DonaldL
Guest
I was thinking of buying a Aquacontroller III Pro. I was woundering who has one of these controllers and how do you like it. Where is the best place to buy one. I seen some at Aquadirect & marinedepot.
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Aquacontroller III (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter DonaldL
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G
Guest
I have an Aquacontroller 2 and love it. Wildfire has the Aquacontroller 2 Pro - you can ask him about it. The difference between the base model and the Pro is that the Pro also can monitor dissolved oxygen and conductivity, which most people don't need.
The Aquacontroller 3 Pro just came out, and the main addition to it is an Ethernet port and a built in web server. It's pretty slick, but the base unit is $800, before you even buy the probes. I got the base AC 2 with a pH probe for $400, so there's a big difference in price. You can also make the AC 2 do all the web stuff that the AC3 does, you just have to use extra software instead of it being built in.
The Aquacontroller 3 Pro just came out, and the main addition to it is an Ethernet port and a built in web server. It's pretty slick, but the base unit is $800, before you even buy the probes. I got the base AC 2 with a pH probe for $400, so there's a big difference in price. You can also make the AC 2 do all the web stuff that the AC3 does, you just have to use extra software instead of it being built in.
DonaldL
Guest
SO you are paying an extra 400.00 for the Ac3 without acc. that you can make the AC2 do the same thing. Can you monitor other things like calcium.
G
Guest
None of them measure calcium. With the base AC2 you get pH, Temp, and ORP monitoring, plus control of your pumps, lights, etc. using X10 modules. The AC2 pro adds dissolved oxygen monitoring (interesting, but not particularly useful) and conductivity, which is used to estimate salinity (but not accurately enough to use for top off).
The AC3 does have a few more features, mainly the web stuff I mentioned, but no more measurement capabilities. It's a cool toy for sure, but if you want to get the 80% of the functionality that most of us use for half the price, go with the AC2 (be sure to get the backlit display for $30 extra). For $500-600 total, you can have a setup that does everything you need.
You can get different packages - I got the one with just the pH probe, because I don't need to monitor ORP (really only useful if you are using ozone). Most of the packages also come with the basic X10 control stuff you need, and a couple of modules. You can get extra control modules from Radio Shack or online for $12-15 each.
To hook it up to your computer (completely optional, but very cool), you need the cable (~$15) and most likely the ground isolator ($40). Try it without the isolator first - if you're lucky you won't have a problem and can save the $40. You also need software - you can either use the Aquanotes software from Neptune, which is $150, or you can use JAqua, which does 95% the same stuff and is shareware - registration is $30 I believe. You also need a computer of course - I didn't want to expose our main computer to the Internet, so I got an old laptop from work that just runs this software.
Next time you're in town, you're welcome to come by and check mine out if you want to see one in person before spending the bucks.
The AC3 does have a few more features, mainly the web stuff I mentioned, but no more measurement capabilities. It's a cool toy for sure, but if you want to get the 80% of the functionality that most of us use for half the price, go with the AC2 (be sure to get the backlit display for $30 extra). For $500-600 total, you can have a setup that does everything you need.
You can get different packages - I got the one with just the pH probe, because I don't need to monitor ORP (really only useful if you are using ozone). Most of the packages also come with the basic X10 control stuff you need, and a couple of modules. You can get extra control modules from Radio Shack or online for $12-15 each.
To hook it up to your computer (completely optional, but very cool), you need the cable (~$15) and most likely the ground isolator ($40). Try it without the isolator first - if you're lucky you won't have a problem and can save the $40. You also need software - you can either use the Aquanotes software from Neptune, which is $150, or you can use JAqua, which does 95% the same stuff and is shareware - registration is $30 I believe. You also need a computer of course - I didn't want to expose our main computer to the Internet, so I got an old laptop from work that just runs this software.
Next time you're in town, you're welcome to come by and check mine out if you want to see one in person before spending the bucks.
DonaldL
Guest
That would be great. Thanks for the info.
Wildfire
Guest
Ditto for me... mikester already volunteered MOST of my information (thread jumper <GRIN>) ) but I do have the AQ2 Pro with the Conductivity probe as wellas the normal Temp, pH, ORP. I just couldn't choke down the $400 DO monitor probe cost, so I skipped that one. I like the unit, except that the power control seems to be a bit flaky...
And if you ever make it to the NASA side of Houston, you are welcome to drop in and see what it does and doesn't do for me....
And if you ever make it to the NASA side of Houston, you are welcome to drop in and see what it does and doesn't do for me....
