Which controller would you buy?

[chefjpaul]

yea for that money I think I would rather get the Neptune.lol

Both are really great companies.

^^++

 

[enthejungle]

hard tyo find good youtube videos out there

That's true. However, it's fairly easy to setup compared to the apex.

Anytime I have a question I post it in R2R and get the help I need. Typically a response directly from Marco of GHL.

 

[Bob Bennett]

I am a RKL owner and the only positive thing I can say is after 4.5 years it still works very well, and does what I need . My next build will be with a apex for sure,
been fascinated with all the things that can be done with it, and the support and forums are second to none. Looks like my 85 year old mother could take it out box and set it up with out even one cuss word, unlike the RKL, it didn't even come with a single piece of paper for setting up. took like 3 days of searching to set up, still ticked of about that!!

 

[chefjpaul]

Easiest to program is cerebra

 

[Ty Hamatake]

did you have to buy additional stuff from neptune to be able to monitor the float switches? how many can you monitor or control without having to buy more modules?

For the float switches all you need is a breakout box. I'm honestly not a huge fan of them, but that's mainly due to my poor planning and the APEX being in my stand where it's hard to get to. As far as how many switches, there are six connections, but if I'm not mistaken you are really only limited by how many ground wires you can stuff into the ground port. That is if you have multiple switches accomplishing the same task, i.e. overflow protection switches in the DT and sump. Here's the code for my return pump,
Fallback ON
Set ON
If FeedA 000 Then OFF
If Sw1 OPEN Then OFF
The last line being the command for the float switch. On that note, once you understand the basic of writing the code is becomes a lot easier.

I really don't know for sure about connecting multiple switches to one port, but I think I've seen it before.

 

[bif24701]

APEX 2016!

 

[Terence]

Price out all the individual modules you'll need for the apex and you'll find that you're at the same price point.

Call me a skeptic, but I'd like to see that module-math. Especially when just to begin with the PowerBar only has five controlled outlets and no 24VDC connections for other products and accessories.

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Call me a skeptic, but I'd like to see that module-math. Especially when just to begin with the PowerBar only has five controlled outlets and no 24VDC connections for other products and accessories.

Quick question Terence. How many float switches can you connect to the breakout box? Say you have two switches, both for overflow protection. Could you connect them to the same port or would that mess with stuff if only one trips and the other doesn't?

 

[chefjpaul]

Quick question Terence. How many float switches can you connect to the breakout box? Say you have two switches, both for overflow protection. Could you connect them to the same port or would that mess with stuff if only one trips and the other doesn't?

How many can you connect directly to the apex?

 

[Ty Hamatake]

How many can you connect directly to the apex?

There is one I/O port on the head unit.

 

[Terence]

Yes. You can connect numerous switches in parallel on one IO port.

 

[Ty Hamatake]

Yes. You can connect numerous switches in parallel on one IO port.

Thank you!

 

[Terence]

How many can you connect directly to the apex?

There are six built into the Apex. Probably 95% or more customers never even use all of those (couple for buttons, couple for DIY ATO or other project). If you need more, every PM module as well as the ASM (comes in the PAR monitoring kit) have six more.

 

[bif24701]

There are six built into the Apex. Probably 95% or more customers never even use all of those (couple for buttons, couple for DIY ATO or other project). If you need more, every PM module as well as the ASM (comes in the PAR monitoring kit) have six more.

I use a single float switch. It tells me if my 5 gallon skimmer bucket ever fills.

 

[Tony Feathers]

Just bought my 1st controller a few weeks ago. I decided to get the Digital Aquatics Reef Keeper Lite. Ultimately it cam down to what I wanted to do and how much I was willing to spend. I did get the package from Marine Depot for $199 that included a SLX and a PH probe. My main goals where temp control, PH monitor, Lighting control for display, Skimmer control and lighting control for under cabinet. All of these task are managed by this controller. The same task with an Apex would take $410 worth of equipment with the only added benefit being web access. For me personally I could not justify more than double the cost. Setup and programming was easy and so far has worked flawless. Just my opinion and I thank you for reading.

 

[kazikage42]

If you only need basic functions like for controlling your temp, pH monitor, and lights then the Reefkeeper will do just fine. I personally use the Reefkeeper Elite and it has not failed me. If you want all the extra bells and whistles then go with the higher end brands.

 

[n2585722]

If ever need more you can always upgrade to the Elite or Archon head unit and still use the modules from the Lite.

 

[dmw913]

I have both. Neptune Apex on the big system at home and RKL at office for 10 gallon. Wireless at the office blows so I couldn't access the functionality of the Neptune and was also trying to keep office tank costs down a bit. I would suggest evaluating your actual needs and your level of interest in getting knee-deep in controller programming. If you're ready to go down the rabbit hole, Apex can't be beat. You can make it do so many things. If you just need the basics, RKL is a legitimate option.

 

[Crashjack]

I was in the same boat up until a couple of weeks ago. I was leaning heavily toward Apex as GHL seemed pretty expensive, and there were only like 5 relays before needing a second relay box. I was about to pull the trigger on an Apex 2016 and then all of a sudden, I took a last minute turn to Reef Angel.

I'm not a programmer in the traditional sense but wasn't scared-off by all of rhetoric about how difficult it is to program the RA unless you are a C++ programmer. The fact is, the RA Wizards do almost all of the heavy lifting unless you want to do something special... and by special I mean take something that already works one way and make it work a different way (at least that was the only "special" thing I had). The RA's shortfall isn't programming, it is the lack of documentation to take a new user, step by step, through the process. A lot of that has to do with the fact the software is open source, and one could even argue that since the code evolves and all users don't utilize the same code, it is impossible to document. There are some threads in the RA forum that explain different things and if you study those, they get you pretty close. The final link is Roberto the owner. He is wonderful about answering questions via email or through the forum. When all is said and done, I am quite surprised at the level of sophistication I was able to create. Loading code is a little combersome due to switching flimsy cables and having to seat a 6-pin connector on a specific 6 of 8 pins (RA should have used an 8-pin connector with 2 dead-pins on the end). However, you can change parameters with a cloud-based site or via an Android/iOS app, thereby reducing if not eliminating the need to upload new code.

For me, the RA was a great purchase. For less than the price of a new Apex, I got the controller with cloud-wifi, two 8-relay boxes, a 4-channel water level expansion module (these are pressure-based switches and also measure liquid level in percent). I'm going to use one for my ATO, one for my RO/DI reservoir, and the remaining two to measure levels in 2-part or other dosing containers. I also got a temperature probe, a pH probe, and two traditional float switches. I did not get a salinity probe, which is a separate RA module, but does come standard with the new Apex.