The calculator has just been updated to version 0.

2 :o) Here are the fixes and additions you will find :

- Fixed Resolution Problem

- Changed to tabbed interface for easier use and easier addition of future features (very easy to add new
tabs :o))

- Added Ammonium Molybdates (ortomolybdate and heptamolybdate) to salts list

- Added the ability to save and load formulations through a drop down menu. All ppm nutrient levels and
solution volumes are saved with the name you input. You can then load them simply by selecting them from
the menu. If you close the program simply click the "load formulations" button to get them back. You can
also remove them using the "remove selected" button.

-You can also add external formulations, simply place the file of the formulation in the folder where the
program is located in, input the name next to the "add external" button, click it and the formulations should
appear in the drop down menu. You can save your formulations and share the files with anyone you want :o)
files for formulations are saved within the same folder as the program.

Well, I hope that all these changes make the calculator much more useful and user-friendly for everyone out
there. Hopefully it will also enable us to easily share a lot of formulations :o). I am also implementing other
features including the "reverse" (input salts, fertilizer, etc, -> get ppm) and a pH and EC prediction module.

After a lot of hard work I am glad to announce the next version of this free hydroponic nutrient calculator
which from now on will be called "hydroponic buddy". I made the following improvements/fixes/additions :

- Added Custom Salt/Fertilizer (you can now add any salt or fertilizer you want with a custom composition)

- Added Purity Feature (salt purity can now be specified)

- Added "salt to formulation" feature, you can now input a given mass of salt in grams and a given volume
and get the final ppm concentration. This is very useful if you want to examine a fertilizer you are currently
using or just do manual modification to the automatically calculated formulas

-Custom salts/fertilizers can also be used in conjunction with other salts/fertilizers when calculating nutrient
solutions through the "direct addition" method. Using the other method this cannot be done because
compatibility issues cannot be addressed knowing only percentage compositions.

- Added concentrated A+B type solution preparation. The program now has a "preparation mode" where
weights and instructions are given to prepare A and B stock solutions which are then used to prepare the
final reservoir.

-Program automatically checks salt compatibility of salts in A+B solutions, it will warn you if you are
attempting to use incompatible salts.

-Problem with zero divide errors when nutrient levels are set at 0 has now been fixed.

-Problem related with inaccurate calculation when using gallons has always been fixed.

V7

Version 0.8 of the calculator is finally out and with it I have made several important fixes and additions.
These are the changes for this version :

- Added a tutorial button on the "welcome page" which contains links to all relevant tutorials within my
blog.

- Added Si, Na and Cl. All of these elements are now tracked and their conductivity contributions are
measured. However Cl is not included as a "recipe element" since additions of chloride ions are never
necessary due to the fact that almost all water sources contain it within the necessary ranges for plant growth
(chlorides are also widely present as salt impurities). However the calculator will tell you the contributions
of Cl in ppm of salts within the bottom left corner box on the results' page.

- Added 28 new default salts, acids and bases including potassium and sodium silicates, sodium nitrate, zinc
sulfate monohydrate, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, ammonium sulfate, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride,
some carbonates, many complexes, many transition metal nitrates, potassium hydroxide, etc.

-Implemented new windowed settings for the preparation modes (direct addition and concentrated A+B)

- The default preparation mode now allows you to choose between "direct addition + Fe and micro
concentrated solutions" or "adding all salts directly". This is useful if you have high precision scales or if
your reservoir size allows you to weight everything directly with enough precision without having to prepare
concentrated solutions.

- Changed EC prediction mode implementation to an empirical model I came up with that gives results
closer to reality.

- Introduced "water quality" input with the ability to save and load different water quality settings. These
measurements are used when your formulation is calculated to adapt your formulation against your
particular water type.

- I also removed the pH prediction module because the simplifications it was based on are no longer valid
with such a wide array of acids and bases. Sadly implementing a precise pH prediction method requires the
solution of complex mathematical systems (if phosphates and carbonates are used it requires the solution of
a system of about 8-12 non-linear equations) which my calculator is not capable of doing. I tried to use the
freely available Maxima libraries but failed to implement a reliable solution. However I believe this feature
is not that necessary and probably not worth all the trouble.

Hopefully this new calculator version will be useful to those of you who haven't been able to use the
calculator due to its previously smaller salt database and lack of a water quality feature.

I will now explain what each one of those features does :

- Quick Load List : This list includes all formulations (formulations are different from results !!) that have
been saved. In order to populate the list with your previously saved formulations you must click the "load
formulations button"

- Add Current : Adds the current formulation (desired ppm values for each element) to the Quick Load list.
In the future you will need to click the "load formulations button" to have this formulation available when
the program starts.When you use this a file is created within the calculator's folder with the formulation (this
file can be shared with other users who can add it with the "add external" button)

- Add External : Adds an external formulation saved as a file within the same folder as the calculator's
executable to the drop down list. In order to recover this later on you will need to populate the quick load list
using the "load formulations" button.
- Save Results : Saves a text file with the name chosen on the Edit box in the same folder as where the
calculator's executable is located. This text file includes the RESULTS of the calculation (salts, weights, etc)
so that they can be printed and used in an easier fashion when actually preparing the formulations.