Vertex Illumina Club

[johnyfalco]

Mark. I have a couple of illumina 360's and they both had a similar problem with saving programs. One, I fixed by replacing the battery. From the factory these Illumina lights have a cheap ?!$&@ battery, and mine was doa from new. The second I fixed by re seating the ribbon between the display and the light. Again this was like this from new. I also had major problems with US support. It wasn't until I got BRS involved, that I got any satisfaction from US support.
From my experience these are great lights, let down by bad support.

[Mark Elliott]

Originally Posted by johnyfalco

Mark. I have a couple of illumina 360's and they both had a similar problem with saving programs. One, I fixed by replacing the battery. From the factory these Illumina lights have a cheap ?!$&@ battery, and mine was doa from new. The second I fixed by re seating the ribbon between the display and the light. Again this was like this from new. I also had major problems with US support. It wasn't until I got BRS involved, that I got any satisfaction from US support.
From my experience these are great lights, let down by bad support.

Thanks for the tip. I've had the light a while now so the battery could be a likely suspect.

The support is awful, and the manual is incomprehensible but the lights are good.

But why does the software say the graphs are uploaded OK, when they plainly are not? Did someone in Austria go on a 'how to write user friendly software' course and then decide to do the exact opposite?

Premium product, substandard support!

Mark

[fijisrfr]

I've had these lights a couple of years & love them. Haven't read this thread for a while. My question is- whats this battery you guys are talking about?

[johnyfalco]

The battery holds all the information that you send to the light.
If you lose all your settings and program when the power goes off, your battery is dead.
The battery is about 25mm in diameter and you have to take the display end, cover off and then undo another 6 torx screws, on yet another cover behind that. Took me about half an hour to do it but I was going really slow. Fixed all my problems.

[fijisrfr]

Thank, never knew it was there!

[sportsday]

i have had mine 2 years without any battery problems. But thanks I now know where it is

[jmvaldes80]

Is the Illumina still not sold in the US? Anyone know where I can get one shipped to Florida?

I don't want to fly to Canada, and try to sneak one over the border myself. Its ridiculous that a great product can be banned from US consumers because of a dumb *** patent.

[fijisrfr]

I got mine from premium aquatics a couple of years ago

[jmvaldes80]

Bummer... its not listed anymore. Great site though, way more stuff than MarineDepot.

[LBCMatt]

BRS used to sell them, but it looks like they stopped. What size are you looking for? I know a used 1 foot version was listed on a local forum out here in southern California a while back. I also know another local reefer who has a 1 foot and a 3 foot that he was going to sell, but he works overseas a lot and I haven't heard from him in months.

[jmvaldes80]

Yea I kno... I was doing research for my new 40b. Tank wont be up for awhile. I'm finishing school at the end of the year, and starting to plan for my new build.So research purpose only.

Total shame, I want to use only one unit over the damn tank, yet Radions only have a 2ft spread. Having to cover 36in, leaves me buying 2 Radions or going dark at the edges.

For that price, I rather buy a 2 or 3 ft vertex and have a better light IMO

[jmvaldes80]

So, I did some investigation on the Vertex Illumia and why BRS and Premiumaquatics doesn't carry the illumina.

I started by emailing a British vender to inquire if they ship international. However, they shut me down quick. No, they did not with no explaination. Try to figure out why they would not dare to ship internationally, I remembered the patent issues and how more importantly the fixture will not work on our grid. (UK 220/US 110).

I then searched for countries with the same grids as the US, turns out Canada has the same grid. I then emailed JL Aquatics in British Columbia. I got word from them that they do ship to the US, but that there is one US retailer left, Proline Aquatics in California.

Ecstatic that there possibly might still be a vendor in our great nation, I saught out Proline Aquatics' sales team.

There is **** news and good news... **** News: Vertex illumina is extinct... Went out of product last year. Good News: there is a new model coming out Spring 2016.

Let's see! Just around the time I'll be ready to fire my 40 build up.

[sedgro]

Has any one ever swapped out one of the pads (the blue/white ones, not an auxiliary module)? My pad #0 and controller died. I salvaged new ones from a 1ft fixture. Now I can't get pads 1-9 to come on. How do I link them? I'm guessing it will involving me firing up a 4 year old windows laptop and using v-link which I dread...

