Update

Update: The summer is over and once more I am depending on the WX175 to keep plants from freezing.

I have rewritten the GUI in a more OOP style. It now includes a tab-ed pane that allows you to switch between various controls. The code as with the earlier version is MS C#. In time it may be moved to a Linux server using mono the pd C# clone. The red background indicates that the greenhouse heater is on. It would show blue if the cooler was on. In the tab-ed pane there are boxes that indicate how long the heater and/or cooler ran and how much it cost to run. In this case 36 cents. Above the boxes there are ON/OFF buttons which are active when the control program is paused. Click on the image for a larger view.

I have started a project to replace the WX175 with a custom controller. The plan is to have the control logic local to the controller rather then depend on a remote PC. This will make the system more dependable. The PC will still set the program parameters and log information to the database. The local control logic may be limited to a sanity check on received commands and a limp mode program for use when the PC becomes unavailable.

Current plans are to run as much of the automation as possible from one or more 12V auto or deep cycle marine batteries. In the event of a AC power failure this will allow the system to control the more passive things linke vents and shades, and most importantly an alarm.