Hydros Control X3

[169468]

I wish they had put the 1-10v input on the X3 (like they have with the WaveEngine LE) although I guess you can't have everything, and if they did put that on the X3 it might stop people buying the Control 4 (not that I would anyway).

 

[n2585722]

This is on their website now. Wave engine lite version. I think I’m sold on getting an x2, x3, and WElite

That is the WaveEngine lite. It is the same size as the XS, X3 and X2. I am not sure on pricing. It is not in stock yet.

 

[169468]

I think is going to be dependent on availability the parts needed to build enough for the release. I think they talked about it on one of the ReefDudes videos on youtube.

Unfortunately I've given up watching those videos as they make my skin crawl.

 

[n2585722]

I wish they had put the 1-10v input on the X3 (like they have with the WaveEngine LE) although I guess you can't have everything, and if they did put that on the X3 it might stop people buying the Control 4 (not that I would anyway).

If you need 2 probe ports it is still cheaper to get a X4 than 2 X3's. They might come out with a control unit in the smaller case with the 0-10v ports. Not sure if there would be room for any other ports though.

 

[169468]

I don't need ORP, drive ports or the 0-10v output though, so the Control 4 is overkill.

I don't know how much space there is inside the X3 case, but there is room on the front for another connector. If they could have added the 0-10v there, then a combination of Control 2s, XS's and X3's could give you pretty much any variety of inputs/outputs you would want.

 

[n2585722]

I don't need ORP, drive ports or the 0-10v output though, so the Control 4 is overkill.

I don't know how much space there is inside the X3 case, but there is room on the front for another connector. If they could have added the 0-10v there, then a combination of Control 2s, XS's and X3's could give you pretty much any variety of inputs/outputs you would want.

The probe ports require galvanic isolation which requires more electronic components than the other ports. That is probably the reason there is only one probe ports. Apparently they could not squeeze in another sense port.

 

[n2585722]

I don't need ORP, drive ports or the 0-10v output though, so the Control 4 is overkill.

I don't know how much space there is inside the X3 case, but there is room on the front for another connector. If they could have added the 0-10v there, then a combination of Control 2s, XS's and X3's could give you pretty much any variety of inputs/outputs you would want.

It looks like the WaveEngine LE has a 0-10v input port on it. Not sure what the pricing will be. It will power 2 compatible pumps also. It can also provide power to the buss to power other control modules.

 

[169468]

It looks like the WaveEngine LE has a 0-10v input port on it. Not sure what the pricing will be. It will power 2 compatible pumps also. It can also provide power to the buss to power other control modules.

But it has no sense ports ;)

I appreciate that you can't please everyone (and rarely me!), but the 0-10v is a pretty useful input with a breakout box, yet it is only available on the Control 4 (and the WaveEngines).

I believe that the sort of thing I would use it for (such as physical push buttons for feed and maintenance modes) can be achieved with the sense ports, but it is a bit frustrating to have to consider buying a Control XS to add to the collective, just to do what I could with a single 0-10v port. The other option would be to just rely on the app for the switching, but I think that would frustrate me pretty quickly.

If I decide to go Hydros (and I'm still flicking between Apex, GHL and Hydros) then I'll either have to compromise on what I want or get the Control 4, half of which I don't need.

 

[n2585722]

But it has no sense ports ;)

I appreciate that you can't please everyone (and rarely me!), but the 0-10v is a pretty useful input with a breakout box, yet it is only available on the Control 4 (and the WaveEngines).

I believe that the sort of thing I would use it for (such as physical push buttons for feed and maintenance modes) can be achieved with the sense ports, but it is a bit frustrating to have to consider buying a Control XS to add to the collective, just to do what I could with a single 0-10v port. The other option would be to just rely on the app for the switching, but I think that would frustrate me pretty quickly.

If I decide to go Hydros (and I'm still flicking between Apex, GHL and Hydros) then I'll either have to compromise on what I want or get the Control 4, half of which I don't need.

