inD Aquatics aF4 frozen feeder

[ind.aquatics]

Did anyone who purchase the feeder receive an email about defects with the software below?

They found a possible defect, and if I don't response within 21 days my warranty is void through no fault of my own? That statement makes me not want to purchase any of their future products to be honest.

"The aF4 product, which you now own, is the result of several years of meticulous design and development. We care deeply about your experience and strive for perfection, one of the many reasons we took so long to bring this to market.

However, it has come to our attention through real world use, our own in house testing and our manufacturer that some of the initial units shipped may contain corrupted software. We are attempting to narrow down which serial numbers were affected. Nonetheless, this issue could potentially cause the feed cycles to malfunction and, in certain cases, impact temperature regulation. While your aF4 may appear to be functioning as intended, this flaw could lead to unexpected behavior leading to degraded performance.

To ensure your aF4 operates at its full potential, we must insist that you visit our return page at your earliest convenience to process a return. Please rest assured that all shipping expenses will be covered by us. We expect the repair turn around to be approximately 3 business days after the reciept of your aF4.

We apologize for any inconveniences and we appreciate your understanding and prompt attention to this matter.

To initiate the return process, head to our return portal and initiate a "Warranty Claim".
NOTE: The order number is case sensitive! example: inD0099!

RETURN PORTAL LINK
(Please note that if arrangements for repair are not made within 21 days of this notice, the warranty on your aF4 will be voided.)"

We sent this email to 39 customers identified by serial numbers purchased that had the incorrect firmware loaded onto the control boards when we shipped - you apparently were one of them.

We’re sorry for the inconvenience - but we want to make sure the units are functioning at peak performance. If you’re happy with the way it’s been working, then don’t send it back!

Despite what the email says, we will not void your warranty or anyone else’s warranty. If you notice any issues with the unit please don’t hesitate to open up a claim or email us directly (we typically respond within hours via email).

Admittedly, we could have worded that email better and we will not be voiding anyone’s warranty who doesn’t feel the need to send in their aF4.

You and everyone else that received the email will be getting a follow up email explaining that if you’re happy with the unit, you don’t need to send it in AND you will not have your warranty voided.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

@ind.aquatics if its a software issue can't you guys just do a firmware update that customers can do themselves to fix the issue?

 

[Mickey]

I think this product works great and the company has been easy to deal with. Do not avoid them because of this problem.

I did not receive this email, but that may be because I reported a problem with my unit after using it for a week or two. InD responded to me and had me send the unit back to them. It's now on it's way back to me a week later.

I think the unit works great (except a bit loud) and was not upset by the problem, other than I kept trying to troubleshoot it myself thinking I was doing something wrong. This is a new product and it's not unusual to run into issues with any product as an early adopter. The company has been great to deal with. Please do not avoid them simply because there were a few bugs in the beginning. Many, many products we use have similar issues when first introduced.

I'm glad I stuck with the Kickstarter campaign. My only regret at this time is that I reduced my order from the Ultimate XL package with two aF4 units, to just one unit. Given the size of my tank and the amount of travel I do, having two units would be very helpful to me. An issue I can correct if absolutely necessary but it will cost me a lot more to buy now than it did then.

 

[Vested]

Really respect seeing you responding and being active on the forums @ind.aquatics I understand how hard that is. Also letting people know about defects like that and taking care of them is awesome to see, was worried it was all of the units that would be brutal.

 

[ahuynh616]

We sent this email to 39 customers identified by serial numbers purchased that had the incorrect firmware loaded onto the control boards when we shipped - you apparently were one of them.

We’re sorry for the inconvenience - but we want to make sure the units are functioning at peak performance. If you’re happy with the way it’s been working, then don’t send it back!

Despite what the email says, we will not void your warranty or anyone else’s warranty. If you notice any issues with the unit please don’t hesitate to open up a claim or email us directly (we typically respond within hours via email).

Admittedly, we could have worded that email better and we will not be voiding anyone’s warranty who doesn’t feel the need to send in their aF4.

You and everyone else that received the email will be getting a follow up email explaining that if you’re happy with the unit, you don’t need to send it in AND you will not have your warranty voided.

Thanks for the feedback and reply, maybe my post on the subject was worded a bit harsh too and I take that back too!

My main issue for bringing it up was I am in the midst of setting up a new tank and have not actually setup the unit yet. It was not a complaint of the product itself.

Appreciate the reply and thanks!

 

[ind.aquatics]

@ind.aquatics if its a software issue can't you guys just do a firmware update that customers can do themselves to fix the issue?

There isn’t a port for customers to plug into apply the update - a specialized cable is required to interface with the PCB.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

There isn’t a port for customers to plug into apply the update - a specialized cable is required to interface with the PCB.

Btw I have been using mine for a couple of weeks now. I have it hooked up via V1 and feed my fish 6 times a day via apex plus the 7th time AF4's itself default.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

@ind.aquatics
Quick questions: As mentioned in above post. I feed 7 times a day. I have a very busy and unreliable work schedule so I have to depend on AF4 to feed my fish daily.
Couple of things.
1. I noticed some condensation water under the unit, I had is set to 2nd level, now i changed it to 3rd. hopefully it wont have that issue. Fish room is 76F all the time.
2. Everyday when I come home, I take 5-10 cubes of frozen food and mix it with some saltwater and pour the slushy into AF4 filling it up to the extreme top.

