Hydros Control 2 , Control 4 and accessories question and answer thread.

[zach_discus]

You can turn them on and off just like the other 4 outlets. But not individually, all usb or none.

That’s perfect! Thanks

 

[jrill]

I think this has been answered but I can’t find it. The USB out puts on the power strips are a constant on, correct?
I was thinking about using several Reef Octopus usb powered fans in the canopy and cabinets to help control temps and humidity.

Yes, all on or all off

 

[Peace River]

I think this has been answered but I can’t find it. The USB out puts on the power strips are a constant on, correct?
I was thinking about using several Reef Octopus usb powered fans in the canopy and cabinets to help control temps and humidity.

This is my plan as well for one of my WiFi strips, although I need to find more powerful USB fan(s). Additionally, I added USB LED car interior accent lights on both of my power strips so I can know if the fans (or other Output items) are turned on.

 

[tbare89]

Did anyone have issues with the new firmware update? I did the update yesterday and now I lost all my inputs and outputs

 

[jrill]

Did anyone have issues with the new firmware update? I did the update yesterday and now I lost all my inputs and outputs

Cycle your unit off snd

Did anyone have issues with the new firmware update? I did the update yesterday and now I lost all my inputs and outputs

Power you unit off and on and update your app.

 

[shred5]

Cycle your unit off snd
Power you unit off and on and update your app.

Right make sure you are on the latest app.

 

[lancesmith1]

do the octopulse wave pumps require you to use their controller or no? the video on MD says yes but the connection table shows they direct connect bypassing their factory controller. Thanks

 

[shred5]

do the octopulse wave pumps require you to use their controller or no? the video on MD says yes but the connection table shows they direct connect bypassing their factory controller. Thanks

Not sure what you are asking but they can be bought with a controller or bare (pump only). The bare ones use a adapter and can connect to the WaveEngine. They are offered this way to be cheaper by not including a controller.

 

[lancesmith1]

that was it. thanks. so I can run a Varios return, (2) octpulse and the ATO with the Hydros only and zero powerbricks (other than Hydros). Correct?

 

[shred5]

that was it. thanks. so I can run a Varios return, (2) octpulse and the ATO with the Hydros only and zero powerbricks (other than Hydros). Correct?

The Octopulse would require the WaveEngine they do not run on the Control.

Wave Engine is for pumps.

Varios pumps I have not run off a control but probably would 0-10v but that would require the power supply and controller that goes with the pump..

 

[lancesmith1]

I was planning on buying a control 2 and the wave engine

last questions...

1. if i buy the control 2 and WE, can I buy the control 2 only without the power supply and use the one that comes with the WE only?
2. I found the Octopulse pump only over at Premium Aquatic. Do they sell the Varios 2 as a pump only as well?

 

[ReefBeta]

Just lost my internet for the first time after having the Hydros. I realized the Hydros is almost unusable during that. The app seem to provide the ability to connect with bluetooth, but after connected, it doesn't actually response to any mode changing request. There is no way to connect via local network either. A very disappointed experience.

 

[shred5]

I was planning on buying a control 2 and the wave engine

last questions...

1. if i buy the control 2 and WE, can I buy the control 2 only without the power supply and use the one that comes with the WE only?
2. I found the Octopulse pump only over at Premium Aquatic. Do they sell the Varios 2 as a pump only as well?

Yes you can power the C2 with the WE, you will need the cable to connect the two and a terminator.

As far as the Varios I have not seen them that way just the Gyres, IceCap gyres and octopulse. Might be something to suggest.

 

[lancesmith1]

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

 

[jnvd3b]

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

Just as an FYI currently the WaveEngine and Control(either one) do not communicate with each other (no ‘collective’)

Eventually they will supposedly be able to, but in your scenario right off the bat, the WE would simply power the Control.

You’d also lose power redundancy in this scenario (if WE power fails, both units fail simultaneously) so if it were me I’d probably just buy the Control with a power supply. Just my .02

 

[lancesmith1]

i will thanks

 

[hellsangelbx]

So some information on the Collective. There is a lot here, and I deep dive into some items that you need to understand for bigger systems. Coralvue is working on a comprehensive instruction for all this stuff that will be ready soon, but I wanted to clear up some questions ahead of time.

- IF you want to share input/output control/status between Control 2/4 and Sense modules, you MUST have them hardwired using command bus cables. This is because they use the dedicated CanBus to share and control that info. You can run Hydros devices separately but can't share input/outputs. You can access all devices with 1 account and in the app, just have to tab to each device.

