Apex neptune please help!!

Brucealmighty · Jul 9, 2022

Hi I have been trying to rearrange the underneath of my tank and I broken the USB port on my neptune apex head unit thing it is possible to power it by a different cable but I don't know what

And will I need to connect the energy bar 6 to it wireless? As it has been powered by the USB cable is that all it is essentially?

I don't know what to do i don't know if I can repair or replace the USB port

725196 · Jul 9, 2022

Hi. I am sorry you are dealing with this. The answer is unfortunately no. There is no way to connect the EB832 to it wirelessly. You will need to get it repaired. It would be a simple fix for a electronics repair person, if you can find one. You can do it yourself, there are videos on YouTube but you do need some basic skills

Brucealmighty · Jul 9, 2022

I guess what I am essentially asking is can the apex and energy bar 6 be powered separately and still work together as I have a trident to install the whole starting point of the mission

725196 · Jul 9, 2022

Brucealmighty said:
I guess what I am essentially asking is can the apex and energy bar 6 be powered separately and still work together as I have a trident to install the whole starting point of the mission

I have never needed to power it separately so I don’t know for sure either way. Put in a ticket at Neptune support then call them

https://support.neptunesystems.com/support

(408) 275-2205

PR_nano · Jul 9, 2022

If not under warranty dm @_AV

Edit saw you are in UK AV might not be able to help.

blaxsun · Jul 9, 2022

Brucealmighty said:
I guess what I am essentially asking is can the apex and energy bar 6 be powered separately and still work together as I have a trident to install the whole starting point of the mission

Yes, if you have a power supply for the Apex. The problem is that without the AquaBUS ports you can't communicate with any other Neptune gear.

Even though it looks like a USB port, you don't want to use USB cables as you can fry the unit.

Brucealmighty · Jul 9, 2022

blaxsun said:
Yes, if you have a power supply for the Apex. The problem is that without the AquaBUS ports you can't communicate with any other Neptune gear.

Even though it looks like a USB port, you don't want to use USB cables as you can fry the unit.

Well I think I may have done exactly that because the apex head unit was plugged in when I lost my balance and effectively leaned on the thing then it made a pop noise and its not working if I plug it in it has a yellow flashing light but none of the outlets are working any guesses?

Brucealmighty · Jul 9, 2022

Sorry the energy bar made a pop noise like trip had failed I have tried that 10 amp switch on the front but it doesn't seem to do anything at all

gbru316 · Jul 9, 2022

blaxsun said:
Even though it looks like a USB port, you don't want to use USB cables as you can fry the unit.

Nope. The only difference between aquabus and usb is the voltage level. The cables are the same.

you can/will damage things by hooking non-aquabus stuff up to aquabus ports, but it’s not because of the cable.

Brucealmighty · Jul 9, 2022

The energy bar does not work I don't know how to check that for starters?, I have pressed the breaker but nothing has happened, is it possible I have destroyed the energy bar by harming the USB port? I was trying to hang it when I lost my balance it bent the USB port but between the two ports only no other damage caused only that and the trip sounding noise from the energy bar

gbru316 · Jul 9, 2022

Brucealmighty said:
The energy bar does not work I don't know how to check that for starters?, I have pressed the breaker but nothing has happened, is it possible I have destroyed the energy bar by harming the USB port? I was trying to hang it when I lost my balance it bent the USB port but between the two ports only no other damage caused only that and the trip sounding noise from the energy bar

yes, it’s possible you damaged it further than you realize if you shorted pins when you damaged the USB port.

Brucealmighty · Jul 9, 2022

gbru316 said:
yes, it’s possible you damaged it further than you realize if you shorted pins when you damaged the USB port.

How can I determine if the energy bar is damaged as well?

gbru316 · Jul 9, 2022

Brucealmighty said:
How can I determine if the energy bar is damaged as well?

short of having a known good apex to plug it into, or having a background in electronics repair/electrical engineering (and some home test equipment and an affinity for voiding warranties out of curiosity), I’m not entirely sure you can.

your best bet is going to be to work with your Neptune distributor to resolve the issue.

Brucealmighty · Jul 9, 2022

gbru316 said:
short of having a known good apex to plug it into, or having a background in electronics repair/electrical engineering (and some home test equipment and an affinity for voiding warranties out of curiosity), I’m not entirely sure you can.

your best bet is going to be to work with your Neptune distributor to resolve the issue.

OK thanks for the help guys

ZombieEngineer · Jul 9, 2022

The pins are damaged in a way you could not repair this yourself without significant knowledge in electronics repair. If you hadn't ripped out pin 1 on the upper deck, it could potentially be fixable, but that whole USB assembly will need to be replaced.

You're gonna need to send the head unit in for repair. Neptune does offer cross ship options in the US, so hopefully something similar is available in the UK.

ZombieEngineer · Jul 9, 2022

Also FYI, there is a subforum for aquarium controllers.

Mods could you move this there?

ZombieEngineer · Jul 9, 2022

blaxsun said:
Yes, if you have a power supply for the Apex. The problem is that without the AquaBUS ports you can't communicate with any other Neptune gear.

Even though it looks like a USB port, you don't want to use USB cables as you can fry the unit.

You can use normal USB cables on an apex. What you can't do is connect the apex to the USB port of non apex gear like a laptop and you can't use any USB cables that have repeaters in them (very common in cables longer than 15 feet).

blaxsun · Jul 9, 2022

ZombieEngineer said:
You can use normal USB cables on an apex. What you can't do is connect the apex to the USB port of non apex gear like a laptop and you can't use any USB cables that have repeaters in them (very common in cables longer than 15 feet).

Hence why Neptune probably doesn't suggest using USB cables...

Brucealmighty · Jul 9, 2022

OK cool thanks, I do have all the original cables and other bits too, just wobbly knees

_AV · Jul 9, 2022

I agree with most of the above.
You will need to have that USB port replaced. There is no way to connect apex modules wirelessly. I do have a repair video on replacing a different connector in the head unit, but the concepts are similar:

If the unit was plugged in and running when you ripped the connector out, chances are very excellent that this also shorted aquabus communication controllers for both the head unit and the EB6. So both of those controllers (transceivers) will have to be replaced as well. One in each unit. I have repair videos for those (head unit, EB832 and EB8, but not EB6) as well:

I do take in international repairs. It will just take a bit longer to arrive and will cost a bit more in shipping.