Showing posts in Reef & Aquariums — show all
The decade-later successor: an 8-channel TPS922053 driver board with an onboard ESP32-S3 running all 17 PWM channels, an embedded astronomical scheduler with a React frontend, Carvera-machined heatsinks, and copper-core PCBs from JLCPCB.
Read more →The summer 2024 launch push: case prototypes and thermal stress tests, 32V Meanwell supply prep, a CAN transceiver post-mortem that redesigned the module connector, ESPHome firmware features, the Split's honest derating — and the first units shipping.
Read more →The spring 2024 redesign that turned the DCBuddy into a real product: a single 12–36V rail, ESP32-C3 with ESPHome and Home Assistant integration, per-port current monitoring, CAN on the module connector, 20A capability — and a contract-manufactured batch build.
Read more →The original DCBuddy: one box to replace the pile of AC/DC wall bricks under a reef tank — dual ideal-diode-ORed supply inputs, 24V distribution, 12V and 5V step-downs, Neptune 1Link passthrough, and short-circuit protection on every port.
Read more →Eight years of salt spray plus a three-day blackout nearly killed every LEDBrick unit — condensation shorted the boards on power-up. Ultrasonic cleaning saved two of three; the third needed component surgery. Lessons about conformal coating were learned.
Read more →First prototype of a work holding tool, in this case the base plate, for milling a set of off the shelf cases from Hammond Mfg (1455 series). This is done on a scrap of 1/4" 6061, about 8x6" (its an off cut scrap). The intent is to use…
Read more →A quick little project as a spin-off of a larger common shared design for an aquarium controller, I've knocked together a small inlet sensor and 12V driver with 4 channels, allowing you to hookup a float switch or attach a DC pump…
Read more →Small design vignette for an LED driver design for freshwater LED lighting. In this example I'm using a 28 Yuji 5038 LEDs at 6500k and 98+ CRI. Since they are all in series, it offers about 100Vf, which is out of range for most of my…
Read more →Just a small vignette on the milling of a Hammond Aluminum Extrusion case cap. All I have is a CNC6040 based machine with a 2.2kW spindle, but it would probably serve the purposes fine as we're not chewing through a lot of metal.
Read more →Let's talk temperature sensors, at least let's talk about the guts of a temperature sensor and less about the housing, cables, etc.
Read more →I've been keeping aquariums of all flavors for a very long time, and have seen and first hand experienced what happens when our lovable basic heaters (and chillers) run amok and fail to do their jobs correctly. Even worse, we often…
Read more →The mid-2016 driver experiments that followed the original LEDBrick: a 50-cent RT8471 budget buck driver with a PIC on board, Luxeon Z star boards with pie-slice thermal pours, and the LM3414HV MicroDriver — the seeds of what became BlueAcro.
Read more →The condensed story of the original LEDBrick — a squarish 8-channel LED pendant built around a 4.6″ heatsink and an 80mm fan: 38 emitters reflowed on a skillet, a custom LM3414 driver board, Bluetooth LE control from a Raspberry Pi, and a laser-cut acrylic case.
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