Technics Evolution User manual

Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
User Guide
Digital Fan Speed Controller
Revision June 28th 2012

Temperature and humidity are two of the most important environmental factors in your
growroom / glasshouse. All plants have an optimum temperature and humidity at which
they will grow at and minimum and maximum levels that they can survive at.
Therefore the environment is very important to the health & growth rate of your plants.
Plants basically uptake water and nutrients via the root system and combine some of
the water with the nutrients and carbon dioxide to form carbohydrates for growth. The
rest of the water is transpired into the surrounding air.
The rate of transpiration increases with temperature and decreases with humidity,
therefore if your growroom is hot your plants will transpire a lot of water and the
humidity in your growroom will rise. This causes your plants to transpire less which in
turn will limit their growth rate and possibly even cause rot or mould problems if left
unchecked.
The Evolution Digital Proportional Control System constantly monitors the
temperature & humidity in the growing area and constantly adjusts extractor fan speed
in order to optimize conditions for plant growth.
Plants grown in optimized environments grow much faster and bigger resulting in
increased yields and decreased crop cycle times.
1
Introduction
Many growers fail to recognize the importance of extractor fans. As a rule of thumb
Grow room / Glass house extractor systems should be able to totally remove the air
from the room in a 5 minute period. The fan will bring fresh CO rich air into the growing
2
area. If an extractor fan with insufficient flow rate is used then it may not be able reduce
the daytime temperature sufficiently and the temperature may exceed acceptable levels
for your crop.
Minimum run speed ensures a constant supply of fresh air while saving energy and
reducing fan noise. Maximum run speed can be set to limit fan noise ie: a 200mm fan
run at half speed will move as much air as a 100mm fan run at full speed but the
200mm fan run at half speed will be much quieter.
Always check the suitability of your fans for phase angle speed control with the
manufacturer.
There are many types of heater which are suitable for use with the Evolution Digital
Controller, generally they fall into two main categories: Electrical and Gas.
Electrical heaters which take a long time to warm up such as oil filled convection
heaters which ideally should be avoided. Fan heaters are probably among the best
electrical heaters for growroom use.
The main advantages of electrical heaters are low initial cost, fast warm up times and
ease of use. The main disadvantage of electrical heating is power consumption which
can be undesirable especially when high powered horticultural lighting is in use.
Gas heaters which are controlled by an electrical solenoid valve are also very good.
There main advantages are very fast warm up time, very low electricity consumption
and large amounts of carbon dioxide generated as a byproduct of combustion. Their
main disadvantages are large amounts of water vapor (humidity) , relatively high initial
cost and large heavy gas cylinders which need refilling on a regular basis.
EXTRACTOR FANS
HEATERS

CONTROL UNIT
The Evolution Control Unit can be mounted inside or outside of the growing area.
Mains voltages are present in the control unit and water must not under any
circumstance be allowed to come into contact with the unit. Wall mounting is preferable
using the mounting slots at the back of the unit.
The unit should always be plugged in via an approved RCD breaker.
SENSOR PROBE
The Evolution sensor probe should be suspended from a suitable hanging point,
preferably around level with the plant tops in your growing area.
The sensor probe is a sensitive piece of equipment and should be handled with care.
Under no circumstance should the sensor probe be submersed in water.
PRE-INSTALLATION
Careful consideration at this stage can save a lot of time and trouble later on!
Common considerations would include Power Source, Cable Lengths, Sensor
Positioning, Control-Unit Positioning, Water Sprayers / Spillages etc.
2
Controller Installation
Example system setup

3
Stat Out (Thermostat Output)
This output connects to the stat input
(thermostat input) of the Evolution Co2
controller if this controller is working
together with the Co2 controller.
Note this output is only used in
conjunction with the Evolution CO2
Controller. Wire: 0.5mm - 0.75mm
A - Stat Out
B - Heater Out
D - Fan 1
C - Fan 2
E - Power Input
F - Sensor Input
Htr Out (Heater Output)
This output can control Heater loads up to
a maximum of 3Kw. Wire: 1.25mm - 1.5mm
Fan 1
This output is for the Air IN fans. Multiple
fans can be used with a maximum
combined load of 6Amps. Wire: 0.75mm
Fan 2
This output is for the Air OUT fans. Multiple
fans can be used with a maximum
combined load of 6 Amps. Wire: 0.75mm
Power Input
This is the main power supply to the
controller and should have a minimum
1.25mm cable with a 13 Amp supply or
higher. Wire: 1.25mm - 1.5mm
Sensor
The sensor is supplied with a 5M cable and
plugs into the small telephone type socket.
Wire: Included with temperature sensor.
L
N
LNLN LN
Fan 1 Power
Input
L
N
Heater
B
L
N
Stat
Output
AC D E
Fan 2
Sensor
Rear view of the Evolution Digital Fan Speed Controller with the cover off
Sensor
Socket
F
Technics
Evolution
Digital Fan Speed Controller
neutral - Blue wire
earth - green & yellow wire
live - Brown wire
Connections
This appliance must be installed by an approved electrician
and must be connected via an approved RCD safety breaker.
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

