Build Your Greenhouse

Zeez

Well-Known Member
Nice! I think they have wax in them......wax heats up and releases the spring loaded piston? Slick shit.
It's a 12v 12" weatherproof actuator. This one is on a timer to close at night and open in the morning. It will also close if it rains.
 

Zeez

Well-Known Member
Looking good my man. Have you ever thought about adding a blackout cover and doing a light dep?
Best of luck, your looking great!
Matter of fact, Light dep has been in the plan since the beginning. Extra hoops are installed on the ends for overlap on the light dep cover. I have the extra roller motors and everything ready to go for next season. I wanted to get a couple seasons to learn greenhouse growing before taking that step.
 

@EastCoastGenetix

Well-Known Member
Here is the heart of the automation. It is two Z-wave strips with ten controlled outlets. Both the roll up sides and the ridge vent require two outlets each, one for the power supply and one for the DPDT relay. I will detail this a bit later if anyone is interested. The remaining outlets control water, nutrients. res agitator / aeration, exhaust fan and circulation fan. There is a secondary relay there with four DC switches. Our whole house is z-wave automation.


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Can you write up a tutorial? This is killer!
 

Zeez

Well-Known Member
Can you write up a tutorial? This is killer!
The controller I use is called a Vera Plus. We control our whole house and greenhouse with it. The latest standard is called Z-wave Plus. Everything works from a phone app or voice control. In the waterproof box (harbor freight) there are two "Zooz strips". Each has five outlets that can be controlled by schedule, manually, or by sensor - Light, humidity, or temperature. Setting up the routines is pretty easy. If someone decides they want to go for it, that would be a good time to start the thread and I'll walk them through it. I started using it years ago running s full hydro set up.
 

@EastCoastGenetix

Well-Known Member
The controller I use is called a Vera Plus. We control our whole house and greenhouse with it. The latest standard is called Z-wave Plus. Everything works from a phone app or voice control. In the waterproof box (harbor freight) there are two "Zooz strips". Each has five outlets that can be controlled by schedule, manually, or by sensor - Light, humidity, or temperature. Setting up the routines is pretty easy. If someone decides they want to go for it, that would be a good time to start the thread and I'll walk them through it. I started using it years ago running s full hydro set up.
Im going to get started working on my light dep greenhouse after new years. I started building a micro version of a concept i had came up with using scraps i had laying around but i ended up going through a messy breakup and i had no room for it when i moved out. But light dep has my heart! So after i knock out a internal conversion setup for a ebay greenhouse, im going to build my micro concept again but better. I understand the concept for the builds but im lost when it come to using relays for reversing polarity and wiring it to a timer. The best understanding of how to do it has been from watching diy's on automated chicken coop doors. I focus on internal deps because greenhouses in my area don't draw attention but a rolling blackout tarp definitely would.


paintastic20200402_162154.png
I made a change to how i wanted to open the door. The drawing doesn't show how i doubled the width.

V1
IMG_20200329_193454_764.jpg
V2
IMG_20200409_141718_195.jpg

This was as far as i got on it before I moved.
20200411_184324.jpg20200411_184313.jpgIMG_20200411_223012_703.jpg

This is my current greenhouse. I set it up but never grew a plant inside it. But i was going to school at the time for CNC Machining so now im done with that i can focus back on the light dep conversion. I have a concept of a build for it. It will work similarly to a Forever Flowering Greenhouse curtain slide. I just need help with the controller part.
IMG_20200618_231117_599.jpgIMG_20200618_231117_583.jpg
 

Zeez

Well-Known Member
Im going to get started working on my light dep greenhouse after new years. I started building a micro version of a concept i had came up with using scraps i had laying around but i ended up going through a messy breakup and i had no room for it when i moved out. But light dep has my heart! So after i knock out a internal conversion setup for a ebay greenhouse, im going to build my micro concept again but better. I understand the concept for the builds but im lost when it come to using relays for reversing polarity and wiring it to a timer. The best understanding of how to do it has been from watching diy's on automated chicken coop doors. I focus on internal deps because greenhouses in my area don't draw attention but a rolling blackout tarp definitely would.


View attachment 4780212
I made a change to how i wanted to open the door. The drawing doesn't show how i doubled the width.

