Autopilot greenhouse master controller. Any opinions?

rickymac21

rickymac21

Well-Known Member
Hi RIU, I've been looking into co2 controllers for future purchases and decided a complete enviroment controller would be best. That way I could hook up a heater and air conditioner to the controller along with co2.

I found the autopilot gmc which seems to be reasonably priced, but I can't find much information on them as far as reliability and accuracy. Anybody have experience with these?

http://www.hydroponics.net/i/137878
 
rickymac21

rickymac21

Well-Known Member
On the other hand the Sentinel chh-4 isn't that much more expensive and it seems everyone is using them.
http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/sentinel-chhc4-cooling-heating-humidity-and-co2-controller-p-2778.html

but what I concerns me with these controllers is that they have a max amp rating of 15 amps. So probably 11-12 amps safely. Considering I would only be running a 9000 btu AC unit and co2, would the controller handle that? Most 9000 btu units I've seen draw roughly 9-11 amps. And a bottles co2 tank and regulator probably won't even draw 1 amp. So I should be good right?
 
rickymac21

rickymac21

Well-Known Member
Well after some reading the autopilot still looks like its coming out on top of the sentinel regardless of popular opinion.
http://www.hydrofarm.com/product.php?itemid=14152

the link above shows an attachment for the autopilot that allows you to monitor and control the controller unit from anywhere using a laptop. It also can create graphs of your enviroment including temp, co2, humidity. This would be very helpful for someone trying to really master a specific strain.
 
a mongo frog

a mongo frog

Well-Known Member
Although I have the chhc4 that u hate. The auto pilot looks cool. What I do is hook my exhaust to the cooling port on my controller. Just in case my room gets a little to warm for my liking. This shuts the co2 down and then in minutes cools the room. My a/c is hooked up to a day and night cheap thermostat. Works great this way. U will find that the dehumidifier and heat ports u will maybe never use. But either way those controllers r awesome and I don't think one is better then the other.
 
rickymac21

rickymac21

Well-Known Member
a mongo frog said:
Although I have the chhc4 that u hate. The auto pilot looks cool. What I do is hook my exhaust to the cooling port on my controller. Just in case my room gets a little to warm for my liking. This shuts the co2 down and then in minutes cools the room. My a/c is hooked up to a day and night cheap thermostat. Works great this way. U will find that the dehumidifier and heat ports u will maybe never use. But either way those controllers r awesome and I don't think one is better then the other.
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I don't hate the chhc-4, never even used one or seen it. I'm just making a comparison from what I can read on the good ol Internet. But either way I'm sure your right in the sense that both would do what I want. I just wanted to make sure I was t buying some cheap crap that will break within a year.
 
rickymac21

rickymac21

Well-Known Member
Aeroknow said:
Autopilot is legit! If your maxing out the amp rating of the controller, hook up the ac through a contact relay switch. Eazy peazy
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Thanks for the reassurance. But what exactly is a contact relay switch. Sorry, I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to home electrical.
 
a mongo frog

a mongo frog

Well-Known Member
I've looked at the auto pilot, and I'm sure there great. I'll bet there the exact same thing inside just different face plate. I got the chhc4 about 4 years ago when they first came out. Think it was over 600 bucks. I'm pretty sure the auto pilot is cheaper then that.
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
The master controller will most likely handle your 9000 btu ac + co2 solenoid + a fan or two. Add a dehu and you mite need to hook up that ac through a contactor. If you do, i can walk you through it. It's not to difficult.

As to wtf mongo frog just posted....uhhhhhhhh..,,wow! You all rite?
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
I'm pretty much anti-CAP products these days but, you can buy something like this if you cant DIY.
C.A.P. UNIVERSAL POWER MODULE UPM-1
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
Quality of there products went down hill fast, a few years back. Not just one of there products, a bunch. Not just with me, but with a bunch of growers i know. From co2 generators not shutting down( straight fire hazard), to problems with every single piece of electronics they sell. To be fair, there ppm-2a is good, not heard of/had one single problem with that item.
 
a mongo frog

a mongo frog

Well-Known Member
Aeroknow said:
Quality of there products went down hill fast, a few years back. Not just one of there products, a bunch. Not just with me, but with a bunch of growers i know. From co2 generators not shutting down( straight fire hazard), to problems with every single piece of electronics they sell. To be fair, there ppm-2a is good, not heard of/had one single problem with that item.
Click to expand...
Not sure if this is true.
 
rickymac21

rickymac21

Well-Known Member
Aeroknow said:
The master controller will most likely handle your 9000 btu ac + co2 solenoid + a fan or two. Add a dehu and you mite need to hook up that ac through a contactor. If you do, i can walk you through it. It's not to difficult.

As to wtf mongo frog just posted....uhhhhhhhh..,,wow! You all rite?
Click to expand...
Yea i figured I wouldn't overload it. I'll honestly only have the co2, a/c and a heater on it. And obviously the a/c and heater would t ever run at the same time so that wouldn't cause issues.

The autopilot doesn't seem to have an outlet for fans/exhaust though. I'd like to have so every 30-45 minutes I exhaust my room air for 10 minutes or so. But during that time I don't want the co2 to kick on obviously.
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
Lots of people on here will tell you that you don't need to, but i've seen lots of problems with 100% sealed rooms. I've found that dumping your room a few times while lights are on, and right when lights go out works best. So maybe put your intake/exhaust fans on a timer? You'll lose a little co2 though naturally. Personally, i've given up on sealed rooms. I grew for 15 years without. 5 with sealed and I've given up.
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
Btw, you probably won't need a heater in a sealed room, but you'll almost definitely need a dehumidifier for when the lights are off. It makes heat in the process.
 
M

max420thc

Well-Known Member
What hes talking about is a high voltage relay wired into the controller so when it comes on it activates the a/c through the relay. If you needed higher amperage to work the a./c through the controller .
Why would you do that is the big question if you were going to go through the trouble of doing that why not just run the power to the a/c to begin with with a proper programmable T stat.
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
Because he could be talking about a window unit, or a portable, that has no programable thermostat ;-). The controller that he's thinking of getting, has a separate day/night switch within.
 
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