sudo systemctl status reef-pi.service
sudo journalctl -fu reef-pi.service
Connecting reef-pi using a TTL cable. Adafruit has an excellent tutorial on how to use USB TTL cable to configure raspberry pi, in cases where display and keyboard is not available.
Check reef-pi version (helps in bug reports)
reef-pi -version
sudo systemctl stop reef-pi.service
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/reef-pi/reef-pi.db
sudo systemctl start reef-pi.service
One of the common reason gotcha is dev_mode being enabled. Dev mode allows reef-pi development in non-raspberry pi system and it mask all physical control (they are faked out). Make sure dev_mode is disabled or unchecked, under Configuration -> Settings -> Capabilities. Note: changing any of the capabilities will require a reload to take effect.
Troubleshooting circuits: A common mistake is to have loose connection acros jumper wires or pins. A systematic way to identify and fix them is to check for continuity using a multimeter. Another common mistake is to have shorted or mismatched wiring (such as transistor based circuits), which can be identified by checking expected voltage at every connection.
reef-pi uses the time settings from raspberry pi/raspbian. If timer are not acting as expected check if system time is configured correctly. Make sure timezone is configured correctly using raspi-config.
reef-pi API can be used for a variety of troubleshooting purpose, specifically when the UI is problematic. To use the API, use curl. reef-pi uses cookie based authentication, users have to create a auth cookie first and then use it for all further API based operations. API covers all aspects of reef-pi and powers the UI. Here is an example of listing number of equipments
curl -X POST -c cookie.txt -d '{"user":"reef-pi", "password":"reef-pi"}' http://reef-pi.local/auth/signin
curl -b cookie.txt http://reef-pi.local/api/equipment
API can be used to create backup, check a specific equipment, ato, ph probe etc, or to automate more complex workflows using ancillary scripts.
What information to share when asking for help? If you are still stuck, feel free to reach out to reef2reef thread on reef-pi. Please note down reef-pi version, Pi version, circuit details (an image will be very helpful) and shared those details while asking question. They help deducing the issues faster.