chrishayes Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Also, I wanted to add a simple programming sequence that im sure others have posted before but for me it took a lot of thinkings and trial and error. I run Kalk for top off first of all. I have been having trouble this winter with PH dropping really low at night to 7.7 sometimes and then due to evap during the day which causes more ato(kalk) driving the PH to 8.2-.25. This was too much swing for me. Not to mention since kalk is my source of cal and alk they were fluctuating as well. So I racked my brain as to if I could set a timer to turn on my ato at night a few times but then id be adding freshwater when it wasnt needed. not to mention the ato is in FULL control by the sl1 switches. It was too simple, I just changed the alarm on my fan from tripping if below using the itemp to tripping when below 7.85 using the ph probe! Now if the ph falls below 7.85 the fans kick on forcing evap in turn dumping more kalk but not effecting salinity. YES, score is 1 for Chris, 115 for RKL! Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 The NET module does NOT have the same level of control as the MyReef software... like not even close. The NET module is made to be a MONITORING device, not a control device. It's primary purpose is to enable email notification of alarms and whatnot (also an RSS feed, to keep an eye on your perameters remotely). The reason I went with the USB over ethernet, was because of the NET module, however there is options like : http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F5L009-5-Port.../ref=pd_sim_e_1 Which is a USB hub that connects wirelessly to a router... but shop around. Btw, all I did was google "USB over Wifi" to find this. As for the head unit, it's a variable amount, since it depends on how many items your graphing, and how often you record information. Most are designed to store for a month at a time with normal interval periods. If in doubt, via the NET module you can sign up to something like : http://reefnook.com/reefrx/users/215-spyru...reef-tank/notes Which is free and records years worth of RSS feed data... FREE. (which is brilliant, 'cause you can graph info over time). cheers, Spyrule Quote Link to comment
chrishayes Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 so spy let me ask you this, I have a laptop with verizon wireless usb highspeed connection. My laptop also is wifi where i can see others networks around me. Do I still need the router or will my computer be able to "see" the usb hub that you are lonking to? Also, I am having an issue with the above mentioned setup where i force evap by using the ph probe to control the fan. The issue is that when the reading bounces around between the setpoint of the alarm say 7.85 and 7.84 rapidly the relay keeps clicking on and off. As an electrician I know this is not a good situation long term. Is there anything I can do? I wish there was a hysterisis for ph... Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 You still need the router, since .. to quote the belkin device : "NOTE: The Belkin USB Hub connects directly to your existing wireless router. The Hub does not have routing capabilities, and does not include a router. You must purchase the router separately." Mind you, you could actually just get that ASUS AccessPoint device, since it can act as a wireless repeater, and it has DHCP built in (the service that gives out IP addresses, to both your laptop and the wireless USB hub). Actually, I'd do that.. get the ASUS AP, and the Belkin USB wifi hub and you should be good. Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 As far as I can tell... keep the receipts so you can return it. Quote Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I got the Netgear wireless adapter, hooked it up to the NET... and the Android MyReef Mobile app. All I can say is- AWESOME. Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 yeah, I wish they had an app for BB's. Quote Link to comment
msujeff Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Well I ordered the ALC for my RKL. I have the sid v2 and will probably need to update my head unit and both PC4s. Going to be interesting since I have a MacBook. May have to pick up a cheap windows netbook to do all the updates and run myreef. Quote Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Hey Spy, do you recommend calibrating the temp and PH probes when they're straight out of the box? Or are they pretty much good to go? Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Hey Spy, do you recommend calibrating the temp and PH probes when they're straight out of the box? Or are they pretty much good to go? Ph .. YES.. and you'll want to calibrate it 1 / month. Temp, I have never calibrated it, but I do compare it to another thermometer just to get a baseline. If it's more then 2'f off, then I would calibrate it. Quote Link to comment
bioload Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Well I ordered the ALC for my RKL. I have the sid v2 and will probably need to update my head unit and both PC4s. Going to be interesting since I have a MacBook. May have to pick up a cheap windows netbook to do all the updates and run myreef. Maybe you could just borrow one instead of shelling out the money? Once you update and get everything set up the way you want it you really don't need to use the myreef software prog very often if at all. I've made all changes since the first couple days manually directly from the head unit.Think of the cool corals you could buy with that money Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Maybe you could just borrow one instead of shelling out the money? Once you update and get everything set up the way you want it you really don't need to use the myreef software prog very often if at all. I've made all changes since the first couple days manually directly from the head unit.Think of the cool corals you could buy with that money Yes, but if he doesn't have the NET module there is no way to export your graphing data, whereas with the MyReef software you can leave it running in the background, and it gathers your data over time (which can be incredibly useful). Quote Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Ph .. YES.. and you'll want to calibrate it 1 / month. Temp, I have never calibrated it, but I do compare it to another thermometer just to get a baseline. If it's more then 2'f off, then I would calibrate it. Every digital thermometer I've got (4 of them) reads different temps in the same water... Is calibration against a mercury thermometer the best bet? And for the pH- do I just rinse the probe in RO water, shake it dry, then dip it right into the bottles 7.0 and 10.0 bottles that came with the kit? Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Every digital thermometer I've got (4 of them) reads different temps in the same water... Is calibration against a mercury thermometer the best bet? And for the pH- do I just rinse the probe in RO water, shake it dry, then dip it right into the bottles 7.0 and 10.0 bottles that came with the kit? The best thing to test against is a calibrated scientific thermometer. I bought one locally for $35 (you don't need insanely small measurements which should make it cheaper). You DON'T want to use the calibrated one all the time though, as they are very small, and break rather easily. As for the pH, I do exactly what you said, rinse it off, pick off any algae growth that's on the pH sensor.. be EXTREMELY careful around the glass bulb at the end, it breaks VERY easily. Do NOT scrub it with a brush, or you'll have a broken/useless sensor. Once rinsed and cleaned off, then I follow the instructions. The only thing I found helpful was to bend a coat hanger into a loop that holds the pH sensor in the middle of a small plastic cup (without touching the sides), and so that you don't have to hold it at all. This allows you to calibrate it over a few minutes, which seems to make it more accurate. Funny enough, I stopped using my pH sensor awhile ago... as I got tired of re-calibrating the stupid thing all the time. Same goes with the Salinity meter (Which I could never quite get right, and the fact that it doesn't report it in the standard 1.02x format). Quote Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 yeah, I wish they had an app for BB's. Can you access the website from the BB? Now that I realize it works... I don't think I'll bother using the app. ...Turning the lights on and off from my cellphone is pretty freakin awesome... Now that I'm beginning to understand the way this stuff works, I'm seeing so many possibilities with remote control of electronics... Quote Link to comment
bioload Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Every digital thermometer I've got (4 of them) reads different temps in the same water... Is calibration against a mercury thermometer the best bet? And for the pH- do I just rinse the probe in RO water, shake it dry, then dip it right into the bottles 7.0 and 10.0 bottles that came with the kit? Same thing here. My itemp probe seems to read consistently the highest of all, but none of them read the exact same temp...tried 4 diff thermometer readings too, including a cheap digital. I decided to just use my itemp as is knowing that if anything it is reading a little high which I'm fine with. As long as you are in range IMO, consistency is more important then an absolute exact temp reading and the RKL does keep the temp rock steady. Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 I should mention though, that I do plan on using the sensors again now that I've gone to a smaller tank, and want to keep a closer eye on it all. I'm planning on building a plastic holder that will "cap" the bottom flow area in the 3rd chamber, and force the water up and over the sensors, and then flow to the top of chamber 3. Once it's built, I'll post some plans on how to build it. Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 Can you access the website from the BB? Now that I realize it works... I don't think I'll bother using the app. ...Turning the lights on and off from my cellphone is pretty freakin awesome... Now that I'm beginning to understand the way this stuff works, I'm seeing so many possibilities with remote control of electronics... Truthfully, I've never tried, but I can't see how you can control the RKE through the NET module. I'm not even sure how the iphone app works (unless it's just a glorified RSS feed app). Quote Link to comment
kgoldy Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) Truthfully, I've never tried, but I can't see how you can control the RKE through the NET module. I'm not even sure how the iphone app works (unless it's just a glorified RSS feed app). The app really doesn't do anything except allow you access to the graphing... as far as I can tell. Not worth using if you can access the internet page. Edited March 8, 2011 by kgoldy Quote Link to comment
msujeff Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Maybe you could just borrow one instead of shelling out the money? Once you update and get everything set up the way you want it you really don't need to use the myreef software prog very often if at all. I've made all changes since the first couple days manually directly from the head unit.Think of the cool corals you could buy with that money That is true. The cheapest netbook I could get would be $250-300 so that brings be over the free shipping on a lot of sites Hopefully my friend will let me borrow his laptop of an hour or so. Yes, but if he doesn't have the NET module there is no way to export your graphing data, whereas with the MyReef software you can leave it running in the background, and it gathers your data over time (which can be incredibly useful). I only have the rkl with an itemp and two PC4s with the various components for my bc plugged in. What would I be able to chart besides temp? Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 everything. Float switches, how many times / day a pump turns on off, if you regularly have small power resets when your away, and yes, graphing your temps over time (which is incredibly useful to know if your temp managment is working as desired. Quote Link to comment
jaharr01 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 everything. Float switches, how many times / day a pump turns on off, if you regularly have small power resets when your away, and yes, graphing your temps over time (which is incredibly useful to know if your temp managment is working as desired. Hey I'm sorry to hijack ur thread but I had a RKL question.Can u set something up on a timer and have it shut it down when lets say high ph.For instance a dosing pump to be used @ night when the ph drops Quote Link to comment
msujeff Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Hey I'm sorry to hijack ur thread but I had a RKL question.Can u set something up on a timer and have it shut it down when lets say high ph.For instance a dosing pump to be used @ night when the ph drops I know you can set up alarms regarding the temp to turn on/off lights and/or fans if the temp gets too high or too low. I would assume you could do the same for ph but I'm not positive on that. Quote Link to comment
jaharr01 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I know you can set up alarms regarding the temp to turn on/off lights and/or fans if the temp gets too high or too low. I would assume you could do the same for ph but I'm not positive on that. I guess u could set it up on a timer and set up an alarm to turn off dosing pump if ph gets too high.By the way i figured out a way to monitor "myreef" from my wireless network.I had an old laptop laying around with some keys busted and I set up remote desktop from my computer across the house to link via wireless with the old computer running "myreef" and leave it hooked to my RKL.I hid the old computer where you can't see it.It works great very cheap if you have an old computer laying around.Only difference between it and the net module is it doesn't give you feeds via internet.Only problem is you have to have the OS to run remote desktop.if you don't you could use a program like go to my pc. Quote Link to comment
TheNorthernLight Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Hey I'm sorry to hijack ur thread but I had a RKL question.Can u set something up on a timer and have it shut it down when lets say high ph.For instance a dosing pump to be used @ night when the ph drops Yes, use the controller function, and you can set up a channel to be "controlled" by your pH sensor. The problem with using a laptop is that it draws a considerable higher amount of power just to run the software. whereas the switch/usb wifi hub will draw MUCH less power. enjoy the extra electricity bill if you like it. Spyrule Quote Link to comment
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