Pwm 0-10v led controller

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
Can you run yours without a phone being there the whole time
I have not tried that particular scenario. I'll try and set it up tomorrow and leave it offline and then turn my phone off.
I run mine through my router so I can access from abroad.
that's a problem, not a solution. every fucking gadget these days comes with their own app and no unified method of controlling it
I feel ya. I'm not halting your quest. I think you and I both know that you questions and frustrations with taking a product outside it's basic operation is best to be taken up with Amelech. I don't have any of their code, just their basic communication protocol. They have been open to feedback so I'm sure they would be into helping.
 

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
@Cold$moke
Sonoff's and Amelech controllers retain their programming, even if you disconnect them from the power or dissconnect the smartphone. As long as they get power, they continue to run their programming and even after a power failure, they continue to work with the stored settings.
You just need the server/hub connection to change settings and in the case of the Amelech controller for dimming. If you are within the range of your router, you can dimming the Amelech directly without an Internet connection, and if out of range, the settings will go to the hub via the Internet and from there to the controller.
 

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
@Cold$moke
Sonoff's and Amelech controllers retain their programming, even if you disconnect them from the power or dissconnect the smartphone. As long as they get power, they continue to run their programming and even after a power failure, they continue to work with the stored settings.
You just need the server/hub connection to change settings and in the case of the Amelech controller for dimming. If you are within the range of your router, you can dimming the Amelech directly without an Internet connection, and if out of range, the settings will go to the hub via the Internet and from there to the controller.
Thanks very much.

What if you hve no wifi near the grow except a phone can i set everything off my phone and leave? This would just be for on off and dimming
Sunrise sunset ect. Nothing too fancy
 

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
I came to the exact same conclusion.
Yesterday I ordered half a dozen.
They are cheap enough that just the terminals to connect the Mean Well driver to a cord makes them worth while. I'm tired of soldering on a plug.
I will use some on my household lamps too so Alexa can turn them on and off for me.

I like the idea of having something to connect to the dimmer wires. I just do not need wireless.
Although there are some projects where zigbee would be a good thing. I did a cost analysis for a landscaper needing 500-1000 intra-canopy units.
The as the professor continued his intra-canopy research for the landscaper, all the units need to be adjusted periodically. Too much to do manually.

That many zigbee units was a bit too expensive.

I did however come up with an interesting design. Are you familiar with the neoPixel RGB WS2811 controllers? They are essentially triple PWM LED drivers.

There is a Texas Instruments chip that is much better than the neoPixel driver that does the same.

My idea was to use the three outputs as PWM signals to three drivers by putting a pull up resistor on each of the three outputs.
The chips daisy chain together with no limitation for the number of chips daisy chained.

The three resistors is where the RGB LEDs would normally go.
They daisy chain by connecting pin 5 SDO to the SDI (Serial Data Input) of the next chip.
Then drive the SDI with any micro-controller. Then only one wireless controller can service any number of drivers in any localized area.

Very inexpensive (~10¢ per driver) way to extend a single PWM driver.



View attachment 4093723

I have already seen them, but it exceeds my ability to write accordingly code. Although I can flash an alternative custom ROM on my smartphone, lol, but from coding I have no clue.
For me it would have to be a flashable file, which I only need to copy, hehe.
My father-in-law gave me an old Sinclair QL from the 80's so I can learn coding from scratch, but I'm honestly don't find the time.
 

Randomblame

Well-Known Member
Thanks very much.

What if you hve no wifi near the grow except a phone can i set everything off my phone and leave? This would just be for on off and dimming
Sunrise sunset ect. Nothing too fancy

I don't think you can work with them directly (wifi direct, controller to smartphone), you need at least the router because the controller is only a receiver. I'm sure it would be possible but these things are made to work in an home automated enviroment which always incl. a hub(google, alexa, hue, Amelech, ...) or an external server.
To work with wifi direct they need another programming and I don't think it's allready included. At least I have not read about that it works!
 

