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Thread: Season Table Dimming Override for New T5's

  1. #1
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    Question Season Table Dimming Override for New T5's

    Hi,

    I need some help please before my head explodes..

    After a huge amount of research and trial and error (mostly error) I have finally gotten my apex to control my lighting setup consisting of DIY Dimmable T5's and Giesemann Pulzar LED strips and have successfully implemented the season table, largely thanks to RussM's invaluable stickys etc.

    I added the Steady20/Steady70 profiles and virtual outlets suggested and intended doing something similar to provide me with an easy switch that I can use when installing new t5 tubes to override the "dawn/rise/dusk/set" ramping and just leave the undimmed "Day" portion of the VDM Outlet active. However, when I came to doing this I realised that it wasn't as simple as that, as I can't make a profile run the replacement "If Sun" command like it did the ramp... or maybe I can??.. or maybe it's really simple and I'm just going about it all wrong, so i thought I would ask those that know.

    I hope that makes sense. Many thanks in advance.

    Nic

  2. #2
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    Create a new virtual outlet. Call it "New_Lamps" (for example)

    [New_Lamps]
    Set OFF
    If Sun 000/000 Then ON

    [ T5_Lights ]
    Set OFF
    If Sun 000/-360 Then T5_Rise
    If Sun 360/000 Then T5_Set
    If Sun 060/-060 Then T5_Day
    If Outlet New_Lamps = ON Then T5_Day

    Leave the New_Lamps outlet tile set to OFF normally. When you put new lamps in, set it to AUTO. The T5_day profile will then be active from sunup to sundown instead of the normal schedule with ramps up and down. Put the tile back to OFF when the break-in period is over.

    If this is not what you want, please clearly explain what it is you want to do.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

  3. #3
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    That is exactly what I want, thank you very much Russ.
    It's so simple once you can see it but still struggling with the override logic. Much appreciated!

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    Sorry to be a bother but I've just come to adjusting the times and have a question.

    Do the times of the If Sun command in the New_Lamps Outlet have to start before the rise time and end after the set time in order to override them? Or am I still missing the point?

    To clarify, if my T5's VDM Outlet is;

    Set OFF
    If Sun 300/-240 Then T5_Rise
    If Sun 480/-060 Then T5_Set
    If Sun 360/-120 Then T5_Day
    If Outlet Clouds = ON Then Cloudy
    If Outlet LightOn_20 = ON Then Steady20
    If Outlet LightOn_70 = ON Then Steady70
    If Outlet NewLamps = ON Then T5_Day

    Can the NewLamps virtual outlet be;

    Set OFF
    If Sun 360/-120 Then ON , so that they only come on when they would normally be on full (I think Not?)

    Or does it have to be;

    Set OFF
    If Sun 300/-060 Then ON

    From your example it has to be the full duration including rise and set and although not a massive difference when already taking into account the sudden light increase that comes with new bulbs I am reluctant to run them for longer than usual at full intensity.

    Would this work perhaps?;

    Profile
    [Steady0]
    Ramp time = 1
    Start Intensity = 0
    End Intensity = 0

    Virtual Outlets
    [New_Lamp1]
    Set OFF
    If Sun 300/-240 Then ON
    If Sun 480/-060 Then ON

    [New_Lamp2]
    Set OFF
    If Sun 360/-120 Then ON

    Set OFF
    If Sun 300/-240 Then T5_Rise
    If Sun 480/-060 Then T5_Set
    If Sun 360/-120 Then T5_Day
    If Outlet Clouds = ON Then Cloudy
    If Outlet LightOn_20 = ON Then Steady20
    If Outlet LightOn_70 = ON Then Steady70
    If Outlet NewLamp_1 = ON Then Steady0
    If Outlet NewLamp_2 = ON Then T5_Day

    This obviously necessitates switching 2 VO's to Auto but I can't see an alternative and I can feel my brain overheating again so I hope I'm on the right track. Perhaps you can simplify it for me again.

    Again, Thank you. Your assistance is very much appreciated.

