AI Vega Color/Blue Owners Thread!

[gldnegle76]

Originally Posted by gbreynol

Yes, I am using it on a Nano. Just one wire.

Thanks. Have you had any issues with it at all?

[gbreynol]

Originally Posted by gldnegle76

Thanks. Have you had any issues with it at all?

None, I replaced my old knobbed one. So much easier!

[MBSL55]

Originally Posted by qfrisco

Thanks for posting this, Mike. Looks nice and clean inside, and definitely looks simple enough for most people to do!

I wonder, given that the drivers are modular themselves, if replacing the drivers could be a future option, driving future higher-wattage LEDs with more power, etc.

My pleasure. The revision and part numbers on the driver boards are the same so I am guessing there is no problem with swapping drivers, upgrading, updating, or whatever.

Also note all boards are modular so if they wanted to update the wireless receiver/power input board, they can do so. If they wanted to, they could even design and release an all new power puck down the road with additional or fewer LED's and an appropriate new driver board, lens, or whatever. Seems like the fixture should be infinitely user upgradeable.

I asked then about releasing an add-on flux capacitor for the controller so it doesn't have to be plugged in but that's not in the works at the moment but that something related to the controller design will be apparent at MACNA.

BTW, I got my controller issues resolved and received a replacement power supply yesterday that took care of controller sensitivity issues.

[Mcbeezus]

i wonder if they will have 410-420nm led bulbs as an update in interchangeble puck system in the near future

[HHIreefer843]

over/under on the number of posts on this thread before Oct. 1?

[qfrisco]

Completely missed this on AI's website:

AI PowerPuck
We will launch the PowerPuck customization website this fall. The price per puck will be $50 for any configuration. Initially, the PowerPucks will need to be purchased directly through us, with the intention of providing dealer availability once common/frequent configurations are determined."

$50 per puck for any configuration sounds pretty reasonable, although that can add up pretty quickly if you're replacing all four!

[Mcbeezus]

id say 50 per puck is pretty good, especially if you can do it the way you like

[SteveWong]

It would be even better if they had a power puck trade in program!

[Skipponator]

So I had submitted a help ticket since my lights tripped my GFCI and stopped my return pump, and which was literally responded to and resolved within minutes! I had my system plugged into GFCI outlets, and apparently, they recommend not plugging them into GFCI. Today I wired up a seperate standard outlet for the lights, and they work as supposed to without any issues. My corals are popping and showing good response. I am excited to order a 2nd Vega soon! I will also be excited for custom pucks! So, with custom pucks, will there be additional colors noted on the screens?

[qfrisco]

Originally Posted by Skipponator

So, with custom pucks, will there be additional colors noted on the screens?

That's a good question. It's possible they have those additional colors already programmed into the firmware, or maybe they'll have to release new software to support new colors.

At the very least, they've had to already build in the capability to independently control and address each individual LED, regardless of which puck they're on. For example, you're supposed to be able to go into your light, move the pucks around, and the controller still knows where the reds are, etc. So I would assume that at least some of the capability is already in there.

[lordmbsa]

hey im getting my light tonight do you need to buy the wireless controller to actually use the light or is there a controller built in ? sorry i sound stupid new to leds

[qfrisco]

Originally Posted by lordmbsa

hey im getting my light tonight do you need to buy the wireless controller to actually use the light or is there a controller built in ? sorry i sound stupid new to leds

You don't need a controller, but keep in mind that without one the lights are basically "dumb" lights and you won't get controllable dimming, custom color mix, timers, weather effects, etc.

You will be able to set each light to any of 6 preset brightness levels (0%, 20%,...80%, 100%) which will help in acclimating your corals, but this is with all LED colors on at the same intensity, so you wouldn't be able to set a specific color mix.

[lordmbsa]

ok well im alittle depressed guess i gotta go to tb aquatics to go get a controller after work

[bhazard451]

"Puck upgrades" are the new bulb changes.

I like that the ability is there, and technology will progress rapidly which makes it a great option... but you can't really say that leds will save you in bulb changes over MH anymore when you replace led pucks every year.

