Handy Grow Room Tech items...

GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Hadn't scrolled too far but didn't see anything similar, would be cool to share and see what technology makes your day easier in the grow room.

Start off with some of what I'm using so far:

La Crosse Temp, Humidity, Water, Soil probes:
My water, temp, humidity sensors are RF/WiFi enabled, this allows me to see/check temps/humidity wherever I am. I travel a lot so it's handy. They run about $70-$100 depending on options. These track and provide downloadable history over time, and once you have a run going and the room dialled in, you can see exactly what's going on during lights on/off periods. Eventually you can glance at the screen (smartphone, tablet, computer, whatever you're using) and know if things are "normal" or something is potentially wrong just by looking at the temps/humidity. They also have alerts which are triggered on your defined threshold/limits, e.g. between 68F and 80F, anything below or above that range can trigger an alert and either text or email you.

Here's a sample screen shot from my flower room monitors:
LaCrosse-Temp-Humd-Water-Soil-Monitors-ScreenShot1.jpg

Foscam Monitoring Cameras:
I have 3 of them now, in a tent, veg cabinet, and flower room. These are a little beyond web cam's but below the professional monitoring systems. Anywhere from $100-$300 each depending on what you want in features and resolution, outdoor versions are in that higher range. They have some cool features like remote control for panning, tilting so you can scan the room either manually or automatic. The newer higher end models like the one I have in my flower room are 960p resolution so not bad, they can take snapshots, manually or on a schedule. Record those snapshots or video to a built-in SD card slot, or simply take manual snapshots/video and record straight to your computer. More of a toy but it does allow me to stay out of the room while getting my "fix" by checking them from my back-yard, living room, or even remotely if you're careful with that setup. The also have IR built-in so you can check/monitor even during lights-out.

Here's sample snapshot's from my flower room, lights on/lights-off:
Camshot-Day22-1.jpg Camshot-Day22-IR-1.jpg

Cheers and let's see what you're using to make your grow a little easier...
 
Doer

Doer

Well-Known Member
I've looked at those. But, what do I do if there is a problem? I'm not even there.
 
GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Yeah fortunately I have my partner who with very specific instructions can do something for me. And my son who's also a grower and I can call him in a pinch. Only situation I've had when I couldn't get in there was a timer reset for the lights, had my son reset it until I got back and replaced it. If you're on your own and have no family to back you up, and travel, the only benefit is that you know when something is wrong if that situation comes up right away. I'd rather know and get to it as soon as I'm able than depend on visual checks though, having the data/alerts has saved some headaches and well worth the cost.
 
tip top toker

tip top toker

Well-Known Member
Sounds like a good way to burn through some cash :)

My personal way of thinking is that if i need these kinds of cameras etc, then my grow is clearly not dialed in and stable. If my grow i dialed in, then i'd have need to glance at my electronic device to check the temperature. And as Doer has mentioned, if you are a long way away from your grow, then there's not much many of could do about it if we did see that the 4th reich had broken out in your grow room. The only person i'd trust, would be a partner, and if i'm away long enough to need someone else to jump in and sort things, then i'd probably just ask her to check on them here and there anyway.

Meh, i'll keep my monies :)
 
GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
One way to look at it I suppose, another is shit happens whether you're away or not, and going into the room to manually check things to me is a waste of time I can use for more productive things like training and activities outside of growing, to each his own. None of this has anything to do with having your room dialled in, I have on average 3-4 rooms going, dialling them in takes a day or two then hands off. Only time I need to go in there is for plant maintenance or watering/feeding. If you've never had a timer or any other piece of equipment fuck up you're probably 1 in a million.
 
heckler73

heckler73

Well-Known Member
Arduinos are cheaper and more fun.
For the $100 I could build 3-4 of those units they sell.
$12 for the board, $2 for the DHT-11.
...the wifi...hmmm $15-30 for that (no "gateway" required).
That's a nice premium on material costs, anyway. It's good to know. ;)

I'm glad there are reasonably priced "pro" items out there, at the same time.
Is there any chance you could tear one of the units open so we could see the guts?
 
GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
heckler73 said:
Arduinos are cheaper and more fun.
For the $100 I could build 3-4 of those units they sell.
$12 for the board, $2 for the DHT-11.
...the wifi...hmmm $15-30 for that (no "gateway" required).
That's a nice premium on material costs, anyway. It's good to know. ;)
I'm glad there are reasonably priced "pro" items out there, at the same time.
Is there any chance you could tear one of the units open so we could see the guts?
Click to expand...
There are definitely cases where DIY is cheaper, I DIY some bigger stuff (my flower room, starting a build on some LED panels) but something like this would be too much trouble for me for the cost savings and I'd likely f'it up :) They're pretty well sealed, if one goes down on me at some point I'll do that and circle back with a post. Most of what you pay for with any tech is warranty/support/services, not so much the parts. They provide that hosting service for the data/web site so I'm sure a good part of it goes towards that. I've never had to call them for support as they've been pretty reliable so far, oldest I have is a year now, 2 others about 8-9 months.
 
