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.