AquaController Jr. Problems
- Thread starter fishfood2581
- Start date
REEF-DADDY
New member
Curt,
I can't seem to get the firmware upgrade to work. I sent you a pm with my phone# if you could call me that would be great! Thanks Steve
I can't seem to get the firmware upgrade to work. I sent you a pm with my phone# if you could call me that would be great! Thanks Steve
REEF-DADDY
New member
Well as promised, Curt overnighted me the cable and even walked me through the upgrade. The AJR is controlling my heat and cooling right now and I could'nt be happier!
REEF-DADDY
New member
grego said:
Well to answer your question, I would say go for it.
After a weekend with the Jr hooked up I don't know how I lived without it. I was looking at the Reefkeeper, as I did'nt think I needed the extra functionality that the ACJr provides. Well to make a long story short, I am using the ACJr in ways I had never planned, and the RK would not of been able to do for me. I wish I had bought this piece earlier and saved the money on timers, and power strips.
alrha
Premium Member
Steve, i had the same experience as you. I returned my ReefKeeper after the fuse was unable to handle my power and switched to the Jr. Boy am i happy i made that switch as there is so much more that can be done with this unit. I use mainly DC4's as they provide reliability over x-10 and they act as a powerstrip at the same time.
(i am currently in the process of upgrading those to DC4HD's as my light seem to use more amps than i had originally thought.)
(i am currently in the process of upgrading those to DC4HD's as my light seem to use more amps than i had originally thought.)
REEF-DADDY
New member
alrha said:
I need to buy 2 more DC4's as well. I only bought one because I was only going to do heat and fan, but I now need 2 more! Let me know if you want to sell your old ones!
alrha,
We have not been able to replicate the problem reported by Fishprof; when we receive the unit back we look for the root cause of his problem. The latest version of the firmware is 3.00J with the date 4A05. You can test which version your controller has by performing a selftest.
Curt
We have not been able to replicate the problem reported by Fishprof; when we receive the unit back we look for the root cause of his problem. The latest version of the firmware is 3.00J with the date 4A05. You can test which version your controller has by performing a selftest.
Curt
Aquaduck
New member
I just received my Aquacontroller Jr. today. I was programming it and used the INIT MEMORY function by accident so I had to reprogram the timer names etc. During reprogramming of timer names the screen just froze. Pressing buttons does nothing. Unplugging the unit and plugging back in displays, "Aqua Boot Mon" then "Checksum OK" then the screen goes blank. How do I get my unit re-started?
I sent you an e-mail as well.
I sent you an e-mail as well.
Aquaduck
New member
I would like to add that after I did the INIT MEMORY all timer names and program items were wiped out clean. I thought that feature was supposed to restore a default program?
So when I started reprogramming the timer programs and pressed select at the timer name, a corrupted character appeared as the timer name and then the unit froze. Hopefully this well help you determine what is corrupting the units.
So when I started reprogramming the timer programs and pressed select at the timer name, a corrupted character appeared as the timer name and then the unit froze. Hopefully this well help you determine what is corrupting the units.
Based upon the email you sent, I believe that you have one of the first batch of AquaJr's. The 3A05 firmware has a bug which allows an illegal timer name to lock up the unit. Version 3.00J 4A05 of the firmware has this problem correct. Aquaduck please check your email.
Curt
Curt
Aquaduck
New member
Curt, thanks for the serial cable. I updated the firmware sucessfully.
After the firmware crash I lost all timer names and program entries. I thought upgrading the firmware would have restored the factory default program. All timer names and timer statements were still blank. So I had to add them all in manually. During this time I had the unit freeze on me at least three times after entering timer statements when I pressed the "run" function. The screen would just go blank. I thought "oh crap here we go again" but power cycling the unit brought it back to life. The screen went blank again this morning after I checked the temperatures in the data log and pressed "run" to return to the status screen. I had to unplug the unit to reset it. Another thing I noticed is when first turning on the unit after it has been unplugged, the temperature reading is very low and the timer name icons on the bottom left are all 'U's. It takes 4 or 5 seconds for the unit to start running the program. Because the temperature reading during initialization is so low, the heater attempts to turn on and the alarm goes off until the proper temperature is displayed a few seconds later. The temperature reading seems to be playing catch-up or updating during this time. Any thoughts on these issues?
Also, what exactly does the "init memory" function do? The manual says it loads a default program but on my unit it just wipes everything clean.
After the firmware crash I lost all timer names and program entries. I thought upgrading the firmware would have restored the factory default program. All timer names and timer statements were still blank. So I had to add them all in manually. During this time I had the unit freeze on me at least three times after entering timer statements when I pressed the "run" function. The screen would just go blank. I thought "oh crap here we go again" but power cycling the unit brought it back to life. The screen went blank again this morning after I checked the temperatures in the data log and pressed "run" to return to the status screen. I had to unplug the unit to reset it. Another thing I noticed is when first turning on the unit after it has been unplugged, the temperature reading is very low and the timer name icons on the bottom left are all 'U's. It takes 4 or 5 seconds for the unit to start running the program. Because the temperature reading during initialization is so low, the heater attempts to turn on and the alarm goes off until the proper temperature is displayed a few seconds later. The temperature reading seems to be playing catch-up or updating during this time. Any thoughts on these issues?
Also, what exactly does the "init memory" function do? The manual says it loads a default program but on my unit it just wipes everything clean.
I was able to replicate the problem the intermittent lock up problem when entering the run display. I am very surprise that no one has noticed it before and reported it. The controller will reset itself in about 30 to 60 seconds after the screen goes blank so there is not danger that your tank won't be controlled. I'd say it is just one of those annoying type bugs. Also, the bug only exists when entering the run display from the select button press.
I've emailed Aquaduck a beta release of the fixed firmware. The configuration of the controller is not changed following a firmware update. To get the default program/configuration back into the controller you need to do an init memory. You must press the select button when the arrow is next to the OK for configuration to be updated. I'm guessing you didn't do this.
Following a power cycle all the timer states are unknown, and the initial temperature reading is about 20F. After 5 seconds have elapsed program evaluation starts. The probe readings will stabilize in about 5 to 10 seconds after power up. I don't really see this as an issue/bug.
Curt
I've emailed Aquaduck a beta release of the fixed firmware. The configuration of the controller is not changed following a firmware update. To get the default program/configuration back into the controller you need to do an init memory. You must press the select button when the arrow is next to the OK for configuration to be updated. I'm guessing you didn't do this.
Following a power cycle all the timer states are unknown, and the initial temperature reading is about 20F. After 5 seconds have elapsed program evaluation starts. The probe readings will stabilize in about 5 to 10 seconds after power up. I don't really see this as an issue/bug.
Curt
