Profilux II plus aquarium controller

[SuperFudge]

Hi all,

Im excited and fortunate to show you the first one available in North America, and im pleased to give my thoughts about it.
It offers a staggering amount of options, i have yet to use even close all the features, but ill comment on the ones i can.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/Profilux001.jpg

A few of its features that i thought unique or interesting,

Modules/expansion cards are placed in the unit, avoiding a big pile of external equipment.
No screws, just unclip the sides and your in.

Therapy, program a therapy session on your tank, for sick fish through the use of heaters and cooling from 3 to 21 days.

The lighting options are crazy to say the least.
T-5 dimming,moon phases, rainy days, storms, clouds and burn-in modes,LED dimming.

Networking, software and internet (bluetooth/LAN ready Aug. i believe) ill have to update this...i havent got to play with that part yet.

Ability to control pumps with Variable flow, like tunze.

Probe quality is excellent, titanium and platinum.

One big selling feature for me, was a remote display.
An external display with more viewable area than the main unit, so i can just check up on the system without looking in the fishroom.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots031.jpg


Power Bars, Nice to have led`s on each outlet showing its use.

There is much more ,level sensors, heat dependant light reduction, reminders and measurement storage...but ill have to update you as i get a chance to hook them up.

So far its been very easy to use and i am very pleased all around.

Marc.

[safety4fire]

Where did you buy it from?

Greg

[SuperFudge]

I bought it through Hidden reef, via Proline aquatics.

For everything i got, it will run you about 1450.

Wich included Base unit, external display, 2-4 outlet powerbars, redox, PH, Conductivity and Temp cards and probes.
Level sensors with bracket, t-5 dimming card, tunze adapters and pc interface cables.

I believe there is one II plus unit left with lots off goodies for it, with more to arrive in the next week.

Marc.

[Ruth]

Marc how hard would something like this be to use for "someone" :mrgreen: that is barely computor literate?

[niloc16]

mark that is awesome youre posting on this unit. i was reading up on it at hidden reef yesterday and was floored by what it does. do you know if it will also control a calcium reactor?

[support@proline]

Marc Thank you for your Review
This Controller was our sample ,Mark is the first hobbyist in North America to have this unit,I was amazed with all the features of this computer &also the fact that all units are built with super high aquality material & most of all it does not have the software problems & gliches of the other brands.
I saw this unit a few months ago in germany & have been working with the manufacturer to make all components UL/CSA approved.which is what you see now.
Matthias Gross the manufacturer won an award in germany for making this unit ,here is the link
http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Uber_uns/uber_uns.html
I know with Marc's vast knowledge in this industry ,we will get the best review about it.
There is more info on it on their site but in german :mrgreen: isn't that always the case for new toys:mrgreen:
The extra extensions that come with this unit is simply unmatched by any other brand ,specially as Marc stated th View unit is made out of metal rather than plastic & looks a lot more sleek than Aquatronica.
Maybe we can ask Marc for the close up of the view unit:biggrin: :biggrin:
As far as pricing & availability ,price will be very close to Aquatronica ,with many more features& very easy to work with.
The units will be @ the store by the end of september or first week of october.
Once again Thank you Marc.

[SuperFudge]

Ruth,

I am in the same boat with computers. :(

It did take me a couple days to figure it out, but most of that was spent just figuring where i wanted the display and power bars, to make sure i could run all i wanted from where they were to be located.

Part of the confusion for me is, im not german...and the unit acsessories are.
The controller has been out some time there, but has only recently made its way to us out here, with its converted AC outlets and english manuals.
The only hard part for me was to figure out the acsessories that i would need to run what i wanted, really no problem of the controller, it is more my knowledge of how any controller runs.

Jason at Proline was invaluable and extremely helpful in this regard.

That being said, i did pick it up fairly easily, and ive never owned a controller before.
Aswell, there a few german forums that i have been given links to, that will also help us english speaking folk. :), though ive hooked up alot of it sofar without there use.

Besides, ill be your guinea pig :D

Niloc, yes it can.
A reactor selenoid would be plugged into the power bar, and according to reactor ph it will govern the seleniod.
If multiple ph are wanted, you will need the appropriate cards and additional probe.

Marc.

[SuperFudge]

Here you go :D


http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j272/marc_aka_fudge/MiscShots032.jpg

It of course will scroll through and show whatever you like.

[support@proline]

As Marc mentioned there are 3 suppot forums in germany for this product,however ,best of my knowledge manufacturer wil have a support forum on reef central sometimes soon.
Also if there are any questions we be more than happy to answer them here on our local forum.
Regards Proline

[support@proline]

Marc
Nice picture & I love the way you have it framed & mouted ,looks amazing.

[albert_dao]

That thing is really sweet. What made you decide to go with that over the other controllers available out there?

[BMW Rider]

Wow, nice unit. This is the first I've heard of them. I look forward to seeing more on it and how it compares to my new toy.

These electronic controller systems are certainly evolving quickly and becomming excellent tools for reef keepers. The more that are out there the better for us. Hopefully market competition will drive even better features and equipment.

[SuperFudge]

Albert,

There was a few reasons, some mentioned above.

-Cost, over all i got a little more or a little better for the same price as a few of the others.
-looks, clearly an easier to read display/s than the others out there.
-Quality, i have not seen such good quality probes before, no comparison to any of the other probes ive owned.
-it had a few options that i thought interesting, but knew nothing about..such as substrate heating with regular heating, using a single sensor for both but can regulate them independantly.
nightime temp decrease option,summer switching....ect.
-DCF function, wich is a radio controlled clock, so spring and fall time changes were already done for you.(unavailable here at this time)
aswell, time switching can be preset in small increments for the duration of a week or so.
-Tunze ready.
- I liked the idea of expanding within the controller, not keep adding external modules. Its like the PC, you remove a blank on the back, and insert a card as needed.
Also, it looks like they are making individual cards do multiple probes...my conductivity and redox are both on one card, so only using one expansion slot.
Definatly something to consider when purchasing initial cards.

I have yet to hook up to the PC,or seeing/using firmware so ill keep you updated on that.

BMW rider, Yes im glad these units are doing a little more now for less cost.
Ive wanted one for a long time, but never could call them affordable until now.


Marc.

[albert_dao]

That's awesome! If I'm reading this right, these things replace the Tunze multicontrollers?

[blaster]

It must nice to be rich and goodlooking.

[SuperFudge]

Albert,

I have not hooked them up to the tunzes, though i did purchase the cables to do so.
But from what i understand so far, yes, instead of "off and on" on it will increase/decrease power to the desired channels, using your pre-programmed settings,aswell as using a random generator.

It must nice to be rich and goodlooking.
Josh, Please tell me your a lady..and thats not you in your avatar.

[SuperFudge]

A very interesting note....

If T-5 Ballasts are chosen carefully, ones with no external cut-out (using an internal one), there is no need to use any of your power bar outlets for them. these will use another interface cable, and connected to a permanent power source...so saving the controllable outlets for other goodies !

Marc.

[Redrover]

Hey Marc this sound very interesting...this is Ron..deceided on Redrover
other then Animal....Anyway how does one add attachment ?

[SuperFudge]

Hey Ron, WELCOME !

Good to see you on the board.

Do you mean the attachment of the different units for the controller ?

If so, the cards are placed in the unit, but most of the connections are like a phone cord...it simply plugs into the back of the unit.

It all depends what your wanting to control with the unit, say if its your tunze (powerhead) you would get the appropriate cable and just plug that into it.

Your welcome to have a look at mine anytime, if you want to see first hand.

Marc.

[BMW Rider]

Is there an english web site or information. I really like to read more on it, but my German is, well... pretty weak.

[support@proline]

Hi Ed
The english website is under construction ,we will also have a support forum on Reef Central
http://aquariumcomputer.com/
I think it should be done in the next 2 or 3 weeks maybe a bit longer , but it's being worked on as we speak.
Thank you for your patience & meanwhile you can ask any questions you have here .
Also just to update you guys ,the SMS/BLUETOOTH , LAN will be released by the end of september or mid october.
GHL is also working on complete lighting system & other probes to test different parameters.
The lighting system will be very different than what we have seen so far in the hobby ,it will be probably released by the end of the year ,we will keep you posted as we know more
Regards
Proline

[fredl]

sounds like a very nice unit.
Is it similar to an IKS -Aquastar controller ?

[support@proline]

Similar in many features also Many new features & will be alot better in price compared to IKS
I like the display on Profilux better compared to IKS

[i2ik]

Any updates? :)

[SuperFudge]

I am just awaiting wireless for use of the software, unless i buy another pc i cannot run the line to my existing one....a week or two at most im hoping.

I was playing with the top off and level sensors and found some other features that are interesting.
You can have multiple back up options for water level control.

Multiple water level sensors can be used, also in combination with optical and/or float valve sensors.

These sensors can be used as minimum and max on a single water level, or to maintain multiple levels for top up.

They can also be set to preform your water change automaticaly, by using min and max sensors.

Failsafes are numerous, cord removal/wear or breakage results as a "max reading" and turns off supply, aswell as using a switched outlet on the powerbar max on times can be set, if exceeded will alarm and turn off supply.

Waves or chaotic water influence are minimal, sensors wait for a stable reading before switching.

Pretty soon ill have this puppy doin my all chores :D.

Marc.

[i2ik]

Simply CRAZY!!! Performing water change!! Is there a way to do it? I would like to know more about the water change mecanism. How does it work? I have been trying to get more information about this controller up to now and its hard to find except from you. I will for sure be considering one of these or the Elos controller as soon as my tank arrived!

[SuperFudge]

i2ik,

Water Changes are performed at preset times.
Water will be drained off using the switchable socket.
At this time a sensor detecting a minimum water level will be shutting it off .
Then another switchable socket is automatically kicked on until a second water sensor is reading a maximum water level.

There is also a maximum on time for these outlets preset for "water" on 1 and 2, therefore if a sensor fails this outlet will automatically turn off according to what you have preset.

Marc.

[i2ik]

Simply amazing! Thanks Fudge! Looking foward to get one. Do you know the price range of it?

[Dave C]

I can't find that controller on Proline's site but I did find ELOS. How does this product compare with the ELOS?

[i2ik]

Networking, software and internet (bluetooth/LAN ready Aug. i believe) ill have to update this...i havent got to play with that part yet.


DO you have news of this part here? "networking, software and internet" is it just like Ethernet?

Thanks!

PS: have you try anything new with it? How is it working now after a few months that you have it? Also, i can't wait to be able to read the website of it: www.aquariumcomputer.com, any update on this Jason?

[support@proline]

Sorry for late reply
Our shipment will be here end of this week ,so expect them to hit the store ,early next week.
First shipment is reslly limited ,all the people that have prebooked them please contact the store that you purchased them from ,to make sure you are going to receive your controller.
The W-LAN & LAN ,interfaces will be in this shipment as well ,I will update this thread as soon as we have them in our hand
Regards
Jason

[i2ik]

Thanks Jason! :)

[Mr. Scratch]

What is the price on these particular units if i may ask, a pm is welcomed if warranted.

[SuperFudge]

Sorry so late....i2ik,

Unfortunatley i havent much to update, i am awaiting several pieces that would allow me to do just that, this will allow me to automate several other things i would like to see done with the controller, such as water changes, top up, heating and cooling, possibly some dimming with t-5`s in the near future.

I am upgrading to a third power bar, but await the card to insert to make it work.
Aswell my unit didnt come with wireless capability and also awaiting this part/s for this feature...i can then update that in regards to software user-freindlyness and capabilities.

I have been also enthusiastically awaiting the blutooth/lan pieces to set up alarm calling.
That was one thing at the top of the list in the purchase of the controller...so i cant wait for that.

So, needless to say as soon as i get my paws on this stuff, i will gladly update you all with pics and in good detail.


Thanks, Marc.

[support@proline]

So they are finaly here.we just received the shipment today.
:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
for anyone that has a preorder ,please contact your LFS.
very limited quantities ,unfortunately for this shipment we will not have any more units to offer beside the preorders ,the next shipment is confirmed for mid Jan .
Due to alot of interest from our US customers ,that shipment is almost sold out as well ,if you are interested to get your computer from next shipment please contact your LFS ,to reserve one from next shipment ,before the end of the month.
Also if you are interested in the LAN module ,please let your LFS know if you would like the Wireless LAN or the Hard wire LAN module.
Regards
Proline

[niloc16]

the wireless lan module, does it allow the controller to wirelessly connect to my computer for updates and what not?

[support@proline]

Yes colin, it will however you will need a wireless router present ,for it to connect to.
If you have a computer close to the tank I will go for the hard wire one ,It simply costs less (alomost half as much ) & does the same thing.

