ONE PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED –H2O SCALE August 21, 2022
Posted by rik94566 in agponics.com, aquaponic devices, aquaponic issues, aquaponic systems, aquaponics, auqaponics automation, DIY aquaponics.Tags: aquaponic water issues, aquaponics, DIY aquaponics, indoor aquaponics, rik kretzinger, water quality
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As the water situation becomes much more extreme in Northern California water quality changes depending upon the source of water supply. Water hardness has changed many, many times over the last 5 years and I have had to be more careful with pH and hardness when doing water changes or water additions in the fish tanks and monitoring much more and I still end up with this. So I have now developed a plan on what needs to take place and starting to put the plan into action and will be talking about the efforts now as well as other interesting things I am tracking and working at getting put into place in my grow area. Once I have cleaned up the scale issues I can move on to misting systems and use of some more advanced technology to get me to the next level in my efforts.
TIME TO STEP UP TO A BETTER TESTER March 21, 2021
Posted by rik94566 in aquaponic systems, aquaponics, Controlled Environment Agriculture, DIY aquaponics, general, Internet-of-Farming, IoT aquaponics, pH, rik kretzinger, rik.diy.IOT, rik94566.Tags: aquaponics, Bluelab, pH, rik-dyi-IOT, rik94566, tester
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For about 3 years I have been using a cheap pH tester. The main reason for using cheap units has been that I did not know the type and configuration that I wanted to purchase for the main unit that I would be using for many years to come. After the purchase of another testing probe made by Bluelab I started researching the pH options the Bluelab offered. As I found many different units that could be purchased for this purpose. So after some time and reading many reviews I selected the pH-PEN. Life has gotten much simpler with this purchase. More expensive YES – but I now save so much time as the calibration holds for a month and is very accurate every time I use the unit. So happy I selected this unit of very high quality and perfect for all my needs. I purchased the unit from Amazon.
HOME ASSISTANT — NODE-RED August 31, 2020
Posted by rik94566 in agponics.com, aquaponic automation, aquaponic systems, aquaponics, auqaponics automation, Controlled Environment Agriculture, DIY aquaponics, indoor aquaponics, internet of farming, Internet-of-Farming, Uncategorized.Tags: aquaponic automation, aquaponic devices, Home Assistant, Internet-of-Farming, Node-Red, rik kretzinger, rik-dyi-IOT, rik94566
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Researching how best to start learning Node-Red I spent a lot of time on YouTube watching what Node-Red is and how people learned how to use it. As always a lot of YouTuber’s put out content and some are clearly better at actually helping people understand concepts and produce valuable content that can be put to use by a non-computer programmer type person.
So I developed my list of people that were best for me to follow and start the process of learning this new skill set. Many of the ones I like were talking about the use of Node-Red with Home Assistant.
I had looked at Home Assistant some years ago and at the time it seemed Home Assistant was for very advanced users that are very good at the command prompt and with a lot of system knowledge. Way above my level at the time.
Then my research turned up this reference and changed my perspective on using Home Assistant.
This was, just what I was looking for.
DS18B20 – Resistor Module – parts defined November 4, 2019
Posted by rik94566 in 1-wire, agponics.com, aquaponic devices, aquaponics electronics, auqaponics automation, DIY aquaponics, DS18B20, ds18b20, Electronic Componets, indoor aquaponics, internet of farming, Internet-of-Farming, IoT aquaponics, One-wire, rik kretzinger, rik.diy.IOT, rik94566.Tags: aquaponic automation, aquaponic devices, aquaponic electronics, aquaponic sensors, aquaponics, DS18B20, DS18B20 aquaponics, ds18b20 water proof, Internet-of-Farming, rik, rik-dyi-IOT, rik94566, sensors
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Working with the resistor module is making things much easier and a lot less work on my part. I am liking what I am seeing from a development standpoint and can see a real time savings that will deliver consistent results. First step is understanding what is found on the board and which end goes with which connection.
Been looking for a better way – DS18B20 October 15, 2019
Posted by rik94566 in 1-wire, agponics.com, aquaponic devices, aquaponics electronics, arduino, auqaponics automation, Balcony aquaponics, Balcony Garden, Controlled Environment Agriculture, DIY aquaponics, DS18B20, ds18b20, Electronic Componets, internet of farming, Internet-of-Farming, IoT aquaponics, rik kretzinger, rik.diy.IOT, rik94566, sensor, Stainless Steel Temp Probe, Temperature Probe.Tags: agponics, aquaponics, DIY aquaponics, DS18B20, DS18B20 aquaponics, Internet-of-Farming, rik, rik94566, sensor
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I was doing some research on a totally different subject and this popped up.
Why this one?
Well easy answer – I have been making my own 4.7 pull-up resistor connectors for sometime now. Problem for me is that they take a lot of time and are very bulky and hard to work with. For a little more cost a dollar or so I get a board that will allow easy connections to many (so I think) DS18B20 sensors using one resistor. The order came and now I can start testing my idea. Having a solution this turn key will save a lot of time and perform better, time will tell now.
I will be posting how the testing goes and what will be needed to get top performance out of this module.
