Rossmont Waver pump controller

[DeeBee]

Yesterday Reefbuilders posted a video and some info regarding the new Rossmont Waver. https://reefbuilders.com/2016/04/18/rossmont-waver/ It can control two of their pumps and seems to have a pretty slick web based interface with a lot of functionality. But what most surprised me is that it controls their AC pumps, not DC. I didn't know that was even possible but seems to ramp the speed up and down smoothly like you would see from any other brand minus the big power brick.

So my question for any electrical engineering inclined folks - is there any disadvantage to modulating AC current? Is it harder on the pumps?

 

[Rob.In.AZ]

Interested in these as well. There is not a lot of info out there on these pumps. Have they been released in the US?

I am considering 2 MX4100's, just not sure if they will be a good fit for a 6ft SPS tank. It's either these or another MP40QD...

 

[DeeBee]

The Rossmont pumps are carried by BigAls and a few online retailers. The Waver controller has supposedly been released in the US but I can't find anyone that carries it.

I too have been looking for reviews on the pumps - they just don't seem to have caught on in the US yet. But on paper they look good - Italian made, 3 year warranty, supposidly very quiet and competitively priced.

 

[TheEngineer]

Yesterday Reefbuilders posted a video and some info regarding the new Rossmont Waver. https://reefbuilders.com/2016/04/18/rossmont-waver/ It can control two of their pumps and seems to have a pretty slick web based interface with a lot of functionality. But what most surprised me is that it controls their AC pumps, not DC. I didn't know that was even possible but seems to ramp the speed up and down smoothly like you would see from any other brand minus the big power brick.

So my question for any electrical engineering inclined folks - is there any disadvantage to modulating AC current? Is it harder on the pumps?

How deep into it do you want to get?

All pumps, whether DC or AC, using a "moving" magnetic field. The way that switching is done is a primary difference in AC vs DC. To answer your question about how hard this is on pumps, it isn't. They're just adjusting the voltage.

 

[Rob.In.AZ]

The Rossmont pumps are carried by BigAls and a few online retailers. The Waver controller has supposedly been released in the US but I can't find anyone that carries it.

I too have been looking for reviews on the pumps - they just don't seem to have caught on in the US yet. But on paper they look good - Italian made, 3 year warranty, supposidly very quiet and competitively priced.

Yeah, I am thinking about picking them up from amazon, that way I can run them for a bit and have a decent return window in case they just aren't going to cut it. Controller looks cool, and I love the price. I am just a bit hesitant.

 

[TheEngineer]

I'd be very interested to hear your review. Two pumps and a controller for the price of one MP40 sounds great to me.

 

[DeeBee]

How deep into it do you want to get?

All pumps, whether DC or AC, using a "moving" magnetic field. The way that switching is done is a primary difference in AC vs DC. To answer your question about how hard this is on pumps, it isn't. They're just adjusting the voltage.

Thanks. I appreciate your explanation. So is it technically more difficult to step down the AC voltage? Just wondering why there hasn't been controllable/adjustable AC aquarium pumps prior to this.

Yeah, I am thinking about picking them up from amazon, that way I can run them for a bit and have a decent return window in case they just aren't going to cut it. Controller looks cool, and I love the price. I am just a bit hesitant.

I would be interested to hear your review as well if you decide to pull the trigger. Pretty sure I am going to buy a pair of 1500's to try on my frag tank - but I'm going to wait on the Waver controller until there's more hands-on reviews.

 

[TheEngineer]

I'll do a brief primmer on motors when I get home later. It's actually not very complicated.

 

[Rob.In.AZ]

I am going to order the pair of the MX4100 and check them out. Probably order them in a week or two. I will report back with how they work out.

I am really interested in the controller, but I am going to wait and see how the pumps do before I order the Waver.

 

[TheEngineer]

I'll do a brief primmer on motors when I get home later. It's actually not very complicated.

Weekend got away from me... I'll write this now.

 

[TheEngineer]

DC vs AC Motors

Most people, I think, are surprised to know that both AC and DC motors have been around for something like 100 years. Both types of motors rely on a moving magnetic field around a permanent magnet that causes a shaft to spin (or some variant very close to that). The difference is in how that magnetic field is driven. In AC motors, the frequency is controlled and in DC motors, the voltage is controlled. I think most people view DC motors as the most dominant out there, but actually AC motors are MUCH more common. In our hobby that may not be the case though. So how do these motors actually work?

AC Motors:
An AC motor uses a variable frequency to control the speed of the motor. They are sometimes referred to as variable frequency drives rather than AC. In the US the voltage comes out of the wall at 110V and a frequency of 60Hz. In Europe and many other places it is 220V and a frequency of 50Hz. The 60Hz number means the voltage switches between -55V and +55V 60 times per second. This happens much faster than our eyes can detect so you don't notice lights flickering, but they are actually getting slightly brighter and darker constantly. In an AC motor, you control that 60Hz rate to control how fast the motor spins. The nice thing about AC motors too is that you can control things like torque and also slowly ramp them up to speed in a smooth fashion. Most AC motors however are big and are usually in the .5hp and above range. WAY too big for in our tanks. Did you know that Tesla's cars are run on AC motors?

DC Motors:
A DC motor uses a variable voltage to control the speed of the motor. DC motors use commutating brushes to manually create the alternating magnetic fields you naturally get in an AC motor. These brushes touch powered contacts and as the motor spins, the brushes switch from one contact to another and the polarity of the electrical magnet they are powering switches. Have you ever noticed your DC motors seem to jump from one position to another and snap into place? That's jumping from one pole of the magnet to the next. The more poles the more control you have over the motor. Most of our DC motors will only have a few pole positions. DC motors are less expensive than their AC counterparts in the low power ranges (like we need).

Hope that's some useful information. Didn't want to get too deep into the details, but that was more than I could type on my phone