[niloc16]

cool, i dont have one that close so wireless is the way i'm going to go i think.

[Dave C]

I've got a few questions about this unit. Can it operate devices on the basis of multiple criteria? For instance, water level is down & pH is lower then preset amount... use kalk for topoff... water level is down & pH is higher then preset amount... use straight RO for topoff. For Lan connectivity, how does it appear on the net? Does it use its own IP address or piggyback off of the LAN IP? Does it connect to a router or a computer to get on the net? Are there plans for a calcium probe in the near future? Or a nitrate probe? Is it Tunze approved? In other words, are you affecting your Tunze warranty by using this unit to control your Tunze products? Does Tunze specifically state anywhere that it approves of this controller controlling their powerheads?

[support@proline]

Good stuff colin ,it is great that we have the wireless option.
Hi Dave
Yes to the first question it is capable of doing that ,on the side not we also have optical level sensors for Profilux aswell
Second question ,we just got the LAN modules in yesterday ,I will give you more info on that soon.:mrgreen: :mrgreen:
As far as calcium probe ,GHL has been playing with the Idea ,the peoblem is only one thing ,unlike other manufactureres their number 1 concern is the quality of each piece of equipment,the price of CA probes that they were comfortable to use & passed the test of time ,quality & did not have to be refiled & recalibrated & was good for continious use was too high for the hobby ,so they are looking for other sources & they will not lower their standards to rebrand a cheap quality probe line like many other companies have done,the programing is already done & rather the easy part.
There are other features & modules in the work I will let you know as soon as we have more info.
As far as if it is approved by Tunze to use them with the pump ,I have to ask the manufacturer & I am not sure .
I know one thing for a fact most german users use Tunze with profilux & I frequent many german forums myself & not one person has reported any problems with this feature .
Keep in mind we are not dimmimg the pump from the 110v powersource ,there is a 12v connection from profilux that connects to the pump driver ,not the power plug ,so this feature does not even take a socket away from you.
Regards

[niloc16]

i'm stoked i just got a phone call that my controller will be at the store in a couple hours and i got one with the wireless LAN. i've been waiting since the beginning of september for this unit. i guess christmas will have to wait now since i'll be to busy with the controller. my wife would love that. i'll post more when i get it.

[support@proline]

Good stuff colin
You will be very impressed ,let me know if you have any questions ,shoot me a pm or email.
Jason

[SuperFudge]

Thats Sweet Colin,

Fire some pics up when you get it wired.

Looks like ill have to hard wire mine, so that means youll have to keep us up to date on the wireless features and capabilities.


Marc.

[niloc16]

i'm really REALLY hoping tomorrow i can hook it up and start playing with it. its going to take a year to learn how to run this thing. i'll update you guys as soon as i get some pictures and installs done.

[bullit67]

Merry Christmas too me Merry Christmas too me

I picked up my ProfiLux plus II last night I am in the midst of setting it up right now so far so good LAN card and redux/Cond card are now installed just have to figure out where to put it that it is out of harms way pritty sweet setup And I have to figure out what the heck the clear plastic rod and plastic brackets are supposed to be for ?????? Oh well guess I will figure it out at some point

Doug

[niloc16]

today i finally got to open it up and check everything out, i installed the wireless LAN and redox card, and installed the drivers on my computer but ran out of time to try out the controller with my computer. i took some pictures of the whole setup right out of the box and for the install of the new cards.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0908.jpg

here is before the cards installed
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0909.jpg

and after
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0910.jpg

and the final product

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n256/niloc16/aquariumstuff/100_0913.jpg

i'll post more as i do the install. i am a little disappointed in the amount of outlets on the powerbars. i have to buy another power bar and an adapter for only 1 more plug but the power bars seem very heavy duty so thats a bonus. when i first turned on the controller everything is in german as well as the cd install for the computer, i guessed my way through the driver install on the computer and found an english button.

[bullit67]

well I got the power bars mounted and a good place for the computer a few little things I think they could improve on more expation slots only 3 and with the redox/cond card and LAN card installed that only leaves one left to work with and there is no mounts included for the probes at least a hand full of suction cups would be nice to get you going and had the same problem as Colin I cant read German so had to fumble around till I got lucky and found the language selection the probes seam to be top quality more to come later will try and get some pics up soon

Doug

OH yah i figured out what the plastic rod is for it is a braket for the float for water leavel ( thanks to Jason from Proline for confirming this)

[support@proline]

Thanks for the pictures colin.
1-The reason that there is no suction cups on probes ,these are not hobby probes ,labgrade probes usually don't come with suction cups ,as they are not mass produced specially for aquarium industry.
2-As for more outlets ,you can have up to 24 outlets in total on profilux ,which I believe is more than enough for any size quarium.
There will be another version of powerbars with 6 outlets comming in January ,you will be able to daisy chain them together for more outlets ,therefor they do not require an extra card or occupy a nother slot.
The reason there are 2 x 4 outlets per bar rather than 1 x 8 outlet per bar with the package is that this way you are able to draw almost twice out of the 2 bars rather than 1 bar with 8 sockets ,given that each bar handles 15 amps.
As what you have now with the controller ,you alraedy have ph/temp /multiple level sonsors ,redox ,conductivity , tunze pump control ,light dimming ,computer /internet connected ,timer programs ,moon cycles ,seasonal light control ,data logging ,alarms ,fish therapy programs ,led control capability,Multiple failsafe features ,......................& external view module.
Plus all that you are left with another slot as well.I am not sure what else you would like to contol
also they have bluetooth ,disolved oxygen ,ca & nitrates ,in D/D right now ,which as you see they have combo cards ,so each slot is able to handle multiple functions.
Also the other thing we can do if you did use (unlikely )all the slots & wanted to have more modules ( forexample in case you were controlling multiple tanks),we can chain another profilux as an extension to your currect controller ,as some other units have multiple card extensions.you have to get for this purpose.
Price of the extension profilux without any extra card is very reasonable & alraedy comes with more ph ,temp ,multiple level control capability ,another 24 sockets control ,....
Also the other thing you have to keep in mind is the quality of the unit ,the powerbar & the probes.
Unit has 2 year warranty,the programming is super easy & not near as many bugs or problems other known systems have .
when you are using a controller ,what is most important is that IT HAS TO BE RELIABLE WITH MULTIPLE FAILSAFE FUNCTIONS.
which is what you get with profilux is reliability.
Also the internal battery that does not need replacing like some others ,each outlet is on its own fuse wich is changable ,if one fail only that function is disabled rather than the whole bar & many more advantages over other brands.
BTW ,there is english manual included in the package ,best of what I remeber there is the set up process & language selection inthere .
Enjoy your new toys :mrgreen:

[bullit67]

Thanks for the reply Jason Dont get me wrong this unit is top quality just giving you some feed back. I already have a prototype made up for a rack to hold all the probes I understand they are very high quality but if someone that isant a do it yourselfer might have a hard time making something. Nice to hear that they are coming out with a power bar that can be dasiy chained instead of taking up a slot if they are looking at doing bluetooth for sensors in the future then we wont need any more slots

Doug

[niloc16]

i agree with doug, i'm not putting the unit down, just stating some issues i've seen so far so people have a heads up. one thing that i absolutely love is the amount of back up safety features there is in this unit. for example overheating, you can setup the unit for parameters of your heaters to turn off at a certain temperature, if that temp is breached then you can program dimmable lighting to be reduced a certain percentage per .5 degrees increase that the temperature climbs and then eventually turn all lighting off to further reduce heat or without dimmable lighting you can have it turn halides off one a time. i mean if you had a chiller the unit would also turn it on to reduce temperature but if you dont this are just a few of options you have, in addition they have fans that can be controlled by this unit that are variable speed and depending on the temperature increase the controller will increase the fan speed. i seen these fan units and they are gorgeous, and the most quiet fans i've ever heard. i'll be getting a 4 fan unit in a couple months i think once i get the controller setup. this unit can also to an extent control the ph of tank. if the ph decreases to much it will cut of co2 to your reactor if you have an electric solenoid attached to your co2 regulator.

question though jason, will one powerbar handle 2 400w metal halide or will a fuse blow in the powerbar, i heard that it will only handle one halide unit each. i'm going to run 3 400w and i was thinking of splitting them up onto seperate circuits but if i dont have to then i will run 2 off one powerbar. until i get another powerbar.

[SuperFudge]

Merry Christmas you reefgeeks !

Colin, yes the power bar will run as many halides as you have sockets, but just cant exceed the 1500 w rating in total.

You cant however, exceed 400w of halide per outlet, this will blow the internal fuse for that individual socket.
In my case i had 6 halides, 4 PC`s, and Led`s...so i had run a powerbar off of one of the outlets from the profilux, and tried to have more than one halide kick on with the use of one outlet...this was popping the fuses, this confused me becuase i wasnt running more than the 1500w total.

I asked Mattias (profilux designer) at Macna about this, and he said on any other type of light it is ok to exceed the 400w per outlet, such as t-5 or pc...but since the coil in halides actually draw way more than that on startup, its too hard on the internal fuse todeal with that power draw all at once.

Marc.

[niloc16]

merry xmas to you to marc,

thanks for the info. i've been trying to get the computer to communicate with the controller wirelessly for about 5 hours last night, and i must say it almost turned into a frizbee. i cant get it to work. when i use the serial cable it came with it works great, but with the WLAN, no chance. the computer states there is no device found. i'm going to attempt to try it again today but there may be a cheap controller for sale tonight. just kidding. i just hate fighting with computers.

[SuperFudge]

merry xmas to you to marc,

thanks for the info. i've been trying to get the computer to communicate with the controller wirelessly for about 5 hours last night, and i must say it almost turned into a frizbee. i cant get it to work. when i use the serial cable it came with it works great, but with the WLAN, no chance. the computer states there is no device found. i'm going to attempt to try it again today but there may be a cheap controller for sale tonight. just kidding. i just hate fighting with computers.

Wouldnt happen to be a Linksis wireless router would it ?

[bullit67]

Colin

You do have a wireless network set up in your house From what I understand you need to have a wireless network up and running it wont go directly to your wireless computer it needs a router to work.

Just incase you didnt know

Then again I could be wrong as I have a LAN card and I beleive it needs to be conected to a router

Merry Christmas

Doug

[niloc16]

it is not a linksys router. i have a wireless network going already. i was trying again for about an hour, and no luck again. thanks though

[bullit67]

Marc

Do these things not work well with linksys routers ? or maybe not at all

Doug

[Skimmerking]

I to have a wireless ,not to insult you but you have to make sure that the address on the router is matching up with the address on your system. I found that out the hard way. I it wouldn't let me in until my brother told me about the address key..

good luck

and happy christmas

[niloc16]

how the hell do you match the addresses?

[bullit67]

Colin

have you tryed looking in the communication menu and set it to LAN it looks like it is set defualt to the serial port

[niloc16]

i've done that with not luck what so ever. i found the wlan tutuorial on the disc and tried to follow it but when i get to the step where you use the LAN/WLAN connnection tool the screen pops up searching for the unit and it states 0 connected. if anyone has another idea i'm really open for suggestions.

[Ruth]

So if someone were looking for a really good deal on one of these controllers now would be a good time to see if you want to sell or give it away? JK
Sorry I can't offer any advise Colin - I am a total idiot when it comes to computors and stuff.
I really hope you get it figured out as from all the reviews they are supposed to work really well.

[niloc16]

i dont have a problem with the controller itself, it works amazing but the wireless feature is a PITA. if you were here trying to help me hook it up and it still didnt work then i would probably give it to you ruth. JK. one day maybe i'll get it to go

[bullit67]

Colin

have you hooked your lights up too it yet? If so what kind of lights are you running are they just switched or are you dimming them? I had one of my atinics stay on the other day the indicator light on the power bar was off but the out let still had power when the cycle came around again in the AM for the lights to come on and off they turned off and have worked fine ever since then So if you ever have this problem let it run through the cycle and see if it corrects it self

Later

Doug

[niloc16]

thanks for the info doug, as of now i have nothing connected to it. i've been fighting the bloody thing to get it to connected wirelessly to the computer so until i figure that out i cant install it under the stand. lucky me.