    Kind regards,
    Nic

  5. #5
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    Season Table Dimming Override for New T5's

    My example used If Sun 000/000 because you had not posted your actual programming, so I could only give a general example rather than specific code to work with your existing programming. This is why when asking for help modifying programming that it's best to post that programming up front.

    You have the right idea, but are overthinking it a bit

    You don't need the Steady0 profile - it's a waste of a profile slot . Just use If New_Lamp_1 = ON Then OFF.

    You also do not need any If Sun lines in New_Lamp_1. Just slide both VOs to Auto when needed.

    Update : change the Set OFF to Set ON in the New_Lamp1 VO.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

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    Brilliant, cheers Russ

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    Season Table Dimming Override for New T5's

    Quote Originally Posted by nicsound View Post
    Hi,

    I need some help please before my head explodes..

    After a huge amount of research and trial and error (mostly error) I have finally gotten my apex to control my lighting setup consisting of DIY Dimmable T5's and Giesemann Pulzar LED strips and have successfully implemented the season table, largely thanks to RussM's invaluable stickys etc.
    Hi,
    i know its been some time, but can you tell me how you connected the apex to the pulsar light. I would like to do the same. Did you use the computer interface?
    Thanks a lot!

    Jana

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Djane1 View Post
    Hi,
    i know its been some time, but can you tell me how you connected the apex to the pulsar light. I would like to do the same. Did you use the computer interface?
    Thanks a lot!

    Jana
    Hi Jana,
    I no longer use the Pulzars as although they seemed to grow coral ok the disco in my tank was unbearable , so when the blue channel on one of the units decided to stop working I gave up on them. If you haven't yet bought them, I personally wouldn't as in my opinion there are FAR better LED solutions for the money. Although it was beautifully quiet having passively cooled lights which was my ultimate aim at the time, in hindsight I feel the cost and compromise wasn't worth it. I you already own them, then I reckon I can help and I have some backup 4 ft Pulzars with all the cables and Interface for sale at a very reasonable price

    Anyway, I digress.. Getting them to work with the Apex was a nightmare but I did finally find all the information needed and got them working, although the dimming wasn't at all smooth. I never got around to determining if it was the drivers in the Pulsars or the 0-10V interface that was responsible. The biggest headache was that the Giesemann Computer Interface requires a 12v power source that is normally supplied on one of the pins of the cable from a Giesemann controller (or GHL I think?).

    To connect them you need to take the output from both of the 0-10V ports on the Apex or VDM module (as there are 3 colour channels. I split the 4th channel off to dim my T5's.)

    I built a little box to plug the 2xRJ45's from the Apex and the 12V power source into and then used the cables I bought with the Pulsars with one end snipped off each (Ouch, that was some very expensive telephone cable) and wired them into the box to carry the reordered pin layout (including 12V power) to the Giesemann Computer Interface which was then in turn run by USB cable to the Pulsars.

    Now, the biggest hitch here is going to be finding the pinouts and plans etc that I gathered at the time..

    It wasnt that complicated, once I discovered that the missing 12V input was the reason nothing I tried worked. The pinout for the 0-10V from the Apex is shown in the Apex Reference Manual and I will try to find the required pins for the computer interface at the very least and you should be able to work it out from there?

    WAIT!! Haha, I found the email that solved it all. With a big thank you to Lutz, here you go;


    Hello Nic,


    sorry for the delay, please find here the info for the controller cables.
    The computer interface is to be coennected by two western cables to the computer. As standard we use one 4-pin cable and one 6-pin cable.

    On the first jack two channels are connected (cahnnel 1+2), the second cable is only connecting on channel.
    I made a little sketch:


    Contact 1 supplies 12V+ for the interface's own need

    Contact 2 + 5 supply the + of each channel

    Contact 3 has to be connected to -

    Hope this helps...
    best regards
    Lutz

    Well, I hope that helps you. Let me know if you have any questions or if you need I can try and find my wiring diagram and pictures as I can't find them but I know I recorded it all so will find them somewhere if I look hard enough.

    Best regards,

    Nic

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