heckler73

heckler73

Well-Known Member
GroErr said:
There are definitely cases where DIY is cheaper, I DIY some bigger stuff (my flower room, starting a build on some LED panels) but something like this would be too much trouble for me for the cost savings and I'd likely f'it up :) They're pretty well sealed, if one goes down on me at some point I'll do that and circle back with a post. Most of what you pay for with any tech is warranty/support/services, not so much the parts. They provide that hosting service for the data/web site so I'm sure a good part of it goes towards that. I've never had to call them for support as they've been pretty reliable so far, oldest I have is a year now, 2 others about 8-9 months.
Click to expand...
But do you have to pay subscription fees for their online service? That seemed to be implied, or am I misreading their site?
If one of those does go down, please post pics of the guts. I might be able to find out more from their datasheets, but sometimes it's just easiest to see what's on the board.

As for the DIY, I'm just a tinkerer at heart. I get another level of satisfaction from the challenge.
The capital cost savings are really a trade off on labour, so it's somewhat of a zero-sum game anyway.
 
Doer

Doer

Well-Known Member
heckler73 said:
But do you have to pay subscription fees for their online service? That seemed to be implied, or am I misreading their site?
If one of those does go down, please post pics of the guts. I might be able to find out more from their datasheets, but sometimes it's just easiest to see what's on the board.

As for the DIY, I'm just a tinkerer at heart. I get another level of satisfaction from the challenge.
The capital cost savings are really a trade off on labour, so it's somewhat of a zero-sum game anyway.
Click to expand...
Of course it is zero sum. :) Hobbyists and tinkers pay ourselves with the intangible called "fun."

It certainly takes beacoup hours to DIY.

I must say that a DIY, totally customized to my particular needs is some savings, I guess.

And some projects, like my motorcycle supercharger project, I simply cannot buy one. I have get the parts and make it. But outside the supercharger, electric motor, the motor's controller, and Arduino., there are no parts, so I have to make parts first. Brackets and torque transfers, the inlet to my airbox are all start from blanks projects.
 
GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Sort of, you get one year of their alert services and history/downloads. They'l continue to work the basic functionality like being able to view the current status online at any time but you don't get the history, alerts and download capabilities if you don't subscribe to the service, it's like $10/year per sensor. Not a bank breaker, I just renewed the first one I got as I move shit around all the time doing different things like breeding, 12/12 from seed and clones, in addition to my normal veg/flower rooms. Adding/changing lights which I do regularly can completely change the environment, being able to see and adjust the results of any changes right away without going up/down and opening the rooms unnecessarily is worth it as well.

I hear yeah on the DIY, I'm building stuff all the time it seems, it's part of the fun. I'll tend to DIY stuff I absolutely need (my flower room took about 4 months), saves me a lot of money (DIY cloner, fixtures etc), or provides better return like the DIY LED's I'm just about to build, they'll cost me close to the cost of a commercial panel but will be much more efficient and flexible as I'll build a bunch of small panels that I can move around as needed.
 
GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Doer said:
Of course it is zero sum. :) Hobbyists and tinkers pay ourselves with the intangible called "fun."

It certainly takes beacoup hours to DIY.

I must say that a DIY, totally customized to my particular needs is some savings, I guess.

And some projects, like my motorcycle supercharger project, I simply cannot buy one. I have get the parts and make it. But outside the supercharger, electric motor, the motor's controller, and Arduino., there are no parts, so I have to make parts first. Brackets and torque transfers, the inlet to my airbox are all start from blanks projects.
Click to expand...
Damn, a supercharged motorcycle, I'm liking the sounds of that project, nice :) We all pretty well have to DIY in the grow room, not like you can just hire someone in to do some electrical in your grow room - lol
 
Doer

Doer

Well-Known Member
I understand if we work thru the NORML chapter we may be able to hire some 420 help. But, that breaks my "tell no one" rule.

Supercharger has come down to getting the Arduino to get the motor controller to arm itself and run.

It is a bit frustrating since there are no specs or datasheets on this high power, Chinese controller.
 
smoke and coke

smoke and coke

Well-Known Member
I love messing with high tech devices but find i never have the time or funds to go with an idea. i do my own electrical so it does help accomplish some things.

I find the most useful items are the timer for lights and a thermostat to control my exhaust fan. I only go into the room for 15 minutes once a day to water if needed.

The main thing i would design would be an automatic watering system so i could go away for a week or so.
 
GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
Doer said:
I understand if we work thru the NORML chapter we may be able to hire some 420 help. But, that breaks my "tell no one" rule.

