Ready to throw my ReefKeeper Elite in the trash...

[RG21]

Hoping that some of you can help me out before i rip it off of my system and spend $3k on an Apex... which i now fully intend to do, whether i find a solution or not.

Anyhow. I have a ReefKeeper Elite with the following modules:

• 2x PC4
• SL1
• SL2
• ALC

I just today received the SL2, ALC, salinity probe & calibration solution and 2x Moon pods. I cannot get ANY of it to work. Here are my issues with each:

- The MoonPods. I cannot get these to work whatsoever. I set them up per the instructions, set the lighting schedule, and even when the system is in "night mode" they don't turn on. Whether they are set to ramp up or not, they don't turn on plain and simple. No idea why.

-The ALC. went to plug in the ALC to my Kessil A160e, and lo and behold, the connections are no compatible. That was an oversight on my end, but i have no clue how to hook one up to the other. After my experience with the moon pods, i am doubtful it'd work anyway.

-The Salinity Probe. I cannot calibrate it. I took the cover off of the probe and inserted it into RO water with the intent to calibrate it @ 0 ppt. When i submerged it, the raw data didnt change whatsoever. It reads 2201, and the manual says that in RO water, it should be reading between 1400-1500. No change.

Furthermore, when I try to change the target to calibrate it with the calibration solution it came with, i cannot set the target to match the solution. It defaults at 33.0, but when i select it, it will not allow me to adjust it over 19.0. I can't even change it back.

This whole thing feels like a joke. When paired with their customer service, I can see why DA seems to be on its way out. Even the guy at BRS was surprised anybody even uses these anymore when i ordered the parts. Truth be told, I cannot wait to scrap this controller. This experience alone is enough to never want to use it again. I would like to get it set up in the meantime, while i wait for all of my Apex parts to come in. any advice on how to un-&#%@ this thing in the meantime?

Thank you

 

[mlb75]

I've got one as well and in the for what it's worth category IMO it's basically only good as a flexible multi timer with some basic extra functioinality. If you want an actual controller that's kept up with the advances of the industry you'd probably be better off going elsewhere. That being said, I'm guessing there's something else going on causing the issues you're seeing, for all my issues with the system I've been able to get it to do everything I've wanted it to do after messing with it long enough.

My first thought would be to take it all offline and update everything then bring the pieces back online one at a time. I know you shouldn't have to do that but it's an older piece of gear that's a little finicky. Also are you trying to do this via the head unit or via the app? From my experience after fighting to get it working the app seems to work better for any programming functions.

 

[RG21]

I've got one as well and in the for what it's worth category IMO it's basically only good as a flexible multi timer with some basic extra functioinality. If you want an actual controller that's kept up with the advances of the industry you'd probably be better off going elsewhere. That being said, I'm guessing there's something else going on causing the issues you're seeing, for all my issues with the system I've been able to get it to do everything I've wanted it to do after messing with it long enough.

My first thought would be to take it all offline and update everything then bring the pieces back online one at a time. I know you shouldn't have to do that but it's an older piece of gear that's a little finicky. Also are you trying to do this via the head unit or via the app? From my experience after fighting to get it working the app seems to work better for any programming functions.

Head unit. I don't have the cable i need to update firmware, and it pains me to spend another dollar on this thing.... Hoping i can figure it out, but it seems like none of what I ordered works at all. Hoping somebody here can help me troubleshoot, because getting a DA customer service rep to respond to anything is even more difficult than getting the controller to do what it's supposed to do. I might just scrap it and start over with an Apex.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

I just set up my alc to work flawlessly with my kessil a160we... but it was not as simple as I would have hoped...i only have the rkl though... but either way it should be the same...i can pm you with the instructions I used to get it working... mine ramps up both intensity and color flawlessly...i am pretty sure all your modules need to be up to date for them to communicate properly though... but you can try with out...i am petty sure the moon pods have to be set up the same way as the kessil...and you need a special cable for the kessil... it will have two molex connectors on one end and a 3mm stereo jack on the other...

 

[ReefCowboy]

Sorry for the pain and issues. Nobody wants to invest and not get your money’s worth.
Reefkeeper was out at a time when controllers were new to tanks and served their purpose at that time. They are surpassed and not worth investing in any longer IMO.