[johnyfalco]

Originally Posted by sedgro

Has any one ever swapped out one of the pads (the blue/white ones, not an auxiliary module)? My pad #0 and controller died. I salvaged new ones from a 1ft fixture. Now I can't get pads 1-9 to come on. How do I link them? I'm guessing it will involving me firing up a 4 year old windows laptop and using v-link which I dread...

I have a 4 foot light (360) that has a dead module and I was told that if I replaced the module with another one, that the guys at Vertex would have to use teamviewer to access my light and "reprogram" it.

[taxman95]

Originally Posted by sedgro

Has any one ever swapped out one of the pads (the blue/white ones, not an auxiliary module)? My pad #0 and controller died. I salvaged new ones from a 1ft fixture. Now I can't get pads 1-9 to come on. How do I link them? I'm guessing it will involving me firing up a 4 year old windows laptop and using v-link which I dread...

I just replaced the display end and first pad in my light yesterday and had no issues after turning it on and connecting with V-link

BRS had the replacement pads on sale when I purchased them a couple of weeks ago

[sedgro]

Interesting. Wondering how the replacement pad knew where the other pads were located along the length of the light (since you can have the turn on in sequence) and how it knew the number of pads you have? I figured this was something that you would need to program? How many other pads do you have in the fixture?

[Broly_PT]

hello,

I need your help,

I can not change the time on the menu, go to the time and date menu, I change the time, and I leave and save.

But then the time always comes back to old time.

I have a vertex sr360

What can I do?

cumpliments

[jaferreira]

Hi,

I have a Vertex Illuminia Sr360 900mm and a tank with 109gallon ( 130cmX60X60)

Corals feel a bit down and have water parameters all well ... I've been told it may be due to insufficient lighting ...

Recommend me to add 2 multicolor modules and 2 blue for instance?

[notclear]

I would agree to add blues and multi color modules. It gives better light spectrum.

SR360 has very high light intensity already, but getting those modules will definitely help.

[boostedvq]

It appears to be an amazing light, but I'm curious as to long term success under these vs radions and kessils. I found a great deal on this light, but concerned about reliability and success

[johnyfalco]

Originally Posted by boostedvq

It appears to be an amazing light, but I'm curious as to long term success under these vs radions and kessils. I found a great deal on this light, but concerned about reliability and success

I cant comment on radion & Kessil comparison, as I have had no experience with those. I can comment on the reliability and success of the Vertex as I have two of the Illumina 360's
Reliability of the light is pretty good and success is nothing short of amazing.
I have had to replace the battery on on one, and I had another that had a faulty
light module, from new purchase.
I must add the the North American distributor absolutely flat out refuses to honour any warrantee on these, but the results in the aquarium are brilliant.

[Broly_PT]

Johnyfalco you have the auxiliar multicolor module?

I have to 360 in the 1200mm size, how many multi-colors modules you recommend?

regards

[johnyfalco]

Originally Posted by Broly_PT

Johnyfalco you have the auxiliar multicolor module?

I have to 360 in the 1200mm size, how many multi-colors modules you recommend?

regards

I dont have any of the extra UV or RED modules. Only the standard light.

[notclear]

I have been using SR200 for more than 5 years, so far I would say it is an excellent light! Mind you I have 4 blues, 4 UV, and 3 multicolor modules installed plus two actinic blue reefbrites. But the growth on SPS is phenomenal.

Here is my full tank shot from last month:

[boostedvq]

Originally Posted by johnyfalco

I cant comment on radion & Kessil comparison, as I have had no experience with those. I can comment on the reliability and success of the Vertex as I have two of the Illumina 360's
Reliability of the light is pretty good and success is nothing short of amazing.
I have had to replace the battery on on one, and I had another that had a faulty
light module, from new purchase.
I must add the the North American distributor absolutely flat out refuses to honour any warrantee on these, but the results in the aquarium are brilliant.

Would you be able to share a photo of your tank?

I found someone who wants to trade his light for my 3 kessil a360w, and I'm REALLY close to following through on it. Are replacement parts readily available, if need be?