38.png

Channel settings menu. For DIY setups, you'd want to rename your channels and pick a display color.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eHgzCodVdtc/UhfIaSXKD5I/AAAAAAAAFpg/5bKSpNGqE8k/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-22-00-20-59.png

If your setup needs less than the 6 channels available, you'll probably want to disable them so they don't appear in your settings and Scenes.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OiPQx3KKKzQ/UhfIckWtBXI/AAAAAAAAFqA/AgC_ndy1EOo/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-22-00-53-59.png

Special settings for Kessil A360 users!

The Android app has development priority, but iOS will follow. We are still after beta testers, and if you're interested in that, please sign up for updates on the website: http://aquarium-led-controller.com/buy/ signup form at the bottom of the page.

That's about it for now! We appreciate any feedback.

[The Grizz]

WOW!! Very nice, very nice indeed. Signed up for updates cause this controller looks badarse!

[daplatapus]

Ya, looks awesome. Might have to sell my Jarduino, lol :D
Signed up too.

[davej]

Looks awesome.

[GrimReefer]

Thanks for the feedback! Please keep it coming, good or bad.

Here's a question for you guys with DIY setups: What sort of control do you need over your day-to-day settings? What we've set up for the Kessil A360 mode is very simple and takes all of 60 seconds to input your settings:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Byp7sV0x-Pk/UhkH8HV7WRI/AAAAAAAAFqw/Gkoi9hmQ5Fw/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-24-12-16-48.png

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Aep8wp-_cXY/UhkH8HGsX0I/AAAAAAAAFqs/bO8nUYuAHxQ/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-24-12-16-56.png

For advanced mode, settings are similar, but with all of your available channels instead of "brightness" and "color mix". There's also a night settings group for moonlight levels. My question is...do you want more control than that? Personally it would be all that I'd need, but it's not just for me. :)

Spencer

[davej]

I agree, being as to set each channel to its own schedule and being able to ramp them up over a user defined time would keep me happy.
Anything else would be gravy.!

[daplatapus]

With my Jarduino setup I've got 7 channels with the moon lights included. Each channel is separately controlled and only one colour comes on at a time. But that's a one time set up and once dialed in never touched again. One feature I want to incorporate but don't have yet is a acclimation feature. You get new corals in, hit a button and the fixture dims to say 60% of your regular day to day functions, and over the course of say a week or 2 maybe, it ramps back to the original settings. Perhaps an increase of a few percent per day or something.
For the techy photo guys they may want a save function for say 10K, 15K or 20K, so that if they're going to take pics but their cameras suck at certain K ratings they just hit a pre-set button that they made when they first set it up, and voila perfect light mix for pic taking.

That's all I can think of right now and maybe some of that is already in there but didn't follow some of the original description :)
Looks awesome though. Can't wait to see it.

[The Grizz]

With my large DIY build I have 5 channels in use with my Profilux 2ex. I can't do moon cycles with it or any other special lighting features, would really like to do at least the cloud cover thing just cause the affect looks pretty neat. I have my LEDs setup so one row of blues come on first, then 2nd row blues, then 1st row whites followed by 2nd set of whites. Red & greens come on later in the morning followed by the high noon kit of white. I would like to add some true UV as I have an extra driver. The acclimation feature would be pretty unique as well.

[GrimReefer]

With my Jarduino setup I've got 7 channels with the moon lights included. Each channel is separately controlled and only one colour comes on at a time. But that's a one time set up and once dialed in never touched again.

That's a bit different than what I have set up. Currently there is morning, midday, evening, and night "points". You set the time that each point starts, the level of each channel, and the ramp time:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZemCkdZUdPc/UhqAMSebJ9I/AAAAAAAAFr0/Op3PpqqJLTI/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-25-15-06-40.png

How do you feel about that?


One feature I want to incorporate but don't have yet is a acclimation feature. You get new corals in, hit a button and the fixture dims to say 60% of your regular day to day functions, and over the course of say a week or 2 maybe, it ramps back to the original settings. Perhaps an increase of a few percent per day or something.

