For most RKL users, this is some amazing news. Now you can have the parameters of your nano or 100 gallon tank in your palm. In fact, when the firmware 2.0 comes out, you will be able to control everything in it. Now go get one of those RKLs or the NET package!

Keep the good things coming DA!

After visiting with GHL yesterday and their impressive new upgrade, we got a closer look at the Digital Aquatics’s new eye opening lineup. We spoke to Scott Bogner about what DA is brewing up this year but he was tight lipped about some of their new modules that they intend to release. He did confirm that it will involve a module which will be controlling a very popular brand of German powerheads. He also laid out plans for DA to upgrade their head unit firmware to 2.0. Some of the new features would be the ability to fully control your RKE through a wifi network (using your NET module). Furthermore, with the new software, the ground loop errors with some pH and ORP probes (and now Salinity) will be eliminated.

We can also confirm that we will be bringing you many DIY videos and tutorials on how to setup numerous RKE/RKL modular systems.

Stay tuned here for up to date information on all of your Digital Aquatics needs!

The RKM-SL2 is the newest System Lab module from Digital Aquatics. It’s a big leap forward with fully (and individually,) isolated ph and salinity ports. On top of that, the Digital Aquatics salinity probe is equipped with full digital temperature compensation built in! This make it easy to calibrate and ideal for testing a variety of tanks. Whether you’re mixing for a water change, monitoring your main system, checking up on a quarantine or frag tank the SL2 with conductivity probe will report a true and accurate value!

The SL2 also allows for another temperature probe to be added to the system for redundant monitoring as well as two more switch inputs; great for ATO systems or leak detectors.

This module is fairly cheap for its utility. Priced at $80.00US, without the Salinity probe, your salinity problems are no more. In fact, with the aid of the NET module, you can see your salinity levels on the go. On a blackberry, iPhone, or a Palm Pre.

But there is an asterix that we need to talk about.

The installation, or the calibration, is not dumbed down. Here are some instructions to properly calibrate your SL2 and its probe (from the Digital Aquatic’s forum):

The new Digital Aquatics salinity probe is an advanced probe that requires an acclimation period when being introduced to your tank. Please read the steps below before using the salinity probe to control dosing or other tank altering actions. Digital Aquatics includes an easy to use, reusable calibration solution bottle for PPT. Do not discard this solution after your first calibration!

1) Follow the steps on the calibration/installation form. Once complete, tightly replace the cap to the calibration bottle and save for the following steps.
2) Watch the PPT reading for the next few days you will see it trend upward as the probe acclimates to your tank.
3) After about 72 hours you should see the readings level off.
4) Once the readings have leveled off, repeat the calibration steps. Make sure to dry the probe tip for the first calibration step in open air (00.0 PPT.)
5) Continue to watch the PPT readout for the next couple days to insure its reading has in fact leveled off. It is not unlikely to have to repeat these steps one or two times. Once the PPT has become stable, you may now use the PPT reading in your system for control.
6) Important notes: Inexpensive hydrometers are not suitable as a comparable baseline. While often consistent their reading can be off by several PPT. If doing an advanced comparison/qualification, use a high grade refractometer that has been properly calibrated.

While you read this, I am slowly unwrapping my SL2. Will post my experiences with this unit soon, so tune in.

Man, that was a lot of geek talk there. If you were too giddy and omitted this section, you lost out on the true potential of the NET. What we will discuss here is how to feed your PDA, iPhone or Blackberry with RSS. Online, all the time baby!

Lets go:

1. First, you need to make your IP address static (as most ISPs give you dynamic addresses).
2. If you do not have one, go to no-ip.org and register your unique address. The process is very straight forward. If you are too lazy for this, I can go over it with you…
3. FOR THE LAZY ONES (Skip to step 6 if you have two seconds of your time to register yourself without a guide) Register with the site first. Then add a new host. Type in your new host name. Make it something that you can remember. Something like ‘doofus12345reef‘ is good enough as long as you can remember the spelling.
4. ‘Host type’ should be ‘Port 80 Redirect’, IP Address should be your bridge address (mine was 192.168.1.xxx), ‘port’ should be the port that is forwarded in your router (discussed later). Make it anything  you want except 80. I set it at 7001, which you can do as well.
5. Thats it, save. You have a registered static domain. But you have to make sure that when the dynamic IP address changes, so does the one listed at no-ip.org. For that, you have to download their program which checks for any updates to your dynamic address. It will change it automatically if it is different, so that you do not have to go to no-ip every time.
6. We have to route the router (now thats ironic) to recognise your new IP’s port (in this case 7001).
7. In your router, using DD-WRT software, you should see a screen like this:

   

8. Fill out these fields like I did in the screen shot. Make sure you are single port forwarding, rather than triggering and/or port range forwarding.
9. After that, save and you are done.
10. Go to your RSS reader and type in your new static domain from no-ip. So its your new domain+your new port+rss suffix. IE http://doofus12345reef.no-ip.org:7001/rss/rss.xml
11. Enjoy checking out your new toy!!