[bullit67]

I mounted mine on top of my cap for now as I want to keep it away from all the moisture and salt from the sump because as you probly noticed when you put your cards in it is not a sealed unit and I can just imagine what a few years of salt would do to the inside of it once I build my tank utility room in the basement and move my sump down there I will move it and even then it will be in a sealed cabinet to protect it

Doug

[niloc16]

ok guys i need some help, finally i have some communication between the controller and the computer but during setup it now wants to me manually assign an ip address. it states to never select auto ip address. but i dont have a clue how to manual assign an ip. i typed in the ip address of the computer but the setup says that the ip is already in use by the computer. PLEASE help if you have any clue what to do

[Psyire]

I don't have much experience with wireless networking but if you need to manually assign an IP just pick an address 1 different from your computers.

eg.
computer: 192.168.0.1
controller: 192.168.0.2

[niloc16]

i think this is where maybe i was going wrong, i was altering a number in the first and second set of numbers. thanks for the help. i'll let you know tomorrow if it works. it would have been nice to have someone jump up from profilux and help me out here.

[niloc16]

well i finally got the unit configured to my computer but assuming i have made a small mistake or missing something because when i try to connect now it cannot find the unit and says to check settings and ports. the advice you guys gave on the ip address worked. i setup the redirector and followed the instructions but the unit will not connect.

[albert_dao]

Swing ding! I just got my Profilux!

Now all I need is a tank...

[niloc16]

a tank will help albert!

[albert_dao]

I know :(

I'm waiting on the delivery of my new tank. From there, I'll need to figure out a sump. I don't expect to have anything running for another month or so. Until then, I'll probably use a friend's tank to test the unit out.

[niloc16]

are you running it in the store or at home? what size are you doing? maybe i missed the input but i never heard you were starting a new tank.

[albert_dao]

It'll be for home use. As far as the tank goes, I have a Starphire 36 x 28 x 28 being built. The stand for it is already done and I'm just waiting to get everything in the room so I can figure out the sump and the water mixing stations.

I'm going to pimp out on the equipment where I can and this is one of the investments I've made towards that. Truth be told... I think I enjoy equipment more than livestock, haha.

[niloc16]

sounds good, should have a thread going for the build. make sure you take lots of pictures

[adidas]

nice controller

all I have is this: http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/details/controllers-jr.php?product_ID=np-12

[Chin_Lee]

Will somebody or can anybody please post up retail prices for this controller and its accessories?
I am interested in getting a controller but I just can't figure out how much its going to cost me. There must be a list somewhere......

[zulu_principle]

Hey Chin

Try Here

http://oceanaquatics.com/store/category/6/238/Aquarium-Controllers/


Wendell

[Chin_Lee]

nice Wendell. thanks

[bullit67]

Well Chin I see in your profile that you are a Garbage Man. I am glad I am not the only one here who do you work for ? Resi, Front load, Roll off, ?

Doug

[WWWD]

Well Chin I see in your profile that you are a Garbage Man. I am glad I am not the only one here who do you work for ? Resi, Front load, Roll off, ?

Doug

lol..

[Chin_Lee]

sorry Colin for being a little off topic but Doug, I don't clean normal garbage.... the garbage that I clean are "special".

Well Chin I see in your profile that you are a Garbage Man. I am glad I am not the only one here who do you work for ? Resi, Front load, Roll off, ?

Doug

[bullit67]

Arint forums great a conversation can go from hi tech controlers to Garbage HEHE

well now back to controlers

[bullit67]

Ok I used some translation software to find out the lower BNC connector (the one that sticks out) on the Redox/Cond is for the conductivity just incase someone else is scratching there head on this one

[niloc16]

i was wondering about that. thanks for the info buddy, i hadnt look into it yet because i have not hooked it up yet.now your next and most important task is to figure out how to get my WLAN to work. just kidding. i'm assuming that i am stuck figuring it out on my own because there is no response from anyone that supplies the unit

[bullit67]

Have you tried emailing Jason at proline it might take a couple of days as it is the holiday season but he has responded to all my emails it is hard to diagnose WLAN problems with out being there

[support@proline]

Hi guys
Sorry for the late response.We are closed till Jan 3rd &I was out of town for a few days.
Colin would you please explain how far you are with the w-lan set up & what seems to be the difficulty?
Doug ,how are you making out ,everything set up already?
Did you figure out the levelsensor holder?:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[big blue]

Just got a hint that you may need some help to setting up your Profilux Controller. I have it in operation with WLAN and other accessories and it works fine for me.

You can also visit my homepage (german language but you will get the picture anyway). Do not hesitate to contact me in case you have questions or visit also the www.aqua-it.de forum an place your questions in english there.

cheers
big blue

[big blue]

Please be informed that we just opened a english speaking forum section to give you more Profilux support in your own language.

BTW: do not ask me to much about saltwater Aquariums, I am more on the freshwater-side. But swimming with sharks is quite thrilling (longimanus 2.5m in the red sea)

[niloc16]

well i had the unit connected to the computer with the serial cable. i finally figured out how to setup my wireless network to accept computer to computer access in order to connect to the controller, i then followed the wlan/lan tutorial from the disc on all the steps, after that i setup the redirector. i assigned ip address and set the port to 10002. on the controller under communication i assigned the unit to use the router function, serial 2/WLAN and default to WLAN. when i disconnect the serial cable and try to then use the program to connect it cannot find the controller. i tried using a hyper terminal on computer and it does not locate the unit. i truly have no idea where to start from here.i hope this is enough info

[big blue]

Sometimes it is a little difficult to make the WLAN settings, as your card has to be properly integrated in your home network (where you may have securtiy settings). So you do not want to loose connection during the setup and later end up with your card not found in your network because your router would not accept it.

Please find my tutorial as I did it step by step PDF (in german/english) download from my homepage (http://homepage.hispeed.ch/Waldkatzen/BtNS/WLAN.pdf)

Let me know if you find additional steps who are not covered in the tutorial.

[niloc16]

thanks for the reply big blue. is there a way to translate your page?

[Denis]

Hi Colin,
This might help little http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn

[niloc16]

thanks denis but i feel kind of stupid now because i looked at the pdf again and it is already translated into english at the end of each german sentence.

[big blue]

I made a update of my tutorial including how you can speed up your WLAN card (factory setting 9600 baud) to the maximum speed of your network. Also I include one step who is important for the first setup of your card.

Sometimes it is a little difficult to make the WLAN settings, as your card has to be properly integrated in your home network (where you may have securtiy settings). So you do not want to loose connection during the setup and later end up with your card not found in your network because your router would not accept it.

Please find my tutorial as I did it step by step PDF (in german/english) download from my homepage

Let me know if you find additional steps who are not covered in the tutorial.

[Matthias Gross]

Hi All!

My name is Matthias, i am leading devloper (and BTW boss) of GHL.

Because we have had vacation the last days i could not response earlier.

However i'll try to give the best support here, let's start.

@niloc
These points are not correct:
- you assigned the port to 10002 - but as in the tutorial mentioned it must be 10001 (and please set the checkbox "Raw Data")
- you set the WLAN to default - by doing this all prevoius WLAN settings are lost, please do the settings with deviceinstaller again. The setting WLAN to defaults should only be done if there had been made confusing settings and it is not possible to establish a connection (eg setting WPA password and forgetting this)
- please disable the router function - this is only useful if you connect a second ProfiLux to your current device
- hyperterminal can't be used to establish a connection and to alter settings

I think that's it. Please let me know if you need further assistance.

@big blue
Thank you for coming to this forum and giving support

@All
I am glad (and proud) our ProfiLux now is available in North America - thanks to Jason and his staff - I hope you will enjoy your new aquariumcomputer!

Greetings

[muck]

Welcome to the Forum Matthias!
It is great to see customer support direct from the manufacturer.

[niloc16]

awesome, thank you guys very much, sounds like i did everything wrong. thanks mathias and big blue i'll try that.

[big blue]

Colin, you are welcome, was not a big work for me to translate it. I made the manual because it took me the last time also some hours until I figured out how to get the WLAN card into my network. But just to give everybody here the right impression, it is not the Profilux who is the hard part to set up; it is the WLAN and Router of the home-network.

Please be informed that there is already a large potential of know-how related to the Profilux controller in the www.aqua-it.de forum and you are welcome to post your questions there in the English section. There are a lot of other Profilux users who will answer your questions much faster than here where we found your questions only with a hint of Matthias.

Regards
big blue

BTW to the staff of this forum: it is not my intention to draw away your users here.

[niloc16]

thanks for the manual big blue but when i go into device/installer it does not locate any lantronix device. and if does locate one after about 15 searches it will lose the connection during setup.

[bullit67]

Jason

I hope you had a good hoilday season. I Now have every thing set up except the leval sensor I did figure out the sensor holder though. Did you see my post asking about the power bar? I will recap just incase One of the out lets on one of the power bars seams to stick on some times the indicator LED goes out but there is still power to the outlet but only on this one outlet it dosent do it every time but once every 3 or 4 times any Ideas I have triple checked my programing and ir looks fine plus it dosent do it every time this is a head scracher. Now on to something completely differant (little Monty Python referance LOL) Do you have any of the propeler controlers? I bought the 5 fan propeler breeze just need the controler

Later Doug

[niloc16]

no havent got it yet, but i'm going to have to i think. these 400w's really heat the tank

[SuperFudge]

Im pretty sure its in the settings somewhere Doug.

Heres a couple thoughts, I have to reference them to my controller yet to be sure..but have to do that yet.

-You may have set this as "permanent" outlet.
-setting the number of days..i think this was correct when you where explaining this to me..but wanted to throw it out there.
-im unsure but also check the dimming curve settings, if they have been accidentally assigned to an outlet this can also influence the outlets,
aswell if "automatic operation" has been enabled.
this was a source of my initial trouble.
-Set for filter...this may have been a standard factory setting for that outlet or accidentally assigned...this will remain permanently on, im unsure if the timer only influences the LED in that case.

Anyways...i hope something will come up here.

Marc.

[niloc16]

how do you put halides on a timer. all the manual talks about is dimmable lighting. i've selected an outlet to be set for lighting but i cant figure out how to put it on a timer without dimming

[Matthias Gross]

Hi,

@niloc16:
If you are following exactly the tutorials hints it should be possible to establish the connection. Till now we have several dozens of WLAN-Users, anyone got it running.
I wonder why you had connection with DeviceInstaller as mentioned in earlier posts - but now it seems DeviceInstaller does not find the device?
Important (this is mentioned in the tutorial):
1. The first connection (to do initial settings) must be done directly in any case, that means to establish an ad-hoc connection with the WLAN of your notebook, NOT with WLAN of a router or access point!! Then, if available, disconnect the LAN-interface of your notebook!! If there are several network interfaces available it could be possible that DeviceInstaller accesses the wrong one to search the PLM-WLAN.
2. Maybe you did some settings to the PLM-WLAN with the result it can't be found by your notebooks WLAN - in this case do the Reset WLAN to default
3. It is possible that another WLAN-device (router, another PC, ...) disturbes direct connection of PLM-WLAN to your notebooks WLAN -> deactivate any other WLAN-device!!
4.Firewall - sometimes a problem because DeviceInstaller must send broadcast messages to find any PLM-WLAN. Just deactivate the firewall for initial configuration!

After following these points DeviceInstaller should find the PLM-WLAN. If not - it may be possible that your notebooks WLAN-device is not compatible to PLM-WLAN. But - why did you have a connection before this?

@bullit67:
I don't think this is a programming problem. When the LED is off the socket MUST be powerless. LED and switching relay are directly connected. And it seems your LED switches according to your programming.
Did you connect a heavy inductive load to this outlet (eg metal halide lamp)? In this case the fuse can't protect against damages and it might be possible that the relay has been damaged - then the contacts are not able to disconnect safely. You can test this:
When it again happens that the LED is off (LED off means control signal coming from ProfiLux is shut off) and the socket has power just knock onto the power bar. Do the contacts open?
And: Use another socket for the same task - does the socket power now follow your programming?

Good luck!

Matthias

[Matthias Gross]

Hi,

again @niloc16:
There are two ways to switch non-dimmable lamps programmatically.
1. Program a clock timer and assign the function clock timer to the socket
2. Program a dimming curve (of course knowing we don't have a dimmable unit) and only program 0% and 100% dimming points with shortest dimming duration (5mins). Then assign the lighting function to the socket.

Comment:
The new firmware 3.00, released in some days, will differentiate between dimmable and non-dimmable lamps. Then the programming for non-dimmable lamps will be the same as for the clock timers. Another firmware extention will be the temperature dependend shut off for non-dimmable lamps (with delay for metal halides). And some more new features.

Matthias

[niloc16]

thanks matthias, i got my lighting figured out and timed. i calibrated and connected all my probes tonight, i'm suspecting i have the conductivity and redox probes swapped at the connectors because the tank reading for redox is 50ms and conductivity is 0. there was a post on here stating the conductivity connector went on the the post that sticks out of the card and i swore i connected it there but tomorrow i'll have to try again.

