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Programming my Apex for the First Time


Ryan S

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If the apex brain unit and the EB8 lose communication the fallback status is what the outlet power status will revert to. So if your apex brain unit fails or the aquabus (USB type connection ) cable connecting the EB8 to the brain fails or gets unplugged your heater outlet will shut off in your current program.

 

Whether you want it on or off depends on what type of heater you have plugged in. If you have a heater with built in thermostat you may want fallback on if your heater is set to 79 or so. If you don't have a temp adjustment on your heater then you want fallback off.

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fallback is what you want the outlet to do if it loses communication with the base module.

 

Something like your heater, you probably want to set to fallback off so it doesnt stay on if the EB8 loses comms.

 

You also need a SET statement in that. Set is the value that it initializes to as a starting point for your program. Without a Set command, your APEX doesn't know what to do if your temperature is 78.5.

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1.1ml/second BRS dosing pumps for alk and cal.

 

Fallback OFF

OSC 000:00/005:00/055:00 Then ON

If Time 02:00 to 23:59 Then OFF

If pH > 8.30 Then OFF

 

i want to start running the pumps at 10mL/day (10 minutes per day).

i want then to turn on twice, for 2, 5 minute runs. will that happen above? (and i assume the pH part i only need for alk pump, not the cal pump, right?)

 

chad - what does a SET command look like?

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Here is my first draft. I will need to modify it and add more specific things as I learn to program better. Does anyone see any potential disasters in the mean time?

 

 

 

 

SndAlm_I6

Sound B

4

Advanced

Set OFF

 

 

SndWrn_I7

Sound A

5

Advanced

Set OFF

 

 

EmailAlm_I5

Email

6

Advanced

Set ON If Temp > 82.0 Then ON If Temp < 75.0 Then ON

 

 

EMPTY_R1

Up/Down Arrows

15

Advanced

Fallback OFF Set OFF

 

 

EMPTY_R2

Up/Down Arrows

16

Advanced

Fallback OFF Set OFF

 

 

Radion2_R3

Light A

17

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

CalPump_R4

Spiget

18

Advanced

Fallback OFF OSC 000:00/005:00/055:00 Then ON If Time 02:00 to 22:59 Then OFF

 

 

Heater_R5

Thermometer

19

Heater

Fallback OFF If Temp < 78.0 Then ON If Temp > 79.0 Then OFF

 

 

UV_R6

Light B

20

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

Vortech_R7

Arrows

21

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

EMPTY_R8

Up/Down Arrows

22

Advanced

Fallback OFF Set OFF

 

 

Return_L1

Spiget

23

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

Reactors_L2

Spiget

24

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

Radion1_L3

Light A

25

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

AlkPump_L4

Spiget

26

Advanced

Fallback OFF OSC 000:00/005:00/055:00 Then ON If Time 02:00 to 23:59 Then OFF If pH > 08.30 Then OFF

 

 

Skimmer_L5

Fan

27

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

SkimFeed_L6

Fan

28

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

LightWifi_L7

Light B

29

Advanced

Fallback ON Set ON

 

 

Lunar_L8

Light B

30

Advanced

Fallback OFF Set OFF If Time 20:55 to 09:05 Then ON

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ok. port forwarding question.

 

do i have to make my router static ip; or can i leave it dynamic and still reach the apex from the internet?

 

i think the answer is: i have to make my router have a static ip to be able to reach the apex from the internet? unless i pay $20/year for a service like this, which appears to let me leave the router dynamic, but still be able to reach the apex?

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Have you looked at dyndns.com?

 

It is a free service that has a program you install on your computer and periodically updates to the database with your current IP address. Then you assign a name to it and can use the name instead.

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Have you looked at dyndns.com?

 

It is a free service that has a program you install on your computer and periodically updates to the database with your current IP address. Then you assign a name to it and can use the name instead.

 

yeah, thats what i linked. its $20/yr now. i dont mind paying if thats the only way to get it to work?

 

does my pc have to be on all the time for that to work? (its a laptop thats usually sleeping)?

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Huh, they must have just started doing that. Sorry about that.

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Check the fine print. I think you can get the free trial, then cancel before the trial is up and still have a basic free account.

 

 

Try this link for some help with getting it going over the net. This particular link is geared towards getting it going on FIOS, but it should be helpful towards the overal process too.

 

 

Good luck again!

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Thank you both. I did grab the 14 day free trial. It looks like it will work after I cancel still? I guess we'll find out!

 

I am able to access the apex from the internet now on a computer, but I am unable to access it via the Android Apex App, except on wi-fi. I wonder if that's all it's capable of, or if something else needs to be adjusted to allow access via the internet on the App. Do any of you use the android apex app? is it wi-fi only for you too?

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I have the apex wireless in my home; via computer or wifi on my phone; but i cant get on it via the internet from work or my phone from work.

 

networking is so frustrating! i signed up for dyndns.com - so i should be able to do it - i just need to figure out what setting i need to adjust.

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A problem that I ran into is that accessing the apex is different when inside the network vs. outside the network. On my phone (which IDs the apex using my dyndns site), the only way I can make it work inside my house (where the phone connects to the wireless signal) is to shut the wireless off on my phone and force it to go outside the network on the phone lines.

 

Just a thought.

 

I am not skilled in this stuff, but I did bang my head against it long enough to have an idea of the common problems (since I had them all!).

 

 

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If you haven't already done so, You may need to change the port your apex web server is running on. Many ISP's will block the default incomming web server port and could explain why you are having issues accessing via the Internet. I believe some basic port info is on pg 33 in the Unofficial Apex guide mentioned above.

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If you haven't already done so, You may need to change the port your apex web server is running on. Many ISP's will block the default incomming web server port and could explain why you are having issues accessing via the Internet. I believe some basic port info is on pg 33 in the Unofficial Apex guide mentioned above.

 

I changed it from 80 to 1080. But I read online elsewhere that some ISPs have different incoming and outgoing ports (right now I have 1080 in both forwarding slots on my Belkin router). Wonder if that's the problem?

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80 is the default web server port and will most likely be blocked by your ISP. But you can try it if you want. Your ISP may not block it. Have you tried connecting to it using your external ip address and not your dyndns address? Using a web browser you should be able to connect to it from both your apex's internal ip (http://192.168.?.?:1080) and your exterrnal ip (http://70.174.?.?:1080 - or whatever your external ip is) from at home.

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That is right. If you have DHCP on with the Apex it can cause problems. Just leave it on in your router. Seems like you have the settings right on the Apex and Dyndns. How confident are you on the port forwarding on the router?

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That is right. If you have DHCP on with the Apex it can cause problems. Just leave it on in your router. Seems like you have the settings right on the Apex and Dyndns. How confident are you on the port forwarding on the router?

 

I think the forwarding is correct because I can reach the Apex on the intranet with the :1080 at the end?

 

Unless... the "inbound port" and "private port" should be different? The last photo on this page says to leave both the same:

 

http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/Belkin/F9K1001v1/Neptune_AquaController.htm

 

But if the private should be 1080, and the inbound something else, maybe that would explain why the inbound isn't working?

 

The only other thing I can think is wrong - is something to do with my dynamic IP and dyndns not working. The link above says I must have a static IP - do you all have a dynamic IP on your wireless router and use dyndns? On my dyndns account page I have selected under Service Type "Host with IP address". Is it supposed to be this and not "WebHop Redirect (URL forwarding service)"?

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You could try turning on remote management of your router, setting it to a random port, then trying to connect to that using your dyndns domain name. That will at least get you a few steps closer.

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