How To water change and ATO Guide (untested release)

[aqua_digital]

I have put together a how to guide for AWC and ATO for Salt water tanks based on general available info and also direct information from Matthias.

Please try this and report back if it works and how well it works, if it does not work please post here your changes so we can finally have a comprehensive guide for Salt water changes

1. Set a timer function to event and set the time you want the water change to start and on what days

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/monitors-direct/timer1.jpg

2. Go to Level control and set as per screen shot, with a note to make sure you have your time out set to be above how long it takes the water to drain to avoid alarms.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/monitors-direct/wc2.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i159/monitors-direct/waterchange1.jpg


3. (Hint sent to us from Matthias)
Go to programmable logic and set up as follows
G1 = drain water1 AND AWC for salt water
G2 = drain water 1 AND AWC inverse for RO water

4. Go to socket function outlet and set up your socket functions for Drain and Fill

You will need to have some switchable items such as tank return pump and skimmer off during the water change time, This can be set up in programmable logic and has been covered recently in another excellent water change guide on here.

Please post your feedback as how how this works. Once we have a working model i will put together a comprehensive guide for the whole network on all forums

[benner]

Can you give some screen shots of the Programmable logic and socket functions??


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[aqua_digital]

This is where I need help, I am a bit lost on Matthias's guide, as I do not understand why it should be drain when we are actually "filling" I understand we need PL to tell the system if it is to put RO in for ATO or SW in for AWC. But I do not understand why drain is being called for to refill a system.

This is the missing link.

[aqua_digital]

Based on the original guide you need 3 sockets

G1 = socket for filling salt water
G2 = socket for filling RO for ATO
socket # set to Drain 2 to drain old salt water.

if this is the case then the PL should surely be

G1 = Fill water1 AND AWC for salt water
G2 = Fill water 1 AND AWC inverse for RO water

Assign a socket as G1 and plug in your pump for new salt water
Assign a socket as G2 and plug in your supply for RO
Assign a socket as Drain 2 to pump out old water

I have looked at the PL manual and the ProfiLux manual, I cant see this mentioned so some community help in this final piece in the puzzle will provide us all with a great guide :) .

[aqua_digital]

Anyone? :(

Matthias could you help fill in the gaps here please?

[d2mini]

When in Programmable Logic, there is no AUTO WATER CHANGE, just WATER CHANGE.
Not sure if this matters, but figured this is worth pointing out.

Still no worky for me. There's information missing and I can't seem to fill in the blanks correctly. Drain works fine, but then the sw fill never comes on. My ATO comes on instead.
I've tried setting G1 and G2 as drain and fill, no difference either way.

How on earth can a company not be able to furnish simple, foolproof instructions on how to get one MAJOR feature to work correctly?
I've spent countless hours trying all different combinations and speaking to THREE associates of GHL and still no go.
This should not be this hard. It's very frustrating, especially at this price point. :mad:

[aqua_digital]

Just to clarify did you try Matthias's hint as i put above?

I am just about to set up a test rig to get to the bottom this. I will try every combination and report back.

[d2mini]

Yes, but that's what I'm talking about... there is no AWC in the PL. Just "Water Change".
But regardless, I tried it his way choosing "water change" and I also tried it your way using Fill instead of Drain.

[aqua_digital]

I have done it, give me 15 minutes to post!!

[aqua_digital]

Think I have it!!!!!!!! Tested and works.

Set up in Programmable Logic

PL1 = Drain Old water -
Input 1 set to "water Change"
Input 2 set to "Drain Water"
AND function


PL2 = Refill New Salt water -
Input 1 set to "water change"
Input 2 set to "Fill water"
AND function

Now here is the one that took some digging!!

PL3 = RO water refill for ATO
Input 1 = "fill water"
Input 2 = "Water change" and tick "inverse!!"
AND function

Go to socket function and set as follows
Socket 1 = G1 (Drain old water)
Socket 2 = G2 (refill with New salt water)
Socket 3 = G3 (RO refill)

Connect your corresponding pumps to these sockets.

I tried it here and it works!!!!

Please now try it on a live system and report back.

[aqua_digital]

When refill under water changed is finished I notice RO water refill triggers for about 1 second. My guess its a cross over with the RO reaction time of 1 second.

I have now tested this set up multiple times and can not get it to fail. Based on this I will make a comprehensive manual with screen shots next week as a draft for beta testers.

[aqua_digital]

Beta How to guide


http://youtu.be/E5hQ87zMkYI

I am calling this Beta at present as I want feedback from everyone who wishes to test the functionality before we ca call this the final definitive guide.

[benner]

Michael,

I have begun using this rodi and awc guide for my ato topoff only so far.....I am haing many issues with it....one is that during feed pause when all power heads turn off the ato wants to come on.....is there a way to keep that socket turned off when my feed pause 1 is active, but yet keep same setup and settings???
Another problem I have found is that if you have the ato socket set for 30min blackout and you have a power outage, then the ato&awc level setup goes into alarm if it is set low which most are like 2 mins......it doesn't know that the socket is programmed to be turned off.....so far I have had up and running with ato only using this setup and it has been frustrating.....sensor is extremely sensitive.....really need a way to keep ato socket off during feed pause!! Other issue is kind of bad as well because if away and power goes out then ato will go into alarm and not restart unless checked to do so......but most do not want to check as this is to prevent overflows as well......
Some help here is much needed!!


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[aqua_digital]

Hi

For this you will need to use programmable logic functions, There is another AWC thread here that gives some good examples if you go searching.

[benner]

I was searching but I will continue......what is feed pause in programmable logic??


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[Halfmoon]

Any update on this with the 5.1.5.2 firmware? I've tried this and it doesn't work, the drain continues past the float switch that is supposed to stop the drain and begin the fill with fresh salt water. Perhaps updating the sticky would be in order since that is for a Profilux II.

[Halfmoon]

Might have figured out at least part of my problem, I have my optical level in port 1/ 2 and the float in port 3/4. I see a splitter but that is not for the PS/2 connection. Can I use any PS/2 splitter? That way both switches are in the port for 1 & 2, I don't see any other way to split the PS2 cable and both my switches are PS/ 2.

[Matthias]

in general you can plug in the level sensors where you want, in your case you use level sensor inputs #1 and #3

in the level control setup you can select what inputs you want to use for this control

if you want to use 2 sensors at one port you need our splitter-cable "PL-LY"

http://www.aquariumcomputer.com/System__E_/Products/Probes_and_accessories/probes_and_accessories.html

this is not a PS/2-splitter!

[Halfmoon]

Finally got the AWC to work, had to set the lower level switch to invert. Now I need to figure out how to shut down my skimmer during the AWC.