Automation

[stinkyattic]

Yeah, it's just not the same if you're not being naughty...

I now understand why you have not redirected your enthusiasm for growing indoors into a psychotic impulse to collect rare orchids.

[oldsanclem]

I forgot to note that solid state relays can be big enough to drive 50 amps or more or 5 1000 watters. Remember that larger < 20 amps require a heat sink. A larger metal box with tem grease works great.
Just did some regular house work with x-10 but the hid lights and florsent light cause the x-10 to go on or off. NFG if you depend on them for the growing of the happy weed.
Grow for piece and be happy , Peace is just a way for a hippy to get layed. Ass for grass , be happy

[turtle420]

Wow... OldSanClem, hello there!
Hello Stinky. Hello rhizome.

SanClem, just saw this for the first time.
Very interested in this.
When I used the X10 system, it definitely wasn't running "perfect".
Sometimes it would skip a beat.
It would fail to turn ON something... or fail to turn OFF another thing.
That could/would turn out into disaster.

I'm looking at this site for the RelayRunner.

And I see they have a hardware section.

Would you mind if we run over a basic setup here?
Say we already have the computer and the software installed.
What would be needed?


I see a PC Printer Port Relay Board CK1601, which I believe is the one you use... yes? No?

Do you have an old PC lying around the house which absolutely no one wants? Then you can convert it into a dedicated controller. Communicate with the real world via the parallel printer port on your PC. Simply connect printer cable from your computer to the connector on relay board. There are 8 relays each capable of switching 12VDC/10A or 240VAC/5A. Each relay has an LED to indicate when it is operated.

So,... sorry, but I'm lost.
How do you connect, say a 1,000W ballast to the board?
Is there an additional relay box? Or do the 110volts go 'into' that card inside the computer?
I see the card is 'capable of switching' 240VAC/5A.
Still I'm lost.

OldSanClem, thanks man. Much appreciated.
Much interested in taking a deeper look at this.

One final question:::
What board do you use for 'feedback'?
You say you record pH, ppm, etc. ...
With what? How do you connect the pH meter (which one?) to the computer?

Well, there... a barage of questions.
Thanks again.

Best to all,

-turtle420
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[oldsanclem]

I use both types of output printer and pci
input is a DATAQ 4 channel and a 16 channel
Output from co2 are Millivolts per PPm
Output from ph and ppm same
Output from a voltage divider and wall powersupply plugin DC
Lamp check from a car solar cell
Relay radio shack 12 volt 15 amp
Solid stare relays used from Ebay 3-12 volt
Its all basic electric stuff , real basic
The printer port works great remember to change the computer battery out every year Xmas to new years is when I do it so I do not forget.

[Zcomp]

I had so wired that I could tell when the cops were in the neighborhood.
Which was rough sometimes as a nark lived next door.
You gota love the technology (sp) of todays toys.
note the x10 2.4 gig camera recievers would go bonkers when cops keyed there body senders. Download relayrunner and see how easy it is, its has a fail safe feature's so a moron can set it up.

I am that "moron" but I do understand this whole post. Except this... How can I rig a cop detector?? I have a few spare Pentiums and I'm really interested in that security. If I'm reading you right then your picking up the signal from there body senders?? I gotta have that tech. I've been slacking on my tech updates for a few years now.

[oldsanclem]

The cops have a system where the cop, is called on his personal body reciever. All they do is press the button to send a signal back to the station they are ok.
Now the x-10 camerss send at 2.4 g hz , here how it works.
The police body reciever when it send the signal back it causes interferance to the camers. The screen has a bunch of static on it, because the cops are close, when they tranmitt. I used a normal tv with , tv, 2 input visual and sound. (most new tv have this feature)
Now heres how you can tell they are close the screen has lots and lots of static.
I had narks living right next to a large grow room. YOU NEVER put a 2.4 gh camera in a room , you hard wire a camera.
The program relayrunner has a way to kill the program, with either a signal from a switch or when you take your computer and hit a sign on the screen. I have a switch between computers so the grow system is never on the screen. Except when I'm programing it or looking at data from Dataq .

[Zcomp]

brilliant.. Why didn't I know that trick already?? so 2.4 Ghz is there signal range, then that means that there's a whole host of ways to detect these guys first. but what about other 2.4GHz interference like certain phones and I think some wireless networks??

[oldsanclem]

To find out the total interferance you would need a high freq scope. I think there about $10,000 Buy one and let us know. I just know about the cops interferance , just by the screw up tv screen ,when recieving stuff from the x-10 camera.
The interferance can be caused by a reflection from anything , by harmonice etc. Even a solder joint or wire in alignment. High freq is a art of all the parts.
I guess you can build a antenna to pick up the freq of the cops. But then new systems are digital and scrambled. The personal rec/trans are not as high tec as the ground base units.
Note I found out by the cops living next door, so it was easy, I would know they were home by the monitor disturbances.

[Zcomp]

Sure man I just ordered my high freq. scope on ebay(only $9,999 after shiping lol). :S2:

I do have a couple cop friends so I'll do some testing on some diff. equipment until I can get hold of the x-10.
Thanks man, I love the internet.

[turtle420]

Hey oldSanClem,

Thanks for all the help!

I think I have a better understanding of the setup now.

So, this is the card I need to buy to hard-wire the stuff.


Question, if I'm using this card, the PCI-PDISO16... ok, I'm going to use that for inputs.
Fine.
But, the sensors... do I use the ones I've got now?
I've got a Hanna in-line monitor... ppm, pH, temp, etc.
It has two probes.
Can I just splice the probes' cables into the PCI-PDISO16?
Or do I have to buy one probe for each input into the PCI-PDISO16?

Thanks for answering the n00b questions!
Much, much appreciated!

Best Regards,

-turtle420
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