We grow functional mushrooms for sale at farmers' markets, as well as extracts, dehydrated products and soups/teas. Our production depends on equipment that is reliable, efficient and easy to monitor. My first ACI product was a humidifier, but more about that later.
A few months ago I bought the ACI Controller 69+ and it was (is) a reliable workhorse that is easy to program, connect and use. I bought a number of ACI adapter plugs to run non-ACI equipment and it worked perfectly. I even discovered the 69+ will work with an external power supply, but it takes up one of your ports, so best to couple it with an inline fan and not risk your warranty.
As mentioned, I previously bought two ACI humidifiers, but due to a bad batch (which has been recalled and corrected) I had to build my own humidifier to ensure I had continuity and didn't lose my harvest. When the units failed, Soran was on it straight away. He arranged a replacement from a local dealer (I'm in WA) and I collected it that day. 10/10 for customer service, attention and care!
I also have a 3x3m tents, which was too much space for those units to manage with hundreds of mushroom blocks every week. In my 150x150cm tent it works a dream, but this isn't about humidifiers...
Back to the ACI Controller AI: I am speaking to the functional mushroom crowd more than other crop growers, only because I have a lot of experience with mushrooms and when I dabbled in hydroponics years ago, it was a very different game, expensive and costly to run lights, systems etc. There was almost no automation then and rooms/garages were not as easy to setup as tents are today.
The ACI Controller AI has so many advanced manual options that I love. It is great and it is all I use at the moment. In my view learning to program a room with your controller is absolutely necessary before handing over to AI.
The Controller AI is very intuitive and follows basic common sense rules. I literally haven't removed the instructions from the box (I don't want to lose my Man Club card), but it is really easy if you follow logical steps and have an idea how you want your areas to operate.
As far as the AI goes, it isn't really configured for mushroom cultivation and I hope ACI work on that. If you're growing green leaf crops, it looks like the bulk of the work will be done for you, but us shroomers are not so lucky, well not yet...
I will try to work with ACI to develop a code model supportive of functional mushroom growing because growers like us, who sell at markets, are always looking for new ways to assist with better results given the nuances gourmet food production presents.
I'll post a few photos of the system, a small crop in-situ and some ACI accessories.
Many complain that another issue with ACI is they do not make AU in/out plugs for the adapters, which means two international plug adapters per unit - that can be expensive and obviously bulky too. I am looking at 3D printing something that might work and make less bulk for the overall unit.
The photos depict the controller and telemetry for the current state. Port 1: is the humidifier - Port 2: ACI Inline fan - Port 3: C02 and light meter Port 4: Light Cycle. The rest is self explanatory.
The white digital unit is my original C02 meter that cost almost as much as the ACI Controller AI and while it works well, it cannot connect to Wi-Fi, so I used an indoor CCTV camera to see the display, which was frustrating.
The plugs are connected to ACI adapters with the international connectors attached and then gaffer taped for spore and moisture protection. I hope the 3D print fix will improve this.
There's a pic of the growing shelves (we harvested and haven't fruited new blocks as yet). The ACI Inline fan with a washable filter for the humidifier and to provide constant positive airflow. This fan runs 24/7 on speed 3. At ground level is a cheapo 6" centrifugal extraction fan for C02 and spores, but I am just about to order a new ACI S6 to replace it.
I threw in a photo of one of our 1,000 litre fridges (we have three) to show what weekly capacity these units need to be able to manage. There's about sixty to 80 blocks per fridge, depending on the mushroom substrate we are using and up to 50 blocks per tent per week.
I hope this has helped some mushroom growers consider what will work best for them. I find the ACI range much more reliable and lasting than the other brands, but QBL are amazing to deal with and have excellent customer service.
(Not sure if this bit is allowed...)
Our business is Mushroom Masters Australia. We can be found on Google, we are happy to share our QBL and ACI experiences with you and to provide our opinion to functional mushroom growers. So please feel free to reach out via our contact us page on the website.
Again 10/10 for QBL, Soran and all those who work there. Thanks for being a reliable and consistent player in an otherwise unforgiving and sometimes croo...