Happy Reefing!
Questions, comments, or suggestions can be slapped onto our comments section. Fire away!

So now you have the router ready. You are eager to see your NET online. Take a deep breath, my impatient ones. We will continue as this is a involved process. But I assure you that you will be uber happy once done.

Onward…

The wifi bridge that I used was a D-Link DAP 1522. There are many other game ports (for xbox or ps3), but this one is the best out there right now. It can do multiple things, but I am not spending ample time talking geek with you. So lets set this thing up, shall we?

Note: Make sure you know your wifi password and its encryption type (like WEP) as it will be necessary during the DAP wizard.

1. Unplug the Ethernet cable from your PC, and hook up the DAP directly into that slot.
2. Power the DAP and find your local TCP/IP settings on your computer.
3. Change the settings: IP Address 12.168.0.10, subnet 255.255.255.0, and leave the default gateway blank.
4. Now you shouldn’t have any connectivity to the internet except to your DAP
5. So in your browser, type in the IP address that you set (192.168.0.10)
6. You should be in your DAP software. Run the wizard to setup your bridge. This should be straight forward.
7. Once you have completed this step, the bridge is configured to the wifi network. Note the IP address of the DAP, as you will need it later on.
8. Go back to the TCP/IP settings on your computer, and change them back to ‘Auto Detect’. This is to go back to the original settings of your computer. Also plug the original Ethernet cable back into the computer.
9. Now go to your NET module. Plug an Ethernet cable from the NET to your DAP. By now I hope to God that you know to have the NET bussed into the RKE (so that its online and powered up by the main controls)
10. On your home computer, use the Net Detector application. It will locate your wifi network (it will show you your wifi name). This means that it can communicate with the network. This is good. If you don’t have it, then the bridge was not configured properly during the wizard. Go back.
11. All you have to do now is type in the DAP’s IP address: for me it was 192.168.1.xxx Yours should be similar.
12. The page should greet you with a Digital Aquatics Logo and page. The temporary username and password are ‘DigitalAquatics’ and ‘password’.
13. You are DONE. That is if you do not want to know how to RSS feed it into your RSS reader (like on your iPhone)

If you have ANY questions, you can ask them in the comments section. I will try my best to answer them. Next up will be how to RSS feed your tank’s parameters through your NET wifi. Stay tuned!

I know it hasn’t been the next day, but late is always better than never. So lets continue from this post.

There a few guides out there for you to use to configure your NET module with the wifi home network, but there are a few flaws that I found. So, for your reading pleasure, I am going to post a new complete guide for configuring your wifi modem/bridge/router/network to work with your NET. Here we go…

1. You need to flash your router with a free software called DD-WRT. For your router’s software to work with the wifi bridge (explained in the last post), you have to be able to forward your ports in the router’s software.  To check if you can flash your router, look here, and report back. If the answer was a no, then check inside your router’s software if you can port forward (single ports, not port ranges).
2. If you are allowed to flash your router, proceed here to see what files you need to download. For this guide, I used a Linksys WRT54G.
3. For this router (and any router that you use), I needed to see what version of the S/N (serial number) that I had, to match up with the right files that I needed to use. Here is a list of all the versions of this router.
4. After finding the right version of the router, it led me to a guide (some of those guides are not properly written, causing you a lot of reverberating expletives). Note that each router would have its own set of files. Just look for them on the site, under your router’s section. Be sure to download all files before starting to flash your router.
5. Here are the files that I needed:  vxworkskillerGv8-v3.bin, dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin
6. Once you got all of your files, you can start to change the local Ethernet address. Unplug your Ethernet cable from your PC (or Mac) and plug your router’s Ethernet cable into its place.  At this point you will have the router hooked up directly into the computer. Leave nothing else plugged into the router, so that you are not running any wireless Internet connections.
7. Change the settings in your PC (Under TCP/IP) to 192.168.1.100, subnet 255.255.255.0, and gateway 192.168.1.1
8. Now we are going to power reset your router. Unplug the power cord from it, and press hold the reset button. Keep the reset button held for 20 seconds while you plug the power cord back in.
9. Once the router is back on, go to your browser (IE, Firefox) and type in 192.168.1.1 You will be prompted to flash your router. I used vxworkskillerGv8-v3.bin. You should locate your file that is associated with your router.
10. Now wait at least two to three minutes before continuing.
11. Now it will ask you to reboot your router. Go ahead and do so. Get it back powered on.
12. Now its time to flash the router. Find the second file. My file was dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin. Yours will be slightly different depending on the router and its version.
13. If you are in windows, go the the command prompt screen (go to Run, and type in cmd). Now type in “tftp -i 192.168.1.1 put dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin” (the last part in the syntax will be different based on the file you used). Apparently Vista users have to install TFTP first before typing that syntax in.
14. Now the router will do its thing, and will reboot the router. Once rebooted, the router has been successfully flashed. You are now ready for stage two.. configuring it to communicate with your bridge in wifi.
15. Go back to the TCP/IP settings on your computer, and change them back to ‘Auto Detect’. This is to go back to the original settings of your computer. Also plug the original Ethernet cable back into the computer.

