Light Timer? Do they exist?
- Thread starter dymaxiun
- Start date
gmusick
Member
I use X10 equipment to time all of my equipment. If you are not sure what X10 is, it uses your powerline network (your basic electrical outlets) to carry a signal between transmitters and receivers. You can get an X10 USB adapter to hook your computer to your powerline so that you can use software running on your computer to control what goes on and what goes off. The computer becomes the transmitter and you plug in a receiver module into your electrical outlet, and give it an address. You plug the item that you want to turn on and off into the receiver module and hoila... you have an automated aquarium.
Go out and look at smarthome.com and look at the USB modules. You will get an idea how they look and how they work.
Glen in Atlanta
Go out and look at smarthome.com and look at the USB modules. You will get an idea how they look and how they work.
Glen in Atlanta
dymaxiun
Member
Originally posted by gmusick
I use X10 equipment to time all of my equipment. If you are not sure what X10 is, it uses your powerline network (your basic electrical outlets) to carry a signal between transmitters and receivers. You can get an X10 USB adapter to hook your computer to your powerline so that you can use software running on your computer to control what goes on and what goes off. The computer becomes the transmitter and you plug in a receiver module into your electrical outlet, and give it an address. You plug the item that you want to turn on and off into the receiver module and hoila... you have an automated aquarium.
Go out and look at smarthome.com and look at the USB modules. You will get an idea how they look and how they work.
Glen in Atlanta
gmusick
Member
Just send me a message and I would be happy to help you get X10 setup. It is really easy, however, there are a few things that could cause it not to work. You electrical system, if you ever look inside your electrical panel, is made up of 2 different phases. You electrical system is 220 coming into your house, but it is split into 2 phases of 110 each. It is possible that you have your transmitter plugged into one phase and your receiver plugged into another. You can either just make sure that the plugs for the transmitter and reciever are both plugged into the same phase or you can buy something called a phase coupler (which transmits your signal across both phases). If you are interested in doing more with X10 than just turning on your aquarium lights, then the phase coupler would be more than worth it, otherwise, it might just be easier to make sure both the transmitter and reciever are on the same phase ( or move it one so they are both on the same phase).
Glen in Atlanta
Glen in Atlanta
gmusick
Member
what's your email Glen?
My email is glenmusick@bellsouth.net
Yah just use a normal timer you plug into a outlet plug your lighting into it and set the time and BOOM you in buisness.
I agree... that is the simplest solution, but it could get quite expensive if you have multiple things that you want to turn on and off, and at different times. Some people have multiple lighting, maybe a UV sterilizer and other things that need to be turned on and off on a schedule. It would get quite expensive to buy timers for each and every thing that you are planning on turning off and on. The X10 solution is a graceful way to handle up to 256 devices and the increase in price, beyond the first device is only about $15 per device. Just get a power strip and plug a receiver, for each device to be controlled, and plug it into the strip. Plug each device into a receiver and each device can have it's own schedule.
Glen in Atlanta
My email is glenmusick@bellsouth.net
Yah just use a normal timer you plug into a outlet plug your lighting into it and set the time and BOOM you in buisness.
I agree... that is the simplest solution, but it could get quite expensive if you have multiple things that you want to turn on and off, and at different times. Some people have multiple lighting, maybe a UV sterilizer and other things that need to be turned on and off on a schedule. It would get quite expensive to buy timers for each and every thing that you are planning on turning off and on. The X10 solution is a graceful way to handle up to 256 devices and the increase in price, beyond the first device is only about $15 per device. Just get a power strip and plug a receiver, for each device to be controlled, and plug it into the strip. Plug each device into a receiver and each device can have it's own schedule.
Glen in Atlanta
cveverly
Member
Originally posted by Snipe
I use a simple timer your lights plug into it and you push buttons down 1 button = 15 mins and then you plug it into an outlet. Simple.
What Snipe said. I did the same thing to keep it simple. Only thing I would look for is a timer that will support 15 amps. Lowes has one with 15 min settings good for 15 amps and it runs around 10 bucks. Some of the digital timers are cool but they are only good for 1 or 2 amps. That may not enough to run your lights. I run 960 watts of light so I had to find a timer that would not melt down.
