controllers, which ones are the best

[Guest]

I havent figured it out yet because I just started using it,but it seems like the cap is saving me about 75% in propane,I swear I only use about a qurter of what I waws using with the cyclestat.Green airs shit has gotten more expensive and some of their stuff isnt as good as it used to be.An example is the new cyclestat,same price but no reset feature and no diodes for power and operation,it sucks compared to the old ones.

 

[Guest]

Ballastman...I've heard fuzzy logic CO2 controllers can provide an extra 50% run time out of a tank. Never heard the Cap PPM-3's doing it though.

Part of the discussion is total system control and the other part is CO2 controllers...I guess.

 

[irie-i]

i use the matador, its made near vancouver BC. i phoned a few shops and they said the CAP3 comes back for repair, and that the matador doesnt. the matador is easy to use. it was $900.

 

[Guest]

Growtronix all the way!!!!!!!!!!!
Less then $1000 bucks and you have total control from anywhere in the world!

 

[Guest]

Redux,I'm comparing the propane I'm using now compared to what I was using with the same generator and a cyclestat which controls frequency and duration of burn.In an 850 cu ft room,I used to burn for 8 1/2 minutes every 45 minutes for 1500 PPM.If I did it every hour it would be 1000PPM,burn for 8 1/2 minuites every half hour and I'd be at 2000PPM.45 minutes put me at 1500 but thats burning every 45 minutes.With the cap3ppm,I set it at 1500PPM and if it drops to 1450,the generator kicks in.It usually hovers around 1700PPM.When I'm in there for hours watering,the thing only burned maybe twice all day it seemed,a hell of a lot less propane being used because its not automatically coming on with a timer

 

[Guest]

Got it Ballastman. I was helping a friend recently and we looked at using a timer on cycles for injections and the Cap PPM-3 seemed like a no brainer if the bucks were available. But you know...get back to me in a few months...lot's of info to digest just in this one thread...you gotta love icmag .

Hey Fredfarts...kind of like... ...I wonder what the other end of that wiring looks like...heh heh.

 

[NPK]

Well, I've read through the GrowTronix user manual a time or two, and I'm sold (though, sadly, I can't make the purchase yet). The software would cover multiple functions that I currently use or would eventually need separate pieces of hardware for. It would eliminate my ineffective cyclestat/timer combination, probably saving significant propane use over the long term. It would document conditions in the room over the course of a "day" and provide graphs representing what occurred in the room when. And it would send messages to my cell phone in the unhappy event of, say, a flood or an unexpected entry. It's too useful not to use! My only complaint is that the verbiage around policy setup is rather confusing...I wish they'd just say, "If you want X condition met, do Y" or some such. I'm sure I'll figure it out, though.

Hell, my old housemate used the basement as an office, so there's even a computer wire run down there. I can't not use it.

 

[Guest]

Yo NPK, It may sound confusing but its really not. Basically you set "conditions" What ever you want then when All the conditions are met it becomces "true" and the action happens. Its a breeze once you get the hang of it. There is also a great support forum on the site that will answer any and all questions. You will not be dis apointed.

 

[Guest]

Redux this thing better last longer than a few months,its got a 1 year warranty at least.If you have more than 500 bucks to spend I would go with the matador or even growtronix but for 5 bills this thing is so much better than a cyclestat for 100 bucks.EDIT I'll tell you you can learn a lot of things about how co2 works when you have a constant readout too,I have to laugh the way I used to open and close the door real quick to keep all the co2 in,it doesnt work quite that way lol.And the way the plants make co2 during lights out!I'm usually at 2500PPM when the lights come on at 5 in the morning,that when my cyclestat used to kick in for 9 minutes,I'm lucky I didnt OD my plants on a lot of occasions lol.It takes a lot of co2 constantly to have a negative effect I think

 

[NPK]

Yeah Fred, I'm sure it's a snap once you've set up a policy or two. I'm looking forward to automating things with growtronix...hopefully I'll have the bucks for the upgrade before too long.

Ballastman, you just described me (and a lot of other people, I'm sure) with the quick room entry/exit thing. I'd be curious to know what you've learned about plants' co2 usage with your device.