Moon Int with AI/VDM

[effin]

Is it a correct assumption that the AI light intensity is controllable in whole number percentages? I can have the light at 1% or 2%, but not at 1.5%?

I ask because I was looking at the season table and the moon intensity settings. The moon intensities are multiples of seven. I'm guessing that the Apex uses a formula like (moon int/100 * profile int) to determine the AI intensity. In order to get the full effects of the moon functionality, I'd have to set my moon profile to an end intensity of 14%.

Is my math correct here?

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Yes, you are correct/close on all counts. I find that the max moon percentage (in the moon profile) is 2-3%.

What you are missing though is the way the AI is controlled. The AI uses a value of 0-255 so for each percentage point you get 2.5 brightness values. I know this still would yield a very bright full moon (which is why I use 2%) but it is better than if the value was 0-100. AI (I hear) is going to be upgrading firmware in the AI to allow 4-channel support and that should help because rather than having 2-blue channels come on for the moon you will be able to limit to 1 blue channel and that should allow a higher moon max to be configured.

My moon program is on my website if you are interested in seeing how I set it up.

 

[effin]

I did see your program and when I started thinking about 2% I wondered if it would produce all the variances in moon intensity. That's useful information to know that the AI is controlled with 256 levels. Using that number I still figure 5 or 6 as a profile intensity to get all of the moon intensities.

This was more of an academic question at this point. I don't have my lights yet so I don't know what level I will find acceptable for moonlights, and if I'll care whether or not I get all of the variability.

Thanks for the info.

 

[djkms]

Getting all the variances of the moon intensity would be ideal - BUT - anything over 3% is just too bright IMO for nighttime. Most run at a max of 2%, I run at 3 but my lights are about 14" from the water surface.

Once we get a update to control the Blue's on the SOL Blue fixtures independently we should be able to get better variances with our fixtures.

 

[effin]

I finally received my lights today. I don't have them over the tank yet, but I do have them connected to the controller to see if they function according to my program. Tonight the blue channel switched over to my "moon" profile correctly, but there was no light. I had the profile intensity set to 5 and the season table has a moon intensity of 14 for Nov 11. My math works that out to a .7, which theoretically should emit some light. (I temporarily changed my moon profile to 15% and the blue leds did turn on.)

I don't know if this is still below some threshold, if the VDM only works in integer percentages, or if this is addressed with the new 4.04 update. I'll update my firmware tomorrow and try to keep track of the moon intensity as it increases on the season table.

 

[Deleted member 143833]

You will need to update 4.04 (just released today); there was a bug in moon profiles that affected lighting.

The value sent to AI from the VDM is 0-250 so a max value of 5 that you used means the moon range is 0-10 which means you need a moon intensity of 10 to get a value of 1% send to AI unit; not sure how much light the AI unit sends for a value of 1%.

See if after updating you see anything different.

 

[effin]

I updated to the new firmware on 11/12. The moon int value for that day was still 14 and I got no lights during "moon". On 11/13 the moon int value increased to 28 and I did have some lights.

It looks like 5 * .14 doesn't get rounded up to 1. I guess it needs a value greater than 1 to turn on.

 

[Deleted member 143833]

Correct; the calculation is integer.