To save your eyes from burning due to heavy reading, I am going to post the rest tomorrow. I promise

Its been well over a few good months since I received my NET module from the hard working people at Digital Aquatics. Its been sitting there in the equipment room, collecting useless dust (yes, some dust is useful). Why didn’t I just plug it into the RKE system? Isn’t it just plug’n'play?

Well fragditphiles, it is not. For those who are IT challenged, it is a monster undertaking that requires other devices to be purchased. For the intermediate network geeks, a category that I would like to slot myself into, it was a small challenge. For Jeff, this would have been pouring the milk onto his cereal.

The trick with my system is that everything will and is WiFi. Some would argue that hardwired is better, but in my situation, it isn’t practical. So to integrate the RKE into my WiFi home network would involve acquiring either a game port or a game bridge. In my case, I wanted something that would have multifunctional use with respect to my needs (home theater, RKE, game consoles, etc on the WiFi network).

Solution? I came across D-Link’s DAP 1522 unit, that acts as a bridge, access point, or both. It has 4 ports on the back, which enabled me to plug in 4 wired devices that function on the wifi network… just like the RKE. Wiring was very easy, but the configuring was not. I am going to cover that tomorrow, so check back!

Unless you were in a cave for the last 6-8 months, you had to know that the awesome people at Digital Aquatics had released their new baby into the world; the Reef Keeper Elite. Since one half of your FragdIt crew has their system powered by this unique controller (cough, cough), he has been waiting for the release of their new modules to show up. And they have.. with a bang!

Out of nowhere, albeit at MAX (Marine Aquatic Expo) in Costa Mesa California , they shocked the Elite user world by announcing 4 new products: HUB, SL2, SW5 and PC1. My brain just had to reboot from the info overload.

Lets start with the first module, PC1. Its capabilities are very simple. You will be able to control one or two outputs up to 15 amps. Great for high wattage light systems and those house-sized chillers. (photo courtesy of Digital Aquatics).

Secondly, the SL2 had been announced and been advertised as the alternative to SL1 or the supplemental module to your RKE system. It would have all the components that a SL1 has (pH, temp, 2 switches) except for the ORP. The SL2 will be harnessed with the ability to check on your salinity.. yes your salt levels! The only question that I would have, with respect to that, would be “how many times a year will you have to calibrate your salinity probe?”.

Now lets talk about the mysterious modules, HUB and SW5. Here are excerpts from the DA’s website:

The RKM-HUB isn’t just a simple 5 port bus HUB! The RKM-HUB will also have a power port so that you can power your bus! What does that mean for the RK systems…

1) As mentioned we’ll be announcing two new combos one with the RKE and one with the RKL head unit. The HUB will play an important roll in those systems!
2) Having 5 bus ports, the HUB will also offer up new options for mounting and wiring your system!
3) The RKM-HUB will NOT count as a module in your system. This is very important for those of you running the RKL system as that head unit has a four module limit.

In other words, now you can use the HUB as a means to power up your head unit or your necessities during a power failure. Personally, I would want to have the NET linked with the HUB module to show that there is a power failure when the return pumps and the lights are all powered off.

The SW5 is a special tool for the entire system.

The RKM-SW5 has 4 switch inputs and 1 relay out. The relay can switch up to 6amp at 120VAC. Note, this is NOT a powered outlet. Think of it as a light switch, it will switch on and off a supply line. This has MANY uses! The SW5 will expand the ability of the RK systems to do more automated tasks! Now you’re talking!

Switches could be almost anything, from dosing pumps to light switches. I will leave it to your imagination.

The release dates for all of these products are yet unknown, but they seem to be almost ready to be on sale. Stay tuned folks!

The wait is over folks! Digital Aquatics has begun shipping the most anticipated module for their great Reef Keeper Elite controller: the NET. They have been taking pre-orders for a few weeks and now you will find your own toy in the mail.

What is the NET module? Lets leave it for the DA crew to explain to us what its features are:

Email Get alerts to your email, cell phone, or PDA; up to two email accounts.

System Status Current system data and channel status over the internet, gives you real-time information about what’s going on in your system.

RSS feeds Get on going status on your system from the RSS feed from the NET module! Real time reporting and up to 16 RSS feeds.

Logging With 2000 data points per entry and 1 minute to 4 hour resolution, the RKM-NET can log from 33 hours to almost a year. You can also set the resolution uniquely for each of the 16 items logged, giving you real flexibility.

Graphing We have included dynamic Flash graphs with RKM-NET to give you the ultimate viewing experience. You can scroll back and forth, zoom in and out, see an overview or just an individual data point; all over the internet from anywhere in the world.

Exporting You can also export your logged data to a .csv file to log, plot or just view in any other graphing program you have.

Included hardware 1 x 7′ Network cable 1 x 3′ Bus cable

And from what we hear, there will be a way to integrate your NET module wirelessly within your home network. You can check for the latest on Digital Aquatics’s Support Forums.

You know that Fragd.it will be NETed…  in time of course.  Now get your own!