Admittedly, I wasn’t using the Temp Comp feature (when calibrating or in normal use) for EC or pH partly because I remember trying it before and getting results (especially with EC) wayyyyyy off of what it was.
Well, I figured out why and think it might help anyone using the Celsius to Fahrenheit Converter
filters:
- lambda: return x * (9.0/5.0) + 32.0;
If you have this in your code I found your temp comp lambda needs to reverse the formula when using Atlas Scientific circuits because they only recognize Celsius.
Before reversing the formula I ran T,? and found it had set it to 68 (the Fahrenheit reading) instead of 20 (the Celsius reading). The EC reading dropped from around 800 to 450 as soon as I flashed it.
@Chilling_Silence I’m happy to hear that moving physical locations pretty much solved the calibration issues! Maybe it has something to do with humidity or electrical interference? Either way, I’ll try that next time if the readings don’t stablilize.
To measure PH the sensor needs “isolation Circuitry” any stray voltages from other sensors, pumps, heaters chillers, lights , static can cause fluctuations.
I have no experience with EZO but I own several others. I recently built my first esphome with Micro fire ec/ph units and have some thoughts. I also have a Blue Labs ph/ec/temp combi meter for comparison. The Microfire EC/ph/temp kit is $210 (less than 50% of Atlas) but you need an esp32/box ect… and they are both kits.
Justin at Microfire was fantastic has complete yamls , lambdas and esphome he was VERY helpful and I needed it because I have little programing experience.
I am having some problems with calibrating using buttons in HA but I am sure he will assist me with that
You are measuring micro voltage fluctuations here are some suggestions for any ph/ec measurements.
Use better quality probes I suggest “double junction” probes from name brand companies like Blue labs $56-$80, (mine has been submerged for 2+ years) , Milwaukee $40-60. or Hanna $$$
I have had some problems with cheap single junction because I submerge them… and they are not stable. The cheap single junction probes Often called “lab grade” are meant to spend most of their life in the “storage solution” and used momentarily, then stored in storage solution.
If any one knows of a inexpensive EC probe that is reliable please post.
Here is a link to a great article by Texas instruments about ph circuitry if your interested
I just used el-cheapo Computer Dynamics (Dynamix) ones @gunzip . Literally same USB wall wart, same USB cable, same extension lead to the wall wart… and in a different physical location for me, it “just worked”?
To echo what others have already said, this thread has been IMMENSELY helpful!!
Does anyone know how one would modify the script to calibrate EC? I know I’m supposed to use the send_custom() method but I’m not sure what command to send. From reading the Atlas Scientific docs, I know for the dry calibration, I’m supposed to send something to the tune of: ec:cal,dry but I can’t seem to find an example for EC calibration to validate my theories - only PH calibration.
One thing to look out for: You might have to change the setting depending on which EC probe you have (they have 3 models) . Send the command K,? to check and K,n (n=your probe type) to change if needed. That being said if the probe is different the calibration solution will be different too, so just be careful.
(read pg. 65-72 in the pdf and it will tell you all you need to know)
After struggling with this issue for an entire month, I finally managed to solve the problem with the readings. I exhaustively tried every possible method to provide a stable 5V power supply, but unfortunately, nothing seemed to work, not even using batteries.
Here are the results I obtained for four WiFi kits, both before and after implementing the fix:
Interestingly enough, the root cause of the problem turned out to be the grounding. By simply inserting an 18k resistor into the GND port of the WiFi hydroponics and connecting it to the earth, I was able to achieve a significant improvement. In my case, I connected it to a metal rack located outside the box, which is already connected to the electrical earth. It’s worth noting that I initially attempted using a 100k resistor, but unfortunately, that led to inaccurate readings once again.
I’m eager to hear about your own results and experiences. Please feel free to share them!
Hiya, new user to anything hydroponics, still have to plant my first strawberries!
I’m currently assembling my system based on the Modular Hydroponics thing I found on Thingiverse, and am now looking around to start smart-ing it up with HA before adding my first plants.
Already got my pump, currently working on a timer schedule for it.
While reading through the thread, people seem to be using WiFi kits from Atlas Scientific but have had issues with it.
What should I look into, what should I get from Atlas to start up my system, do I need separate probes?
