Neptune Apex Programming Tutorials, Part 4: Power Monitoring

[SuncrestReef]

Seawitch submitted a new Article:

Neptune Apex Programming Tutorials, Part 4: Power Monitoring

Note From the Editor:

This article is Part 4 of a series. Feel free to go back and read Part 1 or Part 2 or Part 3.

This article and several future ones by the same author were originally part of several presentations made to a local aquarium club on programming your Neptune Apex Controller. The article is reprinted with permission from the author.

Because this topic will be of great interest to some readers but no interest to others who have not automated their systems, R2R will run these programming articles every Friday until we come to the end of the series.

Photos, images, and diagrams included in this article below are all courtesy of the author, @SuncrestReef ©2019, All Rights Reserved.

For inspiration: a Green Slimer Acropora coral belonging to the author.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Power Monitoring

This tutorial will cover several aspects of power monitoring in an Apex environment:

• EB832 output power reporting*
• EB832 output power usage alarms*
• EB832 output power values in programming*
• Apex power monitoring with UPS backup battery power

*Note: These topics do not apply to older Apex units or older Energy Bars. Only the Apex 2016, Apex-EL, and EB832 are covered in this tutorial because the older versions don’t support these features.

With the introduction of the EB832 Energy Bar, Neptune included new features allowing you to get granular power consumption details on a per-outlet basis. Older Energy Bars only provided statistics on the overall power consumption for the entire unit.

Power Reporting

When you click the EB832 tile on your dashboard it will cycle through different views showing individual outlet status, power consumption in amps and watts, and the approximate daily cost of energy consumed.

In order to calculate the energy costs, you need to enter your electricity rate from your utility bill:

1. Click the Power Log icon in Fusion
   
   
2. Click the down arrow at the upper right
   
   
3. Enter your energy cost in kWh from your utility bill. Mine is $0.0757 per kWH (shown as 7.57 cents on the bill, but enter it as dollars in Fusion)
   
   
4. Save the settings

Now Fusion can report your estimated daily and monthly energy costs in the Power Log:

The log can also show individual outlet usage in the graph if you click the Compare dropdown at the upper right:

Power Usage Alarms

Most Apex alerts are configured as lines of programming under the Email_Alarm output. With the new features of the EB832, Neptune provides a new collection of Inputs for each outlet on the EB832 which can be configured to send alerts when outside a specified range of values without any need for programming. Fusion makes this easy to configure by clicking the Power Usage Alarms in the list of Tasks:

Just follow the steps in the task wizard:

​

Once configured, if you ever need to modify the alarm settings or remove the alarm, go into the list of Inputs in Fusion. Any input with alarms configured will show a checkmark in the Alarms column:

Click the input to get to its configuration settings where you can change the specified limits:

If you want to remove the alarm, click the Alarm dropdown and select Never:

​

Output power values in programming

There may be situations where you want the Apex to take an action based on the amount of power a device is consuming. The 120v outlets on the EB832 can be referenced in programming to read the watts or amps value:

If Output output_name [Amps/Watts] [</>] Then [ON/OFF]

As an example, I have a small cheap powerhead in my sump to create flow where my 2-part dosing tubes feed into the water. Occasionally this powerhead seizes up, causing my 2-part to precipitate. When it seizes, it draws more amps than normal, so I added a line of code to turn off the powerhead, and Defer commands to allow it to power back on 10 seconds later. This sometimes breaks it loose and it starts spinning again:

Fallback OFF
Set ON
If Output EB_7_SMPFLO Amps > 5.0 Then OFF
Defer 000:10 Then OFF
Defer 000:10 Then ON

Apex power monitoring with UPS backup battery power

The Apex can configured for power monitoring so it can selectively turn off specific outlets during a power outage, preserving the battery power to keep powerheads or air stones running longer. The Apex can also send an alert when the power is out as long as your Internet router is on battery power as well.

