AC Jr - setup help **PLESE**

[fatoldsun]

I picked up an Aqua-Controller Jr with an extra bar. I was hoping to be able to fully expand from my RKII with only 8 switched outlets to the full 16 with the ACJr but research is suggesting that I’m limited to a total of 12 controlled/switched outlets. I guess I can live with that depending on how my DIY LED plays out but I was hoping to control dimming with the ACJr – The drivers are the Meanwell “D”s and I **hope, hope, hope** it will control them. I also will need to splice multiple drivers to a shared plug – for example, 2 drivers for all the blues on one, 2 drivers for all the whites on another and the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] plug (5[SUP]th[/SUP] driver with have my overflow blues and any other colors I work in (unless I can do 3 drivers on one plug – not sure that’s doable) .

Anyway, enough about the light. Does anyone have a history with (or still use) an ACJr? Why am I having SO much trouble getting it set up? I think it can do so much more than I need - I think that’s a big part of the problem I’m having. I’m usually pretty good at figuring stuff out but for some reason I’m just hitting a wall with this. For now all I want is a straight up controller (set the time) for my lights (is there a protection feature for MHs? The RKII had this and I can’t find anything with the ACJr that says it does). Beyond the lights for now, I’d like it to run my heaters, my ATO, kalk stirrer and a few other odds and ends – all just on/off by time. I have a Ranco for the chiller (both which I hope to remove when I get the LEDs running but I don’t think I can pass that much amperage through the power bar. I haven’t used the pH probe to control my kalk or ATO because I’ve never found the probe to be accurate or reliable enough 0- maybe that will change with a new probe – I think I finally figured out why I kept having problems with them. My vortechs are fine with their own controllers for now and I have my skimmer and return on the DJ strip (mostly because I never bother to set up the RKII because there wasn’t enough room and also I like to turn both off for WCs and maintenance and a feed cycle timer wouldn’t give me enough time. So the dilemma is – why can’t I get this thing to behave like a fancy multi-timer? It’s almost like it’s pissed at me because I am trying to limit how much it should be able to do.

 

[fatoldsun]

Really? No ACJr fans still floating around? Someone's gotta know this thing like the back of their hand. Wait, I know, it's because I can't spell "please", isn't it?

....I got rid of the obnoxious Flyers avatar after the embarrassment of the last week... are people still annoyed about that?

 

[dougc]

Jr uses the same command set as the AC2 and AC3. I m still running an AC3 and am even still using some X10 modules. I save my old programs, some of which had MH and VHO control. If you can describe what you want to do, I can try to help.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk 2

 

[fatoldsun]

Thanks Doug!

I'm not looking to do anything complex (I don’t think) but I didn’t think that programming even factored in so I clearly know way too little at this point. The RKII was easy and I guess I thought this would be similar.

Ok, so with the MHs, my concern is if a breaker (or GFI) trips or the power flashes is there a way to tell it to allow for adequate cool down before restarting the MHs? Also, the RK shuts the lights off if I hit 82* (basically if the chiller fails to come on at 80* - just a fail-safe)

I don’t know much about the X10s – would I need them for a DIY LED if I’m using dimmable drivers or could I just program the ACJr to meter the power sent to a particular outlet the way it might for a powerhead that was being run as a wave maker?

Do you know of any way around the limit of 12 controlled outlets? Is there a way to reprogram the head unit to allow for more? I have 2 DC8s and I think 16 total outlets would more or less future-proof my setup. Since they’re not daisy-chained I can actually run each DC8 from a different circuit – I ran 2 -15 amp GFIs to the tank. Anyway it seems with the little jumper switches on the DC8s that they’re made with the idea of multiple bars in mind so I thought there might be a work around.

Otherwise, all I’m looking to do is control the heater(s) to override their built in thermometers because they are 2 cheap 150W Sera heaters and I don’t trust them on their own

The chiller is on a separate Ranco because I didn’t think the RKII could handle the load of that and the MHs on the same bar and same circuit

I also have a kalk stirrer on a timer to stir for a few hours in the morning (2Am to 8AM) and the ATO which pumps through the stirrer comes on from 11PM to 12AM. At this point I don’t have and dosers or anything overly complex. Just lights, pumps, temp control and the kalk

 

[dougc]

Everything you describe is doable on AC3. Not sure of the post power-failure capabilities of the AC Jr. When I get home tonight, I'll dig up my old program that fits what you want and annotate it to describe what it does. It should help you get started.

