ReefAngel – a controller made for the DIY reefkeeper

by | Feb 29, 2012 | DIY, Equipment | 6 comments

As some of you may or may not know, I am not only an aquarium controller addict, I am also probably one of the most vocal advocates out there for making this a standard piece of equipment on just about every reef tank. I say this not because they are great gadgets, but because of the fault tolerance as well as peace of mind they can offer — preventing common disasters such as heater failures, tank leaks/overflows, etc.

Over the last year or so I have been watching the rise in popularity of the ReefAngel Reef Controller. Not only does it promise to deliver a platform with a wider set of potential options and features than others on the market, it was also about 10-20% cheaper than the competitors when simply looking at a features list. So, needless to say I was very excited when offered the chance to review a working unit.

Over the course of three days I have spent about three hours evaluating this product. In that time I realized a fundamental aspect of this controller. So, to begin, I would like to use an analogy to help you understand how I see the ReefAngel fitting into the current aquarium controller market and to quickly allow you to know if this controller is right for you.

RC Airplanes

Standard RC Airplane Kit

Huh? I know what you are thinking but stay with me for a moment. One of my other hobbies I have enjoyed in the past is RC Airplanes. If you get into this hobby you will immediately see there are two approaches. One is the tried and true old-fashioned way where you pick out an airplane, an engine, a radio, glue, etc. and it all arrives at your door. You excitedly bring it in, open the box with the pretty picture of an airplane on the outside and then your heart sinks…wait, this is a box of sticks and balsa wood. Your buddy on the other-hand went and bought this thing called an ATF

ARF RC Airplane Kit

airplane. ATF stands for almost-ready-to-fly. His arrives, he opens the box, and there is a wing, a fuselage, a rear stabilizer, a rudder, etc. all ready to go in a beautiful red, white, and blue covering. All he has to do is assemble the main components and go out to the field. Now, there are of course advantages and disadvantages to both methods. Clearly your buddy will be flying before you are – sometimes weeks or months. And, he will be able to do all the basic things with his airplane. However, his will be the same color pattern as everyone else’s, he cannot easily modify his elevator or ailerons for more responsive flight, etc.  Of course, you also have a whole group of people in your flying club or online to help you through the process…but a process it will still be.

This is the perfect analogy to the ReefAngel controller. When you get your ReefAngel you will see that the components are basically the same as any other controller. There is a “brain”, a power-strip, some probes, and some cables to tie it all together.  The big difference though is that out of the box the ReefAngel is basically like that box of sticks and balsa I described above. It can become anything you like, but you are going to have to become somewhat of a programmer/tinkerer to bring it all to life. The experience is kind of like my first computer in 1985 – a clone PC. To get it to do anything I had to first build it, then I had to configure all the drivers, then I had know DOS, install programs, etc. before I could even write one document. On the other hand, my buddy at school bought the first Macintosh. He plugged it in.

I guess what I am saying in all this verbiage is this: If you like to tinker, program computers, build web sites, solder stuff together, etc. then this is the product for you.  You will most likely love it! However, if you are not technically adept, stay away from this product or you will likely end up hating aquarium controllers. If  you want your experience with a controller to be plug and play, buy something else.

Now, on to the review itself.

Nice Packaging

I received the product directly from ReefAngel. Upon opening the box everything was packed neatly and safely.

The first thing I noticed is that one of the cables was labeled VGA cable. Hmmm…I thought, I guess this can plug into a monitor somehow. Later I found out that no, that is the interconnect between the “brain”, and the outlet module.

Another nice thing I saw about the ReefAngel is that it comes with two float switches. With these you can do you own ATO with the controller or use them for alerts, etc. It also came with separate connector cables for them that you are supposed to splice in some extra wire to. Again, this is something above the average reefkeepers head but perfectly fine for the DIYer.

The ReefAngel stands out in comparison to other controllers in that standard on the unit are three separate temperature channels for your temp probes. They only include one probe, but you could purchase more and then monitor your canopy temp or LED heat sink control things like the fans or turn off the LED if an overheat should occur.

The ReefAngel comes standard with two dimming channels for LED. I would have preferred four as most people are now using at least three colors in their DIY LED set ups nowadays.

The user interface is one of the biggest disappointments I had in the hardware itself.  First off, the display is small…scratch that…TINY…as in break out your magnifier tiny. For comparison I would say it is about as big as the display on an iPod Nano. It is full color, but the text on this screen is probably 2-3mm high…at best. Also, the user input is via a Xbox-like joystick for navigating the menus and their “Enter” is depressing the stick. The stick felt very cheap and plasticky and mine actually would not easily spring back from the up direction. I would have liked to see more discrete user input buttons.

Once I connected it all together I turned it on. The ReefAngel comes pre-loaded with a “Demo” loaded on it. The word demo threw me for a loop at first as I thought this was maybe some in-store type demo you often see on TVs and such. However, after speaking to the developer of the ReefAngel, he told me that this was actually a “very complicated” piece of code that no one should really look at. OK I thought, what should I do next then. I explored the “Demo” application on the unit and found it to be quite lacking in features. For instance, there is no heater control built into it. In other words, out of the box I could not plug in the ReefAngel, turn it on, and have it control the temperature of my tank using the temperature probe for data and controlling an outlet based on that data and my set points. For even that simple action, it was time to build my own app.

