Simon_M
Active Member
I have a Fluval SEA EVO 52 litre aquarium that I'm using as a quarantine tank. It has LED lights which are controlled using a touch sensitive switch that has three positions: ON (marine and blue), COLOURED (blue) and OFF. There is no feature for adjusting the LED brightness or switching the lights ON/OFF using a timer.
I wanted to be able to turn the lights ON/OFF using a schedule and also to be able to switch the lights manually to ON, COLOURED or OFF. I have a start time (ON) at 10:30 and end time (OFF) at 20:30. I noticed that the LED lights have a "feature" and do not remember the current state if the power is disconnected and they always come ON.
I bought a Tapo Smart Plug to control the ON/OFF (but not the COLOUR) for about £7 (£14 for two) - so not an expensive "upgrade" for the lights. The plug can be controlled e.g. "Alexa, turn on my aquarium lights" etc. a feature that I don't use and it cannot be used to switch to the COLOURED option. The Plug isn't dependent on having the phone to control a schedule, only to set it up.
It works in all situations except one: if the lights are manually switched to OFF, the start time (ON) at 10:30 doesn't initially work on the first day, but does for subsequent days and is then 100% reliable. After a while I also noticed that if the lights were already COLOURED then it wouldn't switch over to ON. The issue is that there are two controls, one in the Plug and one in the lights. What happens is that the ON/OFF cycle is always "working" (reset) when the lights switch OFF (and power is interrupted). That's because the LED Lights "forget" their programmed state when power is removed.
The solution is surprisingly simple: the schedule is altered to have three states:
0. Reset (OFF) at 10:28
1. Start (ON) at 10:30
2. End (OFF) at 20:30
NB I numbered these (0), (1) and (2) rather than (1), (2) and (3) deliberately. If the LED Lights are not used "manually", the "start" and "end" schedules cause the lights to always (1) start (ON) in the morning and then (2) end (OFF) at night as expected.
If however, I have manually used the lights to switch to COLOURED or (more likely) to OFF, the LED lights have been manually turned ON (there is a button on the side of the Smart Plug) but then set to OFF on the LED lights. That's a problem, because the LED lights still receive power and so the initial start (ON) at 10:30 has no effect - what was ON continues to be ON (but manually switched to OFF).
The "simple" solution is to "RESET" the LED lights before turning them "ON". So just before they are required to come "ON", the Smart Plug removes power from the LED lights and afterwards, they turn "ON" as expected. If the LED lights were already "OFF" then the reset has no effect e.g. the total number of cycles (if that is a problem) is not affected.
The LED lights are part of the aquarium package. The brightness cannot be varied and there are no special features - like lightening - which I don't particularly want - for a QT that's OK. The only obvious feature missing is a schedule for turning the lights ON/OFF. The Smart Plug provides this and the dual control (manual) and (smart) no longer is an issue. Other Smart Plugs are available, but this one was one of the cheapest/smallest units I could find on Amazon.
I particularly like that it doesn't increase the required height above/below a socket and isn't sufficiently wide to interfere with the next aquarium appliance/plug on my 6 way extension and the unit is slim enough that the button on the side to manually change the ON/OFF is (just about) accessible. I have a similar second Smart Plug to control the lights on my Juwel Vision 180 LED aquarium. This has no manual control except an ON/OFF in-line switch that I don't use - so these LED lights switches ON/OFF without issue. Compared to other "automation" aquarium solutions, this one isn't on the "expensive" end of the hobby e.g. two automation "solutions" for a total of £14.
Simon
I wanted to be able to turn the lights ON/OFF using a schedule and also to be able to switch the lights manually to ON, COLOURED or OFF. I have a start time (ON) at 10:30 and end time (OFF) at 20:30. I noticed that the LED lights have a "feature" and do not remember the current state if the power is disconnected and they always come ON.
I bought a Tapo Smart Plug to control the ON/OFF (but not the COLOUR) for about £7 (£14 for two) - so not an expensive "upgrade" for the lights. The plug can be controlled e.g. "Alexa, turn on my aquarium lights" etc. a feature that I don't use and it cannot be used to switch to the COLOURED option. The Plug isn't dependent on having the phone to control a schedule, only to set it up.
It works in all situations except one: if the lights are manually switched to OFF, the start time (ON) at 10:30 doesn't initially work on the first day, but does for subsequent days and is then 100% reliable. After a while I also noticed that if the lights were already COLOURED then it wouldn't switch over to ON. The issue is that there are two controls, one in the Plug and one in the lights. What happens is that the ON/OFF cycle is always "working" (reset) when the lights switch OFF (and power is interrupted). That's because the LED Lights "forget" their programmed state when power is removed.
The solution is surprisingly simple: the schedule is altered to have three states:
0. Reset (OFF) at 10:28
1. Start (ON) at 10:30
2. End (OFF) at 20:30
NB I numbered these (0), (1) and (2) rather than (1), (2) and (3) deliberately. If the LED Lights are not used "manually", the "start" and "end" schedules cause the lights to always (1) start (ON) in the morning and then (2) end (OFF) at night as expected.
If however, I have manually used the lights to switch to COLOURED or (more likely) to OFF, the LED lights have been manually turned ON (there is a button on the side of the Smart Plug) but then set to OFF on the LED lights. That's a problem, because the LED lights still receive power and so the initial start (ON) at 10:30 has no effect - what was ON continues to be ON (but manually switched to OFF).
The "simple" solution is to "RESET" the LED lights before turning them "ON". So just before they are required to come "ON", the Smart Plug removes power from the LED lights and afterwards, they turn "ON" as expected. If the LED lights were already "OFF" then the reset has no effect e.g. the total number of cycles (if that is a problem) is not affected.
The LED lights are part of the aquarium package. The brightness cannot be varied and there are no special features - like lightening - which I don't particularly want - for a QT that's OK. The only obvious feature missing is a schedule for turning the lights ON/OFF. The Smart Plug provides this and the dual control (manual) and (smart) no longer is an issue. Other Smart Plugs are available, but this one was one of the cheapest/smallest units I could find on Amazon.
I particularly like that it doesn't increase the required height above/below a socket and isn't sufficiently wide to interfere with the next aquarium appliance/plug on my 6 way extension and the unit is slim enough that the button on the side to manually change the ON/OFF is (just about) accessible. I have a similar second Smart Plug to control the lights on my Juwel Vision 180 LED aquarium. This has no manual control except an ON/OFF in-line switch that I don't use - so these LED lights switches ON/OFF without issue. Compared to other "automation" aquarium solutions, this one isn't on the "expensive" end of the hobby e.g. two automation "solutions" for a total of £14.
Simon
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