Neptune Auto Feeder (AFS)

Riddler05 · Jul 28, 2015

Hey,

I was wondering if anybody knows the code to work the neptune apex autofeeder. I want to feed once, one rotation, at 13:30. I dont understand the repeat interval.

Thanks
Corey

143MPCo · Jul 28, 2015

Here’s the program created by the Wizard in the first scenario: Single feeding at Noon, single rotation:

OSC 000:00/000:30/000:30 Then On
if Time 00:00 to 12:00 Then Off
if Time 12:02 to 00:00 Then Off
if FeedA 000 Then On

The key to programming the AFS is understanding that the feeder drum will rotate once every time power is applied. That’s where the Oscillate statement comes in. It turns the outlet ON for 30 seconds then OFF. The ‘If Time’ statements keep the outlet OFF the rest of the time – in this example all day with the exception of 12:00:00 – 12:01:59. The Oscillate statement starts at 12:00 with 30 seconds OFF followed by 30 seconds ON (which causes the feed drum to extend, rotate and retract). This happens once and the outlet then goes OFF until the next day at noon.

Here’s the code created by the Wizard for the last example: Feed twice a day at 1pm and 5pm, 3 drum rotations each time:

OSC 000:00/000:30/000:30 Then On
if Time 00:00 to 13:00 Then Off
if Time 13:04 to 17:00 Then Off
if Time 17:04 to 00:00 Then Off
if FeedA 000 Then On

Note that each ‘If Time..’ statement is longer – 4 minutes instead of 2 which gives you the 3 x 1 minute rotations plus a little time so the outlet doesn’t turn OFF too early. If you wanted a different number of drum rotations at each feeding, simply adjust the times accordingly – 2 minutes for a single rotation, 3 minutes for 2 rotations, 4 minutes for 3 rotations, etc. This way you could have 2 rotations at the 1pm feeding but 4 rotations at the 5pm feeding.

One final note about the program the wizard creates. You’ll note there’s a ‘If Feed…’ statement automatically inserted at the end of the program. This gives you the ability to manually activate the feeder whenever you want and get a single feed rotation. Simply select that feed timer from the Display module, the Dashboard or your smart phone application and the AFS will be activated for a single drum rotation feed.