Multicontroller

Using Arduino Project Guidance
1

Hi guys. I have a Reef Multicontroller with 8 power outlets that used to be controlled by this

It controlled Heaters, a Chiller, LED Lighting, Moonlighting, and Actinics, It has since died and I want to now control it by Arduino. My question is what Board will do what I need. What other information is needed,

Thanks
Spides

2

list every input and every output.

do not forget the switches or key pad as inputs and any displays as outputs.

on the photo, I think I see 10 LEDs, a bar graph and 3 switches... or pots ?

most likely an UNO will be able to handle the project.

what failed ? do you know what chip was on the device ? maybe a photo of the other side of the board ?

also, if it was a commercial board, post a link to the make and model. maybe there are features that might direct selection.

3

Thanks Dave. I'll see what I can do. Its a Multicontroller from a Reef forum we built 6 years ago. I can maybe give a link to the build until I can pull it apart. You may see what you need from there
http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=190763

Thanks
Chris

4

This Multicontroller using PIC 18F2520

5

spides:
Thanks Dave. I'll see what I can do. Its a Multicontroller from a Reef forum we built 6 years ago. I can maybe give a link to the build until I can pull it apart. You may see what you need from there
http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=190763

Thanks
Chris

Sorry Dave I should also say, I have no idea what the problem is. I'm guessing it's the
Display

6

I hope these will answer the questions I need.

Its obviously 240 in, I wont bother listing whats in the photos. hopefully this is enough. My hope is that I can adapt this to run by a form of Arduino.

The last one is the feed to the old display

Thanks
Chris

7

Anybody :blush:

8

If you want to do this with an Arduino, I don't think an UNO has enough pins - eight relays, ten LEDs, LCD, buttons and presumably a RTC will quickly exhaust the eighteen available. If you're doing heating & chilling, I'd assume you have temperature sensors too - any others?

The PIC that BillHo identified has no more RAM/Flash than the Uno and shift registers could be used to solve the pin shortage, but I'd step up to a Mega. Is that PIC the only processor in the system?

This looks like a lot of work: you'll need to reverse engineer what you have and then build a new sketch, quite likely new circuitry too. I'd be more inclined to debug what you have and fix it using the original design.

9

I think you need to troubleshoot the problem, there's no way to decide what to do before knowing what needs to be done.

If that PIC is the only CPU then presumably the entire system can be controlled from that 28-pin socket and a 328 or larger could to the job by emulating the PIC. So you could make an adapter to plug a Uno (or whatever) into that socket and start writing code.

Or you could learn how to use a PIC.

But all that is a waste of time if it's just the LCD.

GOTO Line #1

Rob

10

Thanks for your replies. I thought it might be the case
that I'm making it a lot harder than it needs to be.
Just didn't want to waste what I had.

Chris

11