As to the outlet limit, that is probably inherent in the Jr's firmware.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk 2

 

[fatoldsun]

That would be great Doug. Thank you!!

 

[dougc]

Here is a program I ran. Everything in it should work with an AC Jr. Just provides some examples of how to program the beast. The important thing to remember is that the logic gets interpreted top to bottom each time the controller loops.

// comments must be removed from program before downloading to controller.
// Define the outlets and devices. The symbol ($^&) determine which symbol displays
// on the controller display.
// This uses two DC4HD boxes (D1-D4 and D5-D8) and several X-10 appliance modules (addresses set
// with rotary dials on module).
MH1$-D5 // metal halide light 1
MH2$-D6 // metal halide light 2
MH3$-D7 // metal halide light 3
VH1$-F2 // VHO ballast 1
VH2$-F4 // VHO ballast 2
HET%-D1 // heaters
CHL%-C1 // chiller (X-10 module)
FAN%-D2 // fan for heat control
CO2&-D3 // CO2 for calcium reactor
ALM&-A1 // X-10 audible alarm module
MON$-N1 // moonlights
STR&-D4 // stirrer for kalk reactor

// Set initial state for everything. Each time the controller loops, it goes through
// this script and each outlet will get set to the last state set in the script.
If Time > 00:00 Then ALM OFF
// RT is the seasonal temperature. Can also use a hardcoded number (e.g. 78.5)
// Use hysteresis (a range of temperature fluctuation) to avoid turning heaters on and
// off constantly.
If Temp < RT+-0.4 Then HET ON // temperature too low.
If Temp > RT+0.0 Then HET OFF // set temperature reached.
If Temp > RT+0.2 Then FAN ON // temperature a little high, turn on fan.
If Temp < RT+0.0 Then FAN OFF // temp ok. turn fan off.
If Temp > RT+0.4 Then CHL ON // temp too high. turn on chiller.
If Temp < RT+0.0 Then CHL OFF // temp back down to normal. turn off chiller.
If Temp > RT+0.6 Then MH1 OFF // chiller not holding temp down. Turn off a metal halide.
If Temp > RT+0.8 Then MH3 OFF // turn off another if temp keeps climbing.
If Temp > RT+1.0 Then MH2 OFF // ditto

// Moon is another seasonal variable. Can also use actual clock times. 000/000 is relative
// to moon up and down times.
If Moon 000/000 Then MON ON

// Turn on first VHO 30 minutes before sunrise time (another built-in variable).
// Turn on second VHO 15 minutes later.
// Can also use actual time.
If Sun -030/030 Then VH1 ON
If Sun -015/015 Then VH2 ON
// Turn on halides at 15 minute intervals.
If Sun 000/-030 Then MH1 ON
If Sun 015/-015 Then MH2 ON
If Sun 030/000 Then MH3 ON

// Manage reset of lights. VHO needs at least 5 minutes off before restarting.
// Max change ensures that VHO stays off for at least 5 minutes after power is
// restored. Power off after power failure and power back on one at a time.
If Power Fail Then VH1 OFF
Max Change 005 M Then VH1 OFF
// Wait another 5 minutes before turning on second VHO. Mostly to avoid surge if
// both were turned on at same time.
If Power Fail Then VH2 OFF
Max Change 010 M Then VH2 OFF

// halides need at least 15 minutes before restart. Turn off after power failure and
// power back on one at a time.
If Power Fail Then MH1 OFF
Max Change 020 M Then MH1 OFF
If Power Fail Then MH2 OFF
Max Change 025 M Then MH2 OFF
If Power Fail Then MH3 OFF
Max Change 030 M Then MH3 OFF

// Turn off CO2 on calcium reactor if pH in tank gets too low.
If pH > 8.10 Then CO2 ON
If pH < 8.00 Then CO2 OFF

// turn kalk stirrer on for 5 minutes every 6 hours.
OSC 005/240 ON/OFF Then STR ON

// Sound the alarm if something out of range. With AC Jr, only option is to dial
// a phone number if it is equipped with a serial port. Only worked with a direct
// dial text pager.
If Temp > RT+1.4 Then ALM ON
If Temp < RT+-1.4 Then ALM ON
If pH < 7.80 Then ALM ON
If pH > 8.60 Then ALM ON

// Switch connected to float switch in sump. Turns on alarm if water gets too low.
If Switch1 CLOSED Then ALM ON


I hope this helps you get started.

