I have made a simple controller that we can sell (so far) for $150 US. It is a bit time consuming and no profit for us so far, but I hope to get our cost down as I look into various options to have it assembled. This is very new territory for us and we only have 2 of installations so far in the field.
It basically is just a 2 stage thermostat that is wired to a cycle timer. It is in a NEMA4 watertight container. We make it/sell it pre-wired on a length of 1/2" flex water tight conduit. We also try to sell the motors for the lowest price on the market ($175US currently) and can supply the 24V transformer if needed (or you can search for LED transformers online - we use 150W). Glad to share any info on the controller and develop it as an open source project. (just not a lot of time so far to spend on the publishing, and lots more testing to do)
Ideally, the ultimate circuit will also have over-amperage protection for the motors as it is somewhat common for automated sides to get damaged when caught on obstructing objects. I am hoping that the over-amperage protection in the 150W power supply might help serve this purpose, though we have yet to test this.
We also have a version of this controller for linear actuator motors for ventilation louvers. By replacing the line voltage motors that are standard on hoophouses/greenhouses that draw power the entire time the louvers are open with a highly geared DC linear actuator, the average energy use is cut to about 1/1000th. (from about $50/yr to about 5 cents)
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I have designed and built a simple controller
Hi jennajane,
I have made a simple controller that we can sell (so far) for $150 US. It is a bit time consuming and no profit for us so far, but I hope to get our cost down as I look into various options to have it assembled. This is very new territory for us and we only have 2 of installations so far in the field.
It basically is just a 2 stage thermostat that is wired to a cycle timer. It is in a NEMA4 watertight container. We make it/sell it pre-wired on a length of 1/2" flex water tight conduit. We also try to sell the motors for the lowest price on the market ($175US currently) and can supply the 24V transformer if needed (or you can search for LED transformers online - we use 150W). Glad to share any info on the controller and develop it as an open source project. (just not a lot of time so far to spend on the publishing, and lots more testing to do)
Ideally, the ultimate circuit will also have over-amperage protection for the motors as it is somewhat common for automated sides to get damaged when caught on obstructing objects. I am hoping that the over-amperage protection in the 150W power supply might help serve this purpose, though we have yet to test this.
We also have a version of this controller for linear actuator motors for ventilation louvers. By replacing the line voltage motors that are standard on hoophouses/greenhouses that draw power the entire time the louvers are open with a highly geared DC linear actuator, the average energy use is cut to about 1/1000th. (from about $50/yr to about 5 cents)