Reef Angel Forum

Dumb question, but how is Feed mode activated from within 2.2, or is it. I supose one could create a profile to shut off/on certain pumps etc?

You will have to create your own Feed Mode Profile in the Client. There isn't one built in because everyone's setup can be so different.

Thanks, makes sense.

I guess the one problem with the profile is you would have to deactivate it as it would not be on a timer.

I've kicked around the idea of timed profiles a lot. It makes sense to have the feature available, and it won't be hard to implement, yet I'm still hesitant. The profiles apply permanent on/off masks to the outlets so they no longer respond to the inputs and timers on the controller. The masks must manually be removed and outlets put back into auto mode so the controller can make the decisions as to what they should do.

Over wifi, there are some known (and even unknown) scenarios that cause issues with communication from the Listener to the controller. The windows gadget being one, and the built in web server pages being another. If these scenarios or any others should arise during a "timed profile" that stops the application from communicating, your equipment is now essentially locked in either the on or off state indefinitely. Temps,pH,ato sensors, and built in timers wont override the profile masks as far as I know.

It's a risky proposition in my eyes, and I don't think I would fully trust it, so I have a hard time asking others to. In your case it's just a simple feed timer to turn on/off pumps. It does however, open the possibility for people to do a lot more and become too reliant on the Client to take care of their tank. Knowing that you manually have to disable a profile helps alleviate that a bit.

IMO, the best way to have this work is to expose the profiles on the controller to the Client. From there, the client will just 'activate' it on the the controller. This keeps responsibility separate and ensures that even if your computer crashes or network goes down - the controller will know what to do and continue to care for your tank when the time runs up. When you think about it - any kind of timed profile is essentially a redefined "feed mode". Maybe we can convince Curt to make one or two more available for custom profiles and then provide a way to activate them over #define wifi

Some very good points, in reality one needs to push a button to start the feed, so not that big of a deal to stop the feed. I do not feel comfortable either in allowing the PC "control" the "controller" for the reasons you state.