4
Once the controller is connected and mounted in a suitable position power should be
connected and the controller should display the current Temperature & Humidity. You can
now use the program keys to set the required parameters.
Setup
Power Fan 1 Fan 2 Heater Stat. Sensor
Fan
Day
Dose
UP
SET
DOWN
Power
Evolution
Horticultural Carbon Dioxide Controller

5
HYSTERESIS is the
temperature at which it switches off again - This is the “hysteresis”. Without this hysteresis - your
FAN AND HEATER would keep switching on and off every few seconds.
difference between the temperature at which the heater switches on - and the
Button Functions and General controller displays
Enters HEATER temperature setting and also doubles as the button.
Hold this button down for 5 seconds to adjust HEATER HYSTERISIS.
DOWN
FAN Button
HTR/ ButtonDOWN
TEMP/ ButtonUP
RH Button
Press to set the minimum and maximum run speed of your fans.
Press the min / max button to switch between min and max fan run speed settings.
Enters the DESIRED ROOM HUMIDITY SETTING.
Enters the DESIRED ROOM TEMPERATURE SETTING and also doubles as the button.UP
ADJUSTABLE HYSTERESIS:
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Min/Max Button
Left LED display
Function: To swap between min and max fan speed settings.
note: only works after you have pressed the FAN button
Displays live Temperature reading from the sensor probe.
This display is multi functional when programming user settings.
Right LED display Displays live Humidity reading from the sensor probe.
This display is multi functional when programming user settings.
FAN LED light The blue Fan light flashes to show that your Fans are currently running,
the faster the flashing indicates a higher speed and constantly lit light
indicates 100% fan speed, slower blinking indicates slower or idle fan
speed.
Heater LED light The Red Heater light indicates that the Heater is now active.
Power LED light The Green Power light indicates that the Evolution Digital Fan Speed
Controller is powered up from the mains supply.

Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
press the temp
button to enter
temperature
setting mode
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
2
3
you can now adjust the
temperature using the
htr button to lower and
temp button to raise
the temperature
setting you need
in whole degree
increments.
Once you have set your desired
temperature simply wait 5 seconds
the LED will flash to indicate that
it has stored the new settings.
(once stored the display will revert back to live reading
of the temperature and humidity)
Press the TEMP button ONCE, the left display will show the Current Temperature
Setting.
Press the Up (Temp) and DOWN (Htr) buttons to set the temperature.
After 5 seconds the display will flash and the new setting will be stored.
1
Setting the Desired Temperature
Setup
6

Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
press the R/h
button to enter
humidity
setting
mode
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
2
3
you can now adjust the
humidity using the
htr button to lower and
temp button to raise
the humidity
setting you need
in whole
percentage
increments.
Once you have set your desired
humidity simply wait 5 seconds
the LED will flash to indicate that
it has stored the new settings.
(once stored the display will revert back to live reading
of the temperature and humidity)
Press the R/h button ONCE, the left display will show the Current Humidity Setting.
Press the Up (Temp) and DOWN (Htr) buttons to set the Humidity
After 5 seconds the display will flash and the new setting will be stored.
2
Setting the Desired Humidity percentage
Setup
7

8
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
press the Htr
button to enter
heater setting
mode
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
2
3
you can now adjust the
humidity using the
htr button to lower and
temp button to raise
the heater
setting you need
in whole degree
increments.
Once you have set your desired
humidity simply wait 5 seconds
the LED will flash to indicate that
it has stored the new settings.
(once stored the display will revert back to live reading
of the temperature and humidity)
Press the Htr button ONCE, the left display will show the Current Heater Setting.
Press the Up (Temp) and DOWN (Htr) buttons to set the Heater
After 5 seconds the display will flash and the new setting will be stored.
3
Setting the Desired Heater temperature
Setup