[Matthias Gross]

Please connect the redox probe to the upper BNC-plug and the cond. probe to the lower, outstanding plug.
You wrote "reading for redox is 50ms" - this is not possible, even if the probes would be swapped. ProfiLux does not mix units and information. ProfiLux displays for example "Redx1 100mV" OR "Cond1 50mS" but no mixture. I am rather sure - i programmed the firmware.

And: You would have recognized swapping of probes while calibrating...it is suspicious when the display does not show different values (the ADC-Value)for the two calibration points.

I am very sure we will get your complete system running next time!

Greetings

[big blue]

@ niloc16: "when i go into device/installer it does not locate any lantronix device. and if does locate one after about 15 searches it will lose the connection during setup."

did you download the newest version of my tutorial as I wrote you? Follow again page 1 and 2 so you will see the card. Check if the device installer is really using the correct network as explained on top of page 3. With this methode you will for sure find the WLAN card.

I had the same problems when I was reprograming my card after I did the initial setup. After soft or hardreset of the WLAN card, the card has a total different range of IP as it had initally when you got it from fractory. This has to do with Windows and we all had to learn this the hard way as you do now.

We where looking at the first IP the WLAN card had, but it was not there. Only when you let your PC aquire automatically a new IP from your WLAN card by using DHCP the WLAN will tell you in witch IP range it is now hiding. But during doing this you must make sure that no other network (like your router or your LAN) is disturbing this process.

[bullit67]

thanks Matthias

the only thing that has been hooked up to this outlet is my Power compacts the metal halids are connected to the other power bar and have not had any trouble with that one I will try knocking on it next time it dose this is there any way I can fix it if this is the problem

Thanks
Doug

[big blue]

New Update of my WLAN Tutorial (baud rate / timeout) for download on my homepage

WLAN Tutorial (http://homepage.hispeed.ch/Waldkatzen/BtNS/WLAN.pdf)

[niloc16]

thanks big blue. question for you. i have two computers at home, one connected to the modem/wireless router hard wired and the other computer is connected wirelessly to this unit. i have been trying to connect to the controller with the computer that is wireless, is this right or should i be using the computer that is hardwired to the router?

[Matthias Gross]

hi niloc16

in any case you must establish the connection directly (ad hoc) for the initial settings!
Please use the wireless computer for configuring with Deviceinstaller and shut off the router while this procedure, maybe he would disturb this process!
Please tell me when you got access to the PLM-WLAN, than i will go on with support and tell you what to do next.

And don't forget:
- assign a static IP to your wireless notebook before searching the device with DeviceInstaller
- if not allready done: Reset the WLAN settings in Profilux to defaults

[Aqua-IT]

Please be informed that there is already a large potential of know-how related to the Profilux controller in the www.aqua-it.de forum and you are welcome to post your questions there in the English section. There are a lot of other Profilux users who will answer your questions much faster than here where we found your questions only with a hint of Matthias.
here.

Hi,

the original link to the German-Support Forum for Profilux is http://forum.aqua-it.de. We have a new English section for Profilux Customers in Canada/USA and near 2000 Postings about Profilux in german. The English section is moderate by Matthias Gross (Manufacturer) and Big Blue...

[niloc16]

just tonight i had the same problem as bullit67, my halide would not shut off. the led is out but there is still power my wife had to unplug it to get it to go off. i dont understand why a heavy load would effect the relay system if the bar is rated for 1500w. it is too late now to bang on the power bar to see if it will work but i'll try in the morning.

[Matthias Gross]

Hi niloc,

bullit67 wrote he did NOT connect metal halide lamps to the socket which seems to make trouble.

To your case
The powerbars are even designed for 15A switching current. The relays are applicable for 250/16A.
The problem is the high so called inrush-current of inductive loads (here are the coils of your ballast inductive). At the moment of switching on the metal halide we have a current of up to 150A for some miliseconds! This current peak is to short to blow the fuse (otherwise your housefuse would also blow) but in some cases long enough to damage the relays.
This problem is always given with switching coils (eg ballasts for metal) and there are these solutions:
- use of an inrush current limiter
- spread the load to several sockets (maybe you connected some lamps to one socket?)
- use of an digital electronic ballast. (These electronic ballasts are standard in our metal halide lamps)

I know that other manufacturers of switchable powerbars have these problems too. Some solved it by the use of electronic switches. But these have the disadvantage that the can't shut off small loads (eg valves).
Others solved it using more sensitive fuses - here we have the problem that higher non inductive loads can't be driven either.

And could you please give me the exact watts for metal halide lamps you connected to the socket? Maybe you have the model/producer of your lamp/ballast?

Greetings

Matthias

[niloc16]

matthias,

i only have one metal halide lamp connected to this power bar. it is a 400w lumen max2 reflector with and aquaconnect 14k bulb and a 400w icecap electronic ballast. the other bar i have has 2 of these same units on it but are programmed to come on 1 minute apart from each to reduce the large load all at once on the power bar.

colin

[support@proline]

Hi Matthias
The ballast colin is using is the same ballast we had on the fixtures @ MACNA
so they are a bit different than your european version of electronic ballast:mrgreen: :wink:
There will be a intial start up surge ,with most these ballast.
Colin how is the W-LAN working for you?

[niloc16]

the WLAN is not working, i have not attempted installing it in about a week. i was getting extrememly frustrated so i left if for a bit and actually played with the controller, got it setup in the tank finally. but possibly this week i may try again. matthias and bigblue have given some ideas to try so i'll try that. by the sounds of it my issue is my wireless network and since i've only used the wireless internet for about 3 months i'm pretty inexperienced in troubleshooting and setting up the network.

[Dave C]

Hello Psyire
Thank you for sharing your experience ,I don't want to hijack the thread ,however ,I am not sure why you think aquatronica is more felxible ,I have not had the opportunity to play around with the Elos Controller much ,but as far as profilux ,It has way more features than Aquatronica ,The programing is alot more advanced & has way more failsafes for each feature ,We had these units unveiled @ MACNA this year ,so the reason that there are currently more northamerican users for aquatronica is that ,profilux is new here ,Matthias Gross ,Designer /Programmer of Profilux did take it's time to make sure all commponents are UL tested & tested the north american versions for few months before production. (unlike other brands)
There are alot more Profilux users in germany than Aquatronica ,I do have family in Colonge germany & visit quiet frequently ,you can find profilux in many aquarium shops ,in case of aquatronica it was distributed by fauna marin in the past & only in a few shops
http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Alle_Handler/alle_handler.html

http://aquatronica.de/haendler.html
Also GHL won an award for this controller in 2005
http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Uber_uns/uber_uns.html.


I do frequent some of the aquatronica boards & I believe more than anything majority of the posts are about the flaws ,problems & part replacements they need.I have read your post & I believe you are very knowledgable aquarist &very hands on & familliar with aquatronica ,but I believe it will be hard to judge a unit without Having experience with it,I amsure given the chance you will be very impressed with profilux:biggrin: .
We have our first shipment of Profilux plus II units on the way they should be here shortly & I will be doing a overall review ,specially on all the new componnents & I hope you get the chance to read it .
Along Many extra features of profilux ,what sets them Apart
1- advance programing
2- Better quality probes ,specially the conductivity probe in case of aquatronica they use a graphite one ,profilux uses platinum probes that is actually meant for SW
3-The Dimming light options that come stock with unit
4- Powerbars are alot better quality & they can handle 30 amps between the 8 sockets,in case of aquatronica is only 15.
Also each socket has a seprate fuse.
5- the W-LAN option that is already out & tested makes this unit alot easier to work with.
6- Combo Interfaces instead of having to buy a seprate interface for each option .
& many ,many more ,as I promised I will keep you guys posted very soon.
& also I have to agree with you RK2 dosen't even play in the same playgrund.
Regards
Proline

I was pretty sure this post would come back & bite someone in the butt. I wish you lots of luck with this controller & I don't doubt that it will be working for you soon. This thread & the issues pointed out show that no matter how well tested something is in advance of it's issue to the customers there can always be problems. That works for Aquatronica & Profilux as well as any other brand. It would be unfair at this point to make a broad statement like "the majority of the posts about Profilux are about the flaws ,problems & part replacements they need" but at this point that would fit.

[niloc16]

althought my experience with the W-LAN feature has been bad, that is only one feature of the unit and my fault for not knowing how to setup wireless networks. every other feature on this unit has been amazing and extrememly easy to setup and use. everything has its minor flaws and in my experience it has been the 'lack of experience' with the unit that i run into issues.. once i found my way into the menus it was easy. there does sound like there is an issue with the power bars so far with lighting and relays sticking but i'm sure it will be resolved.

although i have sounded negative on this post lately with the WLAN feature, i am still a major supporter of the controller itself. the quality of the components is amazing. i believe the controller will have to get a track record in north america before a strong statement can be made of it being better then all the rest. i post my issues on here, be it negative or positive, so that other people that may have the same issue will resolve it or understand the unit better not to attack the controller and convince others to not buy it or vice versa.

we all have it easy compared to Fudge. when he got the first controller before everyone there was not this post to go into to ask for help or input and all the manuals were in german. i got alot of insight into the controller before buying it from following his experiences. so now that i have blabbed on forever, my point being is that this controller is a very good investment and i hope that my negative issues do not sway people from researching it further

[support@proline]

Very well put Colin
The purpose of forumS like this would be to discuss ,new ways ,methods ,news & equipment ,as I have mentioned before as a wholesaler /distributor our loyalty is to the consumer ,if a product ,does not work ,there is no point for us to support it we neither manufacture ,nor the design it,if the consumer not satisfied with the product makes it imposible for us to carry that brand,therefore the reason for having people test products,......
Dave as far as the other post ,I still stand behind all those statements,as far as the quality of the unit & the probes ,it does not take much to see if it's suprier than other brands.
As far as all the other statements ,still nothing has changed either,We already have users that have installed the W-LAN already ,as colin stated himself the fact that he has not installed the W-LAN ,does not mean that there is a problem with this module however if there were mutiple people unable to calibrate their probes & the face plate of thier units were falling off @ the same time as well ,I guess that would have been a problem:wink:
Dave if what you are using serves it's purpose ,there is no reason changing or considering another system ,however for all the profilux users here & also in Germany& other countries ,I am sure they had they own reasons
to pick profilux over other brands based on their own research as It was the case for us as a company.
you might say , we are being biased to the product we carry ,the resean is we commit many hours of research and testing of the products we carry to assure our customers are happy & that is that ,not because we manufacture them.
In any case colin please keep us posted of your progress
btw ,what is your ORP reading now?
Doug what's up my friend ,you have been quiet for a while:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[niloc16]

my redox is 321mv right now. it definitely went up the couple days after i posted about it.

[niloc16]

quick question for anyone. i have my tunzes setup to the controller and i have them set to random but i just noticed that one turned off i disconnectd the cable from the controller and the pump comes on but when i hook it up it turns off again. does someone know if turning the pump off is part of the random generator in the controller. i read the manual i didnt see anywhere stating that it will turn the pump off in the random mode

[Matthias Gross]

Hi Colin,

thanks your comments above.

Tunze control:
i don't know your configuration, i guess you connected 2 pumps with the cables ProfiLux-Tunze1 and ProfiLux-Tunze2, these 2 cables are connected over an Y-cable to one 1-10V-port of ProfiLux.
Further i guess this is port L1L2, then these settings should be done:
1. assign the function current pump1 to 1-10V-interface 1, set min-voltage to 3V and max-voltage to 8V
2. assign the function current pump2 to 1-10V-interface 2, set min-voltage to 3V and max-voltage to 8V
3. do the other current settings as needed (mode, percentage, times,...)

WLAN
i don't understand why you can't get it running. In earlier posts you wrote you had connection until you set the settings to factory defaults. So you have been very close to the target... Try it again next weekend...

Redox and all your other problems
seems you could solve them finally

In general (for all users): ProfiLux is a complex device with a lot of features. It has about 1000 settings which can be altered. We tried to develop a mostly self-explaining user interface but it is strictly recommended to read the manual completely and accurately (even if you think it is not neccessary because you think you'll guess how to do the configuration), only then you will be able to get the most benefit from the manifold features.
And if there are still questions ... don't hesitate to ask me for support!

[SuperFudge]

Good to hear it`s comin along all, you bunch of rookies ! :)

Heh, cant wait till the end of the week here....im going to upgrade the unit a little bit, ill let you know how things go with some pics.

Dave,
if youve come here simply to troll...please take it elsewhere.



Marc.