[TTU_Reefer]

Anyone else notice when a "storm" kicks in the red and green create a nasty disco effect? I have them both do around 30%.

[qfrisco]

Originally Posted by bhazard451

"Puck upgrades" are the new bulb changes.

I like that the ability is there, and technology will progress rapidly which makes it a great option... but you can't really say that leds will save you in bulb changes over MH anymore when you replace led pucks every year.

While I agree with you that the cost advantage of LEDs over MHs or T5s is not what most people make it out to be, no one is expecting that LEDs will only last a year and need to be replaced annually, so I don't think it will be that bad.

Of course, the longevity of LEDs is still not a proven thing, so who knows?! :-) But LED life notwithstanding, the only reason one should ever have to replace pucks is if a different light spectrum is desired.

[qfrisco]

Originally Posted by TTU_Reefer

Anyone else notice when a "storm" kicks in the red and green create a nasty disco effect? I have them both do around 30%.

I haven't noticed, but it would make sense that the disco effect would be worse. The red and green LEDs are spaced further apart from each other so flashing them would produce a non-converged shadow from both LEDs.

In general, we have to remember that the disco effect won't ever go away but can only be minimized, and the main determining factor is how close the LEDs are to each other. For example, the Kessils have the LEDs in a very tight cluster which (I've never seen them) produce a very minimal disco effect, but it's still there.

[TTU_Reefer]

Originally Posted by qfrisco

I haven't noticed, but it would make sense that the disco effect would be worse. The red and green LEDs are spaced further apart from each other so flashing them would produce a non-converged shadow from both LEDs.

In general, we have to remember that the disco effect won't ever go away but can only be minimized, and the main determining factor is how close the LEDs are to each other. For example, the Kessils have the LEDs in a very tight cluster which (I've never seen them) produce a very minimal disco effect, but it's still there.

copy, makes since. Its nothing I cant live with anyways. My corals/nems are loving my Vega (previously under Par 38 rapid LEDs)

[bezlar]

How many Vegas for a 60x26x28?

Thanks

[MarlinDreams]

Originally Posted by qfrisco

- as I mentioned in my prior post (and as seen in the pics), the Vegas don't appear to be as bright as my 6xT5HOs, but I’m not sure how much of this is attributable to the shadowing that comes with a point-source light. Roughly four years ago, I remember thinking my T5s were much brighter than the 2x250w MHs they replaced, and we know MHs are plenty bright! I don't have access to a PAR meter, so hopefully someone else can get those measurements. It will be interesting to see how the corals react. As everyone can see in my pics, my tank is stocked mostly with SPS, so it shouldn’t take long for them to feel the pain. :-)

- the shimmer is gorgeous! The disco ball effect isn't as bad as with other lights that I've seen, but still there if you look closely.

- as you can see from my pics above, the pop is just awesome! I've never seen my corals pop like this in the 3-4 years I've had various combinations of T5s.

- the wireless setup is super easy! Simply plug the lights into AC power, power up the controller, and go into Wireless Setup on the controller and it will automatically find any lights in the vicinity. You then tell the controller the physical location of each lights (Left, Left + 1, etc), and you're done!

- the controller's buttons are ultra-sensitive, which is annoying and takes some getting used too. The buttons are not physical buttons, and instead are capacitive, so you just have to touch them - but at times it seems the buttons detect a press even when your finger is just hovering over the button.

- the controller has a cool (at least in theory) coral acclimation mode that I was looking forward to using. You set the percentage you’d like to reduce the brightness of the LEDs, as well as a start date and an end date. When you first go into this menu option, the first setting is whether you want to enable the feature, but it didn't appear to stick. After I’ve already enabled the feature, leaving the menu and coming back shows the feature as disabled again. I don’t know if the default state is “disabled” every time you enter the menu, or if the state never got saved from the previous time I set it, but having that doubt was enough for me to decide not to risk using it. I just manually set all colors to 30%, and I will raise them up slowly manually.