9
4
Setting the Minimum and Maximum fan speeds
Setup
Press the FAN button ONCE,
The left display will show the Current Minimum Run Speed setting in percent.
Use the Up (Temp) and DOWN (Htr) Buttons to set the Minimum Speed.
Note:
After 5 seconds of inactivity from pressing any buttons the display will flash and the
new settings will be automatically stored.
Once you have your desired Minimum fan speed you can press the Min/Max button to
swap over and start to adjust your Maximum fan speed setting..
A
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
press the Min/Max
button to swap over to the
maximum fan speed
setting percentage
mode
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
press the Fan
button to enter
minimum fan speed
setting percentage
mode
3
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
2
you can now adjust the
minumum speed using the
htr button to lower and
temp button to raise
the fan speed
setting you need
in whole
percentage increments.

10
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
4
you are now in maximum fan speed setting
percentage mode
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
5
you can now adjust the
maximum speed using the
htr button to lower and
temp button to raise
the fan speed
setting you need
in whole
percentage increments.
4
Setting the Minimum and Maximum fan speeds
Setup
Once you have pressed the min/max button the right display will show the Current
Maximum Run Speed setting in percent. Use the Up (Temp) and DOWN (Htr)
Buttons to set the Maximum Speed.
Note:
After 5 seconds of inactivity from using any buttons the display will flash and the new
settings will be automatically stored.
The Blue Fan Light will flash slowly when the fan is set slow and flash faster until
maximum speed where it will be constantly on.
When Set, your controller will run the fans at the minimum speed required to maintain the set
levels of temperature and humidity resulting in quieter fan operation, reduced running costs and
optimum growing conditions.
B
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
6
Once you have set your desired
humidity simply wait 5 seconds
the LED will flash to indicate that
it has stored the new settings.
(once stored the display will revert back to live reading
of the temperature and humidity)

11
Advanced settings section
Ÿmin/max mode
Ÿtemperature hysteresis
Ÿhumidity hysteresis
Ÿfan/heater mode
Ÿfan output mode
Ÿphase angle
Ÿhumidity ignore
Ÿtemperature calibration
Ÿhumidity calibration
Ÿled lights on/off
Ÿrestore default settings
page 12
page 13
page 14
page 15
page 16
page 17
page 18
page 19
page 20
page 21
page 22

12
FIRST PRESS
Displays the actual room temperature on the left display and the current run
speed of the fans on the right display in %.
SECOND PRESS
Displays speed of the fans on the left display in %. The actual room Humidity is
displayed on the right.
THIRD PRESS
Displays the MINIMUM temperature & humidity since last reset.
FOURTH PRESS
Displays the MAXIMUM temperature & humidity since last reset.
FIFTH PRESS
Displays
SIXTH PRESS
Displays to show ACTUAL temperature and humidity levels... but advanced mode is still active.
firmware version and Fan Output Mode (PHA or CON)
MIN/MAX Button Advanced functions:
1
2
3
4
5
note
To enter min max mode:.
Press and hold the min/max button down for 5 seconds , both displays
will go blank to confirm. Release the min/max button
To Erase previous readings of min/max levels for temperature and humidity
When in Min/Max mode: Press and hold down the min/max button for 5 seconds the screen will display
once the recent history is erased you will see current live readings from the controller
for temperature and humidity, new Min/Max readings will now be stored during use. To exit min/max
mode simply power down the unit then reboot the Evolution Digital Fan Speed Controller.
Advanced Settings: Min/Max mode
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
hold down the Min/Max
button for 5 seconds
to enter min/max
advanced mode
the display will show as above to indicate
you have now entered
Min/Max advanced mode
you can now release the min/max button
MIN/MAX MODE
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
2

13
Press and hold Temp button for 4 seconds enables adjustment of
temperature hysteresis. Adjustment is 0.2 to 5.0 degrees, initial setting is 0.2 degrees.
TEMPERATURE HYSTERESIS
Advanced Settings & Calibration modes
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
hold down the temp
button for 4 seconds
to enter hysteresis
mode
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
2
3
you can now adjust the
hysterisis using the
htr button to lower and
temp button to raise
the hysteresis
setting
Once you have set your desired
hysteresis point simply wait 5 seconds
the LED will flash to indicate that
it has stored the new settings

