ORCA Set Up

[areefer01]

Have you checked in the app? It is possible in some cases that this triggers the hard reset, especially if the power cycled off and on a few times. You then have to reconnect them as you did when they were new.

I actually had this scenario the other day while replacing an eb832. The power was off for maybe 30 minutes and once everything was powered back up the ORCA was not found in the app. I didn't catch it at first as I was focused on other things but later in the day noticed the ORCA was not moving. Looked at the phone and saw all the alerts.

Noticed the orca internal hotspot was visible, connected, and tried to connect up via the app but no luck. Later noticed the IOS app kicked me out. Few odd things but when it finally connected it treated it as a new device and it was never deleted.

Sure I did something but odd that it can fall off like that and not reconnect or know its last configuration.

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

What light is showing on the ORCA? If it is red, you need to reconnect, make sure the phone or device using the app is on the same network you set the ORCA up on. Often simply power cycling the ORCA and closing and reopening the app will solve connection issues.

 

[areefer01]

What light is showing on the ORCA? If it is red, you need to reconnect, make sure the phone or device using the app is on the same network you set the ORCA up on. Often simply power cycling the ORCA and closing and reopening the app will solve connection issues.

It was red. I saw the local network on my phone so that is what I did. Unfortunately it did treat it as a new device even though I did not delete it. None of the time flow settings and had to redo positions. May be related to something I did, or didn't do, but in my case it treated it like a new install.

It is back up and running though.

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

Yes, this seems to happen if both power and internet are lost one or the other, it recovers from, but especially if it flickers off and on a few times and it gets confused further if it comes on and the internet connection is not there.

 

[Mahi51212]

This is not related to the Orca but wanted to say thank you for making these kind of videos. It really does help how detailed you go through them with the different products and supply the proper education on them for those that want to learn about it. Thank you, again

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

Thank you, I have taken a long pause from these videos but I hope to start again soon. I have bought some better equipment to try to improve the quality but I got too busy.

 

[drawman]

@minus9 and @rtparty did you guys ever figure out your lids? Thinking about an orca but that may be holding me back.

 

[DmitryB]

So the latest shenanigan with my programming is one of the two Orcas Wil not follow the Start and End set points in Chaos mode. It stops in the End position and just stays there. The positions are identical on the basic setting and in the Chaos setting. And if I turn off Chaos, Orca follows the correct trajectory in Oscillating. But not in Chaos. This started happening yesterday after I cleaned both of my powerheads. One of them works fine, the other one does not. I've redone the settings over and over and over. Even today, roughly 24 hrs later, still no go on Chaos. What's up?! (I must say the hardware is brilliant, but the app/software are extremely buggy. )

 

[minus9]

@minus9 and @rtparty did you guys ever figure out your lids? Thinking about an orca but that may be holding me back.

I haven't bought the orcas yet, I'm still running four 6075's. But I did reach out to Matt @cromag27 and he said that he can make me a new lid with mods to fit the orcas for the same price as my original lid. I don't think I'll switch over to the orca until we get full programming of the pump's stand alone features (if that's going to something they do?). That and I'm really liking the "wall of water" that four pumps are providing in my tank. I did get to hang out with @rvitko this weekend at RAP, but forgot to ask him about getting the "full" features from pumps with the orca. Btw, if you ever get the chance to talk with Roger in person, do so, he's really nice and has a wealth of knowledge and genuinely just a great human being.

 

[DmitryB]

I haven't bought the orcas yet, I'm still running four 6075's. But I did reach out to Matt @cromag27 and he said that he can make me a new lid with mods to fit the orcas for the same price as my original lid. I don't think I'll switch over to the orca until we get full programming of the pump's stand alone features (if that's going to something they do?). That and I'm really liking the "wall of water" that four pumps are providing in my tank. I did get to hang out with @rvitko this weekend at RAP, but forgot to ask him about getting the "full" features from pumps with the orca. Btw, if you ever get the chance to talk with Roger in person, do so, he's really nice and has a wealth of knowledge and genuinely just a great human being.

I'm just curious what do you mean by "full programming?"

 

[minus9]

I'm just curious what do you mean by "full programming?"

From what I understand, you have set flow types you can use with the orca presently, random, pulse, etc but you can’t fine tune the flow as you can with the stand alone pumps. For example, you can set the pattern and intensity with the orca, but you can’t sync or set anti sync with two orcas. Also, programming the stand alone pumps, you have several different flow types and you can change each parameter within that type. So I can set fast pulse, ramp speed/time and intensity, whereas in the orca, you just set the flow pattern and intensity.