[Dave C]

Marc, the discussion about profilux that I referred to came up on a thread about Aquatronica. No one suggested at that time that it was inappropriate to bash AQT in favor of Profilux or to make the comparisons that were made on a review thread about a product. Similarly, no one suggested that it was akin to trolling. The point was made, at that time that if you read the boards all you'd find is threads about problems with AQT units. That was incorrect at that time and what Proline is saying now about AQT problems is equally incorrect. (no one has face plates falling off, and by only mentioning the issues with probes he completely ignores the many threads by satisfied AQT customers). So while you may not appreciate my comments I believe they are equally valid and the comparison apt. I have no doubt that the Profilux unit is solid and will work as intended, much like the AQT unit is working for me right now. And while the interruption of this thread, in order to make the comment of the problems that Profilux users are suffering, may not be appreciated it is as valid as the statements made in the AQT thread. Enjoy your controller, as I do mine.

[SuperFudge]

Dave,

With due respect, this thread has nothing to do with proline, nor does it have anything to do with AQT.
It has even less to do with another thread that someone has posted stuff that you do not like, be it valid or not.

If youve got a beef with proline...send them an email.

This thread is in regards to the controller I have purchased, and potentially others that might choose the same so they can give their suggestions and comments and ask questions about it , aswell to give all members a fair view so they can make an honest and unbaised choice when considering ANY controller.

I would even love to hear comparisons between the two or questions and comments you have in that regard.

But so far, you can call it what you like, ill call it trolling.

Marc.

[Dave C]

With equal respect Marc, the thread that the quote I posted came from had nothing to do with proline or Profilux. Yet while I was reading that review of the AQT controller I had to read about the benefits of Profilux & the negatives of AQT. I guess I could have not pointed out that the Profilux has some problems on this thread, much like all new equipment does, and instead just posted a link to a positive review of the AQT controller as an alternative to the Profilux. Would that also have been inappropriate? Because that was how the discussion of the Profilux controller showed up on a review of AQT.

What I'm saying is that if my input here is inappropriate then it was equally inappropriate on the other thread. You may refer to my posts as trolling & I'll end them now... but all they are is a similar type of intrusion as was done on the AQT review. Equally inappropriate, or equally acceptable. There was no hue & cry when it was done on the AQT thread yet here it seems to be undesirable. I am new to this forum and am learning the rules, both written & unwritten, as I go. I assumed from the behavior on the AQT thread that it was acceptable to offer alternatives & point out problems on a review thread. Perhaps a moderator could explain to me the difference in the two threads & the reaction to them. But as I said, I'll end my input here.

[MNSPS]

I purchased a Profilux II Plus system. Can't wait to get it! I heard Profilux is coming out with a Powerbar6D 6 socket digital powerbar. Does anyone know when the Powerbar6D will be released? I might hold off on buying the 4 socket powerbars if the Powerbar6D is going to be released soon. Also, any information regarding the pricing of the Powerbar6D?

[support@proline]

Dave
There was a clear comparison of the 2 units in that thread before my post& that is why I posted.
As what you think is right or wrong ,I think you should take it up with Titus ,other than that ,you are taking this post off topic .

MNSPS the 6D bars are going to be in the comming shipment before the end of the month.
As for pricing there will not be a major price increase ,it is almost as you were paying per socket.

[Dave C]

Dave
There was a clear comparison of the 2 units in that thread before my post& that is why I posted.
As what you think is right or wrong ,I think you should take it up with Titus ,other than that ,you are taking this post off topic .

Sigh. For one second look at this from another pov then your own. Yes, there was a clear comparison before your post. But the fact that a comparison was made on a review thread for the AQT unit went unchallenged. Therefore it's ok to make those comparisons so it should also be ok for me to do so on this thread. And what I think is right or wrong isn't at issue here nor is it important whether you hijacked that thread or someone else did. I'm not trying to make this personal, I'm trying to understand why the rules aren't applied consistently. And Marc raised the issue about whether my post was appropriate or not so your advice should be given to him. I believe your bias is getting in the way of your objectivity. My post on this thread is no more argumentative or inappropriate then yours was on the other thread. If there is something wrong with hijacking this thread then there was something equally wrong with hijacking the other thread. If there's something wrong with pointing out that Profilux users are experiencing trouble with their units then it's equally wrong to point that out with AQT users. And if Marc wants to complain about my posts then he should complain to Titus, not me. It's a matter of consistency in the application of whatever rules apply.

[MNSPS]

Will the Powerbar6D's require a different expansion card then the 4 socket powerbars? I'm planning on just using two of the PowerBar6D's with my Profilux controller. Can they plug into the existing S1-S4 and S5-S8 sockets?

[support@proline]

The new powerbar will be connected to the same slot,then you will be able to chain the next 6d bar to it ,.....
what is different with the 6d bar is that it come with a microp inside ,so
Beside the larger amount of sockets that can be controlled (up to 24) and
the easier wiring the digital powerbars have additional security
features. The powerbar checks if ProfiLux is still "alive" and is giving
proper commands. If the powerbar recognizes
some trouble the sockets will be set to a predefined programmable state, eg.
heater off, pumps on, whatever.

[bullit67]

All is well here the controler is working good now the problem with the one socket staying on has gone away will keep an eye on it to see if it happens again just need to mount the level sensor and the Propeller Breeze. hope to get it done this weekend and then i will work on the LAN card On that not Jason are you getting any of the speed controls for the propeller Breeze if so I need one. Also do you know if the new 6 socket power bar can be chained together with the 4 outlet bars ? I need one of thoses too :) alittle off topic but is it you (Jason) that brings in the wavyseas? if so do you know if they make a extention for the control wire?

Well I better get out side and start shovleing :(


Later Doug

[support@proline]

Hay Doug
Good to hear from you.
The 6d & 4d can't be chained however ,however talk to mike & I am sure he can aarange something for you:mrgreen:
The propeller breeze control is in stock & mike should have a couple in stock my friend.
As for wavy sea I will ask the manufacturer & let you know.
Have fun shavelling my friend ,I did some earlier,Damn it's cold:biggrin: :biggrin:

[niloc16]

again i came home and found my one tunze off again. i am not using the y adapter i have each pump connected to its own port, when i swapped ports the problem swaps pumps, i have triple checked my programming and all seems good. again, is turning the pump off part of the random current generator?

[SuperFudge]

Colin,

Tommorow afternoon i will take the tunzes off the other controller and try it on the profilux.

Ill let you know what happens.

Marc.

[niloc16]

thanks marc. its happened two days in a row now

[Matthias Gross]

Hi niloc,

Did you read my last post about tunze?
Please give me detailled information about your configuration regarding the pumps. Where are they connected, what cables do you use?
After that i will tell you how to do the proper settings.

[Matthias Gross]

bullit67

the digital powerbars can be connected to S1-S4. This port can programmed to control standard OR digital powerbars. Because the digital powerbars can be "daisy-chained" up tp 4 digital powerbars only need one port.
The other port, S5-S8, is always suitable for standard powerbars! So a mixed setup is possible.
For the use of digital powerbars a firmware-update is neccessary. Firmware 3.00 + new manual will be available soon for download. Besides the digital powerbar support we added a lot of new nice features, eg extended controlling options for heating, pH....

[niloc16]

they are using the tunze 1 and tunze 2 cables, one is installed in L1-L2 and the other installed in L3-L4, 1-10v port 1 is set to current pump1 and 1-10v port 3 is set to current pump2, random flow, min volt4 and max volt 10, nocturnal decrease to 30%, max flow of both pumps 100% and min flow of both pumps 40%. wave 30s, min duration 30min max duration 1hr 30min (unsure exactly the use of this setting but that is what it is set ). i believe that is all the settings they are set to. let me know if i missed something that you need to know

[Matthias Gross]

niloc16,

i think i found the mistake.
Cable ProfiLuxTunze1 uses L1 (or L3 when used in L3L4), cable ProfiLuxTunze2 uses L2 (or L4 when used in L3L4). So we have two different Tunze-cables, they can be connected to one port (eg L1L2) using an Y-adapter, then L3L4 would be free for other purposes.
That means in your case: 1-10V port 1 (=L1) and 1-10V port 4(=L4!) should have function pump 1 and pump 2! (Assuming you connected Tunze1 to L1L2 and Tunze2 to L3L4, otherwise we talk about the 1-10V-ports 2 and 3).
So please configure 1-10V-interface 4 - then it should run.

[niloc16]

thanks matthias, this will probably drive you nuts, but with the cables out of the bag is there markings one them to determine which one is tunze cable1 and tunze cable 2? now that i have been swapping them to troubleshoot i dont which is which.

[Matthias Gross]

Then you must test it out.
Eg. in the following manner:
Plug in first cable: L1L2 to tunze
Set function of 1-10V-interface1 to dimm channel 1
Set function of 1-10V-interface2 to dimm channel 2
(the voltages can remanin)
Go to menu "manual light intensity"
switch off auto - yes
Dimm up and down D1 and D2
Reacts the pump on D1 or D2? Then you know it is Tunze1 or Tunze2
(The other cable is then also clear)
Don't forget to set again the 1-10V interfaces you need to pump1/2

[Matthias Gross]

Here answers on some questions i have been asked via PM:

"I'm assuming the easiest way for the connection to be made over the internet would be to install the Profilux Control & the redirector on the computer you are using (away from home) and then just make sure your router at home is setup to allow outside traffic to reach your Profilux?
Another option would be remote control software to use your computer at home to access the profilux... but this would require you to leave your computer at home on at all times. "
- Absolutely correct

" Is there any other way to do it, that I'm not thinking about?"
- I don't think so

"Are you interested or considering developing a web interface for the Profilux? I think it would be very beneficial and satisfy the wants of a lot of customers.. atleast in the North American crowd. (not sure about the european crowd)"
- Yes, it is possible to program a specific web interface (eg using cgi), at the moment we just have not enough time to do this because of developing a lot of other stuff. But it will come.

"Questions on tunze controls.. The tunze multicontroller has a setting that allows you to run 1 pump on a steady flowrate and the other on a flucuating flow rate and then at a set interval time they switch roles. Eg. Current Pump 1: 30%, Current Pump 2: 30%-100%, Switch Interval (X)hours. Would it be possible to include this control program into the Profilux? The best reason for this is you never have 1 pump turned completely off, and this helps greatly with reduced buildup and cleaning of pump internals."
- Of course you can. You must see we have waves (the percentages, eg Min 30% Max 100%) and ebb-tide (on/off, on means oscillating between Min and Max, but off doesn't mean a completely shutdown but remaining at the Min). I think i explained it very detailled in the manual.

"I also noticed that you mentioned to set the pump voltages from 3v-8v, is there any reason not to set them from 1v-12v ?"
- We measured the output of the original controllers. They have a voltage swing of about 3..8V

[niloc16]

thanks again matthias. youve been a great help.

[MNSPS]

I have a question regarding the clock timer functionality. I would like to connect two dosing pumps for adding a two part calcium additive. How many switching cycles per day does the Profilux allow? I beleive I read four but I would like to verifiy. It would be nice to be able to have 24 switching cycles per day especially when it comes to using dosing pumps.

[niloc16]

i'm not sure myself but in the menu when it asks how many cycles per day just try and increase it to as many as it will allow, and then you'll know.

[Matthias Gross]

Hi,

up to 8 cycles per day.
In firmware 3.00, going to be released soon, will be new features regarding dosing and controlling.

[honkey sauce]

niloc16 the pumps have to be assigned to L2 and one to L3.I bought mine at H.R. so they should be the same

[niloc16]

thanks man, i havent had the problem since so whatever i messed with worked. i'll have to go over what i changed and see where the setting are.

[niloc16]

i have had the problem with the lighting not shuttting off three times now on 3 different sockets, 3 different lights. 2 times with the halides each one is plugged into different sockets and on seperate powerbars and 1 time with my actinics (2 54w T5's) also on a different socket. the only way that i can get them to turn off is to reassign the outlet to be permanent and change it back to a clock timer. tapping on the powerbar did not switch it off.

[Matthias Gross]

One problem solved and just getting the next one...

The most important question is:
Is the LED on when the socket has power?

If yes: The hardware (powerbar) is OK and is just doing what it is told to do by ProfiLux.
->then there may be a mistake in your settings. In this case please
give me the complete settings of your timer (mode, count of times, the times, ...).

If no: The powerbar does not what ProfiLux wants.

[honkey sauce]

ah man, my power bar just stayed on permanantly too for my actinics.I havent even ajusted anything in aweek.the LED still works with the settings like yours too.I think its pooched.I think?