Press and hold R/H button for 4 seconds enables adjustment of
humidity hysteresis. Adjustment is 0.2 to 5.0%, initial setting is 0.2%
HUMIDITY HYSTERESIS
Advanced Settings & Calibration modes
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
hold down the R/h
button for
4 seconds
to enter
hysteresis
mode
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
2
3
you can now adjust the
hysterisis using the
htr button to lower and
temp button to raise
the hysteresis
setting
Once you have set your desired
hysteresis point simply wait 5 seconds
the LED will flash to indicate that
it has stored the new settings
14

FAN / HEATER Mode
0P0 = When heater is on fans are off.
0P1 = When heater is on fans are on.
Please note in normal use the
controller should be set to OP0.
Advanced Settings & Calibration modes
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1.Press and hold “htr” button down
then power up the controller.
2.Once powered up the controller will display
- - - - - - release the “htr” button at this
point.
3.The display will flash up the current chip
code for example: E1.9 PHA
then shortly afterward the heater mode will
flash up briefly such as:
HTR OPO or HTR OP1
To toggle heater modes simply re-power up
the unit with the same procedure and it
will switch over to the opposite mode
of either OPO or OP1 depending on the
last mode it was in.
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
0p0
1
2
3
hold down before power on
the current htr mode will
display OPO or OP1
before switching back to live
reading mode of the
temperature and humidity
briefly
release once the display
shows - - - - - -
15

Advanced Settings & Calibration modes
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1.Press and hold FAN and Min/Max button
down during power up.
2.Once powered up and displaying
- - - - - - release the buttons.
3.The display will flash up e21 in the left and
the current setting of either CON or PHA
in the right LED window before reverting
to live readings.
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
2
3
hold down before power on
release once the display
shows - - - - - -
current PHA/CON mode flashes up before
settling down for normal temp and humidity
live display.
FAN OUTPUT Mode
Default is 'PHA' mode (PHAse angle
control).
Phase angle mode the controller will
control the speed of the fans and you can
set a % speed for them in min and max.
Contactor mode the fans will just switch
either on or off (0% and 100%).
16

Time
-1.2
-0.8
-0.4
0
-1.2
Normalised AC
-0.8
-0.4
Time
-1.2
-0.8
-0.4
0
-1.2
Normalised AC
-0.8
-0.4
AC Current
AC input (V)
Phase Angle control uses a low frequency switch to chop an AC sine wave.
The firing angle of the switch is varied. (25% - 100%)
The average voltage is proportional to the area under the sine wave. Thus, the
average voltage is the integral from the firing angle to the zero crossing, the cosine
of the firing angle.
Phase Angle control provides a excellent method to control the average voltage of
an AC source. However, the low frequency AC waveform presented to the motor will
create some torque ripple and acoustic noise, to keep this to a minimum we keep
the range of control between 25% and100%.
note:
All universal motors operated from an AC source will have some torque
ripple.
Phase Angle Fan Speed Control
Time
-1.2
-0.8
-0.4
0
-1.2
Normalised AC
-0.8
-0.4
Phase Angle set at 50% Phase Angle set at 25%
Phase Angle Fan speed Control
17

Advanced Settings & Calibration modes
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1.Press and hold Min/Max and R/h button
down during power up.
2.Once powered up and displaying
- - - - - - release buttons.
3.The Humidity display on the right LED
window will now constantly flash on/off
every second or so to show that humidity
control has now been disabled and will only
show live readings and will no longer
control the fans.
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
2
3
release once the
display shows
- - - - - -
Humidity LED will flash every second to
show it is now set to “humidity ignore” mode.
Humidity Ignore Mode
This mode can be useful in winter or wet
season if external humidity is above
desired and temperature is below.
hold down
min/max & htr
button
power on
your
controller
18

Temperature Calibration Mode
Advanced Settings & Calibration modes
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1.Press and hold “temp” button down
then power up the controller.
2.Once powered up the controller will display
- - - - - - release the temp button at this point
3.The display will show - - - in the right LED
and the current temperature reading in the
left LED .Using the up and down buttons
(htr and temp) you can calibrate the
temperature by lowering or raising the setting.
4.To store the new setting simply press the
min/max button.
5. To exit advanced mode power simply down
and then power back up the controller again
to resume the normal mode of the controller.
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
Fan
Heater
Temp R/h
Htr
Min
Max Fan
Power
Evolution
Humidity
Temperature
Digital Fan Speed Controller
DOWN
UP
1
2
3
4
release once the display
shows - - - - - -
you can now adjust the
temperature using the
htr button to lower and
temp button to raise
the temperature
setting
hold down temp button
then power on the
controller
19