Benefits of having a light controller

[treefarmercharlie]

Whoops, here;

https://hydro-gardens.com/product/co2-monitor-5e340kit/

Hard to tell because it doesn’t list much information but usually any monitor/controller that isn’t blatantly inexpensive uses decent hardware. Then the only thing that makes one better than another is the configuration options each provides and the logic they bake into the firmware to handle everything. One thing you will often see in shitty controllers is improper deadband values, or the inability for the end-user to define a deadband value, which causes the controller to oscillate (constantly turn on and off) the relay to the outlet controlling the device. While that keeps the environment from swinging by much it also prematurely burns out the relay and the device you are controlling.

 

[ttystikk]

Hard to tell because it doesn’t list much information but usually any monitor/controller that isn’t blatantly inexpensive uses decent hardware. Then the only thing that makes one better than another is the configuration options each provides and the logic they bake into the firmware to handle everything. One thing you will often see in shitty controllers is improper deadband values, or the inability for the end-user to define a deadband value, which causes the controller to oscillate (constantly turn on and off) the relay to the outlet controlling the device. While that keeps the environment from swinging by much it also prematurely burns out the relay and the device you are controlling.

That's really good info. I've bought lots of controllers over the years. The integrated all in one units suck because of any part of it fails the whole thing is useless.

I'll be sure to look for those with adjustable dead and.

 

[treefarmercharlie]

That's really good info. I've bought lots of controllers over the years. The integrated all in one units suck because of any part of it fails the whole thing is useless.

I'll be sure to look for those with adjustable dead and.

All in one systems aren't all that bad as long as they are quality and you can replace the sensors. I program control systems that integrate EVERYTHING in a home (lighting, shades, hvac, access control, distributed audio and video, pool/spa, etc.) and it's all tied to a single control system. If the system goes down the home owners have extremely limited control (lighting only from physical switches and hvac only from thermostats) but the systems are usually rock solid. Some clients will fork out the cash for a second control system to stand by for redundancy but very few do.

 

[ttystikk]

All in one systems aren't all that bad as long as they are quality and you can replace the sensors. I program control systems that integrate EVERYTHING in a home (lighting, shades, hvac, access control, distributed audio and video, pool/spa, etc.) and it's all tied to a single control system. If the system goes down the home owners have extremely limited control (lighting only from physical switches and hvac only from thermostats) but the systems are usually rock solid. Some clients will fork out the cash for a second control system to stand by for redundancy but very few do.

Redundancy is a lot more important in a production situation.

I once saw the results of a broken $20 thermostat in a commercial facility; a 40' shipping container full of week 4 flowers turned into spinach because the AC never came on. The container went to 140F; you couldn't even put your hand on the outside.

This is why the integrated system I'm working on is built from the ground up to be fault tolerant, so that things can never, ever go THAT far wrong.

I think you and I should talk.

 

[Rocman91]

What controllers do you guys recommend? As of right now I'm only using an ac infinity fan dialed in with temp and humidity and a dehumidifier. I'd like to take things to the next level just not sure what route to take . Co2 and better controllers in the near future

 

[ttystikk]

What controllers do you guys recommend? As of right now I'm only using an ac infinity fan dialed in with temp and humidity and a dehumidifier. I'd like to take things to the next level just not sure what route to take . Co2 and better controllers in the nose future

Sealing the room and supplementing CO2 is huge and so deciding how you'll manage temperature and humidity in a closed room is probably your next step. All solutions flow from those choices.

 

[Rocman91]

Sealing the room and supplementing CO2 is huge and so deciding how you'll manage temperature and humidity in a closed room is probably your next step. All solutions flow from those choices.

So with the sealed room I still keep vpd during flower but i can run higher temps and push the plants harder. I'm deff down to try that out i just bought 2 5x10 tents smh...i might list them on marketplace and frame a giant room . Fuck this adventure never ends lol. What strains are you rocking these days ?

 

[treefarmercharlie]

What controllers do you guys recommend? As of right now I'm only using an ac infinity fan dialed in with temp and humidity and a dehumidifier. I'd like to take things to the next level just not sure what route to take . Co2 and better controllers in the near future

I think AC Infinity is going to be announcing a new controller soon based on a Molex adapter they just listed on their Amazon store that says it makes the fans compatible with their future line of controllers. The AC Infinity Controller 67 isn't bad for fan control but it is extremely limited in configuration. I'm hoping their new controller will have the ability to control at least two external devices like a heater and humidifier. You can also build your own using Arduino but you need to have some basic programming experience and you really need to understand how thermostats and other devices work, logically, if you want it to work well. This is why I recommend that anyone who doesn't have integration experience just buy something that is pre-built. But, if you go with something pre-built, then the cost of the device will usually be directly related to how configurable and how reliable it is. Inexpensive controllers are often inexpensive because they use inexpensive hardware and haven't put much time into the coding of the firmware. I will say that the AC Infinity sensors seem pretty dead on to me. I had to adjust one of mine for RH by 2% and the other one was dead on.

 

[Rocman91]

I think AC Infinity is going to be announcing a new controller soon based on a Molex adapter they just listed on their Amazon store that says it makes the fans compatible with their future line of controllers. The AC Infinity Controller 67 isn't bad for fan control but it is extremely limited in configuration. I'm hoping their new controller will have the ability to control at least two external devices like a heater and humidifier. You can also build your own using Arduino but you need to have some basic programming experience and you really need to understand how thermostats and other devices work, logically, if you want it to work well. This is why I recommend that anyone who doesn't have integration experience just buy something that is pre-built. But, if you go with something pre-built, then the cost of the device will usually be directly related to how configurable and how reliable it is. Inexpensive controllers are often inexpensive because they use inexpensive hardware and haven't put much time into the coding of the firmware. I will say that the AC Infinity sensors seem pretty dead on to me. I had to adjust one of mine for RH by 2% and the other one was dead on.

What should I use as a bench mark to adjust my sensors? You think an oldschool mercury thermostat?

 

[treefarmercharlie]

What should I use as a bench mark to adjust my sensors? You think an oldschool mercury thermostat?

Most temperature sensors are pretty accurate so I wouldn't worry about that unless it seems off. For the humidity sensor I fill the bottom of a small container about 1/2" with table salt, then add water to it until it is like wet sand (should be saturated but if you scrape it away from the bottom you shouldn't see water pooling), and then you seal it up with the sensor hanging above the salt for a good 5-8 hours. Once it's sat for that long your humidity sensor should be reading right around 75% at room temp. Here's a more detailed explanation https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/projects/how-to-check-and-calibrate-a-humidity-sensor/

 

[ttystikk]

Most temperature sensors are pretty accurate so I wouldn't worry about that unless it seems off. For the humidity sensor I fill the bottom of a small container about 1/2" with table salt, then add water to it until it is like wet sand (should be saturated but if you scrape it away from the bottom you shouldn't see water pooling), and then you seal it up with the sensor hanging above the salt for a good 5-8 hours. Once it's sat for that long your humidity sensor should be reading right around 75% at room temp. Here's a more detailed explanation https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/projects/how-to-check-and-calibrate-a-humidity-sensor/

That link is AWESOME; not only does it explain why calibration is needed but it also lets the reader DIY a whole calibration series. Impressive!

 

[Rocman91]

That link is AWESOME; not only does it explain why calibration is needed but it also lets the reader DIY a whole calibration series. Impressive!

Fuck yeah I'll be doing the test tonight . Appreciate the info!