So, I continued through the manual, followed the instructions for Mac, and was immediately lost. I spent an hour or so hunting down software, drivers, etc. The directions do not match up well with the menus and the example code was not where it was. I finally called the developer and found out that it really was not tested much with the Mac and really it is made for the PC right now. He also said that there will be an automated installer for the Mac coming down the road. I abandoned the Mac and switched to one of my PC notebooks.

So, on my PC I ran the installer, installed the software, initialized the system to prepare it to receive my own code, and examined the samples provided with the product. The manual told me to try out some samples. So I then loaded “Example1” as it was called. Sounded like a good start.

I bricked the controller. Or at least it seemed so to me. The menu came up, but as soon as I selected something, it then blanked it out.

It is at this point that I realized that continuing the review from this point would simply be more work than I wanted to invest. End result, three hours and still no controller up and running like I would expect.

This is the project kit of controllers. And, I do not mean that in a derogatory way. I am absolutely sure that based on the Arduino controller as well as the hardware provided that this is THE best controller out there for those that want to experiment and DIY.

To wrap this review up, I will refer to my article on the Top five things the extreme fish-geek wants in an aquarium controller to rate how well this controller hits the mark for that uber-technical market. This controller is programmable, has an open standard, variable outputs for light dimming, and an incredibly passionate and dedicated community. The only place it falls short is that it does not have a simple way to deal with power failures although it is quite possible that this has been dealt with by the community.

So, in conclusion, if you are a super technical DIYer this may very well be the controller for you. If you want plug and play, I would not recommend it.

  • Terence Fugazzi

    I come from the far off land of Salt Lake City, Utah where I works as a technology marketer. I am a relatively new saltwater hobbyist having only maintained reef tanks for just over three years. I am also a technology geek at heart. However, in that short time I have gravitated toward the technology side of reefkeeping with my involvement in aquarium controllers and automation.My family and I currently maintain a 210g SPS-heavy mixed reef, and a 135g frag tank in my garage — both controlled by a single Apex Aquacontroller.In March of 2010 I co-founded the Utah Marine Aquarium Society (www.utmas.com), a club of reefkeeping enthusiasts. I am extremely passionate about the hobby and even more passionate about helping others enjoy it and, most importantly, to stick with it.I speak nationwide on the topic of marine aquarium automation and have recently spoken at MACNA 2011, Reef-a-Palooza, and MAX. I am also is a technology patent holder and have a background in computer technology that spans over 20 years. I have BS in Computer Science from California State University Northridge.

6 Comments

  1. Michael D. Phelps

    This must be a sign that I need to stay away from purchasing this controller, something I planned on doing at the end of the week. Great write up by the way.
    If I’m reading this correctly you just became frustrated and gave up? I consider myself above average when it comes to tech intelligence but if the instructions are vague then I get bent out of shape and frustrated.
    If not this controller, which would you recommend that has PWM dimming ability and is affordable?

    Reply
    • Terence Fugazzi

      Thanks for the compliment. The instructions are VERY vague. This is an open-source controller by name and therefore I think the expectation is for you to go out and find what you need. All of the main players in this space (three make up probably 90% of all units sold in my estimate) are within +/-15% for similar sets of features. Just curious, why are you going PWM instead of 0-10V for dimming?

      Reply
      • Michael D. Phelps

        The MeanWell 60-48P uses a 0-10V PWM signal for dimming. I went this route with my DIY LED conversion from halides for the smooth ramp from 0-??% with a Arduino based controller.
        I want a smooth dawn/dusk and smooth midday/highnoon on a separate channel at a separate time.
        The points that led me to the Reef Angel are:
        Micro control of 2 individual PMW channels w/ ability to expand
        Downloadable data and ability to go WiFi w/ expansion module.
        RF capability basically making the controller the master driver for ET wES pumps. This one was a particular point for me because Reef Angel has the ability for random storm mode. Or so I’ve read.
        Of course all of the other standard controller functions are “sellers” but it’s the lighting and vortech control that made me want this.

        Reply
        • Terence Fugazzi

          The other big-2 controllers on the market use the 0-10V method. That is what I use on my tank to control 8 channels of dimming (I have an extra module for four more than the built-in 4). Also, at least with the Apex, you can easily control your wES pumps with a module purchase. I know you can do a lot of this with RA (but only two channels of dimming standard), It’s just it is going to be more work to cobble together the code to make it all happen the way you want. If you have that capacity and time, and you want to do it for the reason of building the ultimate customization, then go for the RA. I am just saying that price should not be the reason unless your time is free or you really, really love tinkering.

          Reply
          • Michael D. Phelps

            I’ll have to look at the Apex a little harder. Cost is the issue with that unit so I’ve never really even looked into what it’s capable of.
            Thank you for your time and thoughts.

  2. Terence Fugazzi

    I am sure that if you are a patient person, want to spend a great deal of time out in the community forums, and tinker around with it, this will be a great controller for you. The only caveat there is the hardware shortcomings such as UI on the device itself and long term reliability (which I have no way of testing and the unit has not been on the market long enough or sold enough units to really gauge.

    The reason I stopped my review is I quickly realized that this was going to take way more of a time investment than I was expecting – even to get the basics going. Also, I did not purchase this unit and I had no need for another controller so I did not have that motivation to keep on slogging it out.

    I want to reiterate that my review is not necessarily saying this is not a good controller. Just make sure you know what you are in for and are prepared for that experience. People are doing some really cool stuff with this controller, but it will take far more investment in time and knowledge to get there.

    Reply

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