High Tide Aquatics

Smart Outlet that can be set by the seconds?

kinetic

Supporting Member
I have a kasa smart plug and power strip, but the minimum time interval is 1 minute. I need to set this up for just one outlet (Avast Plank feeder), and would rather do 3 feedings a day for 20 seconds, rather than 1 feeding at 60 seconds.

I don't want to setup an apex just for this one thing (it's a temp tank, and this is really all I need).

Anyone have a recommendation, maybe something I can get on Amazon?
 
One hack I was thinking was I have a power strip and a smart plug. I can offset the Smart Plug's internal clock by 20 seconds, and then I can set that one's time on the minute, and the power strip would be offset just enough to do the seconds thing. But that seems a bit sketch, and I'm not sure if I can keep the Smart Plug from adopting the real time.
 
I have a kasa smart plug and power strip, but the minimum time interval is 1 minute. I need to set this up for just one outlet (Avast Plank feeder), and would rather do 3 feedings a day for 20 seconds, rather than 1 feeding at 60 seconds.

I don't want to setup an apex just for this one thing (it's a temp tank, and this is really all I need).

Anyone have a recommendation, maybe something I can get on Amazon?
The kasa's can be hit over your local network through an API to turn them on and off. You'd need a bit of coding, but could run it from whatever device. If you have a raspberry pi, you could even install reef pi on it and do it that way.

All that being said, I think it's probably a terrible idea :).

Any device remotely connecting to your kasa strip is going to have its reliability limited to that of the kasa, the connection, and the controlling device. The kasas are better than other devices for that, because of the local network connectivity (no external dependency), but you're still limited to your WiFi connectivity + assuming the controlling device acts in a realtime manner (in the realtime system sense). Linux itself isn't even technically realtime compatible.

The failure cases include the timer not triggering (minor) or the power on triggering and then the power off not triggering (catastrophic). I personally would feel comfortable with the kasa controlling something I can secondary monitor (eg temp) or something that fails safely (eg a light stuck on or off) or can run for a long time with only minor issues (say an ATO with a small reservoir). I think once you get into the state where you're dumping something into your tank and if it runs longer than expected everything dies, you should invest in something suited for the use case.

A pi running reef pi on a DC out feeder jack I'd probably trust, at least enough that if it killed everything I'd feel semi justified. If the kasa has an API to control a timer in seconds I'd probably trust that too. Beyond that I'd look for a normal solution.
 
The kasa's can be hit over your local network through an API to turn them on and off. You'd need a bit of coding, but could run it from whatever device. If you have a raspberry pi, you could even install reef pi on it and do it that way.

All that being said, I think it's probably a terrible idea :).

Any device remotely connecting to your kasa strip is going to have its reliability limited to that of the kasa, the connection, and the controlling device. The kasas are better than other devices for that, because of the local network connectivity (no external dependency), but you're still limited to your WiFi connectivity + assuming the controlling device acts in a realtime manner (in the realtime system sense). Linux itself isn't even technically realtime compatible.

The failure cases include the timer not triggering (minor) or the power on triggering and then the power off not triggering (catastrophic). I personally would feel comfortable with the kasa controlling something I can secondary monitor (eg temp) or something that fails safely (eg a light stuck on or off) or can run for a long time with only minor issues (say an ATO with a small reservoir). I think once you get into the state where you're dumping something into your tank and if it runs longer than expected everything dies, you should invest in something suited for the use case.

A pi running reef pi on a DC out feeder jack I'd probably trust, at least enough that if it killed everything I'd feel semi justified. If the kasa has an API to control a timer in seconds I'd probably trust that too. Beyond that I'd look for a normal solution.
As a positive, do X, idea versus a negative, don't do Y point, I'd look into smart plugs that support Tasmota. You can program that to do a bunch of stuff. Worst case plug the smart plug into the kasa and just use it through Tasmota.

From a quick google it looks like Tasmota has a pulse command which seems appropriate. The Tasmota software runs on hardware which is equivalent to an Arduino, which when programmed appropriately is a realtime system.
 
The kasa's can be hit over your local network through an API to turn them on and off. You'd need a bit of coding, but could run it from whatever device. If you have a raspberry pi, you could even install reef pi on it and do it that way.

All that being said, I think it's probably a terrible idea :).

Any device remotely connecting to your kasa strip is going to have its reliability limited to that of the kasa, the connection, and the controlling device. The kasas are better than other devices for that, because of the local network connectivity (no external dependency), but you're still limited to your WiFi connectivity + assuming the controlling device acts in a realtime manner (in the realtime system sense). Linux itself isn't even technically realtime compatible.

The failure cases include the timer not triggering (minor) or the power on triggering and then the power off not triggering (catastrophic). I personally would feel comfortable with the kasa controlling something I can secondary monitor (eg temp) or something that fails safely (eg a light stuck on or off) or can run for a long time with only minor issues (say an ATO with a small reservoir). I think once you get into the state where you're dumping something into your tank and if it runs longer than expected everything dies, you should invest in something suited for the use case.

A pi running reef pi on a DC out feeder jack I'd probably trust, at least enough that if it killed everything I'd feel semi justified. If the kasa has an API to control a timer in seconds I'd probably trust that too. Beyond that I'd look for a normal solution.
My KASA keeps leaving lights on, or not turning on. Its just on house plants, so I don't really care... but I wouldn't use it for life support.
 
Thanks for all the feedback! You've convinced me. I'll just setup the Apex Jr. and an EB4 for now (since I have them available). I wasn't going to spend a lot of time on this temporary tank, but I guess it's just a tiny bit more work, and not worth the possible downsides!
 
In the defense of the kasas, mine actually have been pretty rock solid. I actually use a smart plugs to control a fan and another to control a heater, controlled by the reef pi over the kasa API, and it's been surprisingly reliable. The smart strip version isn't safe with reef pi.

The timer stuff also has worked well for me. The most reliable is going to be the kasa app version of schedules and timers, because those get stored in the device itself. Any set through Google or Apple I believe use the API and timers controlled by those remote systems.

But still I wouldn't use it to control a thing that can instantly nuke my tank. If they had an Ethernet port, I might use it for more.
 
Can't you just adjust the food volume per feeding relating to the time? I don't have a fish feeder but use the automated cat feeders since my deaf cat meows like a lyon at 4:30am just wish a light or flashing light came on durring feeding lol time for a smart plug......I can adjust the food volume on the feeder which I assume you can do with fish feeders?..
 
Can't you just adjust the food volume per feeding relating to the time? I don't have a fish feeder but use the automated cat feeders since my deaf cat meows like a lyon at 4:30am just wish a light or flashing light came on durring feeding lol time for a smart plug......I can adjust the food volume on the feeder which I assume you can do with fish feeders?..
You can't with the plank feeder it's an auger conveyer.
 
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