Help with lights and skimmer >:(

gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Yup. Here is the run down of what I have done:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Checked and double checked all connections. Check
[*]
Checked controller and modules to ensure they are getting power. Check
Double checked to ensure the controller and modules are on the same channel. Check
Changed channels for controller and modules. Check
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I must be missing something.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
wow. I think at this point I'd be asking for my money back geez. it has to be something wrong with the controller if neither of the fixtures are coming on now. is it possible to run them without the controller?
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Have you tried eliminating the unit that you just changed the LED out.....Possible something with that unit is screwing with the whole system, if not that I'd think you could run them without the controller......
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
It is possible to run without the controller. I was able to get everything to turn in this morning hooked up to the controller, but the lights were not turned on to the right configuration for the the time point. I'm going to play around with it tonight.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
I'm half tempted to break out my halide fixture.
The controller is not responding to any changes I am trying to make. It's a pain to manually change the LED's.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Yes it was fine before the chip swap, but that shouldn't have had an effect. I also had to change the time for DST and adjusted it accordingly, but I did not change the program settings.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Might be some sort of software glitch with the controller. I can't really see how replacing a chip in one fixture would effect the outcome of the other fixture. I'd probably just plug the fixtures in to some timers for now until they can get this resolved. Did they replace all of your power supplies? I've ready a lot of bad reports on the original supplies.
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
on a positive note are these things pretty sweet when they are working? I mean do the corals seem to be liking it?
The reason I ask is I'm considering getting some LED's soon but there is so much difference in the fixtures on the market, I want to make sure i get something that will actually help the corals not just put pretty light in my tank.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///t/393296/help-with-lights-and-skimmer/40#post_3499991
on a positive note are these things pretty sweet when they are working? I mean do the corals seem to be liking it?
The reason I ask is I'm considering getting some LED's soon but there is so much difference in the fixtures on the market, I want to make sure i get something that will actually help the corals not just put pretty light in my tank.
When they work I think she's mentioned that she really likes the lights and has seen improved results. This might have been a bit of unfortunate timing when she got these fixtures. Initially these lights were owned and produced by Maxpect. Then they were bought out by Coralvue and I think these particular fixtures were probably a little bit rushed to the market when that merger happened. From what I understand as that they are pretty much replacing ALL of the original power supplies that first came with these units no questions asked because they are a safety issue. The technical glitches I'd expect, but for the price you should at least get a fixture that works fairly solid IMO.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///t/393296/help-with-lights-and-skimmer/40#post_3499991
on a positive note are these things pretty sweet when they are working? I mean do the corals seem to be liking it?
The reason I ask is I'm considering getting some LED's soon but there is so much difference in the fixtures on the market, I want to make sure i get something that will actually help the corals not just put pretty light in my tank.
When the fixture works, it is great. My corals look fantastic and I am able to keep everything from SPS to low light corals.
Here is a rundown of my issues:

  • Got the unit and had issues with a T-joint cable. It had to be twisted just right to work.

  • Had a faulty power supply that was overheating that I noticed within the first 3 months. It was replaced with a redesigned power supply.
    One of the cooling fans that I originally received was faulty.
    6 months of use and my UV LED chip went bad. This was replaced with a redesigned one.
So far the customer service from Chris @ Coralvue has been pretty good. I did have to resort to starting a thread on RC twice to get his attention. Once, I get a hold of him, he is helps me out a lot. Right now, I can't get in contact with him. He works remotely for Coralvue out of his home office in NJ. Chris was heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy. I have faith that once he has electricity and internet that he will help me fix the issue.
Maxspect makes the units in Hong Kong (I think it's Hong Kong) and Coralvue is the distributor of the products in the United States. Coralvue is the contact for all the customer service related issues. The person that is responsible for the customer service is Chris. Coralvue does not make the lights.
Overall, if I were thinking of LED's I would consider the Maxspect brand based on the customer service. I would wait for the fixture to be on the market for at least 6 months. This will allow for any kinks to be worked out. Now, the price of these units and the "old" radions are not that far off. One thing that I love about the Maxspect unit is that is SOOOO simple to replace a bad LED chip. I know that some of my LED's are going to fail over time and it only takes a few minutes to replace. I don't think this is possible with the radions. Comparing these units to radions is like comparing apples to oranges.
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
Are the homemade lights till the way to go? Or do they have something out there that is quality lights at a decent price?
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
For the cost I'd still build my own. The parts would be cheaper and easier to replace down the road after your warranty runs up. The Maxspects as far as I know are the only ones with individual leds in them that are very simple to replace. Everyone else pretty much uses pucks, so if one led goes bad then you have to replace the whole puck or half the fixture like you do with the A.I.'s or the Radions. Though there have been a lot of other fixtures flooding the market lately as well
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
I think DIY is the way to go, but if you are not comfortable with doing it (like me) there are some great options. Evolution, Reef Breeders, Pharos, and acan are some fixtures that I know several people are having great results. For a large tank (over 120), I would definitely do DIY.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
I'm really losing patience. Apparently, Chris can post on RC today, but he cannot respond to my email about my issue.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
HMMMMM why not blast him there on RC......Patiences and my money run real thin in cases like this......
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Well on the bright side, my issues aren't as bad as some other people's.
I think I am done with these lights. I might sell them to another unsuspecting soul, but hey I have replaced a bunch of things so the unit is almost new. Right???
Wait a minute! My fixture is still under warranty and I can't get any feedback from the company responsible. That ain't right.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Got a hold of Chris (sort of). He believes the unit needs to be reprogrammed. Will see how that goes....
 
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