Automation hardware features

xin

Active Member
What's going on everyone. So I'm sitting in chicago anticipating it becoming legal to grow. I've got my 3x3 built. I plan to design and make a controller for automating climate control for dwc / other grows . I am going to use the time where Im in limbo to design and perfect my climate control how i would have liked it all this time. Other people might not be so fortunate and might like the work.
Am I missing any features you couldn't live with out? Ive looked at a few and not seen exactly what I want so if you have a controller that has everything post it up. Here is what I have so far planned. I want 100% control over climate so Im planning for heaters and coolers. Aiming to open source this and do it as cheap as I can. With the goal of using off the shelf parts to plug into the controller. This way you get the smallest thing you think will handle your grow area and if you get an error , replace that device with a more robust one.

My goal in the end is to automatically datalog exactly what conditions were there so people can recreate results more easily. Oh and keeping discretion as a goal. SSR's only. Planning this for tents cause thats whats easiest to pop it up where ever you can. I imagine , at some point , seeds could be sold with a file to import settings for recommended conditions for the strain.


High level overview of Automatic climate control for indoor cannabis growing.

Display
Datalogging / import
user Over rides
Input
WIFI
Temp sensor
Humidity sensor
Co2 sensor
Water temp sensor
Multiple inputs for sensors? Plant, light, room, sensors etc



Heater switched 110
AC?

Dehumidifier switched 110

Humidifier switched 110

Intake Fan switched 110
Exhaust Fan switched 110

Lights switched 110

Co2 gen switched 110

Mixer switched 110

Peltier cooler switched 110 or 12v2a

Water heater switched 110

Ventilation switched 110 (if something went wrong you could remotely turn off the fans. )
 

Renfro

Well-Known Member
Make a controller that will work with VPD. Something that can manage humidity and temp to maintain the proper VPD.

For example, lets say the temp rises above the set point regardless of cooling, the controller could detect that situation and raise the humidity accordingly.
 

xin

Active Member
Yep, all this sort of thing can be automated. Kick on the humidifier and start working the temp back to target, then as it arrives on target it could remove humidity. This will all be done in sw. Im hoping to find some hw I didnt mention so i can add it in the beginning. Im going to make this as jelly bean as i can so i will probably use a mega2560 instead of the pic Im more familiar with. Just so people can throw them together more easily.
 

Renfro

Well-Known Member
Could it control devices using the infrared remote control signals? Like to change settings on the AC unit..
 

xin

Active Member
Absolutely, I will add the hw in. It might be a pita to get the signals into it but yes. Ive controlled my AC this way.

I figured ideal would be to climate control the room around the tent. then just pull ideal air in the intake. Rather than shock the plant with the ac, inside. The hw will be there though incase it can be useful.
 
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Renfro

Well-Known Member
There was another fella using industrial automation controls to build a system similar to yours. I wonder if he's still working on that. Maybe you two could put your heads together.
 

xin

Active Member
yeah ive got a plc here but the goal was anyone could use it as an arduino. Now that ive been searching for parts google is starting to return results of other projects. Not sure if Im gonna do this , need to go thru the other options im finding now. They werent showing up originally.
 
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