Some AC3 Help/Suggestions

[djmx2002]

Hey everybody after some research i have decided that i want to go with the AC3 to control my 3 tanks

i just want to know what you guys suggest about the extra hardware required

1 tank 135g- the display tank i have 4 PH and 3MH 175 -250 - 175, 2VHO Bulbs and 2 PCs, also have series of moon lights which all be needed to be controlled.

the 2nd tank 29g, small reef tank. got 1MH 250watts, 2pcs, 2 moon lights, will want to control them with the same scheduale as the other tank

one small tank to hold equipment such as 3 heathers and a protien skimmer. the 3 heathers needs to be controllable.

and the last tank is 30 gallon refugium.

my question is where is the best place to get the base unit, as well as any additional hardware required.

and i would also like to hear from people who use AC3 about how they set up their system

[dougchambers]

Without knowing a little more, I can't give you a final setup, but let's look at some basics.

135g Tank
4 20W Power Head 0.67A
2 175W MH 2.92A
1 250W MH 2.08A
2 110W VHO 1.83A
2 96W PC 1.60A
1 10W Moon Light 0.08A
9.18A

20g Tank
1 250W MH 2.08A
2 96W PC 1.60A
2 10W Moon Light 0.17A
3.85A

Equip Tank
3 300W Heaters 7.50A

My first suggestion is to do everything with Direct Connect modules and stay away from X10.

Looking at your 135g tank, you have some options. The lighting isn't too bad so technically you could get everything on a single DC8 if you ganged some things together. Remember that a DC8 will handle a total of 15Amps, but you can't exceed 6 amps on any single plug. Example, you could group both your 175W MH on a single plug and keep the 250W on a second. Depending on the type of ballasts and their inrush current, you would be pushing it to have all three MH on a single plug. The VHO and PCs could also be put together and depending on what you want to do with your power heads, you may need more outlets than a single DC8.

In looking at your other requirements, you might be able to get by with a total of 2-DC8s. For more flexibility, you might be looking at a pair of DC8s and a DC4 or DC4HD.

I made quite a few assumptions, but take a look and we can refine your break-down a little further. As for on-line dealers, I've worked with Premium and ReefGeek on our Neptune orders and had great success. Take look at both and see who is closer...

If you want an example of a program, take a look at the equipment section on our website. I'll be making some major code changes later tonight after I install two floats in the sump and finish hooking up our new Lunar module, but it will give you some ideas.

Don't forget to swing by the Neptune Forum under the Sponsor section. There are some great people in there with a TON of experience.

-Doug

[djmx2002]

Thanks, i just checked out that reefgeek website,

saved me like 30 some dollars

i got the AC3 with serial cable, ph proble (std) temp prob, dc8, and colleberation fluid for the ph for total of around 600 i think, and i also bought the seio superflow powerhead

[dougchambers]

Sounds good. I think you are going to need more than one DC8, but it will be enough to get you started. Next you should go download the AquaNotes Lite program.

Are you planning to setup your AC3 on a network?

-Doug

[djmx2002]

oh ya thats why of the reasons i choose it over the junior version.

now can you create custom pages or it just uses it's default pages for the web?

and what kind of security measures are there to protect my tanks

[djmx2002]

bump

[dougchambers]

Originally posted by djmx2002
oh ya thats why of the reasons i choose it over the junior version.

now can you create custom pages or it just uses it's default pages for the web?

and what kind of security measures are there to protect my tanks

Using the built-in webserver pages, you can make a few minor changes. I've personalized mine with our reef name and put a link for our main reef tank webpage on the menu. I also have the status page coming up as the default instead of a blank page.

I did some work last night uploading a graphic to the title bar, but had some trouble with it recognizing the jpg format or the graphic was too large. Ultimately, I didn't want to waste memory in the controller for a graphic.

The web interface is secured with a login and password. Once you login, you have access to everything. There isn't a guest login so the the interface is really only helpful for the user as I don't recommend openning up your controller to everyone.

Dave has done some outstanding work building web interfaces that poll the controller and display the status and graphs. Check his page and the one he did for Jim.

If you just want a snapshot of some parameters, you can reference another site (PM if interested) that will give you something like this that updates every 5 minutes;

[djmx2002]

what is this guys website?

[dougchambers]

Here is Jim's: http://reef.jimsflies.com/

Here is Dave's: http://www.danj.com/reef/

[djmx2002]

wow jim did a really nice job. does he run it all from the AC3? or he just link it to get the data?

[dougchambers]

I think Dave actually wrote the interface and some of the code for Jim. Realize it's just a display for the data. He can't actually make changes from the website display.

-Doug

[djmx2002]

ya i understand, i have just recieved the ac3 and setted it up, i am working now on connecting it to the internet tho.

do you know how to access the data from the ac3 and display it on a wabpage using php for example?