DIY Guide: Grow Cam for Remote Monitoring!

L

lorenzo08

Well-Known Member
should there be a separate forum section for computer related things like this, or aren't there enough people interested in it? for the most part, it's almost completely a reliability issue that turns people away from using computers to control their grow room. second on the list would be the price of the hardware and software to do it.

I would love to use x10 for projects. it seems so easy to set the knobs and plug the thing in, done. but, when you add a computer to x10, the reliability drops very sharply down to maybe 10%. CM11A sucks, and it's not only me. many people have trouble with it. if I mess with it long enough, I can get it to work for a little while. have a power outage or a weird, not even noticeable, discrepancy in your power lines, and the device locks up. there are also many other limitations, hard wiring with good hardware is the way to go.

I get the hint that no one is interested in my project. if no one else uses it, no matter. I love putting it together, and I'll still use it for myself. my project is called GrowControl. it has web cam software in it, and controls the grow room, and can be controlled with vnc or remotely via a password protected web page. the program will be open source and free. the hardware is cheap and easy to use. it's an rs485 serial network. reliable and expandable. just one control box can be hooked up to 4 separate grow rooms, with separate lights, fans, and pumps, all separately controlled by the computer.

I've had a working prototype working well for the last 2 or so months. the final version of my program is being finished up and almost ready for testing.
 
BigBudBalls

BigBudBalls

Well-Known Member
lorenzo08 said:
should there be a separate forum section for computer related things like this, or aren't there enough people interested in it? for the most part, it's almost completely a reliability issue that turns people away from using computers to control their grow room. second on the list would be the price of the hardware and software to do it.

I would love to use x10 for projects. it seems so easy to set the knobs and plug the thing in, done. but, when you add a computer to x10, the reliability drops very sharply down to maybe 10%. CM11A sucks, and it's not only me. many people have trouble with it. if I mess with it long enough, I can get it to work for a little while. have a power outage or a weird, not even noticeable, discrepancy in your power lines, and the device locks up. there are also many other limitations, hard wiring with good hardware is the way to go.

I get the hint that no one is interested in my project. if no one else uses it, no matter. I love putting it together, and I'll still use it for myself. my project is called GrowControl. it has web cam software in it, and controls the grow room, and can be controlled with vnc or remotely via a password protected web page. the program will be open source and free. the hardware is cheap and easy to use. it's an rs485 serial network. reliable and expandable. just one control box can be hooked up to 4 separate grow rooms, with separate lights, fans, and pumps, all separately controlled by the computer.

I've had a working prototype working well for the last 2 or so months. the final version of my program is being finished up and almost ready for testing.
Click to expand...
actually x10 can be flaky overall. Its not just the CMA11. Other things on the line can wreck havoc on the x10 signal without filters. Insteon is a LOT more reliable and each item is a repeater.

RS485 is killer. I have NO idea why rs232 became the defacto standard.

Keep us posted!
 
L

lorenzo08

Well-Known Member
BigBudBalls said:
RS485 is killer. I have NO idea why rs232 became the defacto standard.
Click to expand...
it's kinda similar to usb, but better in a few ways. it works well over long distances, no need for hubs, just plug devices in, no drivers to worry about, works with only a single pair of wires. only down side I can think of is there's no protocol for it. the software has to handle what device gets what commands and whatnot.


I made a thread for my project, so I can post updates and maybe get some feedback
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/108830-my-computer-controlled-grow-room.html
 
GrowTech

GrowTech

stays relevant.
lorenzo08 said:
it's kinda similar to usb, but better in a few ways. it works well over long distances, no need for hubs, just plug devices in, no drivers to worry about, works with only a single pair of wires. only down side I can think of is there's no protocol for it. the software has to handle what device gets what commands and whatnot.


I made a thread for my project, so I can post updates and maybe get some feedback
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-room-design-setup/108830-my-computer-controlled-grow-room.html
Click to expand...
Is it going to be anything like the Growtronix, Greenhouse Controller and Grow Room Computer Automation System shit?
 
genfranco

genfranco

Well-Known Member
lorenzo08 said:
should there be a separate forum section for computer related things like this, or aren't there enough people interested in it? for the most part, it's almost completely a reliability issue that turns people away from using computers to control their grow room. second on the list would be the price of the hardware and software to do it.

I would love to use x10 for projects. it seems so easy to set the knobs and plug the thing in, done. but, when you add a computer to x10, the reliability drops very sharply down to maybe 10%. CM11A sucks, and it's not only me. many people have trouble with it. if I mess with it long enough, I can get it to work for a little while. have a power outage or a weird, not even noticeable, discrepancy in your power lines, and the device locks up. there are also many other limitations, hard wiring with good hardware is the way to go.

I get the hint that no one is interested in my project. if no one else uses it, no matter. I love putting it together, and I'll still use it for myself. my project is called GrowControl. it has web cam software in it, and controls the grow room, and can be controlled with vnc or remotely via a password protected web page. the program will be open source and free. the hardware is cheap and easy to use. it's an rs485 serial network. reliable and expandable. just one control box can be hooked up to 4 separate grow rooms, with separate lights, fans, and pumps, all separately controlled by the computer.

I've had a working prototype working well for the last 2 or so months. the final version of my program is being finished up and almost ready for testing.
Click to expand...
thats awesome.. pm me more info please...
 
L

lorenzo08

Well-Known Member
genfranco said:
thats awesome.. pm me more info please...
Click to expand...
thanks. I've been kinda busy with some other work lately, but my system will be finished. I'm about a week into flowering right now. I'll be starting my next grow as soon as this batch is finished, and the whole computer automated hydroponics thing will be finished by that time. the main hardware is finished. just need ph and temperature sensors and finish the final version of the program. open source as promised.
 
jnyce1320

jnyce1320

Well-Known Member
GrownTech i was planning on buying a couple wireless security cameras. How would you setup multiple cameras the way you explained? Would I have to have 2 seprate sites?
 
GrowTech

GrowTech

stays relevant.
no you would not need 2 seperate sites, you can just install two copies of the software, and set them both up the same way but using different file names.
 
GrowTech

GrowTech

stays relevant.
not necessarily. you could use just one piece of the software if it's supported...

lol, even if you have to install the same 1.4mb file twice, it's not going to be much a hog... unless you use an atari as a computer.
 
GrowTech

GrowTech

stays relevant.
none of the recommendations i make aren't scaleable. this cam software sits idle in the system tray... and isn't really meant for use on your every day PC. I have an entire system set up dedicated to work in my grow room... computers are affordable enough nowadays to condone that.

let me know if you need any other help.
 
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