I think that's a useful feature worth adding.


For the techy photo guys they may want a save function for say 10K, 15K or 20K, so that if they're going to take pics but their cameras suck at certain K ratings they just hit a pre-set button that they made when they first set it up, and voila perfect light mix for pic taking.

Totally. You can accomplish this with the Scenes feature.

With my large DIY build I have 5 channels in use with my Profilux 2ex. I can't do moon cycles with it or any other special lighting features, would really like to do at least the cloud cover thing just cause the affect looks pretty neat. I have my LEDs setup so one row of blues come on first, then 2nd row blues, then 1st row whites followed by 2nd set of whites. Red & greens come on later in the morning followed by the high noon kit of white. I would like to add some true UV as I have an extra driver. The acclimation feature would be pretty unique as well.
The special lighting features will be covered. What do you think about the day-to-day stuff though? Do you think you'd be happy with our current settings?

[GrimReefer]

Oh, also....this is important and I'd love some feedback:

Internet connectivity...

What if we accomplished this through your Android or iOS device? For example, there could be an option to "tether" your device to activate web services. What I mean by that is designate the device as dedicated to the system, and leave it within range of the Bluefish controller. Likely this would be a tablet device, since you take your phone out of your home. My thinking is that you can buy decent android tablets for not much more than some controllers' internet modules...IF you don't have one already. An HP Slate 7 is $140, and it's not hard to find much cheaper Chinese tablets/phones. Tethering would also open up a lot of possibilities for advanced functions, ie running scheduled Scenes, real-time weather simulation, SMS alerts, use the device's camera for webcam view while you're away, etc..

[The Grizz]

I think you have the day to day setup down pat, looks great. As far as Internet connectivity for me if it could connect to a wireless router that would be perfect as we have one set up already in the room where all our tanks are.

[daplatapus]

That's a bit different than what I have set up. Currently there is morning, midday, evening, and night "points". You set the time that each point starts, the level of each channel, and the ramp time:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZemCkdZUdPc/UhqAMSebJ9I/AAAAAAAAFr0/Op3PpqqJLTI/s640/Screenshot_2013-08-25-15-06-40.png

How do you feel about that?



Ya, that would totally work because each channel can be set individually within the ramp time. How hard would it be for a user to add 2 more set points (between morning and midday and between midday and evening) within the 4 you already have? That would allow a fair bit more customization at the user level. I have a scenario in my mind but I tried writing it out and it got confusing, lol.

As far as internet connectivity, I haven't gotten that far with mine so not quite sure how I would use it. I'd certainly like to make any adjustments from my computer rather than on the actual controller. So I could certainly see a use for that.

[GrimReefer]

I think you have the day to day setup down pat, looks great. As far as Internet connectivity for me if it could connect to a wireless router that would be perfect as we have one set up already in the room where all our tanks are.

Well, in order to keep the entry cost of the product where I want it ($159), I can't have wifi built into it. Having a webserver running on the unit would require a pricier processor and radio module. Not to mention development time.

So these are my viable options for internet connectivity:

-An add-on module that would retail for $100-$150

-Option to use your Android/iOS device for internet connectivity. $0-$150

If you didn't have a tablet to stay connected to the controller (wirelessly of course), suitable android devices could be purchased for $60-$150. This would have some major advantages as far as possible features. As mentioned already: use your device's camera for webcam viewing of your tank remotely, realtime location weather simulation (pick a location to simulate), scheduled scenes (for instance you could start your thunderstorm scene based on a float sensor, turning on your top-off pump when the sound of rain starts...maybe routed through a spray bar for full effect). Just a few ideas off the top of my head :)

[GrimReefer]

So, about that WiFi idea....

MAJOR UPDATE:

-WiFi now built-in. I got quite a few PMs from people wanting wanting WiFi over Bluetooth. I listened...it made sense. We're using a solution called Electric Imp that is cloud based, and this does not require router configuration to use remotely. No port forwarding, no dynamic dns BS.

