Apex DIY feeder

Windy · Aug 2, 2014

I have an Apex controller, but the cost of the apex feeder seems very high. I have frag tanks, two pair of clownfish rearing tanks, a sump and 135 gal tank. I use 4 feeders when I am gone. The reason for this thread is that I have hacked a Eheim feeder to work with the apex. The Eheim is a battery operated programmable feeder that costs about $30. I am installing RJ12 plugs in the battery bay. This gives me 4 connectors. Two wires go to the battery terminals, and two go to a switch on top of the feeder. This switch is for manual feeding. I am waiting on a power supply to replace the batteries, and an APEX breakout box. When they arrive I will have feeders that connect to the breakout box via phone cables and plugs. The apex can rotate the feeder via the internal switches. I will post pictures when I get everything together. I have already tested one feeder.

jt17 · Aug 2, 2014

Following along. I'm not happy with my apex feeder and am looking for an alternative.

Eckolancer · Aug 2, 2014

Fishstreet has the same feeder as apex but without the USB ports. I was thinking about trying to mod one then decided that I would just pay to play. I am pretty happy with my feeder. I would like to see some off brands come out with a controller. Think about the recent off branded tunze (jaebo wp40) power heads. I sold my tunzes about 2 years ago and still run the jaebos with no issues.

Jimbo662 · Aug 3, 2014

This is a cool idea. I wanna see how it turns out!

Windy · Aug 12, 2014

I have been waiting for parts but finally have them. Here is a picture of the feeder prior to modification, and you can buy them for about $28.00 online.

This is the power supply for the feeders set a 3 volts. The feeders come with batteries, but when I leave home I want to be sure they will work so I put in new batteries. Also, if you don't leave the feeders powered up they lose their programming. So I want to give them a stable power source.

If you look at the picture of the feeder you will see a long button on the back that manually controls the feeder. I have soldered wires to the bottom of the switch posts. I have also soldered wires to the battery terminals.

When I complete the control box, I will post the finished system.

Windy · Aug 13, 2014

Well I have the control box about done, but I am waiting on 2, 120 volt relays to rotate the feeders. I will have 2 feeder circuits and will utilize two apex outlets to run them. This allows for different feeding on different tanks. The feeder has an RJ11 socket installed in it. Two wires provide 3 volt power and 2 are used for the rotation switch. This particular feeder was purchased in 1995 and would not accept programming but did turn on. I have several newer models and I can't see an difference in 19 years. By putting sockets in the feeders they can easily be removed but you don't have to fish out the cords. I have wire bundles in some places and I don't want to re-string a feeder wire every time I remove one.

Here is the control box. The top 2 outlets will run on the same program and the bottom two will on another.

By the way for you who do things like this. I had a hard time finding the right power supply, so I bought the one pictured earlier I the post. Its inexpensive and adjustable from 1.5 volts to 12 volts in steps of 1.5 volts. And if you wire something backward, there is a polarity switch and a 120-240 volt selector on the back. Finally it has about every plug type I have ever seen to help you connect it.

Windy · Aug 22, 2014

I finally got the relays and installed them in the control box. The system now tests out and I need to program the two APEX outlets to turn on the feeders. The relays only need to close for a second or two and the feeder will rotate until it comes back to the starting position.
The two top plugs run feed #1 and the two bottom plugs run feed #2. This is so that I can feed different tanks. Right now I plan on the upper circuit feeding twice a day with two rotations for each feed. The lower circuit will feed once a day with two rotations. Multiple rotations make for more accurate feeding in my experience.

So if anybody wants to help me program an outlet to turn on and off in less than 15 seconds, I would appreciate the help.

Here is a picture of the power supply, control box, and two feeders that have been modified.