Seeking Input: Affordable Smart Aquarium Controller - Your Suggestions Wanted!

[rcreightonb]

I’d like to see a

 

[BeanAnimal]

This thread is to offer constructive feedback and ask questions about the product, You mentioned your feedback and I replied to it, if you have anything more constructive to add please do so.
We're not here for trolling and negative sentiments.

Cheers!

To be sure - it was a light hearted comment, not meant to be negative at all. My mistake for assuming people would get the reference to the long list of varied responses to an open "features" request and runaway scope that nobody intends.

 

[kindafun]

I would appreciate a PM when you get it to KickStarter.

 

[fenomatik]

I would appreciate a PM when you get it to KickStarter.

Thank you so much for your belief in the idea! Your support means a lot to us, and we're thrilled to have you on board. We'll definitely keep you updated and send you a personal message once we launch on Kickstarter. Your enthusiasm and interest are truly appreciated, and we can't wait to share our progress with you. Thanks again for your encouragement!

 

[GrandmaReefer]

Thanks for reading and showing interest in providing feedback and asking questions.

The idea is to sell with basic functionalities which would be useful and in any small tank (nano or QT) where one cannot spend $$$ for a Neptune or APEX.

In our initial prototype, We included features such as temperature monitoring, pH measurement, Salinity, leak detection, TDS monitoring, feeder functionality, ATO (Automatic Top-Off) capability, full RGB light control, and a 6-outlet smart power brick with a local display on the device, along with a fully functional app. However, We made the decision to scale down the features for the initial release to focus on establishing product quality. We plan to release a full version with all these features in the future.

Yup. And I think for that market it’s a good idea. And it’s a growing market so not a bad idea.

 

[rcreightonb]

I’d like to see a

Maybe you could lower cost and improve reliability if you moved all the low voltage inputs/ outputs, other then the Bnc probe connections, to a small screw terminal(random example in pic below.) behind a water resistant flap on bottom of controller. I’ve seen commercial greenhouse/ grow room controllers setup this way with 16 input/ outputs and the whole control head is the size of a few stacked smartphones. The controller could be all low voltage with a break out box connected with control cable for line voltage switching. The breakout box and dc power supply are the only changes you’d need to make in the hardware to go world wide.

Possibly, this wouldn’t be convenient or simple enough for some or maybe most, but I prefer the reliability and cost savings over using various types of jacks/ connectors that can corrode and become unreliable or inadvertently get unplugged. Although possibly more time consuming to initially set up this would be a step up from most of the higher end competition in this regard. Almost everything is hard wired in any moneys no object commercial install. It also saves a lot of space. This makes it easy to connect any generic input or output device that puts out or requires a simple open or closed signal.

I like an easily visible, but not blinding in a dark cabinet, light adjacent to each line voltage outlet to indicate status at a glance. Maybe in app adjustable led indicator brightness.

I’ve always wanted to do something like this myself, but I already have too many projects. I don’t mean to influence your direction. Just some of my thoughts and ideas that I hope might be helpful.

Will this have a screen or any control interface on unit or is it only through the network?

 

[fenomatik]

Maybe you could lower cost and improve reliability if you moved all the low voltage inputs/ outputs, other then the Bnc probe connections, to a small screw terminal(random example in pic below.) behind a water resistant flap on bottom of controller. I’ve seen commercial greenhouse/ grow room controllers setup this way with 16 input/ outputs and the whole control head is the size of a few stacked smartphones. The controller could be all low voltage with a break out box connected with control cable for line voltage switching. The breakout box and dc power supply are the only changes you’d need to make in the hardware to go world wide.

Possibly, this wouldn’t be convenient or simple enough for some or maybe most, but I prefer the reliability and cost savings over using various types of jacks/ connectors that can corrode and become unreliable or inadvertently get unplugged. Although possibly more time consuming to initially set up this would be a step up from most of the higher end competition in this regard. Almost everything is hard wired in any moneys no object commercial install. It also saves a lot of space. This makes it easy to connect any generic input or output device that puts out or requires a simple open or closed signal.

I like an easily visible, but not blinding in a dark cabinet, light adjacent to each line voltage outlet to indicate status at a glance. Maybe in app adjustable led indicator brightness.

I’ve always wanted to do something like this myself, but I already have too many projects. I don’t mean to influence your direction. Just some of my thoughts and ideas that I hope might be helpful.

Will this have a screen or any control interface on unit or is it only through the network?

Thanks for reading and showing interest in providing feedback and asking questions.

We have designed this device/box in a small package which fits 4 power outlets and also house the controller> The overall dimensions of the box are about 4"(W) x 6"(L) x 1.5"(H) inches. We have selected plugin ports that are safe to use and cannot easily be pulled to get unplugged.
We want the users to have seamless onboarding experience where it ranges from mounting the box in the cabinet to get the device added to the app. As I mentioned in previous comments the customer obsession is our priority.

