Metal Halide use with Jr or III

[Cycledude]

Hi,
I am a newbie to this site. I have been looking at several controllers that are on the market and trying to make an informed decision. I like the features offered by the AC jr and AC III. There is one question that I need answered though and hopefully someone will be able to provide that answer.
What happens when running metal halides on one of these controllers (AC jr or AC III) if the power goes off and then back on? Will the halides remain off until someone comes along to power them down so that they cool and the manually restart them after cooling or is there a mechanism where the power stays removed from the ballasts until the bulbs have had time to cool and then powered up again automatically?
Thank you for any info that can be provided.

Greg

[bmwardo]

Hello Greg, welcome to RC and the Neptune Systems forum,

In your program code you can build in time that does not allow the MH bulbs to come on for whatever amount of time you specify... so 10-14 minutes for example is what I have set up.
But if you have ever turned off your MH bulbs and then almost immediately back on again you will notice that they don't actually "turn on" for several minutes so that they can cool properly, at least this is the case with every bulb configuration I have ever seen or dealt with.

However your question also can apply to a chiller... say you have a chiller going on and off constantly, you can use a Max Change command to allow it some cool down time before it gets fired back up again.

Here is an example of some code I use for 3 MH bulbs that takes care of what you are asking about:

If Power 000 Then LT1 OFF \\ power fail, bring lights up in sequence after bulbs cool down
Max Change 010 M Then LT1 ON
If Power 000 Then LT2 OFF
Max Change 012 M Then LT2 ON
If Power 000 Then LT3 OFF
Max Change 014 M Then LT3 ON


Hope that helps

[Cycledude]

Thank you for the info. So in essence one can do almost anything with these units so long as they can figure out how to program to do what they want. Now your example that you gave, this works with either controller?? or does one have to have the AC III with the power fail indicator?

Greg

[kenargo]

For power failures you would need to use the following; in addition to the Max Change:

If Power 010 Then LT1 OFF

This will keep LT1 turned off for 10 minutes after power comes back on. The Max Change is used when the AC is running and is not considered when there is a power failure. You will need to use both.

[bmwardo]

Ken (or anyone else) could you clarify that a bit more for me, how does the battery backup work in the situation you mentioned above? From what I understand you are using the:

If Power 010 Then LT1 OFF

in the case in which the AC was completely off (no battery backup used). Is that correct? Thanks!

[kenargo]

Yes, even in case of a full power loss the power statement is still processed.

[J. Montgomery]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12173498#post12173498 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kenargo
For power failures you would need to use the following; in addition to the Max Change:

If Power 010 Then LT1 OFF

This will keep LT1 turned off for 10 minutes after power comes back on. The Max Change is used when the AC is running and is not considered when there is a power failure. You will need to use both.
Interesting, I didn't realize that was an option. I'm going to add that program to my AC Jr.

[Cycledude]

I would like to thank everyone who answered and helped me to decide on a controller. Today, I ordered an AC III system and am looking forward to learning what this controller system can do.
I did not order the software at this time but I have downloaded the free (lite) version.
I am sure I will be asking more questions once I get my tank relocated and the controller hooked up.
Again thank you.

Greg

[bmwardo]

Sounds good Greg,
My experience with Neptune systems thus far has been very positive. While it isn't the easiest thing to get everything sorted out, this forum has been excellent for asking questions and learning about these very capable and smart devices. I don't think you will be disappointed.

[Cycledude]

I am sure I will be pleased with the system. I don't mind a learning curve. I think the apparent funtionality outweighs the any of the cons that could be said even though I don't consider learning to program the controller a con. :) I look at it as another learning experience. I look forward learning something new and I know with the group that is in this forum, I will have a great source of information and help with programming when needed.

Greg.