Before getting into the programming steps, there are some prerequisites needed for power monitoring to work:

1. Purchase this Apex 12V auxiliary power adapter: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/12v-power-supply-neptune-systems.html
2. Plug your Apex Energy Bar into your UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) battery backup.
3. Plug the new 12V power adapter into a regular wall power outlet and connect it to the Apex auxiliary power port.
   
   
4. In Apex Fusion, click the Apex menu, then click Misc near the bottom of the menu
5. Under the Power section, set Monitor to Enabled, then save the settings to your Apex.
   
6. 
   Once these steps are done, you can configure various outlets on your Energy Bar to react when your house power goes out. Here are some examples:

Turn off return pump:

Fallback ON
Set ON
If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF

Turn off heater:

Fallback OFF
If Tmp < 78.0 Then ON
If Tmp > 78.0 Then OFF
If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF

Turn on air pump:

Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Power Apex Off 000 Then ON

In general, you should only run the bare minimum devices on battery power. Heaters, lights, and anything with powerful motors (like return pumps or skimmers) will drain the battery quickly, so they should be turned off.

If you want the Apex to send you alerts when the power is out, you will also need your Internet router connected to a battery backup. In your Apex alert programming, add this as the final condition so it doesn't get overridden by any other alert conditions:

If Power Apex Off 000 Then ON

Since some devices may not be controlled by your Apex and just plugged into normal power strips, you should think through which items you want to run on battery power and which ones are safe to be off during a power outage. Here is how I have my power cords connected:

That's it for power monitoring!

