Environment Control & Actuators¶

Kamerplanter closes the control loop between sensors and actuators: the system measures temperature, humidity, CO₂ and VPD, evaluates these values against your rules, and then automatically controls devices like fans, humidifiers or irrigation valves. You can manually intervene at any time and temporarily override automations.

Prerequisites¶

• At least one location (Site/Location) is set up — see Locations & Substrates
• Sensors are delivering measurements — see Sensors
• For automatic control via Home Assistant: HA integration is set up — see Home Assistant Integration

The Sensor-Actuator Control Loop¶

Every automatic control action follows the same cycle:

flowchart LR
    S[Sensor measures\nTemperature / rH / CO₂ / VPD] --> E{Rule engine\nevaluates}
    E -->|Threshold exceeded| P{Priority\ncheck}
    E -->|All within range| W[Wait\nuntil next measurement]
    P -->|No conflict| A[Actuator command\nis sent]
    P -->|Conflict detected| K[Conflict\nresolution]
    K --> A
    A --> H[Hysteresis timer\nstarts]
    H --> S

The system evaluates rules cyclically every 60 seconds. Every executed action is permanently stored in the Control Log with timestamp, trigger and protocol.

Adding Actuators¶

An actuator is a controllable device assigned to a location.

Add a New Actuator¶

1. Navigate to Locations > desired location > Actuators
2. Click New Actuator

3. Fill in the required fields:

   Field	Description	Example
   Name	Descriptive name	Exhaust Fan Tent 1
   Type	Type of device	exhaust_fan
   Protocol	Communication method	home_assistant

4. Fill in additional fields depending on the protocol (see below)

Protocol Comparison¶

Actuator Types¶

Setting Up Schedules¶

Schedules are the simplest form of control — a device switches at fixed times.

Add a New Schedule¶

1. Navigate to Locations > Actuator > Schedules
2. Click New Schedule

3. Choose the schedule type:

   • Daily — same times every day (e.g. lights 06:00–00:00)
   • Weekly — different times per day of the week
   • Interval — every N minutes/hours (e.g. irrigation every 4h)
   • Sunrise/Sunset — dynamic based on location

Rule-Based Control¶

Rules react automatically to sensor values. They are evaluated after every measurement.

Add a New Rule¶

1. Navigate to Locations > desired location > Rules
2. Click New Rule

3. Configure condition and action:

   Field	Description	Example
   Sensor value	Which measurement to monitor	VPD
   Condition	When should the rule trigger	> 1.5 kPa
   Action	What should happen	Turn on humidifier
   Safety rule	High priority, cannot be deactivated	No

Configuring Hysteresis¶

Hysteresis prevents an actuator from switching too rapidly (oscillation):

Example: VPD humidifier control

  Switch ON at:  VPD > 1.5 kPa   ← upper threshold
  Switch OFF at: VPD < 1.2 kPa   ← lower threshold
  Min runtime:   5 minutes
  Min pause:     3 minutes

Example Rules for a Typical Grow Tent¶

Phase-Linked Profiles¶

The system links growth phases (REQ-003) to actuator settings. When the phase changes, the light schedule and climate targets are automatically adjusted.

Gradual transitions are possible: the system can reduce the photoperiod from 18h to 12h over 7 days instead of switching abruptly.

The Priority System¶

When multiple rules address the same actuator simultaneously, the following order applies:

flowchart TB
    M[1. Manual Override\nhighest priority, time-limited]
    S[2. Safety rules\ne.g. overtemperature exhaust]
    R[3. Rule-based control\nsensor thresholds]
    Z[4. Schedule\nlowest priority]
    M --> S --> R --> Z

Graceful Degradation on HA Failure¶

If Home Assistant is unreachable:

1. The system detects the connection loss within 60 seconds

2. The fail-safe state is activated for each affected actuator:

   Actuator type	Fail-safe state	Reason
   Exhaust fan	ON (100%)	Prevent overtemperature
   Heater	OFF	Fire/overheating protection
   Irrigation	OFF	Flood protection
   CO₂ doser	OFF	Poisoning protection
   Light	Last state	Dark period is critical
   Dosing pump	OFF	Overdosing protection

3. The system generates manual tasks as a substitute for the failed automation

4. Once the HA connection is restored, all fail-safe states are lifted

Emergency Stop¶

For emergency situations there are predefined emergency-stop scenarios:

Control Log¶

All actions are permanently logged. Navigate to Locations > Location > Log to see:

• Timestamp of the action
• Trigger (schedule, rule, phase change, manual, safety, fallback)
• Actuator and command
• Protocol (HA, MQTT, Manual)
• Success status and error message if applicable

Frequently Asked Questions¶

See Also¶

• Setting Up Sensors
• Growth Phases
• Home Assistant Integration
• VPD Optimization
• Tank Management