On/off timer in seconds...

Nizza

Well-Known Member
Okay so I had an older model of the autopilot dual outlet timer and it went all the way down to intervals in seconds, and now I can only find ones that go down to minutes (although the picture of the timer has seconds, the reviews and descriptions both say it only goes down to minutes)

I am using this timer to manually program my on/off times in coco coir. Any input would be greatly appreciated, even if it is an entirely different idea than using a timer to engage my pump on and off. Thanks for the help I appreciate it. I can use a minute style timer for now which I have plenty of, but the amount of water that comes out of my set up really requires something that goes to seconds. I could redesign my setup and really enjoy new ideas so please chime in and help me out. Thank you. My last timer broke so now I'm here haha

Here's a pic of my setup without the drain table on its stand. The reservoir is a tote with a submersible in it and it feeds up to a floraflex manifold, with an air scoop and flexible hose in between20221017_122542.jpg

Heres things I've considered

-using a wifi plug (what happens if wifi dies, does it continue the schedule set or could it be left ON?)

-Is there a way of adding a float for either the feed reservoir or my catch bucket? I would really LOVE to have something that shut my feed pump if the res empty's , or if that bucket that catches the runoff water fills up. I don't know of any products that I could do this.

- I've also been considering an additional thermal switch, so if for some reason the breaker that my exhaust fan is on trips, and my tent heats up while I'm gone, the lights are cut off.
 
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Isawthelight

Well-Known Member
I like the Sonoff S31 for the inching mode (1/2 second to an hour), energy monitoring, Wi-Fi remote control, & cost ~$10.
 

Nizza

Well-Known Member
I like the Sonoff S31 for the inching mode (1/2 second to an hour), energy monitoring, Wi-Fi remote control, & cost ~$10.
This is a cool option. Do you know if you set it up and lose wifi or something, and say it is on... will it resume schedule or stay on and flood my room?
 

Lou66

Well-Known Member
This is a cool option. Do you know if you set it up and lose wifi or something, and say it is on... will it resume schedule or stay on and flood my room?
You can flash those with your own software. Then they store the program locally and dont need wifi to run. Also ensures they dont call home (chinese severs). Dont know about the supplied firmware.

Regarding all the automation you dream of, eg pump control, or triggering events based on temperature. You wont find an off the shelf solution for that. If you want to make it yourself you can look into MyCodo (more apecific to controlled environments) or Home Assistent (smart home). But it's more involved.
 

speedwell68

Well-Known Member
You can flash those with your own software. Then they store the program locally and dont need wifi to run. Also ensures they dont call home (chinese severs). Dont know about the supplied firmware.

Regarding all the automation you dream of, eg pump control, or triggering events based on temperature. You wont find an off the shelf solution for that. If you want to make it yourself you can look into MyCodo (more apecific to controlled environments) or Home Assistent (smart home). But it's more involved.
The stock Sonoff firmware allows LAN control for when they lose an internet connection. But that still requires the phone or tablet that has the eWelink app on it to be on the same LAN.

So what if they call Home? I bet your phone, home router, PC and whatever else is checking in with far more than the Alibaba cloud, like a Sonoff is. Also when you re-flash these devices, do you actually read and understand the source code of the the firmware you are using? Because blindly downloading firmware from unknown sources is a really bad idea.

For ultimate control you need HomeAssistant or OpenHAB.
 
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Thodoph

Well-Known Member
Try looking at your local cattle feed store. Most of them sale a float system for livestock water.
Will turn on and off with desired water level.
 

Roadblock007

Well-Known Member
Get a slower rate head, mine are 300ml per min, I found that was better than timers that can be set in seconds as I tried a number of them and they were so unreliable whereas the standard digital timers that can only go as low as 1 minute have never failed me.
Also you can put small taps on the end of the drippers and reduce their flow, I have an 8-outlet octa bubbler, and some outlets deliver 300 ml per min wide open and others deliver 1/2 that with taps semi closed, it doesn't alter the pressure having the taps at different openings, just measure your flow into a cup and adjust the tap to suit that plant.
 
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