Stay tuned for the next tutorial on Virtual Outputs.

~~~~~~~~~~

We encourage all our readers to join the Reef2Reef forum. It’s easy to register, free, and reefkeeping is much easier and more fun in a community of fellow aquarists. We pride ourselves on a warm and family-friendly forum where everyone is welcome. You will also find lots of contests and giveaways with our sponsors.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Profile: @SuncrestReef

John Halsey is a reefing hobbyist who keeps a Red Sea Reefer XL 425 in his living room. He is new to reefing with just over one year of experience, but has been successful in keeping a healthy mixed reef by following best practices learned here on R2R as well as actively participating in his local aquarist club--PNWMAS--in Portland, Oregon. John retired from his 30-year career in IT support, and put that technical expertise to good use by automating much of his aquarium equipment with an extensive Neptune Apex system.

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[BZOFIQ]

with this schematic, the battery backup would be good for few minutes.

2 heaters on battery backup? seriously?

The battery backup should run the aux p/s and maybe a powerhead, thats it

 

[BZOFIQ]

I see that your program turns outlets off in case of power loss - so is the aux/ps used for monitoring?

 

[SuncrestReef]

with this schematic, the battery backup would be good for few minutes.

2 heaters on battery backup? seriously?

The battery backup should run the aux p/s and maybe a powerhead, thats it

I think you missed the point of the programming topic in my article. When the Apex is running on UPS battery, it programmatically turns off the heaters, return pump, skimmer, and other high-wattage devices to prolong the battery life.

 

[SuncrestReef]

I see that your program turns outlets off in case of power loss - so is the aux/ps used for monitoring?

Yes, the auxiliary power adapter is simply there to sense when the wall outlet power is off. That lets the Apex know to selectively turn off other devices to conserve battery. That's the reason the battery should NOT power the aux power adapter.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I did initially miss it but this is because I knew it wasn't possible on the classic . It should be noted that this is NOT available to owners of the classic (a large group of people)

The misc setup is only available on the new controller.

Classic,

New,

That said on the classic its the AUX P/S that is tied to battery backup along with either powerhead or return pump, depending on desired run time.

 

[SuncrestReef]

I did initially miss it but this is because I knew it wasn't possible on the classic . It should be noted that this is NOT available to owners of the classic (a large group of people)

The misc setup is only available on the new controller.

Classic,

New,

That said on the classic its the AUX P/S that is tied to battery backup along with either powerhead or return pump, depending on desired run time.

Can you check if the power monitoring setting is available for your Classic when using the http://apex.local interface? I don’t own a Classic so I can’t confirm on my own.

 

[BZOFIQ]

On the local it actually does - why didnt Neptune port it to fusion?

I believe the post below explains its proper use scenarios of the Apex classic and the EB vs the Aux P/S being plugged into the UPS.


#9 of this thread.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/apex-power-failure-question.219209/

 

[Tastee]

Does anyone know if Neptune intends to release an international version of the EB8?

I am in Sydney Australia, and unfortunately we can only get the EB6 Down Under.

 

[rkpetersen]

For power monitoring of pumps, some feel that best practice is to use Watts for low power output situations (e.g. power supply failure), and Amps for high output situations (e.g. something stuck in the pump inlet.)
For low wattage of a continuously operating pump, 50% of the normal operating value is a good set point.
For high amperage, 50% greater than the number operating value is appropriate.
In addition to the Power Log, device power consumption can also be viewed from the Input Log chart;
under the Energy Data section of the Input Log, each device's ongoing usage is indicated by the device name followed by 'A' or 'W'.

 

[The Rasta Reefer]

with this schematic, the battery backup would be good for few minutes.

2 heaters on battery backup? seriously?

The battery backup should run the aux p/s and maybe a powerhead, thats it

I prefer to plug my Apex Auxillary Power Adapter into the "Surge Protection Only" side of my UPS because I only want clean Sine Wave power feeding my gear, thus nothing is plugged directly into the grid power.

 

[SuncrestReef]

I prefer to plug my Apex Auxillary Power Adapter into the "Surge Protection Only" side of my UPS because I only want clean Sine Wave power feeding my gear, thus nothing is plugged directly into the grid power.

The only problem with this plan is that I've experienced a total UPS failure, where both the battery-backed outlets and the surge-only outlets all failed. By having the auxiliary adapter and EB powered by different devices avoids this scenario.

 

[robbyg]

Is it possible to program the E832 to shut off a plug if the power is being drawn for more than a certain amount of time. I am thinking of using it as a fallback on a pump that at most will run for an hour but on some rare occasions the pressure switch gets air locked and it just keeps on running.

