Writing Program....

[Acroholic]

I am confused on a couple issues while trying to write my first Program for my Pro III.
First: Under what circumstances are using the default statements necessary?
Second: I am a bit confused about the fourth character in the descriptive name. When creating new names, what 4th characters should be used? What relevance does the 4th character have? I.E.: Default names use^,$,*,% etc.

 

[Aquaduck]

I'm not sure what you mean by "default statements" but if you are referring to the default program that comes with the unit, that's just to get most users up and running quickly so they don't have to write a complete program themselves.

The fouth character is the icon which will appear on the LCD to let you know which outputs are enabled/disabled you chose which one you want. It doesn't affect how the program operates.

 

[Acroholic]

I'm not sure what you mean by "default statements" but if you are referring to the default program that comes with the unit, that's just to get most users up and running quickly so they don't have to write a complete program themselves.

No, I dont mean Default program, I mean default statements.
I.E: If Time < 00.00 Then ALM OFF
Used before writing alarm statements.
or
If Time < 00.00 Then PM1 ON
Used before writing Fed Interval Statements

How to know when to use these statements?

 

[Aquaduck]

Oh, those. Yes, you need those.

If Time < 00.00 Then ALM OFF
Ensures that ALM is always off (unless an alarm condition exists)

If Time < 00.00 Then PM1 ON
Ensures that PM1 is always on. (unless overidden by feed timer etc)
Without this line the pump PM1 would never be turned on after initialization or a power outage.

 

[Acroholic]

Yes, I realize these statements are needed. The question asked though, was when are these statements needed or putting the question another way: "What statements require the use of DEFAULT STATEMENTS as a reference?"

 

[Aquaduck]

LOL! Ok, I follow you now.

You need those statements on any device that is normally on 24/7 or off 24/7 that you would want control over in a particular instance. For example your PM1 return pump is always on unless in feed mode and your alarm ALM is always off unless an alarm condition exists. For example, you would need to add: If Time < 00.00 Then SK1 ON if you wish to control your skimmer with the feed timer too.

 

[Acroholic]

Thanks Aquaduck, now we are on the same page.
I see..it makes perfect sense now. SO basically any device that is continuously on/off needs a reference default statement prior to writing any statements controlling said device?

 

[Acroholic]

But I think AQUACANUK would be more appropriate name..."wink"
Thanks......

 

[clp]

The default statement is required to completely specify the on and off states. In general you should have at least one statement that turn on the device, and at least one statement that shuts off devices. The SUN, MOON, OSC, and RND statements are exceptions as they internally generate both on and off control.
A good statement to use for the default on or off state is the 'If Time > 00:00 Then FOO ON' because it is always on or off, and is the lowest priority statement since it gets executed first.
The only two common cases where default statements are used are for main pumps, and alarm statements.
For main pumps the statements usually are:

If Time > 00:00 Then PMP ON
If Feed Cycle Then PMP OFF

If the 'If Time' statement is not present there is nothing that turns the pump on.

For alarms the code usually looks like this:

If Time > 00:00 Then ALM OFF
If pH > 8.50 Then ALM ON
If pH < 7.80 Then ALM ON
etc.

The 'If Time' statement in this cause makes the ALM default to the off state. If it wasn't present there wouldn't be any statements that caused the ALM to ever turn off.

Curt