[Matthias Gross]

@honkey sauce: What are Actinics? Metal halide lamps? (i am still learning English).
Do i understand you correctly: LEDs follow the settings you made but the socket's power is not switched simultanesly to the LED?

[niloc16]

ok matthias have more info on the power bar problem. are you getting sick of hearing from me yet. anyway, tonight i had the problem again with lighting staying on but this time all 3 metal halides stayed on. the leds for these sockets were out. the only way i can get it to reset is change the outlet to 'permanent' and when i save this change i can here the relay click and the led comes on. now this proves that the relay was open otherwise i would not hear it close when i changed the outlet to permanent. so why then did the lighting stay on? only after i again change the outlet from 'permanent' back to the appropriate clock timer did the lighting go out because the settings were to have the lighting off.

actinics are just blue lighting fluorescent bulbs. mine are t5 lamps i'm not sure what honkey sauce are but actinics is just the blue bulbs used to simulate dawn and dusk

[jrm99]

First thing I would like to say is Matthias you and your company have come up with an amazing product and I'm really excited about some of the new features you talk about.

I am also having a problem with the sockets staying on when the lights are set to go off. The LED on the power bar does go off. Tapping doesn't cause the socket to turn off. The easiest way I found to turn off the MH lights is to go to Manual Light Intensity increase it to above 0% and then back down to 0% and the MH shuts off. I have done this about 3-4 times and the light has never stayed on when it shouldn’t.

My lights are 250 Watt MH with IceCap 250MH ballasts each on their own socket. I have had both stay on and one or the other stay on as well.

One thought is that it may be due to heat as the ballasts are mounted right beside my Profilux power bar. I have added a small LED light to one of the empty sockets to see if it also fails to turn off. This is an intermittent problem which is one of the hardest to troubleshoot but I'll post anything I find to help so we can solve this and let Matthias worry about getting new stuff out.

[Matthias Gross]

niloc16, thanks for the detailled information. I think i'm sure about what's happening. The extremely high inrush current heats up the relay contacts at the moment of closing. Then they are "glued" and can't open when they should open. Another impulse (permanent on/off) jiggles the contacts and they are again free.
Why does this happen now in Canada while in Europa not even one of several thousand powerbars has this problems?
Probably the inrush current is 2x higher as in Europa because the coils resistance is only the half (you have only 110V, we have 230V).
The problem could be solved with inrush current limiters which are integrated in the powerbars. The disadvantage of these limiters would be that you could "only" get 8A permanent current out of a socket which is protected by an limiter.

My question:
Is it OK to have sockets with full power (15A) but not beeing suitable for inductive loads AND sockets for inductive loads (with high inrush current) at 8A?
I thought about the new digital 6plug powerbar we just started to produce: 4 x 8A + 2 x 15A (of course in sum only 15A because your household can only deliever 15A).
Would this be OK? Or any other suggestions?
@jrm99: Thanks a lot for your commendation and your information about the "switching problem". As you can read above i think we found the reason and we will solve it soon.

[honkey sauce]

i have 4 250w MH plugged into one clock timer outlet and yet it has never stuck.now why would flouresent lights do that when they dont have a start up surge.

Besides that everything else is working mint and the Tunzes I hooked up are sweeeet.So many current settings!!!


ITS A NICE!

[honkey sauce]

@honkey sauce: What are Actinics? Metal halide lamps? (i am still learning English).
Do i understand you correctly: LEDs follow the settings you made but the socket's power is not switched simultanesly to the LED?

exactly

[bullit67]

The Lights I had the problem with staying on were also Power Compact florecents no problems with my any of the 3 250 watt MH. For now the problem seams to of corrected it self it hasnt done it for a few days now

Doug

[Matthias Gross]

Fluorescent do have ballasts and they cause a start up surge.
But usually this surge peak is not high enough to damage anything.
Can you please tell me the ballast type?

Switching of electronic ballasts (as for the T5 and T8) made never before a problem. We produce dimmable lighting units which include relays for switching on/off the lamps. Last year we sold about 1500 dimmable lamps and we never had a problem with a defective relay. So i wonder what the difference is in your cases. We use only Osram (in USA/CD: Sylvania) ballast in our lamps.

[support@proline]

Matthias
Thank you for all your support in our forum.
I am really puzzeled myself as the units that we used have never acted up this way.
I am not sure what the problem is but not everyone is experiencing this ,I think it might be a problem with install & or setting choice.
I am going to also ask Marc tomorrow in regards to this as well.
I know he has 3 powerbars & they are all operational.
I will keep you posted

[MNSPS]

Matthias,

Will the firmware 3.00 be available by February? Also, could you give me any more details in regards to the new dosing funtionality included in the 3.00 release?

Thanks in advance for your assistance,

Chris

[bullit67]

Jason

If it was the programing the LED indicator would not go out it would stay on to indicate that the outlet still has power I dont know about every one else but on mine the LED goes out. am sure we will come up with a solution sooner or later :)

Doug

[niloc16]

the led goes out on mine as well even though the lighting is still on. so it cant be a programming issue because the controller has sent a signal to the powerbar which opens the relay and turns off the led. when i do fix it, i can hear the relay close again. it has happened with metal halides and t5's. i've heard today that when other controllers first came out and released in north america there was similiar issues with the power bars. i'm assuming it has something to do with the conversion to 110v

[Matthias Gross]

let's summarize:
bullit67: the LED and socket work simultanesly, but they don't do what you expected. Maybe the wrong settings. If you can't solve this you can send me your configuration files (save Profilux's config with ProfiLuxControl), tell me what exactly you want to do and what the problem is. I'll have a look onto your settings and find the problem.
niloc16: LED and socket don't work simultanesly - we have an inrush current problem.
I had a discussion with an engineer of the manufacturer of the relays. He told me that the relays have the best available contact material for switching high currents. The limit is 120A for 20ms. If this is exceeded the contacts become to hot while switching, the contacts glue together. Because USA/CD only have 110V the currents are usually 2 times higher than in Europe, so an overload condition can be reached faster.
Devices with high inrush-currents are: Transformers, ballasts, switching power supplies, large electro motors. Good devices usuallay have an inrush-limiter included to protect switches or fuses of the power supply. But some of them do not - and they could cause this trouble.
Solution:
1. if possible use inrush current limiters (so called ILC) for your application when there are problems
2. I decided to ship the next generation of powerbars (the digital ones) with buil-in ICLs. Four channels will be protected (disadvantage of them: 8A permanent current), 2 channels will have full 15A and are not protected.
The powerbars have been redesigned, production starts today.

[Matthias Gross]

@mnsps:
The firmware will be available this month, the new ProfiLux shipped to Proline will allready have the 3.00

Firmware 3.00 will have some new controlling features.
Besides the standard controlling mode (switching with hysteresis) we added new modes. Now are proportional controllers available with adjustable pulse/pause times.
It is too much and too complicated to explain this detailled here so please have a look to the new manual - we added some pages in it! The translation will be available soon, i will post when the download is possible.

[niloc16]

so can we trade in our old power bars for the new ones? i apologize for not knowing electrical theory well but if these new bars with ILC will only carry 8A each continous will that still power 400w halides? why is it a disadvantage to only have 8A per outlet?

[Matthias Gross]

Colin, the 400W halide has a current of app. 400W/110V = 3.7A, let's say 4A.
->That is no problem.
I am not sure if it is a disadvantage, maybe someone wants to connect heaters with 10A or more? But for this purpose there are still the 15A non-protected outputs.

[support@proline]

Well
I just got off the phone with Matthias,We have a solution everyone will be extremly happy with.
For all the existing Profilux owners we will exchange one of their bars to the new 6 socket powerbars you will get a full credit for the powerbar you are returning ,The only cost to you will be the price difference of the the 6D & 4D powerbars .
What this will do for you
1- you will have the digital bar that enables you to chain more bars to it
2- ICL in the bar will fix the current issue with the use of MH on curent bars
3- More features
All the new units sold will come with a 4d & a 6d bar instead of 2x 4d bars
Once again thanks to matthias for great service .
Please visit the store you purchased your unit from for details.
I will make a post here as soon as the new shipment lands ,I was told it be in 3 weeks:biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin: (Hi Matthias:multi: )
Also more to come soon ,Leak detector ,Disolved oxygen card ,
Disolved oxygen & Ph combo card ,disolved oxygen Probe
Of course we are working on the Dimmable ballast as we speak ,this will be offered in DIY kits & fixtures very soon.
Jason

[niloc16]

thank you very much matthias and jason. that is customer service if i do say so myself.

[support@proline]

You are still up colin :mrgreen:
hay leave the tank alone:biggrin: :biggrin: ,I know you are fiddling with something in there right now .:lol:
That's what happens when you set up a new tank ,hand in water all the time syndrome ,at least for me for the first 6 months of each tank until I can't think of changing anything or a new piece of equipment comes out that I can use.
Good night bud

[MNSPS]

I received my Profilux Plus II controller last night. Here some pictures:

Profilux Plus II controller
962
Backside of Profilux controller.
963
Ph, Temp, Conductivity and Redox probes.
964

[MNSPS]

Tunze Stream connection cables. Float switch and mounting hardware. Serial connection cable.
967
Wireless LAN and Redox/Conductivity expansion cards.
968
Here's the calibration solutions.
969

I received two of the 4 socket power bars, but I'm returning them so I can get two of the 6 socket digital power bars instead. Sorry, no pictures of the power bars. Don't want to break the seals on the packaging.

Is there an optical float switch available?

If I'm connecting two Tunze Stream pumps to the Profilux, do I connect one to L1 L2 and the other to L3 L4? OR do I need to purchase a Y adapter and connect both to L1 L2?

[jrm99]

I have to agree with Colin this is great support and will upgrade to a 6D when they are available. Until that point I was going to modify my Dimming Curve to get around the relay sticking. Can anyone see a problem with this setup?

Before: 2 points
1 - 10:30am, 5 minutes, 100%
2 – 6:25pm, 5 minutes, 0%

After: 4 points
1 – 10:30am, 5 minutes, 100%
2 – 6:25pm, 5 minutes, 0%
3 – 6:31pm, 5 minutes, 1%
4 – 6:32pm, 5 minutes, 0%

This causes the socket relay to be quickly turned on and off 1 minute after the light shuts down. This falls within the 5 minute lamp cool-down period for the IceCap ballasts so if the light does go out at 6:30 the power flash at 6:32 doesn’t turn the light back on.

Thanks again

[Psyire]

Is there an optical float switch available?

Yes. There is a picture in my thread here: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=230383#post230383


If I'm connecting two Tunze Stream pumps to the Profilux, do I connect one to L1 L2 and the other to L3 L4? OR do I need to purchase a Y adapter and connect both to L1 L2?

I'm wondering this same thing?

[MNSPS]

Psyire,

Are you using the optical float switch for automatic top off? If yes, what type of pump are you using with it?

[Psyire]

I haven't set it up yet, but yeah it will be doing auto-topoff. No pump involved, I think they are too risky.. I use solenoids.

[MNSPS]

Psyire,

Do you use two solenoids in series just in case one fails?

[Psyire]

you bet

[bullit67]

Well i have to Say that is awsome customer service A BIG CHEER for Matthias
And Jason keep up the good work guys these controlers are awsome it is nice having so many options in one unit Looking forward to the new firm ware upgrade I can see I am going to have to put in some over time so I can buy some more options for it :) hehe

Doug

[bullit67]

Matthias


The LED on mine goes out and the power stays on just so you know I have checked and rechecked the programing and found the same thing as Colin If I reset it to permanent and then go back to clock timer it works for a few days

Dont get me wrong Man I still love this thing looking forward to more stuff to plug into it :)

Doug

[niloc16]

i picked up the 3 fan assembly tonight with controller. i have not hooked up the controller because i need a splitter for the outlet but the fans are running and the only way i can tell is put my hand in front. these are absolutely amazing as to how quiet they are. well worth the money. i'll post some pictures tomorrow

[Matthias Gross]

@jrm99:
your dimming curve setting - for what is it good for? Now you have 2 times switching on the lamp - that means 2x stress for the relay. I would recommend to alter it again to the first settings.
Quick solution for the moment until the digital powerbar is vailable: An easy way to reduce the inrush-current is to raise up the electric resistance - eg insert a long extension cord between powerbar and lamp. Should be no problem since the average current (after inrush) is not very high.

