Thanks to @trio91 I decided to start writing something about a Raspberry Pi as an aquarium controller. Here is what I have so far.
Introduction to Raspberry Pi Aquarium Controllers
by James King
Introduction:
First let me tell you about myself. My name is James King and I have been doing IT for over 10 years now. I have kept many fish tanks but none really took off until I got my feet into saltwater. I got into saltwater in 2014/2015. Being a tech person I always was looking at the 'tech' side of reefing. I made a comment, when I saw, a device that allow the controling of lights from your smart phone. The comment was about joining my new hobby with something I enjoyed. A friend of mine commented back saying. Well you are in IT so why don't you make your own out of a raspberry pi? I been wanting to do a pi project but never had an idea of what until that comment.
What is Raspberry Pi?
In a nutshell a Raspberry Pi is a small computer that run cheap, around $35. The older versions run a type of Linux operating system but the newer ones can also run a IoT version of Windows. These devices have GPIO (General Purpose Input-Output) pins that allow devices to be connected and controlled. They allow a system to run headless, with no display, or connected a display (either using the official display port or HDMI port)
Raspberry Pi as an Aquarium Controller:
Due to the cheap cost of these devices and how flexible they are they make great devices to make into a controller for aquariums. There are open source programs out there, for example reef-pi, that allow anyone to get a basic controller up and running on a Pi. Folks who may not like open source or want to take on the challenge, like myself, do their own coding and developing. Raspberry Pi are flexible and cheap so they allow this hobby to grow without dropping a large amount of money on a semi-fix system. The system I am working on is one in hope to do a full control plus logging of data. Other can be used just as ATO, lighting controls, outlet controls, logging data, etc...
Conclusion:
I believe a Raspberry Pi makes a great device to be use as a aquarium controller. I am not saying a person needs an controller but they can make this hobby easier, at times, and fun. If you are looking to go with a controller and willing to do the work yourself then check out the raspberry pi.
Introduction to Raspberry Pi Aquarium Controllers
by James King
Introduction:
First let me tell you about myself. My name is James King and I have been doing IT for over 10 years now. I have kept many fish tanks but none really took off until I got my feet into saltwater. I got into saltwater in 2014/2015. Being a tech person I always was looking at the 'tech' side of reefing. I made a comment, when I saw, a device that allow the controling of lights from your smart phone. The comment was about joining my new hobby with something I enjoyed. A friend of mine commented back saying. Well you are in IT so why don't you make your own out of a raspberry pi? I been wanting to do a pi project but never had an idea of what until that comment.
What is Raspberry Pi?
In a nutshell a Raspberry Pi is a small computer that run cheap, around $35. The older versions run a type of Linux operating system but the newer ones can also run a IoT version of Windows. These devices have GPIO (General Purpose Input-Output) pins that allow devices to be connected and controlled. They allow a system to run headless, with no display, or connected a display (either using the official display port or HDMI port)
Raspberry Pi as an Aquarium Controller:
Due to the cheap cost of these devices and how flexible they are they make great devices to make into a controller for aquariums. There are open source programs out there, for example reef-pi, that allow anyone to get a basic controller up and running on a Pi. Folks who may not like open source or want to take on the challenge, like myself, do their own coding and developing. Raspberry Pi are flexible and cheap so they allow this hobby to grow without dropping a large amount of money on a semi-fix system. The system I am working on is one in hope to do a full control plus logging of data. Other can be used just as ATO, lighting controls, outlet controls, logging data, etc...
Conclusion:
I believe a Raspberry Pi makes a great device to be use as a aquarium controller. I am not saying a person needs an controller but they can make this hobby easier, at times, and fun. If you are looking to go with a controller and willing to do the work yourself then check out the raspberry pi.
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