VDM moon not working using adv. program example

Squanto804

New member
Hello, Just got my VDM and AI lights and figured I would just set it up using the Advance Light Program Example used in the VDM manual till I can figure the programing out.

Every is fine except when I insert the line "If Moon 000/000 Then MoonInt"

Shows that statement as an error. Not sure what to do to fix this.

Can anyone steer me in the proper direction. Not sure what "MoonInt" is.


Thanks, Scott
 
Look at my program (on my website); moon can only be used on the blue channel so be sure that is the outlet you are using it for.

I have complete program for AI running; including moon.

Also; be sure you updated your firmware; there was a bug in the 1st version of the firmware supporting the VDM; you should have 4.04 BC_10
 
Kenargo, could you please check this and see if this will work. Did not seem to go to sunset mode at desired time this evening. SURE i screwed this up. I was going to copy your setup but i prefer using time other than using seasonal time.

Also I do have the update version on the Apex.

Thanks for your help
Scott


BlueLed

Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Moon 000/000 Then AI-Moon
If Outlet Sunrise = ON Then AI-Blue
If Outlet DayTime = ON Then AI-Day
If Outlet Sunset = ON Then AI-SunSt


WhiteLed

Fallback OFF
If Time 09:00 to 20:00 Then AI-White
If Outlet DayTime = ON Then AI-Day


DayTime

If Time 10:00 to 20:00 Then ON


Sunrise

If Time 09:00 to 10:00 Then ON
If Outlet DayTime = ON Then OFF


Sunset

If Time 20:00 to 21:00 Then ON
If Outlet DayTime = ON Then OFF


PROFILES

AI-Blue
60
0
35

AI-White
60
0
35

AI-Moon
30
0
2

AI-SunSt
60
45
0

AI-Day
45
25
3
15
0
0
 
Last edited:
If you don't want to use season tables then you will need a statement to run a sunset profile. Both LED outlets will need something like:

If outlet Sunset = On Then AI-SunSt
 
kenargo: His outlet listing for his BlueLed does contain the statement that you say he needs.

Interesting that Squanto804 states that he doesn't know what MoonInt is and then his listing in his next posting doesn't contain it. Seems that you figured out that MoonInt refers to a profile by that name. You have implemented it in a profile named AI-Moon instead. Should theoretically work....., but I originally did this also and didn't see any moon. I decided to just keep my blue lights on at 1% for the night hours. No moon simulation.

Could this be tied to the 4% needed for Moon phasing to work?
 
Thanks, The MoonInt was asked a few hours earlier today, I have changed the programing multiple times since I asked the question.
I did add the WhiteLed statement. The leds still did not ramp down by themselves this evening. I will see if they start up correctly in the morning.

Also does AC3 simulator work with the Apex? It would be great if they did to check all these program changes.


Thanks, Scott
 
Squanto804: Your white LED's didn't ramp down because you didn't put a statement under the WhiteLed to do so. You need to add:

WhiteLed

Fallback OFF
If Time 09:00 to 20:00 Then AI-White
If Outlet DayTime = ON Then AI-Day
If Time 20:00 to 21:00 then AI-SunSt

The problem with this is that your AI-SunSt profile will be the same ramping as the blue and therefore the beginning illumination will be 45% with a ramp to 0%. This will cause a 10% increase in light output on the white channel at the beginning of sunset. I have implemented seperate profiles for Blue Sunsets and White Sunsets and then adjusted the times to provide concurrent execution.

While I don't like the approach that has been taken here on the programming side, it does work. It just uses up your profiles like wildfire. There should have been an overall AI implementation in the language so that one could define, in a single statement, the blue and white channel sunrise/sunset start time, sunrise/sunset duration, sunrise/sunset max value white, sunrise/sunset max value blue, noon max value white, noon max value blue, noon duration.

The command would look like this:

AI_Day = 08:00, 21:00, 60, 27, 55, 50, 90, 35


Translation:
AI_Day = sunrise time, sunset time, sunset/sunset duration, sunrise/sunset max white, sunrise/sunset max blue, noon max white, noon max blue, noon duration

This would provide a profile that begins for both the blue and white leds at 0% and the program would transition the blue and white leds from 0% to the 27% and 55% over an hour respectively. At that point the lights would remain at 27% and 55% (white/blue) until the midpoint between sunrise and sunset time, minus half of the noon duration, at which time the controller would ramp the lights from their current 27% and 55% to 50% and 90% for the noon period. At the end of the noon period the lights would end up back at the daytime normal until the sunset time minus the duration of the sunrise/sunset duration, at which time the controller would ramp down the whites and blues to zero an hour later in the example given.

I know that this can be implemented with the current programming language and profiles, but it uses up the limited number of profiles that you have very quickly if you have other things like pumps that take up profiles also.

Moon would be handled in a similar way, i.e., there would be a MOON outlet as well as an AI outlet that could contain the appropriate statements for the devices that they control. Moon outlet could be configured for AI lights or any of the other possible moon simulation devices. It would be a MOON outlet configured as AI or a variable outlet or.....
 
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