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 poke smot!
cognitive consonance
 
Registered: 01/08/03
Posts: 4,669
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 Terrarium control system
#1237722 - 01/21/03 03:41 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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For those of you who are interested, I've finished my first control system. It works fine, just as I had planned, and I've documented everything in the process of making it on this site.
There are complete design plans to build your own, and although it requires some electrical expertise to do this, I am willing to make units for other shroomerites who are interested in precise, automated control of their fruiting chamber's conditions.
The unit has many uses. It can automatically turn fans on for a set amount of time for air circulation; It can turn on your humidifier when the humidity drops below a certain percent RH; It can heat or cool your chamber. All of this is done through a PC's parallel port, and the software has been tested on Windows XP and 2000.
Just drop me a line (via. PM) if you have any questions or are interested.
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Edited by SheetRooms (08/31/07 09:29 AM)
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 Anno
Experimenter
Registered: 06/17/99
Posts: 24,064
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: poke smot!]
#1238179 - 01/21/03 10:41 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Cool! Build me one, build me one ! 
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Delariand
Math.random()
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Loc: Uzbekistan
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: poke smot!]
#1239120 - 01/22/03 07:01 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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*jaw hits floor*
Wow, that's awesome! I've had something like this nagging the back of my mind for a while, but I'm a software geek, not a hardware geek, and I didn't even have a clue where to start. Thanks to your page I can hack together some parts and pretend like I know what I'm doing, and possibly even get a working terrarium control system out of it. Thanks!
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There once was a bud named BC
He grew on a seven foot tree
Then one day I plucked him
To roll him and smoke him
And now I can barely see!
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero
Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,195
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 9 hours, 41 minutes
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: poke smot!]
#1239526 - 01/22/03 09:11 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Nice layout... did you use mentor graphics? Been a while since I worked with it, but those are what our printouts used to look like.
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Just another spore in the wind.
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poke smot!
cognitive consonance
Registered: 01/08/03
Posts: 4,669
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: Seuss]
#1240351 - 01/22/03 01:48 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Thanks for the feedback 
I used MS Paint for the schematics.
I'll have a revision going down for a more perfected version allowing however many outlets you can fit into the space you're working with.
I'm going to make a price list and reorganize the site once I complete my control app... I'll include the app as part of the assembled package. I'm also going to make a free shroomery app which is a sized-down version of the program I am writing. It will be somewhat hard-coded, but will still take temperature/humidity inputs and control your devices to decent specifications.
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zeronio
Stranger
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: poke smot!]
#1241059 - 01/22/03 06:16 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Yes, that's very cool! Tell us how much will it be!
Another question:
What about the protection of computer from the high currents on relays?
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MicronMagick
old hand
Registered: 10/16/01
Posts: 1,026
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: poke smot!]
#1241259 - 01/22/03 07:35 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Post deleted by administrator.
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero
Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,195
Loc: Caribbean
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: zeronio]
#1241366 - 01/22/03 09:20 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
What about the protection of computer from the high currents on relays?
What do you mean? Any high current from the switching side of the relay is isolated from the rest of the circuit. The relay has a diode across the coil protecting that side of the circuit. I don't see a problem here in the design.
(Mentor graphics is an EE cad, digital design and modeling program, not a graphics drawing program. Nice artwork.)
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Just another spore in the wind.
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shroomologist
member
Registered: 09/29/02
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: poke smot!]
#1242032 - 01/23/03 04:41 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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i have access to a rapid prototyping circuit board machine
basically, its a CNC router that makes/drills double sided circuit boards.
if you draw a layout, i might be interested in making some up.
just depends on the popularity of this idea!
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H2O2shrooms
Couch Potato
Registered: 12/11/02
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Thats alot faster than me running down to radio shack and making a few.
I mentioned this to some other guys and I know of at least 4 ya could sell.
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Mycology is a lot like quantum mechanics in that we don?t have causal relationships like in Newtonian physics, only probabilities of various outcomes.<=== Misapropriated from Mycofile
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zeronio
Stranger
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: Seuss]
#1244278 - 01/23/03 06:50 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
What do you mean? Any high current from the switching side of the relay is isolated from the rest of the circuit. The relay has a diode across the coil protecting that side of the circuit. I don't see a problem here in the design.
I don't know much about electronics & terminology that's why I'm asking this.
I meant optical isolation between high current side and the logic side. Would that make things much more expensive? I'm wondering what are the chances that I fry my computer if I switch currents of 3A or 5A? Is that diode in relay enough?
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Seuss
Error: divide byzero
Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,195
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 9 hours, 41 minutes
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: zeronio]
#1245999 - 01/24/03 10:57 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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A relay is a magnetic controlled switch. The high current side has no physical contact to the control side. The control side is simply a magnetic coil that pulls the switch closed when the coil is charged. A spring opens the switch when the coil discharges. The only concern is that the energy stored in the coil has to go somewhere when discharged. The diode takes care of that little problem providing a one-way path when needed.
