Programming The Aquacontroller Ii; Programming Basics; Timer Names; Timer Program - Neptune Systems AquaController II Owner's Manual

5. Programming the
AquaController II
The AquaController II comes equipped with a simple yet powerful
programming language which enables it to perform the normal
aquarium control tasks as well as many tasks which are impossible to
perform on a conventional controller. All program statements are
entered through the three button user interface of the base controller
unit and follow the same user interface as the menu navigation
commands. The Up and Down buttons navigate through the various
options of the fields. The Select button advances to the next field or
completes the command entry.
The program and configuration information input are stored in the
AquaController II's non-volatile memory. Power failures do not affect
the contents of this memory even if the 9V backup battery is not
installed.
The default program installed in the AquaController II is listed in
Appendix A. Most users will only have to make minor modifications to
this program to control and monitor their aquatic system.

Programming Basics

Timer Names

The first step in setting up the AquaController II for any type of
control is deciding which communication channel is to be used for a
controlled device. It does not matter which channel is used, only that it
is unique for each device in the household. For example, one control
module is to be used to control the heater in the aquarium. The
description name HET^ is chosen for the timer name, and it is assigned
the communication ID of A1. Make sure that the control modules
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Chapter
communications ID matches the ID that is associated with the Timer
Name.
To program the AquaController II with this communication ID and
Timer Name, the following procedure is used:
Go to the Setup:Timer Setup:Timer Names menu.
1.
Select Add Name from the menu.
2.
Input a 4 character descriptive name for this timer channel
3.
(HET^ in the above example). Use the Up and Down buttons
to scroll through the alphabet and the Select button to advance
to the next character. The fourth character entered is special in
that it is displayed on the Run screen to indicate that status of
the controlled device.
Input the communications ID letter and number next. These
4.
letters and numbers should match channel IDs set on the
control module earlier.

Timer Program

The AquaController II uses a simple programming language to control
the external modules. The program statements are input through the
three button interface. The procedure below illustrates how to input a
typical program statement:
Go to the Setup:Timer Setup:Timer Program menu.
1.
Select ' Add State' from the menu.
2.
Use the Up and Down buttons to locate the desired token
3.
(word). When it is displayed use the Select button to advance
to the next input field.
Continue to input the control statements until finished by
4.
jumping back to step 2. If a mistake is made entering a
statement, the Modify State command from the Setup:Timer
Setup:Timer Program can be used to correct it.

Repeat Interval

The Repeat Interval defines how often the AquaController II
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AquaController II Owner' s Manual V1.00b
Copyright 1998/1999 - Neptune Systems
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