@MNSPS + Psyire:
You can connect two tunze cables to one port when you use a Y-adapter. If both pumps should be controlled separately the cables must be different: Tunz1 and Tunze2
Or you connect one cable to one port (L1L2) and the other cable to the other port(L3L4) - then both pumps are contollable separately anyway - doesn't matter if tunze1 or 2. But then both ports are occupied for just 2 pumps.
Any 1-10V-port has 2 channels
Tunze1 means: react on first of both channels of one port (L1 or L3)
Tunze2 means: react on secondof both channels of one port (L2 or L4)

[support@proline]

MNSPS
I saw your thread on RC ,this is going to be an impresive set up ,good job my friend ,it looks like you have put a lot of time & research into this.
You better make some room for the T5 bulbs in your hood design .
we will have dimmable ballasts soon & profilux can dim the T5 for sunrise & sunset effect ,this feature is already built into your profilux.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=939634
great job

[MNSPS]

support@proline,

Thanks! There will be 4 -48" T5's in the hood along with two halides. I would definitely like to dim the T5's using the Profilux. What type of adapter cable is needed to do this? I also want to use the Profilux controller to control two dosing pumps to add a 2 part calcium additive. I have been looking at the Vario 1 Pro dosing pumps. Do you know what type of dosing pumps other Profilux user’s use? I'm also planning on using the mechanical float switch I received along with an optical float switch for my sump top off. Is there a diagram or picture somewhere that shows how the float switch mounting bracket should be assembled? I tried to assemble it myself and cannot figure it out.

Chris

[support@proline]

Chris
I will not be in the office today ,I will post a picture of connection for you hopefully tomorrow .It is very easy to work with.
Dimmable ballasts ,will have a 1-10 v connection which is the part that gets connected to Profilux.
As for the Dosing Pump ,I am not sure what brand the guys in germany use ,I will ask Matthias.He also told me he has a dosing pump in the works ,I am not sure when they will be released though ,I am sure he will chime in.
Jason

[MNSPS]

Thanks Jason.:smile:

[support@proline]

Hi Chris
Here is a picture of the Dimmable T5/T8 module ,very easy to wire the wiring supplied will be hooked to profilux & the ballasts will be wired to the module

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c220/reeftec/DSCN2034-1.jpg

[siskiou]

Hi Chris
Here is a picture of the Dimmable T5/T8 module

Are there going to be any of the GHL dimmable T5 light bars available, and if yes, what will the prices be?

I'm trying to decide between dimmable ballasts to convert my TEK light and GHL lights.

My Profilux II Plus arrived this week and it's a lot of fun figuring out the settings and the many options it offers! :)

[support@proline]

Siskiou
Welcome to Canreef
Yes they will be available ,but first we will release the DIY ballast & Module.
I am not sure what the price be just yet ,I will keep you posted.
We will also have fixtures with dimmable ballasts ,I will let you know as soon as I find out more.
Jason

[MNSPS]

I can't wait to see what new functionality they will be releasing with the Firmware 3.00 especially in regards to dosing. I was going to get a Grotech TEC III NG digital dosing system, but I'm going to wait and see what the new capabilities for dosing pump control will be. Ideally I would like to be able to control two seperate dosing pumps that could be switched on and off on an hourly basis.

[siskiou]

Siskiou
Welcome to Canreef
Yes they will be available ,but first we will release the DIY ballast & Module.
I am not sure what the price be just yet ,I will keep you posted.
We will also have fixtures with dimmable ballasts ,I will let you know as soon as I find out more.
Jason

Thanks for the welcome!

How soon do you think the DIY ballasts and module are out?
And do you have any idea of the sizes?
I have a Tek fixture and am hoping that they will fit in there.

-Susanne

[support@proline]

Hi sussane
I should be able to have an answer for you end of next week.
That is what we are told :mrgreen:
As for size ,We have 2 different samples here ,one is a bit larger than the other ,but these are fully electronic ballasts & very low profile ,smaller than the other T5 ballasts that I have seen.
I will keep you posted as we know more.
Jason

[siskiou]

I will keep you posted as we know more.
Jason

Thanks!

I'm eagerly awaiting more info! :)

[bullit67]

Matthias

How offten should I be cleaning the probes or do they need any service? And what is the best way to do it with out damaging them

Thanks
Doug

[Ginzo]

Hi Proline,

I'm happy I found this thread, since I'm really considering buying the Profilux II controller ! I live in Montreal, Canada.

I'm just a little confused by all the options on it. Can you explain to me how the dimming lights work ? For example, currently I have two Giesemann Nova II lamps (150 watts HQI) with electronic balast. Will I be able to dimm those lights ? If yes, what is required ?

Also, I'm looking at purchasing 2 Sunlight Supply 36" Ready Fit T5 Retrofit Fixtures (2-bulb, 2x39W). It comes completely assembled with TEK Reflectors and a 8' power cord. Features a major brand ballast. My question is, will I be able to dimm those T5 Fixtures with the Profilux II controller, if yes do I have to purchase an extra ballast..or anything else ?

Also, I'm either looking at dosing a two part additif or running a calcium reactor (most likely the Deltec PF501). What would you suggest to use with the Profilux controller ?

One last question, does the Profilux Controller support Bluethooth ?

Thanks,
Ginzo

[SuperFudge]

hello Ginzo,

"I'm just a little confused by all the options on it. Can you explain to me how the dimming lights work ? For example, currently I have two Giesemann Nova II lamps (150 watts HQI) with electronic balast. Will I be able to dimm those lights ? If yes, what is required ?"

Unfortunatly you wont be able to dim these.

"Also, I'm looking at purchasing 2 Sunlight Supply 36" Ready Fit T5 Retrofit Fixtures (2-bulb, 2x39W). It comes completely assembled with TEK Reflectors and a 8' power cord. Features a major brand ballast. My question is, will I be able to dimm those T5 Fixtures with the Profilux II controller, if yes do I have to purchase an extra ballast..or anything else ? "

I would reccomend a call to the manufacturer, if the t-5 ballast is dimmable, then it shouldnt be a problem.
You would need a card for the profilux to accomplish this.

"Also, I'm either looking at dosing a two part additif or running a calcium reactor (most likely the Deltec PF501). What would you suggest to use with the Profilux controller ?"

It really is up to you here, it is capable of running dosers, feed pumps or any comination of them....
I would reccomend a couple of continuous duty dosers. You can also run the ca+ reactor with the doser for a super accurate and consistant effluent rate.

Marc.

[bourbon]

Hi guys - great reading here - I'm going to be setting up my first salt water aquarium and trying to decide b/n aquatronica and profilux.

I have few questions on the profilux
1) which tunze powerheads are compatible? do I just by the powerhead? or do I need a separate interface/controller from tunze
2) will the profilux do wave programs itself with the tunze (i.e. replace wavemaker they have)?
3) I am thinking about a Sfiligoi soloset pendant with 150 w metal halide, 2 t5's and 2 moon lights - can I dim the t5's with the profilux?? or just turn them off and on
4) if I go with the lan card can I just hook it up to a wireless access point which then connects wirelessly to my wireless router? or do I have to go with their wireless card??
5) how do the led's connect to the profilux
6) how does the fan accessory connect to the profilux
7) if I went with the following setup what expansion would I have left - 2 float sensors (or optical), 1 ph, 1 salinity probe, 1 profilux fan setup, 1 red led, 1 of the special effets led, 1 lan port, 2 tunze pumps controlled separately (takes up 2 telephone jacks), 1 digital power bar, 1 analog power bar

thanks for the info

[niloc16]

i can only answer a few of these questions but hopefully it helps


I have few questions on the profilux
1) which tunze powerheads are compatible? do I just by the powerhead? or do I need a separate interface/controller from tunze

you can use any of the powerheads. you can buy cables for the profilux that connect it to the tunze drivers. if you buy the deluxe model profilux it comes with 2 of the tuzne cables.

2) will the profilux do wave programs itself with the tunze (i.e. replace wavemaker they have)?

i should be getting my wavebox tomorrow and will see but i may just end up using the tunze controller since it comes with it anyway. the profilux does have the ability to control wave units. not 100% on how it works with the tunzes.

3) I am thinking about a Sfiligoi soloset pendant with 150 w metal halide, 2 t5's and 2 moon lights - can I dim the t5's with the profilux?? or just turn them off and on

you would have to contact sfiligoi to see if their ballasts are dimmable. the profilux will dim any lighting as long as the ballast are dimmable.

4) if I go with the lan card can I just hook it up to a wireless access point which then connects wirelessly to my wireless router? or do I have to go with their wireless card??

not sure on this one, i have the WLAN card so not sure about your idea, it sounds like it would work

5) how do the led's connect to the profilux

i believe they connect to the telephone ports in the back

6) how does the fan accessory connect to the profilux

it uses one of the 'L' outlets on the controller. you have to also have the fan controller in order to hook it to the profilux, it is cheap though. i have it but am waiting for a 'y' adapter to attach to the profilux. for now i have the fans on a timer to come on with the MH. but when it is connected properly fans act as variable speed fans the profilux will increase or decrease the fan speed depending on the temperature selected.

7) if I went with the following setup what expansion would I have left - 2 float sensors (or optical), 1 ph, 1 salinity probe, 1 profilux fan setup, 1 red led, 1 of the special effets led, 1 lan port, 2 tunze pumps controlled separately (takes up 2 telephone jacks), 1 digital power bar, 1 analog power bar

i'm not sure on this one, maybe jason from proline can help with this one.

hope this gives you some insight

colin

[bullit67]

1. The Profilux if you buy the complete kit comes with cables for the tunze's I dont know what tunze are compatable as I dont use them

2. I beleave the controler replaces the wave maker

3.The profilux can dim T5's if they have a dimmable ballist

4. I dont have the dambdest idea I was kind of woundering this myself LOL

5. Again I dont have the dambdset idea I was woundering this my self as the LED's are one of the next things I want to add

6.The fans can be just pluged into one of the power bars and the socket programed for cooling or the cool way to do it is to buy the propeler controler it is a speed control you use one of the L1or L2 ports

7. by the looks of it you would have one expantion slot left

Hope this helps a bit

Doug

[Aqua-IT]

Firmware 3.00beta and new manual is available now. One firmware for Profilux II and Profilux Plus II. Please note.. this firmware is in beta-status!

[bourbon]

ok niloc16 so you mention that you are waiting for a y connector to connect the fans to the L1 port - so does this mean that you have all of your L ports used up? because they ports are labelled L1/L2 I'm assuming that you can connect 2 devices per port but need a y connector. Is this right.

I also remember reading that if you connect 2 tunzes to L1/L2 that you can't operate them independently - you have to use L1/L3 which takes up 2 ports. I'm concerned about the amount of L ports I will need. So by similar logic I'm assuming that if you have more than 1 LED you will have the same problem - i.e. use L1/L2 but not control them independently or use L1/L3.

Can you comment on these ports?

if my lighting had dimmable ballasts how does the profilux dim them - via a ramp down on voltage through the electric plug on the ballast or a special connection between say a L port and the light itself?

Thanks

[bourbon]

ok guys so I'm full of it today (questions that is).

So I've programmed home automation systems before and wondering if the programming is the same on the profilux
i.e. if water level sensor #1 is on (i.e. triggered) then turn on outlet #4 for 30 seconds (and outlet #4 would have top off pump on it).

is this like what you would do ??

2) can you program function keys on the controller i.e. have different lighting scenerios - i.e. one button to trigger feed mode, one button to run a macro that would signal a nother lighting mode. i.e. my tank will be in my home theatre - so could I program a movie mode where by the MHs go off, fans go off, actinics off, moon lights on - when I press a particular button on the controller?

Thanks

[Matthias Gross]

Hi bullit,

cleaning depends on your water quality, they should be cleaned any 3-4 weeks.
Service: pH and redox probe should be calibrated any 3-4 weeks, the other probes need not to be calibrated.
How to clean: Carefully with smooth brush

[Matthias Gross]

Hi Ginzo

" Can you explain to me how the dimming lights work ? For example, currently I have two Giesemann Nova II lamps (150 watts HQI) with electronic balast. Will I be able to dimm those lights ? If yes, what is required ?"
as Marc wrote MH can't be dimmed

"Also, I'm looking at purchasing 2 Sunlight Supply 36" Ready Fit T5 Retrofit Fixtures (2-bulb, 2x39W). It comes completely assembled with TEK Reflectors and a 8' power cord. Features a major brand ballast. My question is, will I be able to dimm those T5 Fixtures with the Profilux II controller, if yes do I have to purchase an extra ballast..or anything else ?"
Marc: There is no need for additional cards when you want to control a dimmable lamp. ProfIlux has 4x 1-10V outputs (dimming control signals) on board.
Ginzo: If your lamp has dimmable ballasts you just need an interface between ProfiLux and ballast. If not: Replace the ballast.

