Digital Aquatics Archon Owners Thread

[SoloGarth]

Well I did just get a call back from Eric who told me that he didn't know why my order hadn't shipped and that my support email was caught in the spam filter. Not entirely pleased by how this has played out so far but I'm hoping things will go smoothly from here on out. They really need to hire someone to man the phones there.

[shred5]

Originally Posted by SoloGarth

Is the whole office sick and out? I am patient but being ignored is too much for me. If someone from DA could have answered to tell me that I would understand. At this point I think I'll just cancel my order. I know you don't work for them. It's crazy that NO ONE there can respond. I know this has been covered before and don't want to beat a dead horse but come on DA. I was really hoping they were making changes in the customer service department. I don't want to order a new system from a company that I cannot reach in any way. Super frustrating since I have so much DA gear already though.

This is what bothers me right now. I have been using a reef-keeper for years with no problems what so ever. I love it but recently purchased a Neptune systems which is not installed because I have been waiting for info on the Archon. I was going to sell my neptune since I cant return it anymore for the Archon. I like it works with my old modules and only need the main unit.

But here is a system that launched and you hear very little. There should be hype. They launched silently on their website which make it seem like it is not ready for launch but are just trying to appease those that have been waiting. There was no retail launch which cant make retailers happy. It also suggest this system really aint ready for launch and those who buy really beta testers. It also makes it seem like they dont have the resources to produce enough for a retail launch. I am sorry the lack of info just make DA look like they dont have the resources to put behind the Archon.. Believe me there are allot of people like me who really want to buy the Archon that have the the same concerns. The Archon sure looks like a step up but the lack of info and the lack of anyone even to answer questions makes it hard for anyone to step in and buy this. It aint cheap and it is allot of money to put into a system that may be dead in a year or so... You look on DA forums and it is the same thing. Other than what Dave Morris post I have virtually no info even on their facebook page.

Sorry I really want one I am just concerned as other are.

[tidus10]

Originally Posted by shred5

This is what bothers me right now. I have been using a reef-keeper for years with no problems what so ever. I love it but recently purchased a Neptune systems which is not installed because I have been waiting for info on the Archon. I was going to sell my neptune since I cant return it anymore for the Archon. I like it works with my old modules and only need the main unit.

But here is a system that launched and you hear very little. There should be hype. They launched silently on their website which make it seem like it is not ready for launch but are just trying to appease those that have been waiting. There was no retail launch which cant make retailers happy. It also suggest this system really aint ready for launch and those who buy really beta testers. It also makes it seem like they dont have the resources to produce enough for a retail launch. I am sorry the lack of info just make DA look like they dont have the resources to put behind the Archon.. Believe me there are allot of people like me who really want to buy the Archon that have the the same concerns. The Archon sure looks like a step up but the lack of info and the lack of anyone even to answer questions makes it hard for anyone to step in and buy this. It aint cheap and it is allot of money to put into a system that may be dead in a year or so... You look on DA forums and it is the same thing. Other than what Dave Morris post I have virtually no info even on their facebook page.

Sorry I really want one I am just concerned as other are.

I'm confused.. are you saying that the Archon was a silent release?
If so, you just were not paying any attention to the press on it.. it was everywhere for like 3 months leading up to the release..

[shred5]

Originally Posted by tidus10

I'm confused.. are you saying that the Archon was a silent release?
If so, you just were not paying any attention to the press on it.. it was everywhere for like 3 months leading up to the release..

Yea the actual launch was . I saw some of the blogs list stuff on it but never a actually hey its launched. That should have been on blogs like reef builders. Last post about it was OCT.
Even on their facebook page people were asking when it was going to launch and it had already launched. It was pretty silent.. I had been watching and completely missed it myself.

[SoloGarth]

Yeah it is odd that no retailers carry it yet. I spoke with someone from BRS a couple weeks ago who said they did have one in that they were testing and that they should have them up for sale sometime. My unit shipped today although the tracking number still doesn't work. Hopefully it's just that it hasn't been brought to the post office yet.

[SoloGarth]

One thing that I noticed is that a few of those early blogs stated that the Archon was cloud based like the apex fusion system or EcoTech reeflink. It is not and still requires port forwarding and dynamic DNS for access outside the home. I don't mind as I am comfortable with all that stuff but I would have thought they would be working toward that to make their product more user friendly. Perhaps that will be in an update to come.

[SoloGarth]

Eric at DA got my system out today and looks like he shipped it 2 day priority to make up for the lost time. It's expected on Monday. I've already put together a simple prototype circuit to use a a power loss indicator so that I can run the entire controller on the UPS and automatically shutdown non essential items when the power goes out.

[domvert]

One question on the archon can it control the wave function on the wireless Vortech pumps?

[SoloGarth]

Originally Posted by domvert

One question on the archon can it control the wave function on the wireless Vortech pumps?

As of now no. As I understand it they can create that type of control but have not. Honestly the functions of the EcoTech equipment is very involved. I would use the reeflink even if there was an EcoTech control module. One more thing to have to buy though.

[SoloGarth]

Got my Archon running the whole show now.
3 PC4s
2 PB4s
2 Sl1
1 SL2V2
1 SW5
Had a few minor hiccups during the transition but things are looking pretty good now. Just waiting on a few updates. Looking forward to being able to hook the RKE back up as a display although I have been considering installing an old tablet in its place.

[shellsea]

Nice clean set up.