I have a Control 4 it is in my garage 35ft from the tank. The only thing not in use is the 0-10v outputs. I would use them for lighting if I can get the signal to the tank somehow. It is in the garage with 2 Control 2's and a Control XS. All the sense ports and all the drive ports are in use out there. I have my three storage tanks and my ATO, AWC, RODI and dosing pumps out there. The Hydros controls all of that and the tank with the 3 control units at the tank And the 4 in the garage. The only thing still on the Archon is the lighting. The Hydros is still a modular system. It just has the brain or head unit distributed between all the modules instead of a single head unit.

 

[n2585722]

But it has no sense ports ;)

I appreciate that you can't please everyone (and rarely me!), but the 0-10v is a pretty useful input with a breakout box, yet it is only available on the Control 4 (and the WaveEngines).

I believe that the sort of thing I would use it for (such as physical push buttons for feed and maintenance modes) can be achieved with the sense ports, but it is a bit frustrating to have to consider buying a Control XS to add to the collective, just to do what I could with a single 0-10v port. The other option would be to just rely on the app for the switching, but I think that would frustrate me pretty quickly.

If I decide to go Hydros (and I'm still flicking between Apex, GHL and Hydros) then I'll either have to compromise on what I want or get the Control 4, half of which I don't need.

Is there something specific you are wanting to use the 0-10v input for. I have float switches hooked to the sense ports. If it is to enter a mode that has to be a 0-10v input, but it is probably possible to do what ever you want without entering a mode using a switch on the sense port to do it. If you let me know what you are interested in doing I can give it a try on my system.

 

[169468]

Is there something specific you are wanting to use the 0-10v input for. I have float switches hooked to the sense ports. If it is to enter a mode that has to be a 0-10v input, but it is probably possible to do what ever you want without entering a mode using a switch on the sense port to do it. If you let me know what you are interested in doing I can give it a try on my system.

Thanks very much for your offer, however, the reason I am interested in the 0-10v input is that you can effectively add up to 4 inputs (a total of 20 on/off switches) to the one port, as far as I am aware. Examples of the sort of thing I would be looking at are:

Channel 1
1) Push button switch for feed mode.
2) Push button switch for maintenance mode.
3) Toggle Switch for emergency shut off mode.

Channel 2 and 3
4) Air temp and humidity sensor.

Channel 4
5) Float switch to tell me that the return pump chamber is getting low.


I think I could do all of that with one 0-10v port. Aside from possibly the temp and humidity sensor, I believe that I could do everything else with sense ports instead, but I would need to buy another Control XS unit to make up for that one 'missing' port.

I don't need all of those options at the moment, but it would be great if there was a smaller form factor controller (i.e. the same size as the X3 rather than the Control 4) that had the 0-10v option, to enable future expansion without having to buy more controllers.


I would be interested to know how many people use both drive ports on the Control 2. One is useful for the ATO pump but do many Control 2 owners use the second port? Would there be more demand for that second port to be 0-10v instead (I genuinely have no idea of the answer)? If that option was available then I could use a collective of one X3 and one other small form factor controller. That combination of 2 small form factor controllers would end up being similar to a Control 4, but with only 1 probe and one drive port and no 0-10v out, and that would be ideal for me.

There is obviously a limit to the number of SKUs that Hydros can produce, so not all port options can ever be available. It would be amazing if it could be customisable, and you could select what ports you want when you purchase it, but I suspect this would be impractical from a business sense. The other option, which I know goes against the philosophy of Hydros, would be to offer port expansion modules.

In the meantime, whilst I am dreaming of the future, I have to decide whether to compromise with a X3 or shell out for the Control 4, both of which can be made to work but neither of which really fulfil my requirements.

 

[n2585722]

It sounds like you are in to DIY projects. As far as what you have planned for channel 1 you could probably use sense ports but that would be one for each switch and also would require a more complex setup with outputs gut can be done. What you have planned for channel 2 and 3 would require a 0-10v input. Channel 4 can be done with a sense port. I think I have 10 float switches hooked to sense ports. That require 10 sense ports. One thing to remember is hooking more than one switch to a switch port requires them to be momentary type switches with the third party breakout boxes. If you do you on resistor ladder you can do it where the way they are wired that closest switch to the input would have priority.

