Halide logic

[DonW]

Here is what I have so far for my halide logic. Can anyone think of anything else that would be useful.

Normal timer function
Temp high / halides off
Temp low / halides on
20min delay after power failure
counter for days each bulb is used
8 -12 month bulb age warning
Acclimation cut back stepper feature

Thanks
Don

 

[CarlaW]

What about a feature for when you replace the bulbs? You would want to cut back on your photoperiod a might when you do that.

 

[DonW]

What about a feature for when you replace the bulbs? You would want to cut back on your photoperiod a might when you do that.

Thats part of the acclimation stepper. Each time the acclimation button is cycled it knocks 30 minutes off each end of the photo period. Every 4 days it steps back up 30min at each end.

Don

 

[CarlaW]

The acclimation threw me off, I thought that might be for new critters or corals.

 

[reedman]

remember that when you do the temp high-off function that you need to delay the restart by 20 minutes as well. Just in case you catch your tank getting warm at the end of the photo period. Outside of that, I think you have the bases covered.

 

[Kensn]

Don I track mine by hours on, not days, I don't know if you can do that or not. I also thought you may want to put a debounce timer on the "high temp off" part or it could turn the lights on and off several times a day. Can you turn on fans instead of turning off bulbs. If you have analog capability you could vary fan speed to the temp.

 

[DonW]

Don I track mine by hours on, not days, I don't know if you can do that or not. I also thought you may want to put a debounce timer on the "high temp off" part or it could turn the lights on and off several times a day. Can you turn on fans instead of turning off bulbs. If you have analog capability you could vary fan speed to the temp.

Ken,
If the halides shut down due to heat, they are not be allowed to turn on again until the next cycle if heat is back to normal. The only way this will happen is if the chiller fails. This gives me time to see the problem.
The counter is only to remind me bulbs are in need of the normal yearly change. They start reminding me on the lcd at 75% that way I can procrastinate on ordering bulbs. The fans use temp and go up and down from 0 to 100%.

Don

 

[Scooterman]

Throw in a temp. controlled fan blowing directly on the lamp, more heat equals more cfm requirments. Guess you don't need a controller for those but it would be cool, also TCPIP, you can set up online monitoring & controls, maybe throw in an HMI for easier interface.

 

[Kensn]

Sounds great Don. The only reason I use actual hours instead of days, is because I was going to program a slight shifting of on times for the lamps to semi simulate seasons. Maybe a hour or hour and a half shift at the most in 6 months. I track bulb usage by hours thats all. Can you set at what temp the fans run 100%?

 

[DonW]

Can you set at what temp the fans run 100%?

Yes, sure can. This week I'm just setting up the halide code and installing the relays in the ballast. Pfo gives plenty of room in the box for the 10a relays.


Don

 

[Kensn]

Don, so their is analog in and out on the controller, how many channels and is it scaleable in the controller. I better go look at your other thread and look up the one you are using, and answer my own questions......

 

[clayswim]

Ken,
Whether to run lights at different durations for different seasons depends on where your livestock are from. For example, a lot of your south pacific life is caught near the equator where daylight hours stay the same year round, so there really is no seasonal shift.

Clayton

 

[Kensn]

Yes there is 12 hrs per day of sunlight along the line of the equator. Just 30 degress off the equator there is a 4 hour shift I believe. So I thought an hour to an hour and a half should be a typical shift since I don't think everything is gathered on the line of the equator. Just because I can and it is a good excersise in programming. I am going to do the same with my moonlighting.

 

[Kensn]

Don I checked out your contoller, looks very interesting, and the price is really good, especialy being able to do analog. Possibilites are endless. Does the ocelot have a real time clock? I forgot to look.

 

[clayswim]

I didn't mean to suggest that you shouldn't be running a seasonal shift; I just didn't want beginners to think that our lights should match that of our own seasons. "Just" 30 degrees off the equator is also halfway to the Arctic Circle, which is dark 24 hours a day right now. Shifts in photosynthesis duration among temperate organisms matter a great deal, but tropical organisms aren't accustomed to it. In the tropics it's the intensity that changes more than anything. Tropical climates have only two seasons, dry and wet. During the wet season the sun stays up just as long, but due to cloud cover the intensity drops. The same non-effect is seen in plants, birds and insects as well. All are highly affected by shifting hours in the temperate climates, but tropical species are instead affected by other changes. In greenhouses you can force a temperate plant into blooming by changing both the duration and color temperature of the light, but tropical plants will simply change color in an attempt to capture more light.

Again, I'm not arguing with you; just thought I'd throw in some info on tropical time shifts for our less experienced newbies.

Clayton

 

[DonW]

Don I checked out your contoller, looks very interesting, and the price is really good, especialy being able to do analog. Possibilites are endless. Does the ocelot have a real time clock? I forgot to look.

Yes, just like a pc it has a little battery. With the right modules it does just about anything. Analog, digital, supervised and 4-20ma, x10, low power relay switching, high power relay switching and rs232 IO. The timers and variables are huge I couldnt imagine ever running out. The network is 2 wire so its very easy to add on at any time, just add to the daisy chain. The programming is ladder logic, so pretty simple.
I'm not into changing my photoperiod for anything other than DST, but I'm a creature of habbit. I run mine around my schedule, for best tank viewing.
The halides are being run by low power relay switching. The secu16 has 8 .5 amp relays. I put 12v/10a relays inside the pfo ballast boxes that get switched via cat 5 cable by the secu16.

Don

 

[DonW]

Throw in a temp. controlled fan blowing directly on the lamp, more heat equals more cfm requirments. Guess you don't need a controller for those but it would be cool, also TCPIP, you can set up online monitoring & controls, maybe throw in an HMI for easier interface.

Ive got a web interface server that works real nice and can do anything that can be done local. I dont keep it running since we are a laptop family, there are no stationary computers. I can have it call my cell if there is a problem and can call back and make changes over the phone. It uses what they call a Adnet modem made just for this purpose. The rs232 is great for the lcd display, no computer or software to run.
I only hook up to download the programming.

Don

 

[plack]

I guess to simulate intensity changes you would have to have the lights hanging by wires and a motor programed to rotate small amounts through out the day?

 

[Kensn]

Don can you please post a link to a sample of the ladder logic, and is the software included with the purchase price.

 

[DonW]

Don can you please post a link to a sample of the ladder logic, and is the software included with the purchase price.

Ken,
If you go to appdig.com the software is called c-max. It can be downloaded for free. You can set up a fake system map to play with.

0008 - IF Module #1 -SECU16-I Input #15 Turns OFF
0009 - THEN Timer #1 = 1
0010 - THEN X-10 House A / Unit 9, Turn ON
0011 - IF Timer #1 becomes = 360
0012 - THEN X-10 House A / Unit 9, Turn OFF
0013 - THEN Timer #1 = 0

The above will see a hardwired supervised motion sensor in my bathroom and switch on the light through a x10 switch then go back off after no motion and 360 seconds.

IF Time of Day is > 07:00
0027 - AND Time of Day is < 19:00
0028 - THEN Module #2 -SECU16 Relay #8 Turn ON
0029 - ELSE Module #2 -SECU16 Relay #8 Turn OFF

This will just control a halide. Turns on a .5a relay, send 12+ to a 12 10a relay to control a halide.

There is alot more to it than just those few lines, but you get the idea. My app is 1000+ lines and growing.

Don