Set minimum speed for mp10?

[lastlight]

I only have the ecotech controller. I want to change the minimum speed in reef crest to 50%. Seems this is not possible which is a bit ridiculous but thought I'd ask here. Thx.

[Madreefer]

Hey Brett I just checked mine and it'll go at 50% in reef crest. It's also running with 2 other MP40s.
I turned off the 40s and tried it on its own.

[lastlight]

Well with the dial you set the top speed and then it ramps from the lowest speed to your max. I'd like to ramp from 50% to my max. In reef crest mode too much time is spent with the pumps barely moving water.

[Madreefer]

Oh damn. I read your first post wrong. Yea I agree with you. Nutrient Transport Mode is my favourite.

[lastlight]

Any setting other than the slow ramping of reef crest is too loud for the living room. They say it's a chaotic mode but I don't really find it to be.

Anyways I should get an apex so I can custom control these things exactly how I want to I guess.

[asylumdown]

While I don't want to discourage you from buying new equipment :twised:, I have the Apex and WXM module and I don't think you can tell it to have a minimum speed (if there is a way, please someone tell me!). The WXM module lets you set max speeds like you can on the base controller, and lets you change the program that's running over the course of the day, but you can't really create new programs or set minimum speeds or anything like that as far as I am aware.

For example, you could have it set on reef crest for three hours in the morning, then go to tidal swell, then go to lagoon, etc, but you can't do anything with those pre-made programs that you couldn't do on the ecosmart driver. You can have different instructions for different cases like different feed settings lasting for various amounts of time and all that, which is very useful, but unless your'e willing to spend several hours writing your own program using the constant speed profile you're still stuck with combining what's already in the ecosmart driver.

I suppose you could program your own, but Apex code looks like:
If Time 08:00 to 08:15 then (insert name of a profile you created HERE)

theoretically, you could create profiles for constant speed settings between 50 and 100%, and then do a different code line for each one, but if you were trying to cover a 24 hour period that would be... really awful.

[lastlight]

I wouldn't be opposed to code at all. Can you create loops to repeat a flow pattern or would you have to duplicate patterns and map out 24 hrs? you only have access to minutes or seconds too?

When you say profile are you meaning a function?

[asylumdown]

I have no idea. There might be more advanced things that you can do that I don't know about, but as far as I know, you can set program they'll default to if they lose contact with the base station, choose a default 'set' program that they'll go back to if no other commands are in place for that time, and then tell it to run specific profiles if it's within a particular time window.

I've only seen it go to control to the minute, but you might be able make it go to the second

[asylumdown]

I was just thinking - it's not 'random', but tidal swell mode has a minimum speed of 50%. It works better when there's two pumps on opposite sides of the tank, but it does a ramp up from 50% to like 65% or something, then down to 50, then a ramp back up but to like 75%, then back to 50%, then a ramp up to 90ish%, then a period at 100%

Seeing as all reef crest is doing is going up and down, it might accomplish what you're looking for? I've got my pumps back on tidal swell after a horrible failure of an attempt to create a gyre, and it seems to be getting flow to the centre of my tank where it's been dead since removing the MP60s

[mike31154]

TSM has been working well for me on 4 foot tank. I have 3 MP40s, 2 at the ends & one at center back glass. They're in a master/slave grouping but I have the one on the back glass limited to about 50%, not sure, but certainly doesn't ramp up as high as the other two during the mode cycle. My tank is narrow front to back, I would have preferred an MP10 on the back glass, but the MP40 speed limited works well enough. Without the pump on the back glass I would for sure have a lack of flow in the middle. The most quiet places in my tank are at the ends on the bottom & corners.

Occasionally I'll put them into NTM since that's a single button push. I took the time to tune a nice wave when they're in that mode, so works great at stirring things up. Also do that an hour or so before water changes.

What you might consider is changing your MP10 for a 40. Then you'll have more flow at lower settings & the 50% minimum with the MP10 won't be required. You can always limit the maximum speed of the 40 as I'm doing with the one on my back glass.

[lastlight]

good call mike using 40s would be the easiest but certainly not the cheapest solution.

i'd have to check first to see if they'd fit in my holes.

[kien]

I thought you were asking about your marathon pace for 10K. Nevermind, carry on.

[mike31154]

good call mike using 40s would be the easiest but certainly not the cheapest solution.

i'd have to check first to see if they'd fit in my holes.

Holes? You have holes for your powerheads?

Anyhow, perhaps a trade would be in order, although the MP40 on my back glass where I wanted an MP10 is probably in need of a new wet side, so would be a bad deal for you, depending on the wear & tear on your MP10.

[lastlight]

My mp10s are pretty mint I suppose I could search out a trade with cash scenario. I'd be worried the noise would be too much tho. Be a matter of comparing mine at 100% vs an mp40 at something like 50% I imagine.

The holes I'm referring too are the ones in my permanent rock wall which is affixed to the back of the tank.

[asylumdown]

Trade plus cash was exactly how I downgraded from MP60s to MP40s. I bet there's plenty of people in town who you'd be able to do that with. Used MP40s are selling on RC for anywhere between 330 and 360 bucks, so I bet you wouldn't even have to throw in that much cash.

[mike31154]

Each one of my MP40s sounds a bit different. The loudest is the original one I purchased new, the one on the back glass is fairly quiet since it never runs over 50%. The one on my right side glass is very smooth. I've replaced the wet side bearings/washers etc on all 3 of them. I'd be willing to say that any MP40 with a wet side that doesn't have too many miles on it would run fairly quiet up to 50%. Wet side bearing kits aren't too costly, so even a high mileage one can be made to run like new with the investment of a few $$s. Dry side sounds can vary as well though, so you'd have to hear one at 50% & below to see for yourself it would work for you.

[Skimmerking]

I thought you were asking about your marathon pace for 10K. Nevermind, carry on.
:pop2:

[lastlight]

judging by the screenshot looks like this might be possible soon?

http://reefbuilders.com/2014/01/27/apex-fusion-enables-enhanced-functionality-vortech-water-pumps/

looks like you have control over the entire output curve =)