I could be wrong, but you don’t have complete control over the flow pattern with the orca? But Roger did say that all of the flow pumps will be integrated in the app next month, so maybe that will change with the update?

 

[DmitryB]

From what I understand, you have set flow types you can use with the orca presently, random, pulse, etc but you can’t fine tune the flow as you can with the stand alone pumps. For example, you can set the pattern and intensity with the orca, but you can’t sync or set anti sync with two orcas. Also, programming the stand alone pumps, you have several different flow types and you can change each parameter within that type. So I can set fast pulse, ramp speed/time and intensity, whereas in the orca, you just set the flow pattern and intensity.

I could be wrong, but you don’t have complete control over the flow pattern with the orca? But Roger did say that all of the flow pumps will be integrated in the app next month, so maybe that will change with the update?

Gotcha! And yes, these things would be nice. And it's a software issue and... well.... Sometimes you can't even get it to do what the current software is supposed to let you do.

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

My apologies, I know right now there is a lot going on with app updates and testing, the goal is to port all HUB pumps over to the app by October and this is making the app a little buggy from testing and updates, this will also likely expand the features of the ORCA.

 

[minus9]

My apologies, I know right now there is a lot going on with app updates and testing, the goal is to port all HUB pumps over to the app by October and this is making the app a little buggy from testing and updates, this will also likely expand the features of the ORCA.

That’s great! And I remember you saying that a while ago, but I forgot to mention it. I’m definitely looking forward to the app migration.

 

[rvitko Verified Sponsor]

I haven't bought the orcas yet, I'm still running four 6075's. But I did reach out to Matt @cromag27 and he said that he can make me a new lid with mods to fit the orcas for the same price as my original lid. I don't think I'll switch over to the orca until we get full programming of the pump's stand alone features (if that's going to something they do?). That and I'm really liking the "wall of water" that four pumps are providing in my tank. I did get to hang out with @rvitko this weekend at RAP, but forgot to ask him about getting the "full" features from pumps with the orca. Btw, if you ever get the chance to talk with Roger in person, do so, he's really nice and has a wealth of knowledge and genuinely just a great human being.

Thank you, so with the ORCA, programming is different, you have essentially 3 levels. At a base you set the range of travel, the speed of oscillation and the pump speed. The next level is you go in and set pauses, sectors and angles and this is points to stop and blast for a while, ranges of angles where you set the flow rate and oscillating speed, you can set 6 of each. You can also set timed functions where it pauses and pulses and there are several such modes you can set for different rates of pulsing or static flow as well as chaotic modes where it sweeps and changes speeds.

 

[iannarelli]

For anyone who's used the Sea Swirl or the Ocean Sea Wave, how do these Orca's stack up (other than the obvious wifi.controllable aspects)? Worth it over used options for the other two?

 

[areefer01]

For anyone who's used the Sea Swirl or the Ocean Sea Wave, how do these Orca's stack up (other than the obvious wifi.controllable aspects)? Worth it over used options for the other two?

I have both.

Sea Swirl is static as you may already know and the basic idea that the ORCA and similar products are copying. 180 degree rotational flow. The Sea Swirl is the end point of a return or closed loop. The only adjustments we can make on the swirls is degree points. Small changes such as random flow, Y adapters, and so forth. Pretty basic but functional. Also depending on the return / closed loop pump one could use custom code to manage flow (Vectra's for example with closed loop settings being an example).

ORCA on the other hand is able to do 180 degree rotation. The app allows sectors to fine tune flow and speeds. There are a few built in flow patterns that can be used with a schedule but if I am being honest it is not user friendly. Functional, yes. Friendly, not in my opinion.

Ignoring my take on the app they are loosely similar but vastly different. The Sea Swirl is the innovator here as it relates to the foundation of random flow. It is limited as to what it can do since it is a static end point. Return flow or closed loop. Nothing wrong with either of these points. The ORCA on the other hand offers more control due to sectors and a schedule using built in flow patterns. Oscillation is similar to 180 degrees (although technically it could go further but limited due to cord management I guess) but the ability to stop, do something for X amount of time, then move on is the difference. Directional control so to speak.

Both are great tools. I will always have a Sea Swirl for my return line. I may not always have my ORCA installed.