Hope you get the answer from users to get yours working. Good luck

 

[jamie1981]

Sounds like you purchased it used if you do not have the SID to check/update firmware. Without knowing what version your running on each module that could very well be your issue.

 

[eder10986]

Honestly. Get rid of it in my opinion. Had an RKE as a first controller because it was "œless expensive". Had it for two months and switched to apex. Was the best decision I've ever made.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

Always wondered what is so much better about apex?

 

[eder10986]

Always wondered what is so much better about apex?

From my personal experience it was ease, dominant in the market thus many users = tons of feedback and help, many brands can be apex ready and connect directly, could control from iPhone, program with ANY computer through fusion with ease. Since I'm not computer savvy it was just tremendously easier for me to use and program as compared to RKE

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I will take it off your hands if your just going to toss it

 

[RG21]

I just set up my alc to work flawlessly with my kessil a160we... but it was not as simple as I would have hoped...i only have the rkl though... but either way it should be the same...i can pm you with the instructions I used to get it working... mine ramps up both intensity and color flawlessly...i am pretty sure all your modules need to be up to date for them to communicate properly though... but you can try with out...i am petty sure the moon pods have to be set up the same way as the kessil...and you need a special cable for the kessil... it will have two miles connectors oin one end and a 3mm stereo jack on the other...

Yes please! if you could send that my way I would be so thankful!

 

[RG21]

Sounds like you purchased it used if you do not have the SID to check/update firmware. Without knowing what version your running on each module that could very well be your issue.

I bought it brand new but in 2011... No idea where it went. Im just using it only because i had it on hand. Putting the Apex on my big tank

 

[RG21]

Honestly. Get rid of it in my opinion. Had an RKE as a first controller because it was "œless expensive". Had it for two months and switched to apex. Was the best decision I've ever made.

Yeah, only reason i'm even using it is because i had it on hand. Bought it new in 2011, and at the time it was the real deal. Obviously the apex is 1000x better. I have one on order to go on my 65gal. I have a 20gal LPS/softy tank set up and figured I'd use it since I had most of the parts laying around. When i picked up a few more, i realized how outdated it is..

 

[fishy_mcfish]

Yeah, only reason i'm even using it is because i had it on hand. Bought it new in 2011, and at the time it was the real deal. Obviously the apex is 1000x better. I have one on order to go on my 65gal. I have a 20gal LPS/softy tank set up and figured I'd use it since I had most of the parts laying around. When i picked up a few more, i realized how outdated it is..

If you decide to part with it let me know


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jamie1981]

I bought it brand new but in 2011... No idea where it went. Im just using it only because i had it on hand. Putting the Apex on my big tank

That there is your problem. If your head unit has not been updated and you bought new modules that have different firmware versions. The SL2 requires the latest firmware on the head unit and the module.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

So basically you have to set up 2 timers that is fairly simple in the rke menu... (What time they come on, how long they stay oon for, and which days) after that you need to goo to your alc mod, dimA, mode auto, functions advanced lighting controller... after that you will have to determine your ramp up time which I think will be equal to your ramp down time... white intensity ( your max) skip through all the blue intensity settings, okay the rest of the settings after that (rsndom, oscillation etc, just leave as default and save) now do the same thing for dimB...on mine I have the red and green molex connector plugged into the outer slot and the black and white into the inner...dimA controls the brightness, dimB controls the color....i have my intensity set to 70% and my color set to 25%... since I have the rkl my ramp time is maxed out at 90 minutes but with the rke your max ramp time is 240 minutes I think... so my lights take 90 minutes to get to full intensity and 90 minutes to go back down... and my color starts off very blue (actinic) and takes 90 minutes to get to ful brightness and another 90minutes to dim back to actinic... some where in there it will ask you which timer to use... for dimA use timer 1 and for dimB use timer 2 (that you set up first)

 

[pache11]

which version elite head unit?

 

[Indiana Reefin]

I have no issues with my RKL. I owned an apex jr at one point and it was nice but I tend to prefer digital aquatics. Now I have zero interest in being able to control online. Some day I might and at that point I would probably go with an apex. As far as a controller goes, I love digital aquatics.

Have you tried contacting CS?

 

[hersheyb]

As mentioned above, if you want an time for switching on/off basic stuff Reefkeeper is the way to go. I started out with RK and quickly moved to Apex and will never go back to RK. Apex is the way to go.

 

[pache11]

Are you looking to sell any of the reefkeeper hardware?