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Just another spore in the wind.
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zeronio
Stranger
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: Seuss]
#1247086 - 01/25/03 01:15 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Cool! Thanx!!!
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poke smot!
cognitive consonance
Registered: 01/08/03
Posts: 4,669
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Damn, I thought about etching my own boards but I don't have a drill press or anything like that so I wouldn't be able to do it "right".
I'm going to run to RS today and get parts for a smaller logic unit. I'll post updates on pricing and design this weekend on the site.
Thanks for all the input!
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poke smot!
cognitive consonance
Registered: 01/08/03
Posts: 4,669
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: poke smot!]
#1248608 - 01/25/03 02:57 PM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Ok, I revised the device to something I like, and assembled one for myself. I now have two versions, an older prototype and a newer design.
The new device has a standard logic box that can be used with different numbers of input sensors and relays. I made this logic box as a type of one-size-fits-all, as it houses all the logic that would have been there to start, but anything you want to add can be added outside the box.
I'll be updating my site this weekend with more devices, but for now here's the logic box prices I figure: (as long as it's ok with admins that I'm selling this here)
Complete logic box: $60.23 plus shipping. Includes current version of my software. One DB25 connector goes to your parallel port, the other DB25 is for I/O. The I/O connector has to have a 5-36 volt DC power fed to it, and it returns 5V DC. The connector has 8 pins for relay control, and 8 pins for analog inputs. Keep in mind that you need to add relays and relay drivers to control appliances. I'll be adding assembled versions of these boxes shortly.
Complete logic box, minus the digi-key parts (if you are ordering from digikey anyway for sensors and etc): $49.30. Same as above, but doesn't include the three IC's (ask me about specific numbers if you want to buy this version)
Logic board only: $31.12. This doesn't include a project enclosure. You get the logic board pre-wired, with one DB25 connector for the parallel port. There are non-connected wires already soldered to the eight analog inputs and eight relay outputs, if you want to use this as a component in your project. This doesn't include the three IC's needed for logic.
I hope those are fairly reasonable prices, but I have to be compensated for the time in front of the soldering iron I'll offer the devices guaranteed free from defects for 1 year, and a 15-day return policy.
Of course you can still build your own, using the plans here.
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Edited by SheetRooms (08/31/07 09:31 AM)
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shroomologist
member
Registered: 09/29/02
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: poke smot!]
#1251991 - 01/27/03 02:39 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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kykeon
Dead wishes
Registered: 05/30/02
Posts: 1,506
Loc: A universe right next to ...
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 Re: Terrarium control system [Re: Seuss]
#1252027 - 01/27/03 02:56 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Code:
Computer-Controlled Appliance Switch
cool! i remember five years ago, a friend of mine has made his computer go off/on several thingies in his house... but i had forgot about it.
COOL DUDE, well done
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The living ghost of Kykeon
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Anno
Experimenter
Registered: 06/17/99
Posts: 24,064
Loc: my room
Last seen: 13 hours, 58 minutes
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>here's two products that do the same thing
Can you attach a humidity and temperature probe on these?
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Chills420 version2
Poo Pie Maker
Registered: 01/25/03
Posts: 471
Last seen: 8 years, 5 months
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Re: Terrarium control system [Re: Anno]
#1252412 - 01/27/03 05:43 AM (9 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
>here's two products that do the same thing
Can you attach a humidity and temperature probe on these?
I don't think these will let you do that.
But someone told me about a switch they make and sell at lowes that is made to open valves it's runs of moister in the air is suposed to have a setting ajustment.
I dunno though I'm going to hunt for this in a few hours. If i find it i'll let you know.
I hope if i can find it.
If it will set right is the ? though.
I plan on doing a mock setup with some extra dung/straw I had left over from the last run.
This way I can see if it will let me control it without the cause of losing a crop if it doesn't work out.
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You may say Im a dreamer,
but Im not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.
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Chills420 version2
Poo Pie Maker
Registered: 01/25/03
Posts: 471
Last seen: 8 years, 5 months
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Well lowes doesn't have it. However I have located one I think.
I asked a guy with a plumbing shit on about them. He told me where to get them at a plumbing shop downtown.
He also clames they make one that will read humidity and cause it to open or close depending on how u set it.
He wasn't sure of the exact name so I'll be hunting again tomorow.
I did see something at a pet store it was called a "FROG HUT"
the lady said it will keep humidity at any level you set it at same with the temp.
Mesurements on it were roughly 17x34x14
It has top mounted auto fans that will come on and bottom vents about 6 inches up.
Downfall to this thing is they want 175.00 + another 100 for the stand.
I think i'm gona fig out the switch thing b4 i spend that much on a frog hut that might not work.
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You may say Im a dreamer,
but Im not the only one,
I hope some day you'll join us,
And the world will live as one.
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