Use the Tab key to select a topic and press the
space bar or press Enter to access a detailed description.
If you have a mouse, you can use it to select an item. Use
Page Up and Page Down to move to the
next page. Pressing Home will return to the index.
Special Function Keys
There are a number of special keys used in WellTimer Pro to provide
quick access to various settings and informational views. The F1-F10
keyboard function keys are used as well as ESCape and 'q'uit.
- F1-F8 Pump Configuration
- These keys enable the Pump Configuration screen. F1 configures
pump #1 while F4 configures pump #4. If you have fewer than
4 pumps enabled then some of the respective function
keys will not be shown. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to move
between fields in the Pump Configuration screen
- ALT_F1-ALT_F8 Manual Pump Control
- Pressing this key toggles the pump output control on and off.
ALT-F1 controls pump #1. ALT-F2 controls pump #2...
This is a good way to test computer communication as well as physical
hookup. It can also be used for sample collection to turn on a
specific pump. Every 5 minutes all pump states are updated to
reflect the pump plan so it is not possible to leave a pump on
accidently.
- F9 System Configuration
- This key enables the system configuration screen. The system
configuration screen allows entry of various system wide parameters
which affect operation of all well pumps. Use the Up and Down arrow
keys to move between fields in the Pump Configuration screen
- F10 Done
- This key is used to exit any of the configuration screens. When
F10 is pressed a new pump plan is computed and displayed based on
any changes made to the configuration.
- ? Help
- This key brings up the help system.
- ALT_F10 Daily Tides / Pump Plan
- This key toggles between a display of the daily pump plan and
a list of the high and low tides for the next week. Due to the
intensive numeric computations required for high/low tide
computations, use of this key on a 100LX or 200LX is not recommended.
- ESC Escape or Abort
- This key will terminate any active configurations screens, discarding
any changes. This key should be used if you decide you do not want
any changes you have made to the configuration to become effective.
- q Quit
- The 'q' key is used to quit the WellTimer Pro program.
Pump Configuration Parameters
Pump Parameters are accessed by pressing F1, F2, F3, or F4. After pressing
one of these function keys a window will be shown which shows the current
settings for the pump you have selected.
These parameters specify information required by WellTimer Pro to decide when the pump should be used.
If you make a mistake and want to cancel
any changes, press the ESC key. When you have completed your changes
you should press the F10 ('Done') key.
The following fields are currently supported:
- Name
- This is the local site name used for pump #1. This name has no
significance to the WellTimer Pro program and is provided as a
mnemonic assist to the operator.
- State
- This field enables or disables a pump from operation. When set
to '0', the pump is enabled. When set to '1', the pump is enabled.
- Rate
- This field specifies the current pump rate in gallons per minute.
- Max On
- This field determines the maximum number of minutes that a pump
should be able to pump without 'resting'. When 'Sequential' pump
mode is selected, this will cause the system to select the next
pump in sequence when the Maximum ON time has expired.
- Min Off
- This field determines the minimum time a pump will stay off once
it is turned off.
- Priority
- The priority field is only used when the system configuration
Pump Algorithm is set to 'Parallel'. The Priority number is
a number between 0 and 100% which determines the percentage of
the total pump time to be allocated to this pump. For example,
if one pump was set to 100% while another was set to 50%, the
pump set for 50% would only pump half as much as the pump set to
100%. This field can also be thought of as specifying the duty
cycle of the pump on time during Parallel Pumping. If all pumps
are of equal priority, use 100%.
System Configuration Parameters
The System Configuration Parameters are accessed by pressing the F6 key.
When F6 is pressed, a window will appear which allows you to configure
the following parameters.
If you make a mistake and want to cancel
any changes, press the ESC key. When you have completed your changes
you should press the F10 ('Done') key.
- Number of Pumps
- This is the total number of pumps to be controlled.
- System Limit
- This is the maximum pump rate of the system, sometimes referred
to as the water right.
- Tidal Lag
- This is the lag between the actual time of low tide and the
time the low tide is noticed at the well head as a change in static
level. This can often be determined from measurements taken during
a 24 hour draw down test.
- Daily Estimate
- This is an estimate of the total daily gallons required by your
system. A good rule of thumb is to use a value which is 10% more
than your actual needs. This will minimize pumping while insuring
that your water level does not decrease faster than it is restored
by pumping.
- Pump Algorithm
- This parameter specifies either 'Parallel' or 'Sequential' pump mode.
In 'Parallel' mode, all pumps will pump at once while in 'Sequential'
mode, only one pump will pump at a time.
- Timer Mode
- This parameter specifies either 'Tidal', 'Clock', or 'AutoClk' based
pumping activity. When 'Tidal' is selected, the pump algorithms
are adjusted so that the bulk of the pumping is done at low tides.
When 'Clock' mode is selected, pumping is constrained to occur
between the start and stop time specified in the system configuration
screen. The off time of each pump is strictly enforced. When
'AutoClk' is selected, the pump activity is spread out over the
specified start and stop time according to the amount of pumping
required to fulfill the daily pumping needs.
- Clock Start
- This specifies the start time for pumping when 'Clock' or 'AutoClk'
Timer mode is selected.
- Clock Stop
- This specifies the stop time for pumping when 'Clock' or 'AutoClk'
Timer mode is selected.
- COM Port
- This parameter specifies which communications port of the computer
to use for controlling the pumps. Use '0' (none) if your computer
is not actually controlling pumps.
- Batery Type
- This parameter specifies the type of battery installed in the
palmtop computer. NiCad batteries are recommended and are charged
when the computer is on. By using NiCad batteries, you can insure
that the computer will restart after a power failure.
- System Time
- Use the parameter to set the system clock of the computer.
- System Date
- Use the parameter to set the system date of the computer.
WellTimer Pro Information
WellTimer Pro (C) Copyright 1994-2002 by Glenn R. Engel.
Further information about WellTimer Pro can be obtained from:
Glenn R. Engel
3227-139th Ave SE
Snohomish, WA 98290
425-334-0576
http://www.engel.org/WellTimerPro