So in normal mode it draws 0W but lets say when on it draws 40W
So basically I need the plug normally ON and then some kind of duration command that starts running when power is being consumed and then auto shuts off the plug and alerts me if it runs past the set amount of time like 60 minutes. Is this possible with the Apex?

Thanks for any help

 

[SuncrestReef]

Is it possible to program the E832 to shut off a plug if the power is being drawn for more than a certain amount of time. I am thinking of using it as a fallback on a pump that at most will run for an hour but on some rare occasions the pressure switch gets air locked and it just keeps on running.

So in normal mode it draws 0W but lets say when on it draws 40W
So basically I need the plug normally ON and then some kind of duration command that starts running when power is being consumed and then auto shuts off the plug and alerts me if it runs past the set amount of time like 60 minutes. Is this possible with the Apex?

Thanks for any help

You can use a virtual output as a timer for situations like this:

[Power_Timer] -- virtual output
Set OFF
If EB832_Output1 Watts > 40 Then ON
Defer 020:00 Then ON

[EmailAlm]
Set OFF
If Output Power_Timer = ON Then ON

This would send you an alert if EB832_Output1 is drawing more than 40w continuously for over 20 minutes.

 

[robbyg]

You can use a virtual output as a timer for situations like this:

[Power_Timer] -- virtual output
Set OFF
If EB832_Output1 Watts > 40 Then ON
Defer 020:00 Then ON

[EmailAlm]
Set OFF
If Output Power_Timer = ON Then ON

This would send you an alert if EB832_Output1 is drawing more than 40w continuously for over 20 minutes.

Thanks.
So outlet is On Normally but timer starts when wattage goes above 40W and then shuts off in 20 minutes and emails me. I assume it will not return power unless I manually turn back on the outlet?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Thanks.
So outlet is On Normally but timer starts when wattage goes above 40W and then shuts off in 20 minutes and emails me. I assume it will not return power unless I manually turn back on the outlet?

The example I provided above only alerts you. It does not turn off the EB output. If you want that to happen, you would need to add this line to your EB output code:

If Output Power_Timer = ON Then OFF

 

[robbyg]

Thanks for the help.

 

[rkpetersen]

The example I provided above only alerts you. It does not turn off the EB output. If you want that to happen, you would need to add this line to your EB output code:

If Output Power_Timer = ON Then OFF

@robbyg, this turns off the pump but won't keep the pump from coming back on again later. Depending on the nature of the problem, and how soon you can get to it, you might want to try a latching outlet, which will keep the device off until you manually turn it on.

For this, the Power_Timer output could look something like this:

If Output Pump_Name Watts > 40 Then ON
Defer 060:00 Then ON

Notice that there is no Set OFF command, so as soon as the pump has been running continuously for 60 minutes, this outlet will turn on and stay on (keeping the pump off) until you manually switch the timer to OFF and then back to AUTO.

 

[infinite0180]

@SuncrestReef

i have a Ranco plugged into my eb832 and have it set up to step in if the Ranco fails. I would like to add a bit off code to protect myself if the Ranco decides to meltdown or a heater element breaks. Should i add code based on amperage draw or wattage draw or both? I would think amperage right?

 

[Mjrenz]

Seawitch submitted a new Article:

Neptune Apex Programming Tutorials, Part 4: Power Monitoring

Note From the Editor:

This article is Part 4 of a series. Feel free to go back and read Part 1 or Part 2 or Part 3.

This article and several future ones by the same author were originally part of several presentations made to a local aquarium club on programming your Neptune Apex Controller. The article is reprinted with permission from the author.

Because this topic will be of great interest to some readers but no interest to others who have not automated their systems, R2R will run these programming articles every Friday until we come to the end of the series.

Photos, images, and diagrams included in this article below are all courtesy of the author, @SuncrestReef ©2019, All Rights Reserved.

For inspiration: a Green Slimer Acropora coral belonging to the author.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Power Monitoring

This tutorial will cover several aspects of power monitoring in an Apex environment:

• EB832 output power reporting*
• EB832 output power usage alarms*
• EB832 output power values in programming*
• Apex power monitoring with UPS backup battery power

*Note: These topics do not apply to older Apex units or older Energy Bars. Only the Apex 2016, Apex-EL, and EB832 are covered in this tutorial because the older versions don’t support these features.

With the introduction of the EB832 Energy Bar, Neptune included new features allowing you to get granular power consumption details on a per-outlet basis. Older Energy Bars only provided statistics on the overall power consumption for the entire unit.

Power Reporting

When you click the EB832 tile on your dashboard it will cycle through different views showing individual outlet status, power consumption in amps and watts, and the approximate daily cost of energy consumed.

In order to calculate the energy costs, you need to enter your electricity rate from your utility bill:

1. Click the Power Log icon in Fusion
   
   
