Grow light automation - Revision history

TK421: Tiny typo

2025-12-28T09:54:59Z

Tiny typo

Fuddnir: Added info on how to set up the logic if Daylight Sensor is ceiling mounted

2025-12-27T19:34:45Z

Added info on how to set up the logic if Daylight Sensor is ceiling mounted

Fuddnir: Removed "requirements for placing Daylight sensor. They aren't required...

2025-03-17T07:37:43Z

Removed "requirements for placing Daylight sensor. They aren't required...

Fuddnir: Created the page

2023-01-13T18:02:52Z

Created the page

New page

[[Category:Tutorials]]
== Disclaimer ==
Due to the frequency of game updates, all solutions are subject to change and may or may not be functional.

The designs on this page are valid as of v0.2.3771.18264 (2023-01-12)

== Geometry of Daylight Sensors ==
The Solar Angle variable from Daylight Sensors go from 0 degrees at mid-day, to 180 degrees at midnight, and then back to 0 degrees. The value is never negative.

[[File:Daylight sensor vertical.png]]

== How much light/dark do plants need? ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Plant !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! 13 !! 14 !! 15 !! 16 !! 17 !! 18 !! 19 !! 20
|-
| Corn || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || || || D || D|| D || D
|-
| Potato || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || || D || D|| D || D
|-
| Pumpkin || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || || || || || D || D
|-
| Rice || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Soybean || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Tomato || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Wheat || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
|
|-
| Darga Fern || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Fern || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Hades Alpha || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Hades Beta || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Peace Lily || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Switch Grass || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Tropical Lily || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Winterspawn Alpha || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
| Winterspawn Beta || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || L || || || || || || D || D || D || D || D
|-
|}

As you can see from the table above, most plants need a minimum of 10 minutes of light, and 5 minutes of darkness. We can split the remaining 5 minutes equally, giving us 12.5 minutes of light and 7.5 minutes of darkness.

== Let's do some math... ==
* The planet rotates 360 degrees per day.
* A day is 20 minutes.
<code>360 degrees / 20 minutes = 18 degrees per minute</code>

* We need light for 12.5 minutes per day.
<code>18 degrees per minute * 12.5 minutes = 225 degrees</code>

* We want half the light-budget on either side of mid-day
<code>225 degrees / 2 = 112.5 degrees on either side</code>

== Bringing it all together ==
'''What you need:'''
* Logic I/O (x2) > Reader and Batch Writer
* Logic Processor > Compare
* Logic Memory
* Kit (Sensor) > Daylight Sensor

* Place the Daylight Sensor outside, facing up. Direction of data-port doesn't matter.
* '''Logic Reader''' > '''IN:''' Daylight Sensor '''VAR:''' Solar Angle
* '''Logic Memory''' > '''Value:''' 112.5
* '''Logic Compare''' > '''1:''' Logic Reader '''2:''' Logic Memory '''OUT:''' Less
* '''Logic Batch Writer''' > '''IN:''' Logic Compare '''OUT TYPE:''' Grow Light '''OUT VAR:''' On

== Saving Power ==
You can save a bit of power by delaying turning on the light. If you reduce the time with lights to 10.5 minutes, then you can set the Logic Memory to 94.5.

@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 * '''Logic Batch Writer''' > '''IN:''' Logic Compare '''OUT TYPE:''' Grow Light '''OUT VAR:''' On
-If you mount the Daylight Sensor to the ceiling, pointing down, and you want the light to track the daylight cycle (for esthetic reasons, the plants for the most part don't care), just make the logic be "Greater than 67.5". (180-112.5=67.5)
+If you mount the Daylight Sensor to the ceiling, pointing down, and you want the light to track the daylight cycle (for aesthetic reasons, the plants for the most part don't care), just make the logic be "Greater than 67.5". (180-112.5=67.5)
 == Saving Power ==
 You can save a bit of power by delaying turning on the light. If you reduce the time with lights to 10.5 minutes, then you can set the Logic Memory to 94.5.

@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 * Kit (Sensor) > Daylight Sensor
-* Place the Daylight Sensor outside, facing up. Direction of data-port doesn't matter.
+* Place the Daylight Sensor. Direction of data-port doesn't matter.
 * '''Logic Reader''' > '''IN:''' Daylight Sensor '''VAR:''' Solar Angle
 * '''Logic Memory''' > '''Value:''' 112.5