[shred5]

Originally Posted by SoloGarth

Got my Archon running the whole show now.
3 PC4s
2 PB4s
2 Sl1
1 SL2V2
1 SW5
Had a few minor hiccups during the transition but things are looking pretty good now. Just waiting on a few updates. Looking forward to being able to hook the RKE back up as a display although I have been considering installing an old tablet in its place.

Wow very nice set up there.
On the bottom is that a battery back-up?

[SoloGarth]

Thanks Shellsea

Shred that is actually my "Approved for shipboard use" power strip. My UPS is too big to fit well back there. It's part of my next project. The Archon power as well as that bottom PB4 are going to be moved onto the UPS and I'm going to build a small box to monitor the state of the utility coming in so that Archon can message me during outages.

[kenman345]

Originally Posted by SoloGarth

Thanks Shellsea

Shred that is actually my "Approved for shipboard use" power strip. My UPS is too big to fit well back there. It's part of my next project. The Archon power as well as that bottom PB4 are going to be moved onto the UPS and I'm going to build a small box to monitor the state of the utility coming in so that Archon can message me during outages.

Archon is Linux based. If you use APC UPS, we might be able to soon have a direct integration with the two since that have Linux drivers available. I will keep people posted on that if/when I am able to get it to work on mine.

[SoloGarth]

That would be nice. Although not necessary really (I have CyberPower UPSs here). Using a relay on a switched input will allow for an On UPS signal that can change the state of the Archons outputs.

Would this run via a USB hub into the Archon?

[kenman345]

Originally Posted by SoloGarth

That would be nice. Although not necessary really (I have CyberPower UPSs here). Using a relay on a switched input will allow for an On UPS signal that can change the state of the Archons outputs.

Would this run via a USB hub into the Archon?

Yes but this is something I'm working on, not sure if it'll be added to the archon officially.

Btw, aren't you getting a bit tired of the relays when you can use built in tools? Also, if I can get it working properly then you would be able to tell how long the battery will run with its current charge and load as well as the health of the battery and stuff like that. Wouldn't that be worth adding if you could?

I'll keep people updated on all customizations I make as I make them and have had the chance to test them

[SoloGarth]

Relays are reliable and perform as expected. Haha. Built in tools are great for sure. My UPS has a built in screen that shows runtime, loading ect. It certainly would be nice to have that integrated into the Archon server though.

[SoloGarth]

I installed my old galaxy note tab which hadn't seen use in years on the front of my tank in place of the RKE head unit display. I thought I would try it oily that way. My girlfriend approved as she thinks it looks far better than "that old thing that was always flashing"

[DaveMorris]

I may do something similar. When I bought my wife her new iPhone 6 at Verizon, they gave me a free Android tablet that is about 5" x 7". I have no real need for it since I use an iPad so it may be relegated to the tank as an interface device.

[SoloGarth]

Originally Posted by DaveMorris

I may do something similar. When I bought my wife her new iPhone 6 at Verizon, they gave me a free Android tablet that is about 5" x 7". I have no real need for it since I use an iPad so it may be relegated to the tank as an interface device.

Yeah it's actually quite useful. At least for me I'm used to being able to check things there and having a dead RKE head unit there was annoying. Had to cover up the hole in the stand with something.

[shred5]

So does the tablet stay lit all the time?
You just keep it plugged into the charger the whole time?
I like that...

[kenman345]

Originally Posted by shred5

So does the tablet stay lit all the time?
You just keep it plugged into the charger the whole time?
I like that...

If anyone is near a microcenter, they have 7" tablets for $40. Best Buy has ones that are 10.1" for $99. Both can easily be used as head units for the Archon. I have been thinking about something similar.

[janes_mw]

Originally Posted by shred5

So does the tablet stay lit all the time?
You just keep it plugged into the charger the whole time?
I like that...

That's what I did. Set the screen to always on and then just plugged the charger in. I received a free tablet when we bought our iphone 6 and 6 plus. Never really had a use for it ........ but I do now!

[kenman345]

Originally Posted by janes_mw

That's what I did. Set the screen to always on and then just plugged the charger in. I received a free tablet when we bought our iphone 6 and 6 plus. Never really had a use for it ........ but I do now!

If this is something that's catching on, would you like me to work up a webpage to add on the archon so that we can give you a little bit quicker readouts on the tablet as well as organize quick and easy buttons to use for maintenance? Say, like you use standby 1 for your feeding cycle, well, lets give you a big button to initiate standby with a quick tap instead of a few clicks. or maybe you like turning off a few different things when you notice something wrong, you can customize the page to have those things readily available.

Sound like something you want? Please try and keep it concise in your responses or just PM me if you have some idea of something unique and want to explain it fully, and I'll try and work something up.

BTW, I was also thinking having the lighting intensity in a simple readout as well as the time and temperature would be good, especially since we do not need to change those necessarily but might want to know the current value.

[shred5]

Well I can not even get on their forums. I changed my email address in my profile a while back and got a email saying:

Hello shred5,

Your account on "Digital Aquatics Forum" has been deactivated, most likely due to changes made to your profile. The administrator of the board will need to activate it before you can log in. You will receive another notification when this has occurred.

and of coarse you would think this would be a day or two but no.

When ever I Try to log in it says:

The specified username is currently inactive. If you have problems activating your account, please contact a board administrator.

There FAQ says the same to contact a administrator but guess what? You cant contact a administrator unless you are logged in. That is messed up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I contact DA support and well guess what: no word from them.

You think a company with a bad rep for support and with a new launch would be on this stuff.