2. Click the down arrow at the upper right
   
   
3. Enter your energy cost in kWh from your utility bill. Mine is $0.0757 per kWH (shown as 7.57 cents on the bill, but enter it as dollars in Fusion)
   
   
4. Save the settings

Now Fusion can report your estimated daily and monthly energy costs in the Power Log:

The log can also show individual outlet usage in the graph if you click the Compare dropdown at the upper right:

Power Usage Alarms

Most Apex alerts are configured as lines of programming under the Email_Alarm output. With the new features of the EB832, Neptune provides a new collection of Inputs for each outlet on the EB832 which can be configured to send alerts when outside a specified range of values without any need for programming. Fusion makes this easy to configure by clicking the Power Usage Alarms in the list of Tasks:

Just follow the steps in the task wizard:

​

Once configured, if you ever need to modify the alarm settings or remove the alarm, go into the list of Inputs in Fusion. Any input with alarms configured will show a checkmark in the Alarms column:

Click the input to get to its configuration settings where you can change the specified limits:

If you want to remove the alarm, click the Alarm dropdown and select Never:

​

Output power values in programming

There may be situations where you want the Apex to take an action based on the amount of power a device is consuming. The 120v outlets on the EB832 can be referenced in programming to read the watts or amps value:

If Output output_name [Amps/Watts] [</>] Then [ON/OFF]

As an example, I have a small cheap powerhead in my sump to create flow where my 2-part dosing tubes feed into the water. Occasionally this powerhead seizes up, causing my 2-part to precipitate. When it seizes, it draws more amps than normal, so I added a line of code to turn off the powerhead, and Defer commands to allow it to power back on 10 seconds later. This sometimes breaks it loose and it starts spinning again:

Fallback OFF
Set ON
If Output EB_7_SMPFLO Amps > 5.0 Then OFF
Defer 000:10 Then OFF
Defer 000:10 Then ON

Apex power monitoring with UPS backup battery power

The Apex can configured for power monitoring so it can selectively turn off specific outlets during a power outage, preserving the battery power to keep powerheads or air stones running longer. The Apex can also send an alert when the power is out as long as your Internet router is on battery power as well.

Before getting into the programming steps, there are some prerequisites needed for power monitoring to work:

1. Purchase this Apex 12V auxiliary power adapter: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/12v-power-supply-neptune-systems.html
2. Plug your Apex Energy Bar into your UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) battery backup.
3. Plug the new 12V power adapter into a regular wall power outlet and connect it to the Apex auxiliary power port.
   
   
4. In Apex Fusion, click the Apex menu, then click Misc near the bottom of the menu
5. Under the Power section, set Monitor to Enabled, then save the settings to your Apex.
6. 
   Once these steps are done, you can configure various outlets on your Energy Bar to react when your house power goes out. Here are some examples:

Turn off return pump:

Fallback ON
Set ON
If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF

Turn off heater:

Fallback OFF
If Tmp < 78.0 Then ON
If Tmp > 78.0 Then OFF
If Power Apex Off 000 Then OFF

Turn on air pump:

Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Power Apex Off 000 Then ON

In general, you should only run the bare minimum devices on battery power. Heaters, lights, and anything with powerful motors (like return pumps or skimmers) will drain the battery quickly, so they should be turned off.

If you want the Apex to send you alerts when the power is out, you will also need your Internet router connected to a battery backup. In your Apex alert programming, add this as the final condition so it doesn't get overridden by any other alert conditions:

If Power Apex Off 000 Then ON

Since some devices may not be controlled by your Apex and just plugged into normal power strips, you should think through which items you want to run on battery power and which ones are safe to be off during a power outage. Here is how I have my power cords connected:

That's it for power monitoring!

Stay tuned for the next tutorial on Virtual Outputs.

~~~~~~~~~~

We encourage all our readers to join the Reef2Reef forum. It’s easy to register, free, and reefkeeping is much easier and more fun in a community of fellow aquarists. We pride ourselves on a warm and family-friendly forum where everyone is welcome. You will also find lots of contests and giveaways with our sponsors.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Profile: @SuncrestReef

John Halsey is a reefing hobbyist who keeps a Red Sea Reefer XL 425 in his living room. He is new to reefing with just over one year of experience, but has been successful in keeping a healthy mixed reef by following best practices learned here on R2R as well as actively participating in his local aquarist club--PNWMAS--in Portland, Oregon. John retired from his 30-year career in IT support, and put that technical expertise to good use by automating much of his aquarium equipment with an extensive Neptune Apex system.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I have an ATK and was wondering if it's possible to use the 24v power supply connected to the FMM for power monitoring?