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Automated Lighting Schedules for IR Controlled Lights using Raspberry Pi


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#1 guyswartwout

guyswartwout
  • NANFA Member
  • Roanoke, VA

Posted 29 December 2019 - 01:54 PM

For anyone handy with a little circuit tinkering, here is a simple (as simple as I could make it), step by step guide to creating custom lighting schedules.

 

https://sourceforge....ects/aquariopi/

 

This works for:

 

Current USA's Satellite Freshwater LED+ light (https://current-usa....water-plus-led/)

 

Finnex Planted+ 24/7 HLC Aquarium LED Light (https://www.finnex.n...omated-led.html)

 

VivaGrow Freshwater Plant 24/7 (Finnex knock-off)

 

Can be customized for any IR controlled light

 

https://sourceforge....ects/aquariopi/

 

https://sourceforge....ects/aquariopi/

 



#2 swampfish

swampfish
  • NANFA Member

Posted 30 December 2019 - 10:14 AM

Thanks for sharing. I'm sure it will be useful.

 

My problem is just the opposite. I've had a Finnex Planted+ 24/7 light for a couple of years and wish I had not bought it. 

 

I've had difficulty getting it set correctly because it apparently only allows three hour windows for various functions. I like the idea of increasing and decreasing light for a sunrise and sunset, but those don't take three hours each in nature. When I used both, along with a 12 hour daylight function, I got too much algae growth due to excessive light. When I shortened the daylight to nine hours, the vascular plants did not grow well. In addition, the excessive time for increasing and decreasing light made it hard for me to sleep. I've had to reduce it to an all on or all off system in order to have good plant growth and get a good night's sleep.

 

Another problem I've had is that I have been unable to figure out when the three hour windows of light activate. I've tried setting the time to coincide exactly with 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., etc., and ended up with extra hours of light that I do not want. I tried setting the time to coincide with the middle of the three hour windows, and also ended up with extra hours of light. 

 

Both of the above problems might be solved with the controller described above.

 

The third problem with the light is that I live in a rural area where the electrical service goes off occasionally. Outages of a couple of hours or more require resetting the timer on this light with all of its three hour accuracy problems experienced all over again. My other aquariums are on mechanical timers that are easily reset by spinning them to the time when I want my lights to go on or off. One timer even resets itself. 

 

If I could bypass the internal timer, i would be happier.

 

Phil Nixon



#3 zooxanthellae

zooxanthellae
  • NANFA Member
  • North Carolina

Posted 05 January 2020 - 02:14 AM

This is a really neat project, thanks for sharing!

If I can find the time to "hack to your heart's content," I think it would be a cool addition to use a weather service api to return the weather of a given location, then base your conditions on that. Similar to what you did with the moonphase. I could see having a planted alabama biotope that runs true alabama lighting. Eitherway, I really enjoyed reading this, thanks again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For anyone handy with a little circuit tinkering, here is a simple (as simple as I could make it), step by step guide to creating custom lighting schedules.

 

https://sourceforge....ects/aquariopi/

 

This works for:

 

Current USA's Satellite Freshwater LED+ light (https://current-usa....water-plus-led/)

 

Finnex Planted+ 24/7 HLC Aquarium LED Light (https://www.finnex.n...omated-led.html)

 

VivaGrow Freshwater Plant 24/7 (Finnex knock-off)

 

Can be customized for any IR controlled light

 

https://sourceforge....ects/aquariopi/

 

https://sourceforge....ects/aquariopi/

 



#4 guyswartwout

guyswartwout
  • NANFA Member
  • Roanoke, VA

Posted 11 January 2020 - 03:56 PM

I'm not sure the Finnex codes are correct. I'm too distracted lately to read the codes off my new Finnex. This kind of project is not for everyone, that's for sure, but it's been running reliably for a few years in my house. My Current Satellite doesn't have a scheduler, although the light options are very good, and they don't blink like the Finnex. My Vivagrow (Finnex counterfeit) would never get dark at night, so this little computer has been handy.






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