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
So i guess its down to timers or a grow green controller For internet less sunrise sunsets and dimming?
That is not what he said.
It holds it programming. I have not done you exact situation, so I said I would test. But based on what “should” happen and what happens when WiFi goes out. Yes it’s fine. You program the controller ...hit save and it’s saved. Then you leave...and programming stays.
If you want to change it...you need to be within range. Otherwise it performs as set until you do change it.
 

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
That is not what he said.
It holds it programming. I have not done you exact situation, so I said I would test. But based on what “should” happen and what happens when WiFi goes out. Yes it’s fine. You program the controller ...hit save and it’s saved. Then you leave...and programming stays.
If you want to change it...you need to be within range. Otherwise it performs as set until you do change it.

Thank you for taking the time to clarify for a tech slow dude :) big ups
 

boostedhonda

Well-Known Member
There are numerous different controllers out there that do not need internet for dimming, sunrise and sunset, and timer functions, I personally have a storm controller using an iot relay to power to off. The amelech does seem to be the cheapest and easiest to way to control lights that I have found
 

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
I looked into the strom controller .

But as a tech slow noob led guy i didnt know if it was able to work with what i wanted
Which will be 3 hlg 480 b drivers
I saw they had the 10v kit to add on .

But then i watched @Greengenes707 video and thought that it was sweet .

I guess i have to get with the times eventually :)
 

Greengenes707

Well-Known Member
I looked into the strom controller .

But as a tech slow noob led guy i didnt know if it was able to work with what i wanted
Which will be 3 hlg 480 b drivers
I saw they had the 10v kit to add on .

But then i watched @Greengenes707 video and thought that it was sweet .

I guess i have to get with the times eventually :)
I have a few storms still. They work, and can do more/complexity. I used it as a room controller for 4-6 lights rather than just a single light.
But aren't a wireless option. The storm won't dim to off drivers that aren't capable of it.
Always wanted to grab a bluefin, but haven't heard good things on them for the cost.
 
The Amelech controllers indeed use zigbee, which is a communication protocol. They may very well be based on esp8266 but I could not find any relevant info online.
Sonoffs are so appealing because the company exposed this flashing ability on all their devices letting you tailor it to your specific needs.
@Greengenes707, your feedback will carry more weight. Maybe you could suggest it to them.
Alternatively, They might want to consider supporting IFTTT. Would still be limited in functionality but will give greater control.

Now this thread is focused on PWM dimming but those wireless controllers have far greater potential for automating the entire grow room. Which is what I am in process of. Forever.
At the moment my TH16 sonoffs are wired to my lights but I still use my reliable mechanical timer because their scheduling is not entirely reliable from what I gather. The temperature probe is located inside the tent just above the heatsinks and I set the sonoff to turn off if 32C (90F) or above and stay on when less then 31C. So I have overheat protection for both tent and LEDs (LEDs oveheating will quickly cause the tent to overheat to 32C). That saves me messing with thermal switches on the LEDs which is what started this quest for me.

As it stand now, for growers without coding knowledge, Amelech offer better range of products and their app offers more functionality and flexibility than the sonoffs but they do cost more.
Sonoffs are great and affordable for really simple tasks but if you have coding knowledge it's the best route to take to get total control. The maker is constantly releasing new models and upgrading it's app and more importantly, better momentum then Amelech. I really hope they consider releasing a PWM dimmer. I have sent them feedback asking that.
 
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Randomblame

Well-Known Member
As it stand now, for growers without coding knowledge, Amelech offer better range of products and their app offers more functionality and flexibility than the sonoffs but they do cost more.
Sonoffs are great and affordable for really simple tasks but if you have coding knowledge it's the best route to take to get total control. The maker is constantly releasing new models and upgrading it's app and more importantly, better momentum then Amelech. I really hope they consider releasing a PWM dimmer. I have sent them feedback asking that.

Jepp, a Sonoff with pwm/0-10v dimming would be nice
 
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