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12/03/2013, 12:01 AM | #1 |
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Success!!!! kessil 350w Auto dimming through web /wifi
First my brain hurts .. second how cool is this for you kessil 350 owners
FIRST TEST OF AUTO DIMMING each dial seperatly =PASS .* #5 tanktard Registered Member * * Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Northern VA Posts: 3 Have fiqured out that digital tap method into the potentiometer is not possible. Custom pulses and maps that's can't be adjusted. I was last night successfully able to dim my kessil 350w using a micro servo and andruino with WiFi chip. The servo is rotating like a stepper motor, sensing a specific pulse rate to the servo to operate it forward and backward with rotation limits. Assigned my WiFi a custom ip and mapped the port in router to be able to acces through the web. I have an apex but could not program the logic into the apex to specific pulse rate in microseconds. A dial on the web interface allows you to move the dial left and right for each dial Tada!!! Two nights of work and one night of code and frequency adjustment so it doesn't rip your dial right off. Will be doing a diy but my girlfriend thinks i should sell it myself since it's all cool. One ip port goes to apex and another to the auto dimmer. Next step is to add a timed function to operate for sunrise and sunset with my effort. After working on my own custom controller makes me feel like the apex is overpriced garbage taking advantage of a very tight market. Apex is two days old and already showing signs of glitches and blinking screen randomly. Not worth anywhere near 500 bucks. Plus going your own method is half the cost and you can up to 32devices on some boards. Only thing apex did was put it in fancy branded package with LCD screen and did their own cystom codes. If I would have known about the limitations of thenapex I would have built my own controller but that would takes about 3-4 months to package that. Parts needed to dim your kessil 350 Total cost per light 10 dollars + 1 andruino board (30-70$)to control up to 4 lights. + 1 servo controller (lots of options )$15-300 dollars ($4) 2servos per light or very smooth step motor doing 200 points per rotation. Add servo controller to reduce this to 700 clicks per rotation and you got your own sunrise sunset throughout the day. Add timer functions to your heater and voila you got a artifixal morning to night result with light and temp. Pretty cool. 40-70 bucks for the controller and board 7-10 per light 100 bucks I can controll all three of my kessils without hindering appearance. 3 kessil 350s on auto dimming with each dial independantly controlled through web or WiFi or mobile app. Freaken priceless Apex and kessil please don't sue me. Ur products could be better. For the price
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12/03/2013, 09:26 PM | #2 |
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sweet
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12/03/2013, 09:49 PM | #3 |
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sounds complicated....but congrats.
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12/08/2013, 09:03 PM | #4 | |
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Quote:
lol !!! Mine too. I've been doing a lot of researching LED's, and MY BRAIN HURTS ! I'm now looking at the Kessil 360 (I think) I'm confused. The two knobs on top are for hand dimming only, and they don't have a automatic dimmer like so many others ? Why ??? "Parts needed to dim your kessil 350 Total cost per light 10 dollars + 1 andruino board (30-70$)to control up to 4 lights. + 1 servo controller (lots of options )$15-300 dollars ($4) 2servos per light or very smooth step motor doing 200 points per rotation. Add servo controller to reduce this to 700 clicks per rotation and you got your own sunrise sunset throughout the day. Add timer functions to your heater and voila you got a artifixal morning to night result with light and temp. Pretty cool." I have NO idea what you're talking about ! lol Not into electronics. So, with all you've done, is the Kessil worth it since there's lights out there that have a better package with a controller ? If so, why ? Kevin |
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12/13/2013, 11:58 AM | #5 | |
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Quote:
Hi kevin, Thanks and it took a while to get everything adjusted to specs but it works. Servo is a small small motor that travels 360 degress within certain time or pusle. The andruino board is a small computer board that programs those little motors to the right specs. The 350 is not programmatically ajdustable since it has no connectivity for this. The kessil 360 is the newer model and it provides the rca inputs for dimming and control. I would definetly buy the 360w new if i was looking for lights but if I already had the 350's or wanted to buy them used. 360 can be turned manually or automatically through a controller. Each light takes about 20 bucks to manually dim and control through the motor method. Will post pics and diy soon.
