Water level in master/remote configuration

[Randy54]

I recently purchased my second OS system for the new greenhouse. It’s set up as a remote, stations 9-16. I’d like to understand how Water Level is applied in this configuration. When I edit a program, all stations are listed as a group with “Use Weather Adjustment”.

Since 8 valves are in the greenhouse, they should have their own Water Level. I’m using ETo calculations in my own program to set the water level of the first OS. One solution is to disable Use Weather Adjustment in the greenhouse and have my program adjust watering times directly based on greenhouse ETo and crop requirements, such as corn’s need for increased water over the growing period.

Is it true that all valves in master/remote use the same Weather Adjustment? Does anyone know a better alternative than adjustment by an external program?

Thank you

[Ray]

When a controller is set up as remote controller, it does not run its own programs. It only listens to the master controller. Conceptually a remote controller mimics a physical extension to the master controller (like an expander), but it’s not hardwired directly to the master controller. So the water level on the remote controller is irrelevant. Only the water level on the master controller applies. The master controller sends command to the remote controller to turn zones on and off, and those commands carry the specific zone run time.

If you want the remote controller to apply its own specific water level, then you cannot directly use the default master-controller feature. You can either modify the firmware to implement what you want, or you have to write an external script to send command to the remote controller.

[Randy54]

Thank you… that’s how it appeared in the docs, but it’s easy to miss something in a search. Is there a section on master/remote specifics? For example, in the master/remote setup, remote station 2 is labeled “Corn”. However, when accessing the remote controller directly, station 2 retains its S02 designation. I like programming to the API… just looking for details.

All the best,
Randy

[Ray]

All APIs use the station index and not the name, because names can be duplicate and indices are unique. The master controller does NOT query the remote controller for its zone names. Once you set up the master/remote configuration, you should only modify zones on the master controller and generally should not modify anything on the remote controller. If you want to name a remote station differently, do it on the master controller. As I said, a remote controller should be regarded as just a passive ‘expander’ for the master controller.

[Randy54]

Thank you, Ray. Good architecture, clearly explained.

I appreciate taking the time to help me, as happened when I got the first OS. I recommend it to anyone who cares to listen.

[Author]

Posts