How to wire a channel
Strip 8 mm, insert, screw down, tug-test. Same six-step action on every channel — the two onboard the Nexus hub, and every channel on a Mini, Mid or Max router. Once you've done one channel you've done them all. About 90 seconds per channel.
Read this first — the bit everyone skips
Slide a strain-relief grommet onto every cable BEFORE you strip or terminate it. The grommet won't fit over a bared/screwed-down end. If you skip this step you'll have to cut the wire and start over.
The grommet ships open on one side. Open it, lay the cable in, snap it shut. One per cable. Do this for every cable now, before you do anything else.
Push every cable through its tent port BEFORE terminating for the same reason — you can't fish a terminated cable through a small port without unscrewing it again.
What you'll need
- Your BudMaster Nexus hub (and any Mini / Mid / Max routers you're adding)
- The matched 12 V DC adapter (included in the kit)
- The small flat screwdriver — 3 mm tip (included)
- The strain-relief grommets (included, one per cable)
- A wire stripper (your own — not in the kit)
- Whatever you're wiring up: fans, lights, sensors, plugs
Channel map — what plugs into which channel
The Nexus hub has two onboard channels — enough to run a single tent on its own. Need more? Plug in a router: Mini adds 2 channels, Mid adds 4, Max adds 8, and you can daisy-chain up to 66 channels across as many as 16 rooms.
Set the role of each channel in the dashboard, then wire to match. Don't wire to one channel and assign another — if you do, your "extract" command spins your humidifier.
| Channel | Where | Typical role |
|---|---|---|
| CH1 | Nexus (onboard) | Extract fan |
| CH2 | Nexus (onboard) | Intake fan |
| CH3 | Router channel | Circulation |
| CH4 | Router channel | LED dimmer |
| CH5 | Router channel | Second room — extract |
| CH6 | Router channel | Second room — intake |
| ... | Router channels | (continues per room as you add routers) |
The wiring action — once per channel, six steps
This is the same on every channel — the two onboard the Nexus hub and every channel on a router. The diagram above shows it once.
- Strip 8 mm of insulation from the wire end. Twist the strands together so no whiskers stick out.
- Loosen the channel's screw with the flat screwdriver — anti-clockwise, ¼ turn. Don't fully remove it.
- Push the stripped wire fully into the wire-entry hole on the front face. You'll see the copper disappear into the green terminal.
- Tighten the screw clockwise until firm. Don't crush the wire — stop when you feel resistance, plus a quarter turn.
- Tug-test. Pull the wire firmly. If it slips out, you under-tightened or didn't strip enough. Re-do.
- Repeat for the other pole of the same channel — every channel has + and − terminals.
That's it. Same six steps for every channel — on the hub and on every router.
Polarity & wire colours by load type
The wiring action is the same; what plugs in is different per load. Here's the standard convention:
| Load | + terminal | − terminal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-pin computer fan (PC-style) | Red (V+) | Black (GND) | Yellow speed-signal wire stays unconnected; the blue sensor wire is trimmed flush |
| 3-pin DC fan | Red (V+) | Black (GND) | The yellow / blue sensor wire is trimmed flush |
| Variable-speed duct fan (AC Infinity Cloudline et al.) | Red (dim +) | Black (dim −) | Cut off the original phone-style controller plug; cap unused wires |
| LED light dimmer | Dim + from driver | Dim − from driver | Mains power goes to the wall socket separately — never wire mains into the hub or a router |
| Humidifier / heater / CO₂ | Don't wire direct — use a BudMaster smart plug, paired in the dashboard | Mains-rated devices go through plugs, not channels | |
| Power input | Red striped wire from 12 V adapter | Plain wire | Same screwdriver action; the power pair is the rightmost terminal on the hub and on each router |
Power on, verify each channel
Wire everything cold (no power), then:
- Plug the 12 V adapter into the wall.
- Open
budmaster.localin any browser on the same network. (See the WiFi setup guide if this is your first time.) - Set CH1 to 50%. The extract fan should spin within 1 second.
- Test each channel the same way. The LED dimmer changes brightness, not RPM.
- Set everything back to 0% when satisfied. Turn on Auto Mode at the top of the dashboard. The hub now runs your VPD / DLI / circulation schedule automatically.
Common mistakes (the ones that cost an evening)
| Mistake | Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Forgot the grommet | "Cable pulls on the terminal, won't seal at the tent port" | Cut wire, re-thread grommet, re-terminate |
| Reversed polarity (red/black swapped) | Fan doesn't spin, no damage | Swap the two wires |
| Stripped too much insulation | Bare copper visible outside terminal | Cut, re-strip clean to 8 mm |
| Stripped too little | Loose contact, intermittent | Loosen screw, pull wire out, strip another 4 mm |
| Over-tightened the screw | Stranded wire crushed flat, intermittent | Loosen, twist strands, re-insert, gentle tighten |
| Wired LED mains into a dimmer channel | Tripped breaker, possibly damaged hardware | Mains goes to the wall socket. The dimmer channel is signal-only — low-voltage, safe-touch |
| Mixed channel order | Wrong load responds to wrong command | Re-wire to match the channel-map table |
| Sensor wire on a 3-pin fan inserted | "It buzzes, won't run smoothly" | Cap or trim the sensor wire — BudMaster doesn't read it |
| Forgot to thread cable through tent port FIRST | Trying to fish terminated cable through 6 mm port | Cut wire, re-thread, re-terminate |