Lighting

Fixtures are managed in an aquarium’s Lights (Lumières) tab. They are driven by PWM from the controller, which must have an RTC clock: the schedule runs on the ESP32 and keeps going without a server or Internet access.

Declare a fixture

1. Add a light and attach it to a controller. In its settings, the PWM frequency defaults to 1000 Hz, which suits LDD drivers.
2. Add its channels: one per controllable colour (white, royal blue, blue, UV, violet, cyan, red, green, yellow…). Each channel uses a PWM pin of the ESP32 or an output of a PCA9685 module (16 PWM outputs, see Modules).

For each channel:

Setting	Purpose
Maximum intensity (Intensité maximale)	A ceiling never exceeded, whatever the mode: it protects the LEDs and the tank.
Switch-on threshold (Seuil d’allumage)	Below this level the channel stays off; above it, the channel switches on straight at the threshold. Prevents drivers from flickering at very low intensity, at sunrise and sunset.
Inverted PWM (PWM inversé)	For a driver that is active low, or control through an optocoupler.

The ceiling and the threshold apply without reflashing. The pin, the inversion and the PWM frequency are written into the firmware: after changing them, reflash the controller.

Setting the switch-on threshold

Put the channel in manual mode and lower the intensity slowly. Note the level where the light starts to flicker, then set the threshold just above it.

Channel modes

• Auto: the channel follows its schedule.
• Manual (Manuel): fixed intensity, applied within a second.
• Off (Éteint).

All automatic (Tout en automatique) puts every channel of the light back on its schedule.

Program

Each channel follows a 24-hour curve, defined point by point (time, intensity in %). The schedule is sent to the ESP and stored, without reflashing.

The chart shows the intensity actually produced, computed like the controller does: moonlight, ceiling and switch-on threshold included. For the selected channel, the programmed schedule stays visible as a dotted line, with the ceiling line. A point above the ceiling shows the real intensity, for example “85 % → 50 %”.

Changes to points are saved with Save (Enregistrer). Copy to… (Copier vers…) copies the channel’s curve to other channels.

Preset profiles

A profile (reef, soft reef, planted freshwater, fish only) provides a curve for each spectrum family:

1. Pick the profile. The Start (Début) field fills in with its default start time, and the end time is shown next to it.
2. Change the start time if needed: the whole schedule shifts as a block, keeping the gaps between channels. A schedule can run past midnight.
3. Apply the profile (Appliquer le profil) replaces the curves and puts the channels back in automatic mode. It is saved and sent to the light immediately.

A channel with no curve in the profile stays off. Then adjust the points to taste.

Moonlight

In the light settings, moonlight (Clair de lune) turns one or more channels on at night, each at its own intensity: it acts as a floor when the schedule goes lower. For example, the channel driving a driver and a blue channel.

Demo

Demo (Démo) plays a full day in a few seconds or minutes, on the light and on screen, to check a schedule without waiting.

Acclimation

After changing fixtures or adding corals, acclimation avoids a light shock:

• choose a starting percentage and a duration in days;
• each day, the schedule is applied at a slightly higher percentage, up to 100 %.