Some EB8 outlets not controllable

N2950H · Jun 8, 2019

I picked up a used Apex Classic here recently and today I decided to plug it in and learn how to use it. I got everything setup and linked to Fusion, and all seems well except for one thing...I noticed that I am unale to control 5 of the outlets. By this I mean when I toggle them off/on in Fusion, I only hear the audible "click" on 3 of them.

Is this inability to control outlets a clear indication of a faulty EB8, or is there something in the settings that can be causing this? I am completely new to the Apex.

N2950H · Jun 8, 2019

I messed with it some more, and it seems I was mistaken. Not all of the outlets have an audible click when turning them off and back on, but they do all work and can be controlled. The fact that some clicked and some didn't was throwing me off.

bigcheese · Jun 8, 2019

N2950H said:
Not all of the outlets have an audible click when turning them off and back on, but they do all work and can be controlled.

On an EB8, only the last two outlets (4 and 8) are switched by a relay (hence the audible click). The others use a solid-state TRIAC (silent).
TRIACs last way longer, are more efficient, and change state much quicker than mechanical relays, but there's a downside. Anything that draws < 1/8 amp (about 15W at line voltage) won't work correctly on them- once turned on, they don't turn off.

bigcheese · Jun 8, 2019

N2950H said:
I picked up a used Apex Classic here recently and today I decided to plug it in and learn how to use it.

On Neptune's site, grab the Comprehensive Reference Manual.

https://www.neptunesystems.com/downloads/docs/Comprehensive_Reference_Manual.pdf

It's awesome and will tell you everything you'd want to know. Their forums are also pretty good and have a ton of complex programming examples you can *ahem* borrow with pride.

N2950H · Jun 9, 2019

bigcheese said:
On Neptune's site, grab the Comprehensive Reference Manual.

https://www.neptunesystems.com/downloads/docs/Comprehensive_Reference_Manual.pdf

It's awesome and will tell you everything you'd want to know. Their forums are also pretty good and have a ton of complex programming examples you can *ahem* borrow with pride.

Thanks for the reference material, this will keep me busy for a while.