Moreover, with the start and end dates you set, I wasn’t sure what would happen when the end date is reached. Do the lights then switch to 100% (or whatever the default brightness is set to) at that time, hence torching the corals then? I think a much more useful implementation would have been an initial reduction plus start/end dates, and the controller automatically increases the brightness (reduces the %-age reduction) over the specific period. This way the user can define how quickly or slowly the acclimation should happen.

- I didn’t get a chance to play with the weather effects, but the same issue happened with enabling the feature as with the acclimation mode. Enabling the weather effects didn’t seem to stick.

- there is a Test Lights option that is ultra helpful. This option basically “fast-forwards” the lights through a 24-hour period, incrementing 15-minutes at a time (if I remember correctly). The left softkey allows you to move forward an hour at a time. This shows you how the lights will operate over a day, which is cool.

- I haven’t explored the firmware update option yet, and don’t know if there’s new firmware available to would fix some of the issues above.

- all in all, I really like the lights! Definitely very well put together and beautifully designed. The only thing that's making me nervous is how they appear to be less bright than my T5s, but only time will tell how the corals react. I’ll post another FTS once I have the lights raised to the 10” or 12” above the water that I want.

Any questions? Ask away!

Thank you so much for a precise reply to this thread. I am almost sure this will be the way I go for my new 210 dt. But I will wait until after MACNA to be 100% sure. Can't wait.

[HaleMoana]

Originally Posted by Skipponator

I had my system plugged into GFCI outlets, and apparently, they recommend not plugging them into GFCI. Today I wired up a seperate standard outlet for the lights, and they work as supposed to without any issues.

Why is a GFCI tripping when using Vega's? That doesn't sound right. My entire fish room is wired with GFCI (homeowners insurance and local code), so I'm guessing that Vega's aren't recommended for folks like me? I find that difficult to believe, unless you were overloading the circuit.

Can anyone else provide insight? I'll email them to confirm.

[HaleMoana]

Originally Posted by Saltwatercoral2

Since putting these lights over my tank, my High end zoas have all sprouted off babies!

lol... No way dude. There is no way that your "high end zoas" are sprouting new babies after being under new lighting for a week. C'mon.... I think we're all mature enough to talk like adults here. If your zoas are, in fact, starting new heads, I'm sure we're all experienced enough to understand that they had started sprouting prior to your lighting change.
There is no way that zoas just started to spontaneously reproduce as soon as they saw the Vega. Lol.

Hopefully anyone considering a $500 fixture is smart enough to understand the complexities of coral growth/reproduction and doesn't actually believe that one week under a Vega is going to make all your zoas grow babies. lol

I know there's a desire to love the lights that you just dropped a paycheck on, but let's keep this thread open and honest please.

[Skipponator]

Originally Posted by HaleMoana

Why is a GFCI tripping when using Vega's? That doesn't sound right. My entire fish room is wired with GFCI (homeowners insurance and local code), so I'm guessing that Vega's aren't recommended for folks like me? I find that difficult to believe, unless you were overloading the circuit.

Can anyone else provide insight? I'll email them to confirm.

Not sure, definetly not overloaded as I stated the only items that were plugged into that circuit. But here is what they said:

"Typically we do not recommend using the lights on a GFCI circuit. The rapid current changes (demo mode, lighting, etc) has, in rare cases, caused the GFCI outlet to trip. We have seen very few cases in the last five years of producing LED lighting modules. Please remove it from this outlet, and let us know if it happens again."

[sirreal63]

"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area we call the Aqua Illumination Zone."

[HaleMoana]

Originally Posted by Skipponator

Not sure, definetly not overloaded as I stated the only items that were plugged into that circuit. But here is what they said:

"Typically we do not recommend using the lights on a GFCI circuit. The rapid current changes (demo mode, lighting, etc) has, in rare cases, caused the GFCI outlet to trip. We have seen very few cases in the last five years of producing LED lighting modules. Please remove it from this outlet, and let us know if it happens again."

That kinda sucks. Not that I would ever use demo mode, but the occasional storm could be fun in a rare occasion.