We have strong confidence in our components selection and overall design. Which can only be proved once the device is in market and successfully deliver the promise. Why would we want to deliver something thats not good on quality and lose customer's trust from the beginning.

There is a single seven segment display that will show current and desired temperature , along with error codes for something like WiFi connectivity issues or probes not connected.

Hope this would answer some of your question.

Again thanks for your valuable input.

Cheers!

 

[fenomatik]

Yup. And I think for that market it’s a good idea. And it’s a growing market so not a bad idea.

Thank you so much for understanding the target market and supporting the idea (which is very close to being materialized)

 

[Captain-Barnacle]

Thank you so much for your encouraging words and support! It means a lot to receive such positive feedback. Your advice on CapEx and value-added parts is duly noted, and we'll ensure to strike the right balance to maximize long-term benefits. Your commitment to purchasing one and aiding our efforts is truly appreciated.

We absolutely agree with your suggestion about not freezing the design prematurely. We're committed to conducting thorough beta-test iterations to address any flaws and ensure a top-notch product. Integrating AI is an intriguing idea, and we'll explore ways to incorporate it to enhance functionality.

Can you please elaborate on your "Tandem" idea ? Did you mean if you can run two of these on a single large tank ?

Once again, thank you for your invaluable support and guidance. We're excited to continue this journey and strive for ever greater achievements.

Yes! Redundant systems running in parallel is Fail-Soft Design. One unit goes down, the others go on. Put a subset on a small back-up battery, as opposed to full-load big-battery back-up.

The AI part is an AI assisted Technical Manual and multimodal live data, perhaps grouping sensor data in a webcam field that also watches tank indicators. Let the AI design the AI part, by Prompting with the previous sentence.

 

[Reef5]

For $60, I'd definitely try it out. I'm new to this hobby and not ready to invest $600 to $1000 in a controller until I understand the basics and where I need it. Most of my equipment already has WiFi capabilities, so I don't see much value in an additional controller for them. I've found leak detector solutions on Amazon that work great.

My "basic" wishlist includes pH, ORP*, and temperature monitoring, with the ability to control pumps. Knowing energy consumption is also important to me.

*With Ozone gaining popularity, an ORP port would be a plus.

Best luck, the more options on the market, the better.

 

[TheFalseReality]

Hey fellow hobbyists!

I've designed a product and its ready to be commercially manufactured, but before I take the leap of faith, I wanted to get the community's thoughts. Let me share the details with you all.

What do you think about an affordable (something that everyone can easily afford and does not break your bank), entry-level smart aquarium controller with the following features:

• Four smart outlets to control heater and chiller based on the water temperature set in the app, with two additional outlets for running pumps or other devices, all controllable based on various parameters.
• Temperature probe (included), allowing you to set your desired temperature in the app for automatic management of your heater or chiller.
• Two leak detection probes (Included) to be placed on the floor, providing local sounding alarms and in-app notifications for any leaks. (You can also configure the device to stop the pump in case of a leak.)
• Grounding probe (included) to remove any stray voltage.
• pH monitoring capability (probe not included but available separately), which can be connected to any power outlet and configured to control any attached device. Easy pH probe calibration can be done from the app.
• Local display on the device showing the desired and current temperature.
• Fully functional app available on the App Store and Google Play for controlling the power outlets and viewing real-time data.
• Over the Air updates

More features and functionality can be added to it but I would like to know what are some other quintessentials that you would like to see in this, keep in mind this would be an entry level product to help new and old hobbyist enjoy the hobby without having to worry about expensive smart controller

I'm eager to hear your thoughts and feedback on this !

Thanks

I've created something similar, but instead designing everything myself, I am integrating Home Assistant, ESPHome and EZO Atlas-Scientific. Home Assistant allows you to control ANYTHING via outlets or direct integrations, all open source, intuitive and looks great. ESPHome using ESP32 chips can be programmed and communicate wireless, are relatively cheap so you can have more than one. It's also 100% modular, only get what you need.

I call it AquaPi
My GitHub

AquaPi for ESPHome

Powered by HomeAssistant & ESPHome

therealfalsereality.github.io

Forum:

AquaPi - An open-souce Aquarium Controller

I'm working on something that's open-sourced and customizable yet affordable. I got inspired by Reef-Pi, but I am an avid Home Assistant (HA) user and realized the Reef-Pi server was redundant and somewhat unintuitive. I thought, since we have HA, we don't need something somewhat powerful to run...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[TheFalseReality]

For $60, I'd definitely try it out. I'm new to this hobby and not ready to invest $600 to $1000 in a controller until I understand the basics and where I need it. Most of my equipment already has WiFi capabilities, so I don't see much value in an additional controller for them. I've found leak detector solutions on Amazon that work great.

My "basic" wishlist includes pH, ORP*, and temperature monitoring, with the ability to control pumps. Knowing energy consumption is also important to me.

*With Ozone gaining popularity, an ORP port would be a plus.

Best luck, the more options on the market, the better.

I got ORP added to the AquaPi, Dissolved Oxygen is next