GRO-MACS Solutions
System Benefits Ideal Applications for Gro-MACS Safety & Reliability The "Good Sense" of the Grow-MACS System Intelligent Control with Monitored parameters The Benefits of WTC Gro-MACS Typical Gro-MACS System Specifications
Computerized Environmental Monitoring, Acquisition & Control System
Would you like to have easy but powerful, cross platform, computerized control of your Greenhouse or other growth facility environment?
Since 1969, WTC has been producing unique data acquisition, monitoring and control equipment. Gro-MACS was developed and perfected through years of horticulture R&D at a major university and commercial sites. Gro-MACS was used to win an award sponsored by US DOE & EPCOT center for national greenhouse control hosted among major agricultural universities across the United States. WTC specializes in customizing data acquisition systems. Do you have a unique process? No problem! WTC can supply you with one of our pre-configured systems or custom-design a Gro-MACS system to meet your specific requirements and control strategies.
The Gro-MACS control system allows you to control the environment of your facility by automatically adjusting
the temperature, humidity, lighting, watering, fertilizer, CO2 as well as any other parameters you would like to
incorporate. WTC’s Gro-MACS can create the ideal conditions for optimum and uniform growth while you save $ on
labor, energy, water, fertilizer and food costs. You will increase yield and product quality! Plus Gro-MACS is cost
effective and pays for itself in months!
- Lower labor requirement
- Lower energy and utility bill
- Higher product yield
- Higher product quality
- Save on water, fertilizer, and other material
- Floriculture: Greenhouse, nursery, and growth chamber control; hydroponic gardening, mushroom growing,irrigation…
- Agriculture: Poultry and swine houses, hen houses, dairy farms, center-pivot row farming…
- Insectaries: Butterfly farms, apiaries, silk production, ladybug and other beneficial insect farms…
- Aquaculture: Fish, frogs and shrimp farms, hatcheries…
- Turf Control: Irrigation, misting and fertigation for sports stadiums, golf courses…
- Research Facilities: Universities, agricultural stations…
- Climate Control: Potato cellars, wine cellars, breweries, distilleries, storage facilities, office buildings, meat lockers, museums….
Gro-Macs consists of a network of Control Stations with Zone controllers connected to your eICIS accessed from a Java enabled PC. The PC is used to configure and monitor the operation of the system but can be used for other tasks and can even be turned off when not needed. The sensors and actuators are connected to the Zone Controllers, which perform all real-time control, alarm generation and collection of historical data. The use of Plot-Trends enables the user to track history of past growth cycles.
Gro-MACS is an expandable system. It can be implemented cost effectively in single zone applications as well as large multiple greenhouse complexes. In all applications, the easy to use, graphical software interface on the PC is used to configure and monitor the operation of the system, including control set-up for all sensors and devices. The Gro-MACS system controls your application with a processor referred to as a control station and set of I/O boards known as zone controllers. In smaller control operations, the control station and zone controller are mounted together in the same enclosure, which is linked to the PC. For larger applications, up to 31 Grow-MACS control stations can be networked together to a single PC. Each Gro-MACS control station can receive sensor inputs and send control outputs to up to 31 zone controllers. Gro-MACS can monitor and control multiple greenhouses with one PC.
- The Gro-MACS architecture (with control stations and zone controllers independent of the PC) continues to control the greenhouse or other facility even if the PC crashes or needs rebooting.
- Twisted pair shielded cable communication lines separate from power lines:
- Keeps noise out of AC power line
- Less filtering required on AC line.
- Data not susceptible to outside interferences.
- No potential for data communication overload from power surges
A Gro-MACS system is just Good sense:
- Control and setup for all sensors and devices accomplished with your Java enabled desktop computer.
- Use of Plot-Trends enables user to view how close to ideal growing conditions their equipment is keeping their greenhouse.
- Turnkey systems, pre-configured to work right out of the box! No programming required by end user!
- User has capability to configure all set points for their application.
- Historical recording of environmental data in tabular and graphical formats.
