Apex DOS question #reefsquad

Bartwick

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#reefsquad

There seems to be limited options to control my DOS through programming under "Configuration --> Advanced", just ON and OFF. The ON speed is very slow. Is there a way to make it go much faster?

I would like to have more control over the pump. I want to be able to use the DOS to refill the tank after I drip a fish or change a reactor. My DOS is it set up for auto water change.

Under Configuration --> Advanced for my AddWater pump, I have the line,

If refill_tank then ON

refill_tank is a virtual outlet that indicates that water needs to be added until my ATO switch is open.

refill_tank has the code,
If Sw4 OPEN Then OFF
if Output refill_tank = OFF then OFF

After I drip a fish, using ApexFusion, I manually turn refill_tank ON, and then I turn it to AUTO.
Because of the last line of code, where the outlet references itself, once the refill_tank turns off it will stay off until I manually turn it back on.

This works perfectly except that the pump is much too slow in it's ON state and I would like it to go faster.

Thanks,
 

SuncrestReef

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Create a DOS profile. There you can set the pump speed, the volume, the intervals, etc. Then in your Advanced programming, use the profile name in place of "ON". Example:

If Output refill_tank = ON Then AddSW

Screen Shot 2019-10-21 at 8.57.49 PM.png
 
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Bartwick

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#reefsquad

Thanks for the response. I wasn't aware of DOS profiles.

There is a problem. Profiles seem to assume that they for dosing and I not able to create a profile that adds any substantial amount quickly. Seems like this is a safeguard against overdosing but I am not trying to dose. I want to refill my tank. For example, when I try to create the profile, 125ml/min, Amount = 1000ml, Interval = any, say 600000, number of doses = 1. It doesn't take giving the message, "Single dose amount too large. Increase dosing rate or decrease dose amount." Is there any way around this?

Thanks
 
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Bartwick

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I've been able to create a semi-reasonable profile to refill the tank,
rate: 250
ml: 800
interval: 600
number of doses: 15 (this parameter doesn't seem to matter)
 

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#reefsquad

Thanks for the response. I wasn't aware of DOS profiles.

There is a problem. Profiles seem to assume that they for dosing and I not able to create a profile that adds any substantial amount quickly. Seems like this is a safeguard against overdosing but I am not trying to dose. I want to refill my tank. For example, when I try to create the profile, 125ml/min, Amount = 1000ml, Interval = any, say 600000, number of doses = 1. It doesn't take giving the message, "Single dose amount too large. Increase dosing rate or decrease dose amount." Is there any way around this?

Thanks

The error is not to prevent overdosing, it's to prevent the DOS pumps from overheating. See this snippet from the DOS User Manual :

Too much dosing in too short a period’ – this error occurs when the Dose Interval is too short. It is designed to prevent the pumps from overheating. The Dose Interval should be at least 3x the time it takes to deliver 1 dose. For example, if the Dose Rate is 12 mL/min and the Per Dose Amount is 3 mL, it should take 15 seconds to deliver that 3 mL dose. Therefore, the minimum Dose Interval should be > 45 seconds (3 x 15). The interval will be your dose (15 sec) plus a 30 seconds (2 x 15) pause plus at least 1 second.​

The largest volume possible to move in a 24 hour period is 119916 mL (31.7 gallons at 1.3 gallons/hour).
 
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Bartwick

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I read about the overheating limit in the manual but the pump delivers much more quickly when doing a water change.
Anyway, my idea to have the profile stop running when a switch opens doesn't work since the DOS continues to run the profile even after the DOS outlet is switched back to TBL. That is, I see on the fusion dashboard that the DOS pump is in TBL but it is still running my Refill profile. I'll try doing something with OSC.
 

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I read about the overheating limit in the manual but the pump delivers much more quickly when doing a water change.
Anyway, my idea to have the profile stop running when a switch opens doesn't work since the DOS continues to run the profile even after the DOS outlet is switched back to TBL. That is, I see on the fusion dashboard that the DOS pump is in TBL but it is still running my Refill profile. I'll try doing something with OSC.

Any commands in the Advanced view that evaluate True will override the normal schedule, but once those commands are False the normal schedule will resume, and it will indicate TBL on the dashboard tile.

I guess I'm unclear what you want the DOS to be doing when it's not running the Advanced code. If you want it to stop, then use a Set OFF in the Advanced code because it doesn't allow you to have a blank schedule. At least one interval is required.
 
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Bartwick

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What I want is for the pump to resume TBL and stop executing the profile when it is switched back to TBL but this isn't happening. It continues to run the profile.
 

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What I want is for the pump to resume TBL and stop executing the profile when it is switched back to TBL but this isn't happening. It continues to run the profile.

How are you determining it's still running the profile rather than the TBL schedule? Just based on the speed of the pump, or some other means?
 
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Bartwick

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I say it's running the profile because the the pump was still pumping and my water change schedule is at a completely different time.
 
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Bartwick

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I got it working. Needed a second virtual outlet. The second virtual, Refill_chg, mirrors Refill but has a defer so it remails ON for an extra minute. This is used to sense when Refill has turned to OFF to send an OFF signal to the the pump so it will end the profile.

Would you please send me settings for the profile that will fill the tank more quickly? This is the last piece but overall I'm very happy with this functionality.

Thanks. Code below.

The pump has the code:
If Output Refill_chg = ON Then OFF
If Output Refill = ON Then Refill # Order matters. The 2nd statement overwrites the first
If Output WC_low_NSW = ON Then OFF # This is tied to a switch indicating that my NSW bucket is almost empty.

Virtual outlet Refill has the code:
Set ON
If Output Swch_ATO = OFF Then OFF
If Output Refill = OFF Then OFF

Virtual outlet Refill_chg has the code:
Set OFF
If Output Refill = ON Then ON
Defer 001:00 Then OFF

and
Swch_ATO is just
Set OFF
If Sw4 CLOSED Then ON
 
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