Group buy on the AC3 (not Jr.)

[DrBDC]

Thought I'd pass this email I got along to anyone looking for the more complete controller package.

Here's your letter (anyone with kids knows that line)

Due to the amount of emails requesting a group buy rate for the Neptune Aquacontroller III we have worked up a deal. We are placing ACIII orders at special price when we have a total of 5 orders. This is considered a group buy.

http://www.thereefstop.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=403


Also The Reef Stop is the first place to lower its price on the Neptune Aquanotes Software to $79.

http://www.thereefstop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=55_87_125&products_id=186


Like always we try to bring you the best price we can.

The Reef Stop Team.

 

[chadfarmer]

i was looking at both packages and the dc8 modules are different prices on both units


the acjr 75.00 dc8
the ac3b 139.00 dc8

is it to off set the price of the control unit

 

[Markk96]

Nope pricing is set by Neptune on combo deals.

 

[chadfarmer]

thanks mark

it just looked like a typo to me

 

[dela]

So what all can you do with these controllers? I've been looking to upgrade how I control the tank. This is all X10 based right?

 

[jwalters103]

anyone know if aquanotes will work with microsoft vista yet?

 

[mjpelikan]

Yes, X10. My plans (with my brother who is very electronically gifted) would be to:
1) control the lights on the show tank, the fuge, and phyto culture
2) automate water top off
3) dose with kalkwater
4) temperature (heaters & potentially a chiller but doubtful)
5) shut off valves to filters for feeding times
6) I dream of partially automating water changes and feedings

I really like the monitoring and reports that the software produces/allow me to manipulate

I am told this is all possible... but I am by no means an Electrical Engineer

Any other things you guys are planning on controlling/monitoring?

 

[Markk96]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6903844#post6903844 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dela
So what all can you do with these controllers? I've been looking to upgrade how I control the tank. This is all X10 based right?

No they are not 100% X10 if you get the Neptune Controller DC8 or DC4 then you do not need X10's. Neptune is discontinuing is selling of X10's and support for those.

 

[cwegescheide]

Ijust got an aqua controller III and Ilove it. I'm going crazy with automating things!!! Lets see, this is what I have controlled so far:

NO X-10!!! I've got a dc8 and getting another one
If temp > 83.8 then metal halides off.
If temp < 79 then fan off
if ph > 8.3 then Kalk off
if ph > 8.3 then h20 on (potentially catch if overdose of kalkwasser)
times of lights are programmed in the unit

If you don't want to use the ORP sensor that can be used as another ph meter/controller. I am using this to control my calcium reactor effluent ph.

I've working on figuring out alarm events like if the water level in the sump is too high then turn off the top off pumps (keep a flood from happening)

I've also heard there is something called "water bug" which is a water spill sensor that can interface with the aqua controller. I'm looking into this so if it detects an overflow from the tank then it will turn off the return pump before flooding my place.

This system is very important for me because I am usually away from home m-thurs and nobody to watch my tank. Everything is automated. Also with the aqua controller III I can monitor my tank from any computer on the internet. SWEET. Especially when you have a tank full of sps then I think of it as insurance.

I'm very happy with mine so far.

 

[DrBDC]

The Aquacontrollers by their nature use an X10 technology but the DC units do it w/o going through the power circuits of the house by the little phone cord connected straight to the DC. This eliminates any outside interference. Each DC unit has an "in" and an "out" phone connector. The last unit on the chain of DC's can go to a "sending unit" called IM 513. Then you can add on as many "receiving units" as you wish up to the total number of devices that can be controlled by the aquacontroller.

You can make the unit a wavemaker with on/off statements, the feed cycle will cut the main pump and/or powerheads for the length of time you choose and then restart. You can control all the lighting, water levels, topoff pumps, etc.

I have mine set up with a DC and need another one for more control items. I then have my other tanks lighting schedules controlled by the X10 remote units. If they would come up with a remote pH/temp that would be cool but you start to run out of the total number of devices controlled. On the AC3 it is 20. On the AC3Pro it is 30 and I don't remember on the jr and the two older AC2 units.

The current AC3 can do temp, pH, and ORP(or substitute the ORP for a 2nd pH i.e. calcium reactors). There are additional expansion modules which should have been out already to have additional pH/orp etc.