As far is drive ports go I have 6 in use. Three drive 3 of 4 solenoids used to control my RODI. The forth on in powered by a wifi strip. Three are used to power my dosing pumps. One is used for ATO, another for AWC and the third is used for dosing All for Reef. All three pumps are on the control board in the photo I posted. The two remaining pumps are unused that are in the photo. That is the reason for the 2 Control 2's I have.

The Hydros is modular. Each module is capable of being a stand alone controller or part of a collective. Instead of one module as the brain and the other relying on it on the Hydros each module contributes to the brain when they are in a collective. Once you have a collective if you loose a single member for some reason you only loose the inputs and outputs associated with that member. The others will continue to operate with each other. You will also get an alert if this were to happen. The way outputs and inputs are setup. The actual input or output used can be changed easily. All you have to do is select a different input or output port but you don't need to change any of the rest of the settings. On the outputs you don't even have to assign an actual port to the output for it to work as logic.

The wifi power strips are the only thing that does not act on its own. These are turned on or off by the wifi master of a collective or the controller it is pared with. If for some reason you need to replace one of these you can use the replace function in the app. Doing that it will give it the new strip the name of the old strip it is replacing and assign its oitputs in place of the ones on the old strip. Also the thing to keep in mind when using these is if for some reason they loose connectivity with the controller they will remain in the state they are in until the connection is made again. If they are powered down all the outputs will be off until that connection is made. That is the main reason I use the drive ports for ATO, AWC and dosing. The do have a wired outlet solution in the works. It requires a X4, 2 X2's and a XS to control everything in the garage. That is 3 dosing pumps, 3 solenoids, one mixing pump, one transfer pump and 2 dispense pumps. Below is a screenshot of my storage tank page on my Hydros system. It was to long to fit in one screenshot so I took three. The three tank level inputs are three of the 0-10v inputs on the X4. I also use it for some non aquarium related things also.

Controller Status and Mode status

Inputs

Outputs

 

[Sawyer Breslow]

It sounds like you are in to DIY projects. As far as what you have planned for channel 1 you could probably use sense ports but that would be one for each switch and also would require a more complex setup with outputs gut can be done. What you have planned for channel 2 and 3 would require a 0-10v input. Channel 4 can be done with a sense port. I think I have 10 float switches hooked to sense ports. That require 10 sense ports. One thing to remember is hooking more than one switch to a switch port requires them to be momentary type switches with the third party breakout boxes. If you do you on resistor ladder you can do it where the way they are wired that closest switch to the input would have priority.

As far is drive ports go I have 6 in use. Three drive 3 of 4 solenoids used to control my RODI. The forth on in powered by a wifi strip. Three are used to power my dosing pumps. One is used for ATO, another for AWC and the third is used for dosing All for Reef. All three pumps are on the control board in the photo I posted. The two remaining pumps are unused that are in the photo. That is the reason for the 2 Control 2's I have.

The Hydros is modular. Each module is capable of being a stand alone controller or part of a collective. Instead of one module as the brain and the other relying on it on the Hydros each module contributes to the brain when they are in a collective. Once you have a collective if you loose a single member for some reason you only loose the inputs and outputs associated with that member. The others will continue to operate with each other. You will also get an alert if this were to happen. The way outputs and inputs are setup. The actual input or output used can be changed easily. All you have to do is select a different input or output port but you don't need to change any of the rest of the settings. On the outputs you don't even have to assign an actual port to the output for it to work as logic.

The wifi power strips are the only thing that does not act on its own. These are turned on or off by the wifi master of a collective or the controller it is pared with. If for some reason you need to replace one of these you can use the replace function in the app. Doing that it will give it the new strip the name of the old strip it is replacing and assign its oitputs in place of the ones on the old strip. Also the thing to keep in mind when using these is if for some reason they loose connectivity with the controller they will remain in the state they are in until the connection is made again. If they are powered down all the outputs will be off until that connection is made. That is the main reason I use the drive ports for ATO, AWC and dosing. The do have a wired outlet solution in the works. It requires a X4, 2 X2's and a XS to control everything in the garage. That is 3 dosing pumps, 3 solenoids, one mixing pump, one transfer pump and 2 dispense pumps. Below is a screenshot of my storage tank page on my Hydros system. It was to long to fit in one screenshot so I took three. The three tank level inputs are three of the 0-10v inputs on the X4. I also use it for some non aquarium related things also.