Doug

 

[fatoldsun]

A little intimidating but hopefully I'll get the hang of it. Thanks much...

 

[fatoldsun]

Doug
Not sure you're checking this but thought I'd ask. I think I programmed everything following your protocol. I still have some issues though. Example, I programmed the first strip as "A1-8" and the 2nd as "B9-16". I have 2 HQIs and I set the If/Then for their on/off. I tried to add the max change and followed your lead. I also tried the power failure statement. But there's no "failure" just power < 000. I used that. Does order matter? I think I had that statement after the max change statement. Anyway the controller has a "U" for spots A1 & A2 which are the MH1 & MH2 respectively. U according to the manual means the statements could never be true. What's weirder is in spite of that, spot A1 is live. I tried deleting the power <000 statement and just left max change and still 2 Us and A1 is still live. A2 is still out. Any thoughts? Maybe I should have PM'd this. Sorry

 

[fatoldsun]

ok, thought I'd give one more shout out on this as i try to get the ACJr to acquiesce….
I’d like to make sure that the halides cycle off for a 15 minute cool down in the event of a power failure. I used Doug’s programming as a baseline but I can’t seem to get the cool down to work. I believe everything else is working properly. I’ve had the controller and the DC8s on the living room floor for about a month plus – needless to say, my wife is NOT happy about that

Ok, so here’s the deal: I have my lights assigned as MH1 – A1 and MH2 – A2

Time is
If time > 11:00 Then MH1 ON
If time > 19:00 Then MH2 OFF

DougC’s suggestion was that I program the delay as follows:
If Power Fail Then MH1 OFF
Max Change 020 M Then MH1 OFF

When I was programming it I could not find a “fail” command for power - as an alternative, I tried:
“If Power < 0 Then MH1 OFF”

Needless to say, that did not work – I simulated a power outage – real official-like, I pulled the plug. Plugged it back in and the A1 and A2 spots were back on immediately.
The only thing I can think of is that I don’t have the commands in order. I know the controller will cycle top down and when I programmed I did all of my on/off commands first. Then I added the power fail/max change in – could that be the issue? Or am I doing something wrong with the “If Power < 0” – is there something that I should find that is actually “power fail”?
Thanks for any help

 

[fatoldsun]

Ok, so I'm getting the sense that there aren't many fans of ACJrs here....
i did get this over on RC
If Time > 11:00 Then MH1 ON
If Time > 11:00 Then MH2 ON
If Time > 19:00 Then MH1 OFF
If Time > 19:00 Then MH2 OFF
If Power 020 Then MH1 OFF
If Power 020 Then MH2 OFF
- not sure what happened to the max change piece and logic to me suggests that the "20" which I assume is minutes should be the "then" part of the statement since that's the desired result of a power failure, - all I can gather is "power" + power failure. anyway I'll try it tonight - fingers crossed - I'd love to get this thing up and running already. I'm so sick of trying to remember to turn the stuff that doesn't fit on my RKII on and off every day....

 

[dougc]

Sorry, but I didn't see your posts on this thread.

The ACIII has two AC power inputs. One is the primary. I have that plugged into a small UPS. This keeps the controller running when there is a power failure. The second input plugs directly into the AC line. This allows the ACIII to continue to operate and, in my case, send out an alarm while the power is off. None of this should matter for post-power-fail logic, since it merely allows detection of a power failure without an onboard battery.

The MAX statements are intended to define how long to maintain a state once it is invoked. In other words, if something is switched off, this determines how long it stays off even if some other condition (such as time of day) mandates that it show be switched on. This is used in my program to keep the lights off for a minimum amount of time after they are turned off because the temperature gets too high,. It is not involved in post-power-fail recovery.

The Power 020 then MH1 OFF is the statement that recovers from a power failure, both in my program and in the example you got from RC. This is what says to keep the lights off for the specified number of minutes, allowing the bulbs to cool.

I think you are taking the right approach. Start with the simplest logic, test, and build it up from there. If too much is going on, it can be difficult to debug.

Good luck. I'll try to keep an eye on this thread, so that it doesn't go without a response for 4 weeks. Not sure I can help more, but I'll try.

 

[fatoldsun]

Thanks for checking back Doug. Think I got it set and running tonight. The "if power 20 then MH1 off" was my missing step. I may go back and tweak it but as long as it cycles through properly in the next day or so I think I'm set.