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The Ecotech manual isn't very clear about the behavior of a slave pump in anti-sync mode when the master pump is set to a particular profile, so I decided to investigate.
From ecotech-
I ran a couple extension cords from my EB832 and plugged in my two MP40qd to log power consumption data from the Apex.
For all the following charts, the master pump is set to this profile
----------------------------
With the slave set to 100% anti-sync-
the power consumption looks like this-
- The slave power limit matches the master power limit in "normal" modes (lagoon, reefcrest)
- The slave power limit is 100% in "Ecosmart" modes (TidalSwell, NutrientTransport)
This is odd! In "normal" modes, the master pump can never be set lower than the slave pump. in "ecosmart" modes, they're totally independent!
My goal is to have even flow throughout the day - so I need to set the slave to anti-sync@100% when the master is in a "normal" mode, and set then also set the slave to match the master pump's power limit during "ecosmart" modes.
Here's the slave pump profile I came up with -
And today's power consumption -
From ecotech-
When a master pump is initiated and running in any one of the normal modes (such as Constant Speed, Random, Short Pulse, or Gyre), it sends out a signal telling other pumps what mode it is operating and what speed it is running at. VorTech pumps set to operate as slaves will listen for the master pump’s wireless signal and do either the same as the master pump (Sync Mode), or the opposite (Anti-Sync Mode). Slave pumps set in Sync Mode will perform exactly the same as the master pump and will be indicated by a white LED on the QuietDrive driver’s knob. Slave pumps set in Anti-Sync Mode will perform exactly the inverse of the master pump and will be indicated by the Control Dial illuminating Orange.For example, if the master pump is running at 80% speed, a slave pump in sync mode will run at 80% also. If that same slave pump was operating in Anti-Sync Mode, it will run at 20% speed (this is the inverse speed of 80%). As the master pump slows down, a slave pump in Sync Mode will slow down with it and a slave pump in Anti-Sync Mode will speed up.
While normally you cannot change the speed of a slave pump, because the speed is determined entirely by the master pump, with the EcoSmart driver you now have the ability to control the maximum speed of individual slave pumps independently from the master. This will come in handy if your aquarium setup requires higher flow in most areas but lower flows in other areas such as if a slave pump is used to provide spot flow to a delicate coral, or if it is used on the back of a narrow tank. In the default setting, a slave pump will always do exactly the same thing or the inverse of the master pump (based on whether it is set to Sync or Anti-Sync), and therefore the maximum speed that a slave pump can achieve is governed by the master pump
Unlike conventional modes (Constant Speed, Random, Short Pulse, and Long Pulse), when a master pump is set to an EcoSmart mode the slave pumps will not have Sync or Anti-Sync Mode options. Instead, they have settings which correspond to the pump’s position on the aquarium. There are three EcoSmart slave modes and they are (white, orange, turquoise)
I ran a couple extension cords from my EB832 and plugged in my two MP40qd to log power consumption data from the Apex.
For all the following charts, the master pump is set to this profile
----------------------------
With the slave set to 100% anti-sync-
the power consumption looks like this-
- The slave power limit matches the master power limit in "normal" modes (lagoon, reefcrest)
- The slave power limit is 100% in "Ecosmart" modes (TidalSwell, NutrientTransport)
This is odd! In "normal" modes, the master pump can never be set lower than the slave pump. in "ecosmart" modes, they're totally independent!
My goal is to have even flow throughout the day - so I need to set the slave to anti-sync@100% when the master is in a "normal" mode, and set then also set the slave to match the master pump's power limit during "ecosmart" modes.
Here's the slave pump profile I came up with -
And today's power consumption -