If it matters, I am located in The Netherlands, and would honestly not have a clue as to which hardware or electronics store near me has any of the necessary components for the setup. If there are any Amazon or Aliexpress links I need, please send them my way!
pH measurement is a pain in the ass by itself, I highly recommend you watch tons of videos on how to “avoid mistakes” and understand how the probe works. All ph sensors are susceptible to error readings and the issue is not exactly atlas per se but they could do better with some extra electrical protections on the pcb.
So got the kit installed just fine with HA I purchased the single 3/4" industrial probe. How can i calibrate this? My ph readings are off and ORP is a bit off too. I see some code in thread for “buttons” but not sure if this will work with probe? I am new to ESPhome so keep that in mind but so far seems fairly easy.
I assume i can copy/paste the button code and then follow normal calibration? or should i reflash with Atlas sketch and calibrate it that way or will calibration not save when i reflash to HA?
Update: copied the code for calibration buttons for pH and is working great! now i need to figure out ORP. very helpful thread here so thanks to all.
Ph and orp working perfectly but the temp reading on probe(industrial) is not good. Seems to drop 10-15 degrees from day to night and I can only assume it’s the sun hitting th probe causing this huge fluctuation. If the temp is reading the water in pipe I wouldn’t think heat from outside could cause this but it is. Anyone else seeing this? I’m going to have to cut and replumb somewhere out of sun? But still drops 10 below pool temp at night so can’t be the sun? It’s like probe is faulty for temp or to sensitive to outside temp
When you re-flash it doesn’t keep the calibration, just in case anyone else is reading later
The heat from the outside will very much impact a reservoir / pipe temperature. Without knowing more about your setup though this is difficult to say specifically, but provided it’s properly submerged it should provide accurate readings without any real issues.
Yeah it must be outside air temp effecting it. I have probe installed in T like it should so I guess I just won’t use temp from this as it’s really worthless. My pool heater has a probe and it’s accurate and reads fine on heater but not “smart”
I’ve been having the same issues as others with erratic readings. When I first calibrated it in my home, everything seemed to work fine with stable readings. When I brought the unit outside to my barn for use thats when the readings started jumping all over the place. So my first order was to try Juans solution of using an 18k resistor in the ground port. This seemed to clean up the readings a little bit, but they were still erratic. So next I replaced the power adapter. After plugging the unit back in, I noticed that the PH and EC popped back up, but the RTD sensor never came back online, however the readings seemed to stabilize. weird. So not knowing if it was the temp sensor or the new power adapter that was affecting things, I rebooted the unit again to bring the temp back up, the readings got erratic again. makes no sense. If operating ph and EC by itself, everything reads correctly, if plugging in the temp sensor things get crazy. So I decided to clear all calibrations and recalibrate back in my house. Now the weirdest thing… Before inside my home when I did the initial calibration, everything was fine. when I brought it back inside the second time the readings were erractic again. Went through and calibrated anyway even with erractic readings, brought the unit back out to my barn and naturally… erratic readings… Strangest thing also, the water where the sensor was in (ph of about 6) I turn off the lights and the ph shoots up to 10. “???” So i turn the lights back on, and hook the 18k resistor back up and readings drop back down to 6, and start reading stable again. So for 1 last experiment, I hooked the temp sensor back up and rebooted the device again, and it still seems to be reading correctly. Time will tell, but im currently graphing everything with grafana and will share once I have more data.
my consensus when it comes to Atlas Scientific gear is they are absolute garbagio. I’ve used both bluelab and grozine ph meters in the same area with ZERO fluctuations due to interference, and my bluelab meter is almost 12 years old now. I also purchased at Humidity sensor and CO2 sensor from the same company to build a climate box. The CO2 sensor reads consistently 300ppm to high. (outdoor atmospheric ppm at night reads over 700ppm) , and their humidity sensor reads consistently 10% to low. (Ive checked against multiple other humidity sensors and a NIST certified calibrated Fluke psychrometer) to add insult to injury, neither their co2 or humidity sensors can be user calibrated. When I emailed Atlas about the issues I was having I got a snarky response of “our sensors are swiss made gold, and we trust them, so it must be all your other equipment thats wrong”. This company is a hard pass.