-Real-time, location-based weather simulation. Using it's internet connection, the device pulls in real weather data from any location in the world. Current conditions, sunrise/sunset times, moon phase and illumination, etc. So if you're simulating Jakarta, and it's partly cloudy in Jakarta...it will be partly cloudy over your tank!

-5V PWM is now an option by solder jumper (for Meanwell LDD drivers!)

-LCD display is no more. To keep cost down and maximize wifi range, I've removed the LCD display and replaced it with an RGB LED for status indication.

We'll have these boards put together and have our milled and printed cases within the next few weeks, then we can show off the finished product. Fortunately we are still on schedule for a Q1 2014 release. :)


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Qxh4dZ6lYYE/UlNDzx71pfI/AAAAAAAAGs8/-Q9ytPpLNYE/s800/20131007_142303_20131007142339256_resized.jpg


https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BWExySeum7U/Uj--bDUyTNI/AAAAAAAAGpU/7FJVCxvyEok/s640/Screenshot_2013-09-22-20-48-55.png

All feedback or questions welcome!

[The Grizz]

WiFi is s much better option all around as far as this guy is concerned & your welcome, can't wait to see the finished product.

[Stinktooth]

Is the price still going to be $160 ?

[daplatapus]

-Real-time, location-based weather simulation. Using it's internet connection, the device pulls in real weather data from any location in the world. Current conditions, sunrise/sunset times, moon phase and illumination, etc. So if you're simulating Jakarta, and it's partly cloudy in Jakarta...it will be partly cloudy over your tank!


Hmmm, not sure I like this idea. If I simulated Port Alberni it would be cloudy and raining from Oct until March, lol
:p

[ScubaSteve]

5V PWM is now an option by solder jumper (for Meanwell LDD drivers!)

Spencer, this is awesome. I'm going to come high-five you next time I'm in your area!

[ScubaSteve]

The boards look frickin' slick, BTW

[michika]

I so want to be a tester now. I have a Kessil I've just added to my system and am looking to add more.

[GrimReefer]

Is the price still going to be $160 ?

Final pricing is yet to be determined, but this is what we're aiming for.

Hmmm, not sure I like this idea. If I simulated Port Alberni it would be cloudy and raining from Oct until March, lol
:p

Yes it would probably be best to choose a tropical location!

The boards look frickin' slick, BTW

Why thank you. It takes a special type of person to appreciate a nice PCB. :P

I so want to be a tester now. I have a Kessil I've just added to my system and am looking to add more.
Well if you have the A360, you might be able to participate in the beta. We'll be sending out applications to our mailing list soon-ish for this. I can't link to the website as I'm not currently a Canreef sponsor, but it shouldn't be too hard to find.

[Stinktooth]

Would also like to test this out. I'm running 2x 360w and subscribed to the mailing list.

[GrimReefer]

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af93/spencergs1/20131023_134255_zpse1b27b21.jpg

[Stinktooth]

Looks awesome! Can't wait to try one out.

[GrimReefer]

Getting very close now to official launch. ;)

http://aquarium-led-controller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/aquarium-diy-led-controller.jpg

http://aquarium-led-controller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/diy-aquarium-led-controller.jpg

http://aquarium-led-controller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/aquarium-led-controller.jpg

http://aquarium-led-controller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/diy-led-controller.jpg

[Stinktooth]

Take my money :biggrin:

[spit.fire]

Take my money :biggrin:

+1

[Ron99]

Hey GrimmReefer. Tried to PM you but your box is full :)

[ScubaSteve]

Spencer, dude, this is looking awesome! I'm super impressed!

[GrimReefer]

Take my money :biggrin:

I should be able to take some off your hands very soon! :P

Hey GrimmReefer. Tried to PM you but your box is full :)

Should be good to go now. :)

Spencer, dude, this is looking awesome! I'm super impressed!

Thanks! I've put a lot of late nights into it!