Who handles this BIOTOPUS II controler and what is the price?
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10765850#post10765850 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by steve414
What about the elos BIOTOPUS II never used it but it looks really cool.
Going back about 4 years I saw a fantastic Controler at a California trade show. I do not remember the name however it was based on a standard PLC and had 16 input channels as well as 16 output channels. In the configuration they were showing it the price tag was slightly under $4,000 wholesale. However it included several things that we generaly purchase seperately like a combination chiller heater.
Well after seeing this system I started working on my own simular system which started with a used PLC. With about 1 1/2 years work on my home built system I'll say the cost probably was system well beyound what it would have been if I went a comercial system, and it was noplace near the capability of some of those systems.
My suggestion is to get yourself a listing of what exactly you want the system to monitor and control for you. Then compare this listing to what is available in comercial systems. Some ideas I got from the show controler were.
Calcium levels
Alkilinity
pH
Cooling
Heating
Water flow (how many pumps and how big)
Moon phase LED lighting
Metal Hide Lighting
T-5 lighting
Liquid level
Phosphate warning
Nitrogen compound warning
ETC ETC ETC.
Then the other thing you need to keep in mind is if the controler were to loose power or fail for any reason how long can the system survive without this controler?
And last but not least what do these controlers cost compared to your budget? You may start out with a bare bones monitor for $300 but when you add the sensors you want and all the other accessories where will that end proice be?
Dennis