Supercharger has come down to getting the Arduino to get the motor controller to arm itself and run.

It is a bit frustrating since there are no specs or datasheets on this high power, Chinese controller.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm in Canada so the tell no one rule applies as we're going through a series of changes around who can and who can't grow which will last a long time and change several times before it's settled, so I just stay under the radar.

Sounds like your bike project is new ground but you'll be the only one on the block with that much power :) I've seen one down at Port Dover, the thing was a monster, had a back tire that was more like a car tire than a bike tire just to keep it on the road. I'd imagine you'd have to beef up framing as well so it wouldn't rattle apart when you give it.
 
GroErr

GroErr

Well-Known Member
smoke and coke said:
I love messing with high tech devices but find i never have the time or funds to go with an idea. i do my own electrical so it does help accomplish some things.

I find the most useful items are the timer for lights and a thermostat to control my exhaust fan. I only go into the room for 15 minutes once a day to water if needed.

The main thing i would design would be an automatic watering system so i could go away for a week or so.
Click to expand...
I bought one but would also like to build my own smaller unit(s) as I travel quite a bit and would rather not chance my GF watering my plants, she has a way of killing plants just by looking at them :( The one I have is a Claber ($80), it's not bad and simple but the timer on it only goes once every 12 hours and there's no way to adjust it, would like to build something I could control the watering cycle better, and smaller so I could use it in my smaller cabinets. There are a ton around the DIY forums, just haven't gotten around to it.
 
eyes13

eyes13

Active Member
GroErr said:
... as I travel quite a bit and would rather not chance my GF watering my plants, she has a way of killing plants just by looking at them :(
Click to expand...
Oh do I know the feeling. :roll:

For me the auto watering took influence from the hydro guys- at this point I was just doing living soil in the fabric pots. Built a flood and drain style table to water in... I still did it normally (top feed) when I was around, but I had a timer set for a 15 minute flood once a day at just an inch deep or so that I'd kick on before I left. Probably not the MOST ideal setup, but it was also braindead simple and wouldn't drown my girls lol. No nutes or anything in the flood water, but it'll keep the heavy drinkers alive while you're away.
 
Doer

Doer

Well-Known Member
GroErr said:
Yeah, I'm in Canada so the tell no one rule applies as we're going through a series of changes around who can and who can't grow which will last a long time and change several times before it's settled, so I just stay under the radar.

Sounds like your bike project is new ground but you'll be the only one on the block with that much power :) I've seen one down at Port Dover, the thing was a monster, had a back tire that was more like a car tire than a bike tire just to keep it on the road. I'd imagine you'd have to beef up framing as well so it wouldn't rattle apart when you give it.
Click to expand...
No, this is the beauty of an on-demand supercharger. All the others are engine driven with a fixed ratio pully. It is always taking horsepower. It is always boosting, and can only be an approximation of the needed boost. With fuel injection, I have fuel mapping available so I can tune it on a dyno.

So, my interface will take the crank speed sensor along with the throttle position sensor, to look up a tuning value from a 10 x 10 celled array map of boost gain, to apply.

I am shooting for 4 seconds of boost every 1 minute, up to 4 minutes of boost and a dead battery. :)
 
heckler73

heckler73

Well-Known Member
Doer said:
Of course it is zero sum. :) Hobbyists and tinkers pay ourselves with the intangible called "fun."

It certainly takes beacoup hours to DIY.

I must say that a DIY, totally customized to my particular needs is some savings, I guess.

And some projects, like my motorcycle supercharger project, I simply cannot buy one. I have get the parts and make it. But outside the supercharger, electric motor, the motor's controller, and Arduino., there are no parts, so I have to make parts first. Brackets and torque transfers, the inlet to my airbox are all start from blanks projects.
Click to expand...
By zero sum, I was referring strictly to capital costs. If you have fun then it's a large profit;, as well ,once you bang out one prototype the 2nd one becomes easier (if not better).

That's hilarious if you're using the ATMEGA as your MCU. But it's good enough to handle 10kHz samples (although, anything over 5kHz is subject to aliasing problems, as evidenced by my earlier "light sensor" project), so it should be able to handle engine cycles.
That's mad scientist work, though...when you get that project done, you need to post it!
 
Doer

Doer

Well-Known Member
The "tone ring" on the alternator rotor (fixed stator) is a 24 segment encoder. I can get practically instant crank speed by checking the interval between pulses on the hall sensor.

The most brief period is 833,000 microseconds at 6000 rpm. I am using the no-scalar, 16mHz clock.
I bit shift a 16 bit register and count each time if overflows. I know how many 62.5 ns, ticks that takes.

The rest is just math. Running this way, I don't have any timing issues in the software loop. The RPM is always available, on the microsecond level. That is way below the real time, of engine lag, and my wrist speed.

Plenty of time.
 
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