I have more questions on the set-up of this....
I am confused on the relays and operation of equipment.
Question #1: If I have 2 Pentair LED Bubblers on 1 relay - I know when I activate that relay - both bubblers light up- but can I have individual control of the colors or will both lights be the same color?
Question #2: If I have 3 Pentair LED Laminars on 1 relay - I know when I activate that relay - the 3 laminars light up- but can I have individual control of the colors or will all 3 be the same color?
Question #3: If I have 2 Pentair Intellibrite's on 1 relay - I know when I activate that relay - the 2 lights light up- but can I have individual control of the colors or will both of them always be the same color?
Question 3 1/2: I will also have a globrite on a separate relay- can I make all 3 lights sync up to each other.
Hope this is easy to understand.
And I have plenty more to ask!
John_and_Val
Okay, I just finished reviewing the entire thread. Ambitious to say the least.
. So, I have been reviewing some documentation. With "Pentairgalese", that is not always easy or conclusive and sometimes presents more questions than answers. I will try to stick to IntelliCenter specific issues where I can. Here is what I know and don't know
. I'm just thinking, that if we first know the maximum limitations of, as well as the capabilities of IntelliCenter, then it might be easier to plan how best to configure your lighting circuits.
1.
What I know: You can have a maximum number of
32 individual Feature Circuits (keep that in mind as we dive deeper). Those can be assigned to control just about anything else that are not
AUX Circuits (line voltage relays that control lights pumps etc). Pump Speeds, Pump Flow (if opting for a variable flow pump), Valve Actuators, Heater Settings, Pool Covers etc. Also, you can have as many
AUX circuits as you have relays (up to
40).
2.
What I know: You can have a maximum number of
16 Circuit Groups (macros). These allow multiple
AUX ,
FEATURE and
LIGHTING circuits to be grouped together and assigned to ONE (1) button or command if you will.
What I don't know: The maximum number of circuits that can be embedded within one Circuit Group. Maybe there is no limitation. You can also have a maximum of
100 Schedules/Programs.
NOTE: I can only assume that however many
Light Groups that you have, will count against the Circuit Group maximum number (this will play a factor as we start grouping your lights in order to allow for IntelliCenter's Lighting Control Features such as the "
Sync", "
Color Set" and "
Swim" features). I'm not completely sure of as there is no way for me to test it.
3.
What I know: IntelliCenter will allow for syncing of lights (Circuits) that are included within a
Light Group. NOTE: In order to help me understand some of this. I created a "dummy" additional light (pool light 2) in my own actual configuration (since I had an available spare circuit in my i5PS), so I could then create a dummy
Light Group as illustrated below from a screen shot of my own personal
Web Client (a lot easier than running out to the Control Panel outside and taking photos of the display screen).
If each of your individual lights has it's own individual circuit, then the color of each light or light show can be individually controlled. Whatever lights are included in a particular light group, then all of those lights can be set to the same color or light show (Sync) by clicking the pull-down menu (arrow to the right of "White").
Sync - (SAm Color Swim effect): Tap this button to synchronize all IntelliBrite lights in the group (I can only assume the lights on the GloBrites, Laminar and Bubblers as well but I'm not sure). The Light in the group will go to the beginning of the SAm rotation. After 21 seconds the lights will start rotating each time the button is tapped.
Set - Tap this button to activate and to set the default color for each light then stop the light on one of the selected eight (8) colors.
Swim - (SAm Color Swim effect): Tap this button to activate an effect of moving colors across the pool. From the Swim Settings Delays screen, set a delay between the lights so that the first light syncs and starts rotating, then the second light starts rotating after that, and the third light rotates after that with a delay between the lights.
The Light Groups Sync, Swim and Set SAm features are configured from Settings > Groups. The SAm feature supports IntelliBrite, ColorCascade, GloBrite Light (Color and White), and MagicStream lights. From the Groups screen, light groups can be added, and each light color and delay (0 to 60 seconds) from the Groups screen. The Color Swim Settings effect feature synchronizes any IntelliBrite or Landscape color lights. The color swim effect starts from the first light, then the color change is delayed across to the adjacent lights creating a wave delay effect.
WOW! Now I want more lights, globrites, laminars etc. "Hey honey, can we sell the house and move to a house without a pool, so I can start over? (as I drag my IntelliCenter and IntelliValves with me)"
Anyway, back to reality! IntelliCenter has a lot of new features with regards to lights, lighting features etc, and you will no doubt be on the leading edge of experimenting with all of its various features. Okay, I'm doing a lot of "thinking out loud" here as I type. Now that I guess we know what IntelliCenter is capable of, how best to connect it all??
As has been pointed out already, if you want individual control, you need individual "Circuits". But how many? We already know that you need x-number of AUX Circuits (relays) for ANY line voltage items. I think here it gets really tricky. Pumps, Heaters, Light Transformers, etc. Anything you can think of. I even have an individual circuit that controls my IntelliChlor and IntellipH (albeit, it (the relay) obtains it's line voltage from the Pump Relay to ensure that it cannot be powered up without the pump relay being energized first). Not necessary, just an example how one can get creative to gain more individual control over equipment and accessories by using AUX circuits (relays).
We know you currently have 9 AUX circuits (relays) + Filter Pump Relay available to you with the i10PS. I guess if you feel you need (or want) more than that, it will be time to look at
Optional IntelliCenter Control System Expansion Enclosures (these house the additional relays and some additional circuitry that would be required past the first 10 relays). If that is not something you are interested in exploring, then you have to begin putting more than one light (or light feature) transformer(s) on a AUX circuit (relay).
Also, just a thought here before I close and let all of this get digested. Since you are already committed to low voltage lighting (and lighted accessories), you might consider mounting all of those transformers into one (1) approved outdoor enclosure (not necessarily a Pentair Enclosure) somewhere on the pad in proximity to your Load Center rather than having lot's of little boxes hanging on the wall and lots of individual wiring or conduits running to your load center (since you expressed some concern about that fact). Then you could run just one conduit from the approved enclosure to a "knockout" in the bottom of the load center. I did something similar with both low voltage and line voltage equipment (not in the same box of course). The conduit can be RMC, IMC or FMC but not EMT. Just an idea. There may be others who can provide additional or better ideas as well, along these lines.
You have some decisions to make as far as individual circuits are concerned I believe. Once you decide, then we can "drill down" a bit further with some specifics.
VERY impressive so far!! No doubt it will be a "setup" to marvel, when all is said and done. I WANT TO COME HELP
. This is a project that I could really get in to! The possibilities are SUPER exciting. Anybody got a spare ticket to Florida they don't want? lol...
I will be following your thread closely, and if you have any IntelliCenter specific questions for me that I can help with, I will be happy to do so.
r.
?
LOL
). In one post, can you please list EVERYTHING you have on site now or still thinking about (Pumps, Spa Jet Pumps or Blowers, Lights, Garden Lights, Water Features (sprays, waterfalls, etc) Spa Spillovers, Lighting Features, Sanitation Equipment, Heaters, Covers, Tiki Torches etc, etc, etc. Doing so would really help me to start to envision how all of that will integrate into your automation (IntelliCenter). Just how many total circuits (relays) that you might require (if you are set on individual control of everything), how many Expansion Enclosures, IntelliCenter daughter cards, Valve Expansion Modules, Serial Com Expansion Boards. It helps my thought process (as ancient as it might be