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12/13/2013, 01:09 PM | #6 |
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Wish they had their own wifi controller rather than a DIY like what you've done or buying a expensive Apex or similar.
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12/17/2013, 07:03 PM | #7 |
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Congrats. I have done something similar in the past where the stepper motor turned the dial on a dimmable MH ballast.
Interested to see how you mated the motor to the knobs. |
12/26/2013, 05:22 PM | #8 | |
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12/31/2013, 02:18 PM | #9 |
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Could this be applied to any LED that had dimming control knobs such as the Ebay 120w dimmible full spectrum LEDs?
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12/31/2013, 03:30 PM | #10 |
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12/31/2013, 03:35 PM | #11 | |
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Quote:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Channel-2-...21344182580%26 and if I could get full sunrise and sunset via Wifi that would be awesome. |
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02/07/2014, 02:06 PM | #12 |
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Photos of this setup, specifically the mounting of the servos would be great. I have an arduino and the A350 and have thought about and want to setup the same. Thanks in advance. Also could you share your code?
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06/30/2014, 08:40 AM | #13 | |
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Quote:
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Low ph, high kH... what can I do now? |
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07/03/2014, 08:28 AM | #14 |
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Instead of using WiFi could you just program the arduino to read an analog voltage in to determine servo position. Then those people that have an apex could interface to that.
I know for a fact that the arduino had a sample library to control a hobby servo with a potentiometer
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07/03/2014, 08:30 AM | #15 |
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However the apex outputs 0-10vdc and the arduino is 0-5vdc.
So you'd have to take that into consideration either by not going over 50% on the apex or make a voltage divider
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"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling it brings" Current Tank Info: 67 Long |
07/03/2014, 11:16 AM | #16 |
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I did not understand a frickin word you guys just wrote !
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07/03/2014, 03:15 PM | #17 |
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I guess OP is not following the topic anymore.
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Low ph, high kH... what can I do now? |
07/03/2014, 03:20 PM | #18 |
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I don't have these lights but if I could get my hands on one I could make custom brackets for a clean look. And could also help with the arduino code
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"Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling it brings" Current Tank Info: 67 Long |
07/03/2014, 09:40 PM | #19 | |
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If you have a glitchy display than have it replaced under warranty. I've never heard of anyone having a problem with the display so it's rare. While you geek out with your girlfriend realize that while there may be a lot of A350s out there the product has been replaced and there's a $100 controller coming for the current light that will do so much more than dim the light. |
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07/03/2014, 11:37 PM | #20 |
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Now I have A350s in my hand and what I observing is, the knobs adjusting blue & White intensities are a bit unsensitive, which means at some point, intensity suddenly makes a jump from dull to bright, altough its still possible to adjust in-between values with a very slow touch, but not easy. How about yours? If all the same, servo control may not be a solution for sunset-sunrise style adjustments.
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Low ph, high kH... what can I do now? |
07/04/2014, 06:06 PM | #21 |
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From the way I understand what the OP wrote, it kind of sounds like he never actually did it, part of it sounds like he did, but at the same time he talks about it in an almost conceptual way. Regardless, I see people talking about how much cheaper DIY is and a lot of the time, it's really not that much cheaper, especially for a controller. Also, I think Kessils provide a great value for the money, even though they are not my light of choice. Also, based on the lack of pictures, I would guess it never happened and that the OP has checked out of this one. Just my .02
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07/04/2014, 10:53 PM | #22 |
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Its quite interesting why no one interested in simulated control of kessils. I guess a timer is enough for most of the people..
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Low ph, high kH... what can I do now? |
07/05/2014, 08:41 AM | #23 |
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I have a Kessil 150w on my wife's 29 Cube that I would love, to be able to control it !
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06/03/2016, 01:31 AM | #24 |
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This is an old thread, but I would love to be able to control my A350s with my Aquacontroler. To bad they did not offer an upgrade where the 360s came out. I can not justify replacing 6 Kessils.
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andruino, dimming, kessil 350, servo, wifi |
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