- IF you have more than 1 device in a Collective, it provides redundancy in case of a module failure. By default you will get wifi/connection and programming redundancy. Based on notes below, you can also get power redundancy.

- I'm 90% sure about this, but I believe you can only wire devices in a Collective in a series/straight configuration. I do not believe it supports start topologies. I may be wrong on this, so I'll have to check with Coralvue engineering.

- For Collectives to properly and reliability communicate there MUST be at least 1 Communication Bus terminator installed at either end of your collective. For example if you have the following 3 devices in your collective with normal Command Bus cables (data and power), install the terminator at the end of your chain. Terminators should come with any command bus cables you buy (I've been told).

- If you have multiple devices connected with normal Command Bus cables (Data and Power), you CAN NOT have 2 power supplies connected at the same time. Both will be driving the system and one will likely burn out. If you would like redundancy in power, see the next bullet.

- Powered command bus is limited to 15 ft between devices, so if you have the following scenario where you are going more than 15 ft and using a Data Only Command Bus Cable (Data only, no power), this can also be used in systems where you want to run multiple power supplies to have redundancy as well. Also since the power supply is taking up the last port on both ends, and the system requires at least 1 terminator at the end, you must use a power supply that has an integrated terminator. I'm being told at some point all newer supplies will have this, but older ones might need to be modified. Contact Coralvue Support if you need this terminated power supply (if you don't have an updated version).

- Another option for powering your Hydros devices is using the Wave Engine. Currently Wave Engines can't be in a collective (coming in the future) but it can be connected via the Command Bus for power. So in the case below you have an extra port to put the standard terminator on the wave engine since power is supplied via a dedicated port. Also no need to use a power supply on the left with a terminator since you have at least 1 on either end.

- You can also connect Hydros devices up with Command Bus cables if you just want to share power. You are not required to make a Collective. You can still have any, or all devices run as independent controllers if you wish, you just don't have the abilities to share inputs/outputs and have wifi redundancy.

- As of right now now there is only 1 cable available from Coralvue for Command Bus. They are currently selling a 6ft Command Bus (Data and Power). I've been told a Data Only Command Bus cable is coming. As for custom length cables, you might be able to contact Coralvue Support and have custom lengths made up, but I'm not 100% on that. If you want to DIY your own, you can either buy the cable from Coralvue and cut it and splice in ethernet cable to make it longer. Again contact Coralvue Support and they can tell you what pins must be connected for Data Only cables. You could also splice on female ethernet connectors to a Command Bus cable cut in half and then just use ethernet cables for any length Data Bus only cable you'd like. There are alot of DIY options here. Coralvue has told me they will be releasing more lengths/types in the future.

- As for multiple Wave Engines on the same Hydros command bus, I am unsure you can connect 2 together with a standard Command Bus cable (data + power). I am looking into this now, but for now I would assume you'd have to use a data only cable.

So you may ask why do I know so much about this? Well I am currently installing the following Hydros setup on a bunch of my setups. It's going to be nuts =)

This was amazing and very detailed. The companies should thank you for doing their homework. Coralvue is a retailor getting into the hardware business but they have done their homework from the sounds of it with the UI and making it real easy to program. I hope they come with a hardwire solution so if your unit does go down it still has a way to communicate to you. Great job again and I'm super excited to see this thread develop on your end.

 

[Marlon C]

I've seen a breakout box for the control 4 and im thinking about switching over from apex because my apex has lost heartbeat connection everytome I've been on vacation. Usually I restart my modem and it reconnects. Last time it wouldn't connect even after 15 restarts until I got home and manually unplugged the usb.

How is this in terms of stability with wifi? Also I seen there a few break out box options. Could I use one for a high low float and it would shut off my ato incase my ato gets stuck open automatically or would I need to do it on the app? Also let's say my return pump stops working and its drawing only 1 watt or less would the controller tell me ? I dont know much about this system so I need to watch some videos

 

[jnvd3b]

I've seen a breakout box for the control 4 and im thinking about switching over from apex because my apex has lost heartbeat connection everytome I've been on vacation. Usually I restart my modem and it reconnects. Last time it wouldn't connect even after 15 restarts until I got home and manually unplugged the usb.

How is this in terms of stability with wifi? Also I seen there a few break out box options. Could I use one for a high low float and it would shut off my ato incase my ato gets stuck open automatically or would I need to do it on the app? Also let's say my return pump stops working and its drawing only 1 watt or less would the controller tell me ? I dont know much about this system so I need to watch some videos

I dont think it can alert you yet but eventually it should be able to.

Only the single plug has power monitoring though not the 4 outlet/usb one.

 

[Marlon C]

Would this be compatible with kh guardian?