Controller Status and Mode status

Inputs

Outputs

What dosing pumps do you have? I’m running kamoer x1 pros. I saw you made a custom wire for your pumps on the forum. Do you think that would work with the kamoer?

 

[n2585722]

I use Intllab pumps here is a link Amazon product ASIN B07PWY4SM6
They are normally around $28 each. I have 3 in use and 2 spares at this time. I used to use 4 but I converted one into a dual head pump for ATO.

I got the cord with the DC plug for the pump from Mouser. You can get the 2 pin GX12 connectors from CoralVue or Amazon. I am not sure if the Kamoer pump are ones you can power on and off like the Intllab pumps.

 

[Digitalfirex]

I have a Control 4 it is in my garage 35ft from the tank. The only thing not in use is the 0-10v outputs. I would use them for lighting if I can get the signal to the tank somehow. It is in the garage with 2 Control 2's and a Control XS. All the sense ports and all the drive ports are in use out there. I have my three storage tanks and my ATO, AWC, RODI and dosing pumps out there. The Hydros controls all of that and the tank with the 3 control units at the tank And the 4 in the garage. The only thing still on the Archon is the lighting. The Hydros is still a modular system. It just has the brain or head unit distributed between all the modules instead of a single head unit.

I'm looking at maybe buying the hydros...

If I have a tank upstairs and a tank in the basement, can I get two modules and have them be able to talk to each other? Or is this only possible if you plug both models together aka they have to be near each other?

 

[n2585722]

You can have them in a collective as long as you can connect them with a buss cable. There are two types of buss cables. One will link power and data. The other is data only. For that distance if it is over 15ft you would use a data only cable. Mine are at the tank and in the garage. That was over 35ft away. The ones in the garage are right next to the media box for the house. In the box was a CAT5 data cable that went to the room with the tank and it just happened to be to an outlet on the wall next to the tank. So I converted to CAT5 cable and back when I got to the tank. It was a data only connection so I have to have a supply at each end. You would also need two terminators. You can get power supplies with the terminators added if you don't have an open buss port.

 

[Sawyer Breslow]

I'm looking at maybe buying the hydros...

If I have a tank upstairs and a tank in the basement, can I get two modules and have them be able to talk to each other? Or is this only possible if you plug both models together aka they have to be near each other?

You can run a data only cable between the modules

 

[n2585722]

You can run a data only cable between the modules

Yes, you can. If it is just 2 control units then you would use a power pack on each one with a terminator built into the power pack. These power packs are available from CoralVue. They have them with or without the terminator. There is also a DIY for adding a terminator resistor to a power pack here https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/threads/diy-terminated-power-supply.701/ . There is a lot of DIY information in the DIY section fo their forum. I have 3 control units at the tank and 5 in the garage. They are all connected in the same collective and act as one large controller with all the inputs and outputs.

 

[Digitalfirex]

Yes, you can. If it is just 2 control units then you would use a power pack on each one with a terminator built into the power pack. These power packs are available from CoralVue. They have them with or without the terminator. There is also a DIY for adding a terminator resistor to a power pack here https://forum.coralvuehydros.com/threads/diy-terminated-power-supply.701/ . There is a lot of DIY information in the DIY section fo their forum. I have 3 control units at the tank and 5 in the garage. They are all connected in the same collective and act as one large controller with all the inputs and outputs.

Cool, totally got that. But just to make sure, can you explain it again? Not the DIY part, I know how to DIY, more so the why lol

 

[169468]

It is my understanding that all of the newer power supplies come with the terminator built-in. It was only the very early ones that didn't have it (but check with Coralvue as I am not 100% sure on that).

The 'why' is that the terminator is needed for the Can Bus to work. If I understand it correctly, having the terminator in the power supply saves you from having to add the dongle.

https://www.coralvue.com/hydros-command-bus-terminator
(Hopefully I understood your question correctly).