I think the best way of buying these is with a DC8 and at least 1 IM513 and then you can buy the receiving X10's at Radio Shack for 13 bucks instead of 20+shipping.

There are some issues with X10 crossing from one phase to the other in your service panel to other circuits but there are easy fix's for this. The cheapest is 25 bucks for a plug that you put on your 220V dryer outlets that "link's" the 2 phases.

What they can control is everything you can think of you just have to plan it out and tell the unit how to interpret the input and what to do.

Here is an examplenot code written)

If float switch open then turn on kalk pump
If float switch closed then turn off kalk pump

or

If ph >7 then turn CO2 on (for the ca reactor pH probe)
If pH <8 then turn CO2 off (for tank pH probe)

Those are not calcium reactor parameters per say as I've not set up one with it but the people who have done ca reactors would understand the general idea I was trying to convey.

You can tell it to delay the metal halides if power out, or turn them off if the temp gets too high on really hot summer days.

 

[dela]

DrBDC, Thanks for the great info. I'd really like to see that some time. I have not seen "softwired" X10 devices. Right now I'm having some problems with my X10 appliance modules. (I bought the firecracker kit a while back) When I send the off signal, my appliance modules will come back on a few seconds later. This happens 90% of the time. I thought it was a problem with the transciever, but after buying a new one, I'm having the same problem! Now I'm not sure what to do. I'm really bummed out about it since I was hoping to do everything via remote and never have to get into my very tight and congested cabinet where someone is likely to get electrocuted! (Except 1/mo for routine maintenance).

I was in the process of learnig how to do X10 commands from a Unix computer, but then I found that aquarium doctor program and figured someone else has already figured out everything you might possibly want to do. And it was pretty cheap. But I don't think they have their bugs worked out.

So where do the probes come back to? The Aquacontroller itself?

Mark, is X10 being phased out for aquarium control?

 

[Markk96]

The X10's are still being offered by Neptune, but I have been told that they are discontinue them at some point. After that I am not sure what Neptune will do for support of the X10's. That might a question for them.

 

[mjpelikan]

Come on! more people get on this! I want my Aquacontroller!!! Question - why would I want an ORP probe over a second pH probe? I have done some preliminary research and I just confused myself...

 

[Shooter7]

The minute I receive the check from you to pay for it, I'm all over one!

 

[DrBDC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6951375#post6951375 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mjpelikan
Come on! more people get on this! I want my Aquacontroller!!! Question - why would I want an ORP probe over a second pH probe? I have done some preliminary research and I just confused myself...

If you use a ca reactor then def. hook it up w/2 pH probes for complete control. But if you run ozone then PLEASE monitor the ORP or you'll crash the tank. If a calcium reactor is on your future wish list then go orp for now and the ph probe expansion will be out w/in a couple months and you can still do the pH control of the reactor when that happens.

 

[mjpelikan]

I was thinking calcium reactor, but I think I may have decided to go with just a Kalk/Nielson reactor, should I still go with the extra pH probe?

When I was researching the ORP, the whole idea of putting O3 in the tank just confuzualed me...

 

[DrBDC]

I think by the end of the 3 part article series it may clear it up a little for you. Keep this in mind though, Randy is very conservative in additives etc and is leery of O3 to begin with. Many do run it with great results. Now is that from the ORP increase or just the water clarity benefits? Carbon will do the latter very well especially if running in a reaction chamber. It may be that orp is just an accessory indicator to back up observations that you already have vs. being something to act upon directly. I'm not running it right now as the eBay Sanders unit when I cleaned it I broke a little test tube looking corona part and am waiting on a replacement part for it. So for now I'm just watching it. It showed me that something occurred in my tank yesterday by it dropping about 75-100 but I could see that anyway with my eyes and I didn't need an orp probe to tell me. Goalie started running it and we may get some feedback on it over the next few months on his thoughts.

 

[ghever]

I just put an order for the Group Order on reefstop... dont know how many more we need to get the order through, but come on guys, this is a great price..

 

[reefdom]

OK you got one more.. : )

 

[cwegescheide]

I was thinking calcium reactor, but I think I may have decided to go with just a Kalk/Nielson reactor, should I still go with the extra pH probe?

The only reason I can think of for an extra PH probe is for the calcium reactor so you can control the PH inside of it.