[bourbon]

metthias - excuse my ignorance, but I'm probably going to go with the profilux - and want to purchase my lighting with the dimmable t5/t8 capbility - so I understand I have to make sure the ballast for the t5/t8 is dimmable, but how do I know if I can then interface this with profilux? what brands work etc?

[Matthias Gross]

Hi bourbon,

you can use any dimmable ballast with a so called 1-10V-interface ! This is a standard interface.

[Matthias Gross]

And here some general information:

1. As you know firmware and ProfiLuxControl 3.00 beta are available for download now. Additionaly the new manual can be downloaded. At the moment only a preliminary version - not all translations are ready. You will recognize the red font -and maybe the german text:-(
BTW: Anyone able to translate it?

2. Although the firmware is extended with a lot of features it was not possible to implement all wished features in this version. But: The next version is coming soon (i did not forget the "dosing wishes"). Please wait some more days - it was important to get this version ready now to make ProfiLux compatible for the new powerbars.

3. Digital powerbars are developed, tested and in full production. We will ship them very soon.

[bullit67]

BOURBON

I will warn you about putting it in your home theater I am HT nut my self I dont have a dedicated HT room and my tank in at the opposit side of the house from my HT gear I was whatching a Movie one day while I was waiting for my water change water to warm up I went to check on my water and noticed all my fish were stressed out my Red sea sail fin was very dark (His colour goes dark when he is stressed) I could nt figure out why untill the sub fired hard and all the fish freaked. I was shocked to see this as I had never looked at the tank when my HT system was running. also dont forget about the humidity and the noise a large salt system makes.

Dont get me wrong it would be cool I am not shooting down your idea just would hate to hear you went through alot of work and expense and then start running in to problems.

Doug

[bourbon]

thanks so much i'll keep this in mind. g

[bullit67]

Matthias

Is it safe to touch the clear membrane of the probes with a soft brush?

Thanks Doug

[niloc16]

[QUOTE=bourbon;235116]ok niloc16 so you mention that you are waiting for a y connector to connect the fans to the L1 port - so does this mean that you have all of your L ports used up? because they ports are labelled L1/L2 I'm assuming that you can connect 2 devices per port but need a y connector. Is this right.

1. you can have a 'y' adapter on each 'L' port (sorry i dont know the exact name of these ports) making a total of four. currently i have each tunze connected to a seperate port. when i get the adapter i will have tunze1 connected to L1 and the fan controller connecte to L2 and tunze2 connected to L3

I also remember reading that if you connect 2 tunzes to L1/L2 that you can't operate them independently - you have to use L1/L3 which takes up 2 ports. I'm concerned about the amount of L ports I will need. So by similar logic I'm assuming that if you have more than 1 LED you will have the same problem - i.e. use L1/L2 but not control them independently or use L1/L3.

2. you dont have to have both tunzes connected to L1/L2. read my last answer

[niloc16]

[QUOTE=bourbon;235117]ok guys so I'm full of it today (questions that is).

So I've programmed home automation systems before and wondering if the programming is the same on the profilux
i.e. if water level sensor #1 is on (i.e. triggered) then turn on outlet #4 for 30 seconds (and outlet #4 would have top off pump on it).

is this like what you would do ??


1. the controller is exactly like that. you can have the unit perform automatic water changes without you even being home by using float switchs, pumps and what not.

2) i do not believe you can alter the programming of the buttons on the display unit to control different things, although the keypad on the display head does mostly all you would need, feeding pause, sensor outputs, lighting demo, and so forth

[MNSPS]

When can we expect to get the digital powerbars in the U.S.? I currently have a Profilux Controller without any powerbars. Just waiting for the digital ones.

[bourbon]

Hello Matthias; quick question about the simulator LED
-I will be getting a new ~60 gallon, 36" x 18" x 20" tank
- If I use the simulator LED for morning and night time (red and blue) lighting before my power compacts and HQI come on- (and for lightning effect) - how many will I need for this size tank? should I go with the strip or the little box type?

what size of propellor fan should I get also for this size tank?

Thanks

[support@proline]

Hay guys
Matthias is on vancation till next sunday ,so if you don't hear back from him right away ,you can always try to locate him @ one of the spanish beaches in Europe:lol: :lol:
I am sure he will answer all questions as soon as he is back
Regards
Jason

[Jaws]

Any luck with getting Ecotech Vortechs to work with this product yet?

[niloc16]

i believe they are still discussing this issue, thats the last i heard anyway

[support@proline]

No word on that yet .:sad:

[i2ik]

Can someone tell me what is the diameter of the probe? Is it like the pinpoint probe at 5/8". I need to make my probe holder and like to have the exact measurements for my sump. Thanks a lot!

[support@proline]

Richard
All those probes are the same size

[i2ik]

Thank You Jason!

[MNSPS]

I need some help with getting the WLAN setup. My wife (she's an IT Networking Project Leader) and I have spent about 10 hours trying to get the Profilux to connect via WLAN to our PC. We are both running out of patience.

My first questions is do you need to use the serial LAN connection cable (PC RS 232) in order to establish the inital Ad Hoc connection? This is the only way we were able to establish an Ad Hoc connection. Once this cable was diconnected we would lose the IP address.

Many more question to come.

Chris

[Psyire]

I'm not sure about WLAN, but with LAN I did not have to connect with the serial cable first. I just installed and configured the Lantronix software and the COM redirector and it worked with no problems at all. Ofcourse, WLAN could be different? not entirely sure...

[niloc16]

mnsps, you do have to use the serial cable intially to do all the settings. but i have the EXACT same problem as you. i tried for a week and gave up and still have not hooked it up. i would do all the setting with the serial cable hooked up and when i would disconnect it and try to connect it was lost. a couple pages back big blue posted his way of connecting to wlan, you could try that and see if it helps

[MNSPS]

niloc,

The WLAN was a big reason why I purchassed this controller. My computer is upstairs with my aquarium being downstairs, so WLAN is a must. What type of wireless router are you using?

[MNSPS]

niloc16,

At what point during the installation are you supposed to disconnect the serial cable? Do you need to turn the Profilux controller off and then back on once the serial cable is disconnected? It's not very clear in the instructions.

[support@proline]

MNSPS
Matthias will be back on sunday ,I am sure he will chime in.
Meanwhile feel free to ask the question here
http://aqua-it.de/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=29
Also have you updated your firmware yet?

[MNSPS]

Have not updated my firmware yet. One day I went out to check and see if the download was available and it was. The next day I went out to do the update and the download was not there? I went out there yesterday and it was there, went out there today and it's missing again. Am I going to the wrong site? Here is the link were I'm going to: http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Download/download.html. Do you know what new functionality the update offers? All the new text included in the updated English manual is German:sad:

[support@proline]

It is right there in that page.with the red date on the left ,it was updated on 02/09/07.
http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Download/AllProfiLuxII_V300.zip

I know he is working on the new added features in english ,It should be ready soon:biggrin:
We needed this update ,to be able to use the digital powerbars,there are a few more features that Matthias has worked on as well,that might not be on this update ,therefore there will be also another update again soon.:mrgreen:

[niloc16]

msps. i have not got my wlan to work so really i'm the wrong guy to ask for help. as far as when to disconnect the serial port i have not idea. i think it is when the program states that the setup complete or whatever it says. but when i do that it will never connect up again.

[big blue]

[QUOTE=niloc16;236108]msps. i have not got my wlan to work so really i'm the wrong guy to ask for help. QUOTE]


Have you trayed recently or did you give up?

[niloc16]

i havent tried since you posted your latest version of doing the setup. i have given up for now because i was getting so P.O'd with it. i'll wait until the full firmware version is available and do it all at once. the issue with trying now is to disconnect the controller all my lighting, skimmer and what not shuts off because the powerbars shutdown

[MNSPS]

Just wanted to let everyone know I was able to get the WLAN working. Very happy.:biggrin:

[niloc16]

what was the trick? did you follow big blues list?

[Matthias Gross]

Hi All

some customers had problems with WLAN here, these have been the reasons:
1. They did not do exactly what we had written in the turial
2. Incompatibility of WLAN routers or access points - in ALL cases a firmware update of these devices (eg of netgear devices) helped

To setup a connection between the ProfiLux (or better: the PLM-WLAN) and your PC a serial or LAN connection is NOT neccessary!

Here all important steps (in short form):
1. Maybe you did before some bad settings - then reset the WLAN-settings in the ProfiLux (with the keys). After reset a hardware reset (power off) is recommended.
2. Use "DeviceInstaller" to search the WLAN-ProfiLux (=WiPort)
IMPORTANT: This is only ad-hoc, directly from PC to Profilux, possible! Dont' use a WLAN-Router or access-point, use the PC-WLAN-card!
And disconnect any LAN-interfaces in your PC - they might confuse "DeviceInstaller". And for the time of the setup: Disable your WLAN-router and all other WLAN-devices.
3. Assign static IP-address to the WiPort
After that: Do your WLAN-settings and continue as in the tutorial described.

Please let me know at which point exactly you have the problems.

[big blue]

My Netgear Router WGT634U with the (out of the box) firmware 1.4.1.5 works fine with the WLAN. Tricky is only the encription and IP settings. Pay attention on the little details as Matthias explained.

[bourbon]

Hi guys; can you describe exactly what you are able to do with the LAN connectivity - specifically how it differs from what you can do with direct pc link?

Thanks.

[Matthias Gross]

Hi Bourbon,

over any connection - USB, RS232, LAN, WLAN - the same features are given:
- altering parameters
- firmware update
- reading measurement values

In any case the program ProfiLuxControl (can be downloaded from our site for free) must be used. That means that the on the PC in question this program has to be installed, also for access over LAN/WLAN.
Our WLAN/LAN-interfaces include a web server so a standard browser can be used to access the ProfiLux. At the moment this web server only can be used for the setup of LAN/WLAN settings, we are working on an extension of this web interface. In future the user will be able to "open a ProfiLux homepage" - to view the current values and do diagnostics (without using ProfiLuxControl).

[Matthias Gross]

Information about Firmware 3.00:
- firmware has now release status
- translation to english is completed, you can download the newest manual, firmware + PC-program here:
http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Download/download.html

[Matthias Gross]

Hi,

an important hint:
The english operating instructions for our aquarium fan "PropellerBreeze" are now downloadable from:
http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Download/Manual_PropellerBreeze_25022007.pdf

To all owners of a PropellerBreeze: Please read the instructions, especially those regarding mounting. Thank you.

[bullit67]

Hi Matthias

Welcome back hope you had a good vacation any word on how the new 6 outlet power bars are coming

Thanks
Doug

[Matthias Gross]

Hi Doug,

that was a great vacation and i realized i really needed it - now i am fresh as usual again.
The next shipment, including dig. powerbars, is on 28. Feb.
I am sorry that it was not earlier possible, but obtaining some parts which are needed for production is really difficult. Some producers (eg. powersupplies, microcontrollers, housings) have delivery times of up to 26 weeks.

[Matthias Gross]

Hi All!

Good news: Today is shipping!

And for all who are waiting for the digital powerbars - here is the link to the manual:
http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Download/Manual_Powerbar6D-CDUSA.pdf
Don't hesitate to ask me if there are any questions.

[Ginzo]

That's great news !

Since I ordered yesterday my Profilux II Plus controller ! :)

Just a couple of questions:

1) Can I plug the power bars onto a normal power bar (since I want to place the power bars and controller on my canopy), so I need an extension.

2) Can somebody explain to me what the difference is with the digital power bars and the normal power bars ?

3) Can I have more then 1 float/level sensor on my controller ? I would like to have 2 or 3 level sensors, just for safety.

That's it for now :)

Ginzo

[Reefer Rob]

Jason

I am thinking about getting a Profilux controler. Have you asked Icecap if a 8A current limiter in the circuit would in any way adversely affect their ballasts. I have the same MH lighting setup as niloc16, just want to make extra sure I wouldn't cook my ballasts.
(PS: Any idea when the Aquaconnect bulbs will be in?)

[Matthias Gross]

@Ginzo
1.) yes - but: you wrote "since I want to place the power bars and controller on my canopy" - isn't that dangerous? Please make sure that no electric equipment can fall into the water!
2.) difference powerbars - here the short from: digital powerbar has a microprocessor, is bus-capable, is suitable for ballasts- i explained this in detail in our manuals ProfiLux & digital powerbar . You can download it here:
http://www.ghl-kl.de/Produkte/Aquaristik/Download/download.html
3.) yes, you can have 2 on your controller

@Reefer Bob:
The inrush current limiter won't adversely affect any ballast. I am sure niloc16 will obtain his digital powerbar in some days (i think the plane with the shipment for Proline already arrived in Vancouver) - then he will tell us his experiences with the digital powerbar.