OPERATOR MANUAL // DOC-002

A:iG Cultivation Controller — Operator Field Manual

Autonomous control strategies, environmental vapor pressure deficit algorithms, and safety interlocks.

1. Closed-Loop Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) Regulation

Unlike primitive controllers that oscillate between raw temperature and relative humidity thresholds, the A:iG engine calculates live leaf-to-air Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) every second using the Tetens equation modified with real-time leaf temperature offset:

VPD = VPsat(Tleaf) - VPair(Tair, RH)
VPsat(T) = 0.61078 * exp((17.27 * T) / (T + 237.3)) kPa

The controller modulates Relay 2 (HVAC cooling call) and Relay 3 (Quest dehumidifier) in harmonious sync to maintain target VPD without fighting each other:

Vegetative Stage Target: 0.8 kPa to 1.1 kPa (Promotes rapid leaf expansion and nutrient uptake).
Early Flower Target: 1.1 kPa to 1.3 kPa (Balances transpiration with mold prevention).
Late Flower / Ripening: 1.3 kPa to 1.6 kPa (Drives terpene resin production and botrytis defense).

2. Atmospheric CO2 Injection with Purge Interlock

CO2 enrichment (1,000 to 1,400 ppm) is only biologically beneficial when high PAR photon flux is active. A:iG enforces a hard software interlock:

Interlock Law: Relay 4 (CO2 Solenoid) will refuse to energize if canopy lights are off, if exhaust purge dampers are open, or if ambient canopy temperature drops below 72°F.

3. The 423 Photoperiod Lock Law

During the 12-hour flowering dark period, lighting actuators enter an immutable hardware lock. Manual toggle attempts from the A:iP mobile app or local web UI return:

HTTP 423 Locked: CANOPY_PHOTOPERIOD_NIGHT_ACTIVE

To perform emergency crop inspection, operators must use green inspection lighting or hold the physical tamper button on the A:iG chassis for 5 continuous seconds.

4. 52-Subcarrier CSI Microwave Presence Tuning

The onboard ESP32-S3 coprocessor continuously tracks Wi-Fi Channel State Information multipath subcarrier variance. In the A:iP Mobile Cockpit, operators can adjust:

Presence Threshold (dB variance): Default is 4.5 dB. Increase to 6.5 dB if oscillating fans produce false spatial movement alarms.
Canopy Micro-Transpiration Window: Compares 15-minute moving variance against expected stomatal conductance curves to detect root-zone dehydration early.