I feed 50ml per feed 7 times a day. Do you see any issue with constantly filling the unit up rather than letting it run very low or running completely out.

 

[DocMcC]

@ind.aquatics
Quick questions: As mentioned in above post. I feed 7 times a day. I have a very busy and unreliable work schedule so I have to depend on AF4 to feed my fish daily.
Couple of things.
1. I noticed some condensation water under the unit, I had is set to 2nd level, now i changed it to 3rd. hopefully it wont have that issue. Fish room is 76F all the time.
2. Everyday when I come home, I take 5-10 cubes of frozen food and mix it with some saltwater and pour the slushy into AF4 filling it up to the extreme top.

I feed 50ml per feed 7 times a day. Do you see any issue with constantly filling the unit up rather than letting it run very low or running completely out.

Having got bored waiting for the AF4 I built an identical unit myself earlier this spring.

Anyway what I would say is that you risk having "old" food left in the container which will contaminate the new food, eventually some bad food might make a fish sick. I would say wash it out once per week.

My thoughts are that 20+ days is too long, (understand you change daily) and as a result I use a recipe I found on reef2reef (Automatic Frozen/refrigerated food dispenser | REEF2REEF Saltwater and Reef Aquarium Forum) :

Citric Acid (0.5%)
Ascorbic Acid 0.5%
Calcium Proprioate 0.05%
Sorbic Acid 0.05%

make sure they are food grade - these are preservatives and do not have any impact on the fish but will allow the food to last a lot longer (especially if temp rises a bit high etc).

Using the above I was able to go away for 3 weeks, dishing out 4 cubes every second day with no ill effects. The unit kept the solution at between -1.5 and +1 degrees C.

W.

 

[DocMcC]

Question for anyone with an aF4:

How does it cope with warm environments (e.g. inside a cabinet). the one I built takes the food (350ml) down to -1.0c (30f) from 29c (85f) but uses a Shed-load of power (approx 100w!). I messed around with a load of Peltiers and the Tec-12710 is the one I landed on as being the most "efficient" under the circumstances.

Would consider getting an aF4 if:
1) it could reliably cope with a 30c temp diff
2) power usage is considerably less than 100w average.

W.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I got to see this at RAP Cali in person! Looks awesome! I'm excited about this innovation as this is something we need available in the hobby. I'm planning to add one to my system as soon as I am able (and once they're available again).

 

[notclear]

Just returned from a 11 days vacation. The aF4 worked perfectly!

 

[ind.aquatics]

@ind.aquatics
Quick questions: As mentioned in above post. I feed 7 times a day. I have a very busy and unreliable work schedule so I have to depend on AF4 to feed my fish daily.
Couple of things.
1. I noticed some condensation water under the unit, I had is set to 2nd level, now i changed it to 3rd. hopefully it wont have that issue. Fish room is 76F all the time.
2. Everyday when I come home, I take 5-10 cubes of frozen food and mix it with some saltwater and pour the slushy into AF4 filling it up to the extreme top.

I feed 50ml per feed 7 times a day. Do you see any issue with constantly filling the unit up rather than letting it run very low or running completely out.

Sorry we missed this - usually email works best for tech support questions if you need a quick response we typically will get back to you within hours (and SOMETIMES on the weekends).

Regarding the feeding style your using (constantly filling up the unit) - if its a daily refresh you're likely getting through all the food within a few days but yeah there is a possibility that some food could get left behind for an extended period and build up bacteria, thus contaminating the rest of the food.

For ultimate safety, I'd recommend removing the cup at least once a week and cleaning it at the sink. Additionally, scrubbing the feed tube with a straw cleaning brush is good as that's the one portion that doesn't get a thorough rinsing with every feed cycle.

Send us an email with your serial number if you'd like and I can check in on the condensation issue you've observed!

 

[Mattiejay6]

I got to see this at RAP Cali in person! Looks awesome! I'm excited about this innovation as this is something we need available in the hobby. I'm planning to add one to my system as soon as I am able (and once they're available again).

ive been waiting for what seems like two months just to buy one lol...

 

[KWolfe81]

Really curious how they solved they cleaning issue. With only one pump on the unit, I'm guessing there's gotta be some sort of valve to switch between pushing rinse water and food slurry?

 

[Chris Spaulding]

They had some that came in on Sep 19th I think and went on sale at 9am pst and they sold out before I could get one as I was at work. Waiting for the next shipment. No word when that will be.

 

[ind.aquatics]

ive been waiting for what seems like two months just to buy one lol...

More are coming soon!!

Really curious how they solved the cleaning issue. With only one pump on the unit, I'm guessing there's gotta be some sort of valve to switch between pushing rinse water and food slurry?

We have a patent pending valve system that automates the cleaning and feed cycles.

They had some that came in on Sep 19th I think and went on sale at 9am pst and they sold out before I could get one as I was at work. Waiting for the next shipment. No word when that will be.

Dang! I thought the last sale made it past the 24 hour mark. More are coming!