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Originally Posted by Balibe

Attached is a screenshot of one I did. It uses the sun position and has been working well. It does not rely on internet as the sun position is a constant once the longitude/lattitude is entered.

The schedule for the balcony lights is only used to turn off the lights at midnight.

... ah, its a long time since I looked in the Weather jar!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight

Originally Posted by HuNGRYTeCH

How does you programming look using the varying times every day for a schedule? I haven't found a way to input a specific on/off time every day into a schedule, but would like to do this.

Attached is a screenshot of one I did. It uses the sun position and has been working well. It does not rely on internet as the sun position is a constant once the longitude/lattitude is entered.

The schedule for the balcony lights is only used to turn off the lights at midnight.

Since this is a generic question I've used counters, giving me minutes until start of sunset and minutes after end of sunrise. I've had a few lights in which the sunrise/sunset times didn't work out as well due to mountains blocking the sunlight or in the case of parking garages in which they just needed to be on earlier & off later. I then programmed that into logic to say if minutes to sunset less than or equal to 30 minutes or as set, then enable lights and when minutes after sunrise greater than or equal to 45 minutes or as set, then disable lights.

You can try this ... something I wrote a couple of years ago.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/91943891/Sunset%2420V5.bog

...Hmmm, not 100% sure it works

Originally Posted by FL.HVAC

We use the atomic clock with ALC. Works well turns lights on at our school systems on 15 min before sun set and turns off 15 after sun rise

How does you programming look using the varying times every day for a schedule? I haven't found a way to input a specific on/off time every day into a schedule, but would like to do this.

We use the atomic clock with ALC. Works well turns lights on at our school systems on 15 min before sun set and turns off 15 after sun rise

Originally Posted by samwinter

I can't remember the name of the program module, but it is in the weather service I believe it's sunrise sunset time. It doesn't require the Internet once you input the location (I believe it's longtitude/latitude) it calculates at whatever time interval you want it to. That may be of some help. I've been looking at using the same setup with a schedule. We also have light sensors at all the locations as backups.

Yep, download the data and operate off that. My point was that sometimes things go wrong with an internet connection, or with the site you're trying to access for some data. So relying on continuous live data feeds can lead to issues from time to time.

Mostly our customers don't use sunrise/sunset, or not solely.

We typically provide them with a program that allows them to select sunrise/sunset, custom schedule, light level control (operate off user selectable outdoor light level), or combo control (combined schedule and light level).

In the last case, for instance, staff parking lot lights, operate on a schedule, but as modified by outdoor light level. Customer wanted scheduled time, as staff parking lot lights aren't allowed to come on before 5 am, since no one will be arriving before then. But customer does want lights to turn off once light level is adequate. By 8 am lights are forced off by schedule regardless of outdoor light level. So staff parking lot lights, for morning time, are "enabled" to come on between 5 am and 8 am, but may turn off if outdoor lighting level is above a certain user adjustable setpoint.

In most cases our customers use a variety of different operation modes for different groups or types of lighting. Some solely by schedule. Some solely by ambient outdoor light level. Some by the combo control method.

Originally Posted by osiyo

Exactly!

Sometimes the "Net" doesn't work just all that well.

Make that ... OFTEN

Side note: Just got back from a site whose internet connection was just not that often or well.

Nor was the URL they used to fetch that data.

I can't remember the name of the program module, but it is in the weather service I believe it's sunrise sunset time. It doesn't require the Internet once you input the location (I believe it's longtitude/latitude) it calculates at whatever time interval you want it to. That may be of some help. I've been looking at using the same setup with a schedule. We also have light sensors at all the locations as backups.

Might want to COV the light output as well in case they notice an issue, makes it easy to see what when wrong and when.

Originally Posted by Chris_Worthington

Better to come on late and go off early is my thinking, Its a fail safe not a replacement for what the weather service provides.

You have a point there.

I just wish I knew I was doing this at the start of the job and could have put a sensor in my pricing, its much easier that way.

I keep calling it a lumen sensor, in reality it is a foot candle sensor and is set at a user selectable setpoint to bring on my lighting.

Originally Posted by HuNGRYTeCH

I was considering that, but I set the schedule for the shortest day so I was thinking it will essentially override using the weather service all together...

Better to come on late and go off early is my thinking, Its a fail safe not a replacement for what the weather service provides.

That's why I prefer the lumen sensor tossed into the mix, can't go wrong and I am covered for stormy weather

I was considering that, but I set the schedule for the shortest day so I was thinking it will essentially override using the weather service all together...

Originally Posted by HuNGRYTeCH

I have it inputing to a boolean schedule so that if it does fault or goes stale the schedule will take over.
Id like a photosensor but my customer isnt willing to put any more money in the system for a while

an "OR" block may work mo better

Originally Posted by Chris_Worthington

I'd still add some redundancy of some sort...JMO

Exactly!

Sometimes the "Net" doesn't work just all that well.

Make that ... OFTEN

Side note: Just got back from a site whose internet connection was just not that often or well.

Nor was the URL they used to fetch that data.

I have it inputing to a boolean schedule so that if it does fault or goes stale the schedule will take over.
Id like a photosensor but my customer isnt willing to put any more money in the system for a while

I'd still add some redundancy of some sort...JMO

Thanks Chris, I missed that boolean point, it is exactly what I need.

The weather service provides Boolean points for this...

I prefer to back up this with a Boolean schedule and Lumen sensor...

I give the end user the option of selecting anyone or all.

Hope this helps.

If you are using a JACE and it has internet access the weather service has a sunrise/sunset time that you could possible use?