Reef Angel Forum

I'm currently looking into purchashing a controller for my 120g mixed reef system. Over the past 6 months I have made a significant investment in new fish and corals and can no longer stomach the anxiety of leaving my system unattended.

The most critical functions I need from a controller are wireless monitoring and on/off control via droid, temperature control, 2-part dosing pump operation, and a "feed" setting. All pretty basic controller functions. I have LEDs but mine are not dimmable so I won't be able to utilize that aspect of the controller however in the future I could see myself upgrading my lighting.

So in order to do everything I want, I ask the RA community to tell me exactly what I will need so that I can make sure I get my order right the first time. Here are some questions of RA products:

1) RA or RA+? Cost difference isn't much so I'm leaning toward RA+ for ease of future expansion
2) PWM or analog dimming?
3) temp and ph probe - how long is the standard chord?
4) how is the standard RA wiring? I read in other boards how the RA was very "DIY" and that you should expect the wires and connections to be that way too. For example if I needed a temperature probe extension chord would I have to solder it or is it easily connected? What about the float switches - are they operable out of the box (i know they don't come with any mount)?
5) Wifi attachement - does it include everything I need to go wireless? Yes I have a router. Is there an ethernet connection on the attachement in the event I would want to hardwire it?
6) Are there any addons that users say are highly recommended or they wish they ordered it from the beginning?
7) Based on how I plan to use the controller, is all the programming easily created via the RAGen or Wizard?

1) My recommendation is always the RA+ due to the cost difference and the fact that I'm already at 2x the memory of the standard..
2) PWM but this depends mostly on what future lighting you would want.
3) They are both pretty short. You can get a longer temp probe now I believe and I extended my ph probe with some adapters and an RCA cable from Radio Shack.
4) The extension cord plugs right in, no soldering required. The default cords and connectors do require some care... The float switches will need to be spliced with some wire for length and the connectors are not attached by default. I got a pair of nice acrylic mounts on ebay for them. It works great.
5) No ethernet, right now there are DIY projects to enable ethernet. The Wifi gives you everything you need to go wireless though.
6) I really like the WaterLevel sensor. I use it to monitor how much water is in my ATO reservoir. Others use it solely for ATO on/off. It's much more reliable and easier than setting up float switches.
7) From what you have said you can do it all with the wizard. The only caveat would be how complex you want your "feeding" mode. By default it will only turn on / off devices that you list. For instance if you want to turn down your wavemaker/pumps depending on what you have may require some additional stuff. If you are using the RF module to control Vortech pumps it will initiate feeding mode automatically.

Edit: RAGen is deprecated. Use only the wizard. The wizard will do all the coding for you. Once you have your base code, you can then start editing it by hand for the *advanced* things..

I believe the temp probe and pH probe are both 3' long. I ended up extending them both.

My float switches (purchased <1 month ago) came with nice long wires and connectors attached. Easy to splice if you need more length.

Definitely get the RA+. I got the basic and ended up upgrading a week later.

--Colin

1. RA+ and you won't have to worry about memory size and future expandability.
2. Analog is the most compatible with the several equipment in the market at this time.
3. 3 feet
4. There are extension cords available at the webstore for all probes. The float switches come ready to be used.
5. Comes with everything. No Ethernet option, but there is a community contribution that a couple members have been using. http://forum.reefangel.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2364
6. Others may comment on this.
7. Yes, Wizard will get you up and running in no time and then if you ever have a need to more customized stuff, just come here and ask

Thanks for the response Inevo. So exactly how long is the standard probe chord length? I don't need a lot but want to be sure I won't need to order the extension chord.

Also, it seems most RA users run 2 or 3 temp probes?

Thanks Roberto.

Would it be possible to control the RA wirelessly with a Nintendo DS with the R4 card? I've seen the DS do lots of crazy things via the R4 card like wirelessly controlling playlists.

All you need is a web browser. Do you have web browsing on DS?

How helpful is the USB Power cable?

In order to upload code it needs to be connected to a power source. If you can leave it plugged into the relay box, then great! But if you need to disconnect your RA and move it to your computer, then you're going to need that power cable

lnevo wrote:In order to upload code it needs to be connected to a power source. If you can leave it plugged into the relay box, then great! But if you need to disconnect your RA and move it to your computer, then you're going to need that power cable

To clarify my question, once I get the bulk of your code where you want it, how often do you find yourself needing to connect the head unit to your computer?

More often than you might think. There's always some kind of interesting code popping up here, or I have an idea that I want to implement. I have a laptop that I use to connect to mine so I don't have to move the head unit.

--Colin

This thing gets quite addictive...It's up to you how anal retentive you are with your code and what you want it to do

Most people set it up and probably never look at it again... Usually we find out who they are when they don't have a backup of their code and they come here asking how to pull the code off the RA (which you can not do...so make backups!)

The rest of us who are on here are a lot, just keep coding... just keep coding

LOL! It is addictive. If I had to unplug and move everything every time I wanted to change something, I don't think I'd enjoy it nearly as much.

--Colin

kirkwood wrote:How helpful is the USB Power cable?

you can even make your own usb power cable from a standard usb port, provided you have the right connectors. I managed to make one after my power cable broke. turns out i had all the parts already.

lnevo wrote:This thing gets quite addictive...It's up to you how anal retentive you are with your code and what you want it to do

Most people set it up and probably never look at it again... Usually we find out who they are when they don't have a backup of their code and they come here asking how to pull the code off the RA (which you can not do...so make backups!)

The rest of us who are on here are a lot, just keep coding... just keep coding

i set mine up and don't really mess with it much even though I probably should. although things are running good right now...

binder wrote:

lnevo wrote:This thing gets quite addictive...It's up to you how anal retentive you are with your code and what you want it to do

Most people set it up and probably never look at it again... Usually we find out who they are when they don't have a backup of their code and they come here asking how to pull the code off the RA (which you can not do...so make backups!)

The rest of us who are on here are a lot, just keep coding... just keep coding

i set mine up and don't really mess with it much even though I probably should. although things are running good right now...

Uh oh!!!

Dont touch it!!! You have your hands full already!!! Lol

binder wrote:

kirkwood wrote:How helpful is the USB Power cable?

you can even make your own usb power cable from a standard usb port, provided you have the right connectors. I managed to make one after my power cable broke. turns out i had all the parts already.

Can anyone please tell me which wire goes into which pin of the temp port on the RA? I have a USB cable and I have cut one end of it. There are 4 wires at the end of it (black, red ,white and green). I have the right connectors. Can the RA be powered through the temp port or is it only possible with the RA+?

Thank you

You can use it on both RA and RA+.
You need to use the red and black wires and wire it like this:
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx25 ... 182446.jpg

rimai wrote:You can use it on both RA and RA+.
You need to use the red and black wires and wire it like this:
http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx25 ... 182446.jpg

Thanks Roberto. I have a working usb power supply now.

Dr Davaraj