Started a new YOU TUBE channel — rik.dyi.IOT July 13, 2019
Posted by rik94566 in agponics.com, aquaponic automation, aquaponics, aquaponics electronics, arduino, auqaponics automation, Balcony aquaponics, Balcony Garden, BSF - Black Solider Fly.1 comment so far
Be a maker – change your world
Being that I have been working on a lot of content in a number of different areas over the past two years, I need a better brand than what I had been using (which was really nothing). So, to support this effort I decided to re-brand with a new logo and more descriptive caption as to my actual efforts and interests. My focus has not changed over all and still is AQUAPONICS, but there are so many other areas that impact the full scope of Aquaponics in todays world. Aquaponics is no longer just about PLANTS – FISH – WATER which is being shared — in my mind.
Here is the link to my new YOU TUBE channel and I will be building it out as I finish off content that supports my AQUAPONICS efforts to expand my development of some RADICAL new concepts that I have been thinking about and working on deployment of.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcsDV2kS2vE_snRF5OlKL_A
WATER LEVEL INDICATOR – AQUAPONICS quest for a useful one September 13, 2018
Posted by rik94566 in adafruit, aquaponic automation, aquaponics, Balcony Garden, DIY aquaponics, Instructables, internet of farming, IoT aquaponics, rik kretzinger, rik94566, sensor, Uncategorized.Tags: aquaponics, DIY aquaponics, rik, ultrasonic sensor
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THE PROBLEM IN AQUAPONICS for me —
Up to this point I have wanted to have a simple, but effective water level indicator sensor for the water level in the Balcony Garden fish tank component of the build – that works!
Aquaponic Sensor Set for Balcony Garden — see section on ultrasonic sensor
I spent a lot of time working with and trying to stabilize a ultrasonic solution.
First off these sensors are not waterproof ( the waterproof version is around $85.00 US Waterproof version). The non-waterproof versions run around $5.00 US. So this would seem the best way to go and work to make it work by using some waterproofing strategies. Hard to do when working in an aquaponic environment.
Next they are very hard to mount in a way that they can be useful to determining water level in a tank. There are a lot of instructables talking about this aspect for these sensors and even more youtube articles, but most if not all are just demos and breadboard applications. No real useful solutions that really can be implemented in a scalable way.
Final issue is that I have yet to be able to stabilize these sensors and have wasted a lot of time trying to get them to be reliable in a usable way.
SOLUTION – find a better method or be able to purchase one that actually gets the job done in a simple and affordable and scalable way.
Temboo — aquaponic “HELLO WORLD” equivalent June 1, 2015
Posted by rik94566 in agponics.com, aquaponic automation, aquaponics, aquaponics electronics, Balcony aquaponics, internet of farming, Internet-of-Farming, rik94566.Tags: agponics, aquaponics, automation, balcony aquaponics, Controlled Environment Agriculture, DIY aquaponics, rik kretzinger, sensor, Temboo
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With the help of Temboo – my aquaponic Balcony Unit generated its first TEXT Message:
MESSAGE IS:
aquaponic Balcony Unit grow bed now filling.
Temboo – my new found friend May 28, 2015
Posted by rik94566 in aquaponic automation, aquaponics, arduino, Internet-of-Farming, Temboo.Tags: agponics, aquaponic automation, balcony aquaponics, rik kretzinger
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Ever since the release of the “Internet of Farming” YouTube interview – the recurring question is how to get the code working on my Arduino for my situation. Well — the reality of it is that everyone has a very different situation and totally different conditions specific to their setup and needs.
In the video I was using what was the best solution at the time to overcome this programming issue for me and what I was working to accomplish. I spent a lot of time on research and internet searches and came up with the best solution at the time. Fast forward 3 years and factor in advancements in technology and now things have progressed at a fast rate and new tools and companies are popping up in this next big area of technology growth IoT – Internet of Things.
I started learning about Temboo ( https://temboo.com/ ) on different blogs that I follow and checked them out and began to learn more about their solution. It seemed very simple in concept and very close to what I was looking for to help others on the same journey I have been on for a long time now. Couple this with the Balcony Unit I have been developing over the last year for entry level people wanting a solution to learn Aquaponics and use automation — it was a clear match. It is a match because if someone built a Balcony Unit for themselves or purchased a kit of parts then they can customize the software solution for their needs using Temboo. All I would have to do is supply a base code to get people started and then they can take their Balcony Units ( or other projects you have ) to whatever level you want. There you go a PERFECT WORLD!
So as it goes I contacted Temboo about working with me on the Balcony Unit and the article for MAKE Magazine that is schedule to run sometime in the Fall of this year. Well it turns out Temboo was interested in this effort and will be working with me to get some base code build that all of you will have access to right here for the Balcony Unit. John Sigmier of Temboo reached out to me and let me know Temboo was interest in this effort. So I will be blogging about all this effort now that we are close to pulling it all together for the finished Balcony Unit effort. You will be reading about this effort and what I learn in this process.
John Sigmier of Temboo came by to chat and look at the aquaponic Balcony Unit at Maker Faire 2015 –
aquaponic- IoT device — Balcony Garden March 10, 2015
Posted by rik94566 in aquaponic automation, aquaponics, Balcony aquaponics, Controlled Environment Agriculture, DS18B20.Tags: agponics, aquaponic automation, aquaponics, arduino, automation, balcony aquaponics
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BALCONY AQUAPONIC GARDEN – IoT READY- DIY or purchase materials locally and build — by rik kretzinger
Aquaponic DIY Automation Blog 