Intelligent Control with Monitored parameters:
- Monitor wind speed, wind direction and outside temperature to control vents, fans shade & energy curtains…
- Monitor ambient & soil temperature to control heat lamps, heaters, cooling pads, fans & vents.
- Monitor relative humidity and temperature to control cooling pad, misters, foggers, sprayers & other watering systems.
- Monitor light intensity and quantum solar (PAR) to control shade and energy curtains, grow lights & other lighting systems…
- Monitor ambient and soil temperature to control hot water heating and mixing valves, etc….
- Control CO2, fertilizer systems, & Feed systems, Etc…
- Also Monitor ammonia levels, Rainfall, PH conductivity, flow & pressure, etc.
The WTC Gro-MACS offers many benefits such as:
- User may incorporate watering cycles using Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD)
- The system is designed for long-term, continuous, unattended operation-independent of the PC for maximum reliability. Your PC can even be turned off! In case of power failure, Gro-MACS automatic restart feature gets the system back up again.
- The enclosure is water tight, standard industrial NEMA-4X fiberglass-built for challenging environments!
- Optional alarm systems can notify you of emergencies by sending messages to printers or pagers.
- All connections are Twisted pair
- Gro-MACS supports unlimited morning, daytime, evening and night settings. Plus anytime in between!
Typical Gro-MACS Specifications:
Hardware:
- Expandable, modular design to over 7000+ Zones
- Nema 4X watertight enclosure 16.28” x 14.40” x 8.13”
- Battery-backup of ecis recommended for data retention.
- Auto-restart
- User PC Requirements (minimal):
- 1 GHz IBM compatible PC with Windows 2000 or greater.
- Java Runtime Environment (JRE) v1.5.X or greater.
- 1GB dedicated ram of which JRE may allocate 256 MB.
- 10 GB hard drive space
- DVD
- 32° - 104°F; 5%-95% RH, non-condensing
I/O Capabilities:
- 8 Analog inputs for temperature, humidity, CO2, pH, wind direction, etc.
- 2 Frequency inputs for wind speed, solar radiation, flow rate, etc.
- 12 Relay outputs (3 amp, 24 VAC, solid state) for heaters, fans, vents, water, light, CO2 generation, fertilizer, etc.
- 12 bit A-D, 1 part in 4095
- Voltage input ranges:
- 0-5V ±5V 0-10V ±10V
- Frequency input range 1 to 65535 Hz full scale.
- Excitation voltage + 12V non-precision or +5V precision at 10mA
- Optional: Aspirated Probe
- Temperature reading -80°C to +120° C ±0.2° C accuracy
- Relative humidity to 0-100%, ±5% accuracy
- Light range ultraviolet to visible 300 nM to 700 nM.
Software:
- Setup and display on PC of all hardware and control elements
- Turnkey system with monitor and control screen designed to customer requirements
- Remote operation available via modem for your control and operation or for servicing, upgrading, etc.
- Windows 2000, XP.
- Customized screens with point and click setup and display windows
- Bilingual screen text
- Sensor failure detection
- Alarms
- Report on device status
- Data available on Microsoft Excel.
Control Strategies:
- Time-based control with or without set points
- Unlimited set-points:
- Accumulation set-point control
- Rate-of-change (proportional) set-point control
- Average, minimum or maximum set-point control
- Unlimited DIF (Difference In Fahrenheit) settings
- Unlimited morning, afternoon, evening, night settings plus any time in between
- Set control per day for the entire growth cycle
- Fuzzy logic provides “intelligent” control decisions
- Controls to manage energy consumption and stagger equipment cycles to prevent power surges
Networking for Gro-MACS:
- Up 31 control stations (CS) can connect to one PC.
- Up to 31 Zone controllers (ZC) can connect to each CS.
- Modular design lets you distribute the CS & ZC as you desire.
- Modems available for remote sites to eliminate wiring.
- Multiple PC’s can monitor and control system.
Expandability:
- Use as many or as few components as you need.
- Start with a basic system and add more as your business grows.
- Best of all the Gro-MACS is so flexible that it connects to virtually all existing sensors and equipment!