Who Is An Engineer/Designer?

yeah like i said if you was serious about making this you could buy a programmable controller and a webserver/front end for it. <--- they arent cheap)

but you could be able to monitor your grow from anywehre in the world, see temps/humidity/fan status etc.... (you could then integrate it into your whole home so you can switch lights on/off, control boiler etc...) the possibilities are endless, you just need to know what you want to acheive.

I don't think it would take an expensive PLC to get me started. I haven't had time to do a lot of research yet, but with how versatile they are I don't think I will need much for a first attempt at least.

Simple is sexy. Many designers over complicate things, but some of the most reliable and highest performance anythings (cars come to mind due to my background) are undisputed champs, if it was properly engineered.

What I am trying to say is complexity, is irrelevant and often times unnecessary. If someone wanted to put the time in, they could make a shitload of money optimizing something as old as the wheel. Oh wait, they still are optimizing the wheel. It's been around for thousands of years and the radial tire on today's cars was only invented around 50 years ago. Even that particular design has changed a lot. There is no way I would put a tire manufactured as it was even 20 years ago on my car today.

I can understand how using PLC`s are easier, but I`d rather use an Arduino Duemilanove processor for around 25£ with a control board. It sure ups the work load on the electronic and software development side, but an Arduino can do a lot more than a PLC. Its programmed by a version of C language rather than assembly making it easier than PIC based systems.

What I`m saying is more for an electronics hobbyist I guess because you will need to etch circuit boards and connect lots of relays and do programming. But Ardunio will sure have its bonuses!

if i was gonna set a plc for a grow room...

i would market it as a service wall and have it be all in one timer/ security /power/ etc etc etc controler

all the people would have to do is put the service wall in

Their is alot of things you could add as accessories to the service wall so it makes the idea marketable

Tenner said:

I can understand how using PLC`s are easier, but I`d rather use an Arduino Duemilanove processor for around 25£ with a control board. It sure ups the work load on the electronic and software development side, but an Arduino can do a lot more than a PLC. Its programmed by a version of C language rather than assembly making it easier than PIC based systems.

What I`m saying is more for an electronics hobbyist I guess because you will need to etch circuit boards and connect lots of relays and do programming. But Ardunio will sure have its bonuses!

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I would agree, except I am an ME and jumping into electronics is already a big step for me. Not to mention my programming experience is nil outside of Excel and VBA. I usually stay out of the magic black boxes.

Unnk said:

if i was gonna set a plc for a grow room...

i would market it as a service wall and have it be all in one timer/ security /power/ etc etc etc controler

all the people would have to do is put the service wall in

Their is alot of things you could add as accessories to the service wall so it makes the idea marketable

Click to expand...

No doubt it will be in place some day. As far as I know it's currently limited to one off systems by DIY people.

about to graduate as a safety engineer. Its hard to relate much of my major to the fabrication of a grow room but I sure as hell know how to keep it from catching fire. After all my schooling/internships/co-ops, I dont even know how much use my major actually will be (obviously need that peice of paper). Ive come to realize how different the real world actually is. College didnt teach me about all the BS politics that occur daily in industry. To be honest, my english minor has helped me the most in writing company policies, standard operating procedures, audit plans, etc.
Growin smoke, I hear ya on the whole becoming burnt out issue as you approach the end. College isn't quite as gratifying as it once was...

20 years as a network architect, systems engineer, network engineer, and IT manager.

Growing for 1 year.

What can I say, I needed a challenge...

you can get programmable controllers, that use GFX for programming, its all functional blocks and you link them up, its a really easy toolbox to use, no-more line by line progamming really in the HVAC world, all controllers use this type of programming now, its de-skilled, but you need to know what you want to do before you start writing the program.

GrowinSmoke said:

I would agree, except I am an ME and jumping into electronics is already a big step for me. Not to mention my programming experience is nil outside of Excel and VBA. I usually stay out of the magic black boxes.

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Come on, man! Mechanical engineering is a huge field. Don't fear the electrons!

I've been wanting to make a controller for my cab but have no idea how to go about it. What kind of books should I get if I want to learn how to make controllers?

dava said:

yeah like i said if you was serious about making this you could buy a programmable controller and a webserver/front end for it. <--- they arent cheap)

but you could be able to monitor your grow from anywehre in the world, see temps/humidity/fan status etc.... (you could then integrate it into your whole home so you can switch lights on/off, control boiler etc...) the possibilities are endless, you just need to know what you want to acheive.

Click to expand...

they sell some cool WiFi stuff for monitoring eqiupment thats cheap and awesome now for grow rooms..........will send a text message to you depeinding on your settings and what limits you want..........cool shit..........

eek SP as good as wifi can be unless you know your networking your asking for some SERIOUS security breach if oyu have video hooked up and someone gets through your encrpyt

Uncultivated said:

Come on, man! Mechanical engineering is a huge field. Don't fear the electrons!

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I know. I'll get there, I just need to ease into it.

I've been messing with the ECU for the car I'm working on lately, and am getting a little more comfortable. This ECU is pretty much just a PLC with VERY few additions that make it more usable for an engine. It was given to us by a company to test. It is still a prototype, and allows more customization than I could imagine. It's not even really limited to engine stuff. It seems it can do anything. Because we have to program it from the ground up, there is a really steep learning curve when compared to the "plug and play" ECUs, but it is worth it. I promise you will see it in OEM applications soon. It is also being tested by a big name company that does a lot of car aftermarket parts to replace their current line of ECUs.

I did find a NI CompactRIO that won't be in use anymore...

oOBe RyeOo said:

I've been wanting to make a controller for my cab but have no idea how to go about it. What kind of books should I get if I want to learn how to make controllers?

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Don't make, buy a controller. Then learn how to program it. Google will help you find a good one to get you started.

Unnk said:

eek SP as good as wifi can be unless you know your networking your asking for some SERIOUS security breach if oyu have video hooked up and someone gets through your encrpyt

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anything can be hacked...........but I use a 386 computer with 6 megs of mem and only a floppy drive with 1.44 floppy for a frontdoor FIREWALL..............you would really really really want in to bust that system.............old school still works.......look it up on google....floopy firewall..........but that being said.........I trust wifi cause I would be monitoring it very close..........but no cams....just temps........nutes........water levels......things like that...........