V1
View attachment 4780231
V2
View attachment 4780233

This was as far as i got on it before I moved.
View attachment 4780206View attachment 4780209View attachment 4780208

This is my current greenhouse. I set it up but never grew a plant inside it. But i was going to school at the time for CNC Machining so now im done with that i can focus back on the light dep conversion. I have a concept of a build for it. It will work similarly to a Forever Flowering Greenhouse curtain slide. I just need help with the controller part.
View attachment 4780201View attachment 4780202
Excellent!! I'm doing light dep this spring too. It is pretty easy to do the blackout time during the cooler hours of daylight early morning and early evening. The Vera controllers can reference to sunrise and sunset making it very easy.

If you use a ridge vent it will save allot of electricity on fans. The relay is called a DPDT Double Pole Double Throw. No big deal, they cost about five bucks. I can show you how to wire it. Looks like this.DPDT Relay.jpg
 
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@EastCoastGenetix

Well-Known Member
Excellent!! I'm doing light dep this spring too. It is pretty easy to do the blackout time during the cooler hours of daylight early morning and early evening. The Vera controllers can reference to sunrise and sunset making it very easy.

If you use a ridge vent it will save allot of electricity on fans. The relay is called a DPDT Double Pole Double Throw. No big deal, they cost about five bucks. I can show you how to wire it. Looks like this.View attachment 4780639
I'm going to need tutoring lol i don't understand electrical schematics and drawings.
 

@EastCoastGenetix

Well-Known Member
Excellent!! I'm doing light dep this spring too. It is pretty easy to do the blackout time during the cooler hours of daylight early morning and early evening. The Vera controllers can reference to sunrise and sunset making it very easy.

If you use a ridge vent it will save allot of electricity on fans. The relay is called a DPDT Double Pole Double Throw. No big deal, they cost about five bucks. I can show you how to wire it. Looks like this.View attachment 4780639
My plan was to close the curtains before sunrise and open them around 9-10am and let them roll through the rest of the day. I also want to connect a switch that will only allow lights to come on if the curtains are closed.
 

Zeez

Well-Known Member
My plan was to close the curtains before sunrise and open them around 9-10am and let them roll through the rest of the day. I also want to connect a switch that will only allow lights to come on if the curtains are closed.
There is some early evening time that can be used for black out time as well. All the switching (lights, fans, black out) can be done with the Vera controller.
 

Zeez

Well-Known Member
There are two parts to the relay, the relay and the base. On the base, output side, take two small pieces of wire (small like 1" length) and connect them criss cross like the diagram above (7 to 13 and 8 to 14 in the base pic below). Next, connect your actuator or roller motor (whatever you are powering) to the bottom two screws, 13 & 14.

On the other side of the base there are also four screw terminals. Two are for the power going to your appliance (roller motor, actuator, 12v for me etc) and two are for powering the relay, 110v for me. I chose 110v relays because my z-wave is 110v outlets. When the relay is not powered it goes to one position and when energized it goes to the other. With the "X" wires on the output side, this makes it reverse polarity and it can never short. look close at my close up pic and you can see the black wires doing the criss cross on the output side. On my pic 5 Z& 8, red and white, are going to the roller motors.

Look at the diagram I posted above and the 'A' "B" are the positive and negative powering the relay. When powered, it pulls those sidebars in the diagram down and makes it happen. When it's not powered the relay goes back to it's default position. Easy! and only $6.

Simply put, If just the transformer is powered the motor rolls down. If both the transformer and the relay are powered then the motor rolls up. No chance of a short. The relay reverses polarity.

On my set up the roll up sides and the ridge vent actuator are 12v and the sprinkler valves are 24v. There are also fans that are 110v.


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ypbiscuit

Member
Hi Zeez ,

What do you estimate it would cost to build a controller like yours to control light dep blackout , and also side wall roll up curtain motors, so 2 different sets .

Thanks
 

Zeez

Well-Known Member
On the cheep.
I would go with a Zooz power strip and the Vera plus but that's probably an extra $40.

Power strip option $70 ($10 more and one extra outlet - fans)

This would control two sets of roll up motors on a schedule or from your phone. It requires a cat 5 internet connection.

Vera Edge controller. $69 The /Vera Plus for $99 is better.

Two ZOOZ Z-WAVE PLUS S2 DOUBLE PLUG ZEN25 WITH USB PORT $30 each

Two MEAN WELL MDR-60-12 AC to DC DIN-Rail Power Supply 12V 5 Amp 60W $22 each

Two DPDT Relays $12

DIN Rails $8

A box to put it in. $28 minus 20% coupon $23

 
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