High Tide Aquatics

Neptune Apex DB8 went out with less than a years of use...anyone else experience this?

nanoguy

nanoguy

Supporting Member
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I purchased my controller new last November and did not put it online until late April of this year. I get an alert from the high level optical sensor on my Apex ATO when I was out this morning. I come home to find everything thing plugged into the DB8 was not getting any power...return pump, heater, etc. My tank temp was hovering @ 74 degrees. I unplugged all the outlets and connected all my plugs to a circuit breaker and got the tank back up and running. Less than a year of use and this thing goes out on me. Unfortunately, I'm out of warranty. I found a fix which I believe is the same issue I'm having and already ordered the repair parts. I've never experienced so many issues with any reef equipment I've owned since being in this hobby...apex randomly losing connection to my ATO not turning off and now this. I was supposed to be out of town this week, but luckily that was cancelled last minute. My confidence on relying on this controller to run my system just went out the window today. Moving forward, I think I'm going to just plug my return pump and heater/critical components to a standard wall outlet and leave everything else to the controller. I'm curious if anyone else is experiencing any reliability issues with their Apex controllers.
 
I’ve definitely been there with buying something but not installing it right away and wasting your warranty period.

I’d say the customer service from Neptune Systems is pretty amazing. Some companies won’t even take your call the day after the warranty expires (I’m looking at you Netgear), but I’ve had nothing but great service from Neptune when I have a problem. When I have to pay because it’s out of warranty it is usually a reduced cost or a refurb exchange or something along those lines. You didn’t mention if you already contacted them, but I’d do that before assuming the worst about coverage.

@Vhuang168
 
@nanoguy Sorry to hear that you are having an issue with one of our energy bars. You mentioned an DB8. We do not have a DB8, but did had an DC8 & EB8 that had a black metal case. However you mentioned that you purchased this just last year which would normally be the EB832 that is has an orange and silver plastic case.

If you have the EB832
Have you checked the circuit breaker on the back of the unit or tried a forced firmware update?
Have you created a support ticket so the support team can get you taken care of as fast as possible. If so what is your ticket#. If not please go to https://www.neptunesystems.com/support/contact-support/
 
jonmos75 said:
@nanoguy Sorry to hear that you are having an issue with one of our energy bars. You mentioned an DB8. We do not have a DB8, but did had an DC8 & EB8 that had a black metal case. However you mentioned that you purchased this just last year which would normally be the EB832 that is has an orange and silver plastic case.

If you have the EB832
Have you checked the circuit breaker on the back of the unit or tried a forced firmware update?
Have you created a support ticket so the support team can get you taken care of as fast as possible. If so what is your ticket#. If not please go to https://www.neptunesystems.com/support/contact-support/
Click to expand...
Sorry...I thought it was called db8...it's the one in the attached pic. I will try what you suggested regarding the circuit breaker and firmware update. I didn't open a ticket with support. TBH, the only thoughts that came across my mind was to repair it or buy a new one since I was already out of warranty. I will get on it with support if what you suggested doesn't work. Thanks.
 

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Someone on here replaced the switching power supply on the eb832. I think its like a 5 dollar part. From my understanding this is what always blows out.
 
Mine went out last week as well and was out of warranty. Does your ed8 have power but is not switching on? If so, I opened my ed8 replaced mine with a 5 dollar part and it worked again. If you determine that is the problem, I have an extra switch I can give you. Basic soldering skills are needed but I can walk you through it if you feel comfortable.
 
Drew 24 Y said:
Mine went out last week as well and was out of warranty. Does your ed8 have power but is not switching on? If so, I opened my ed8 replaced mine with a 5 dollar part and it worked again. If you determine that is the problem, I have an extra switch I can give you. Basic soldering skills are needed but I can walk you through it if you feel comfortable.
Click to expand...
Can you link the part you got here for reference for others?
 
Just a cautionary word.

You are dealing with 120v electricity. If you not comfortable with that in general, please send it in.
Myself, I do a lot of wiring in my own house so I have no qualms about doing it for myself. But I would never offer to do it for others. I would not want to be liable for anything that happens should something go wrong.

Just saying.
 
Vhuang168 said:
Just a cautionary word.

You are dealing with 120v electricity. If you not comfortable with that in general, please send it in.
Myself, I do a lot of wiring in my own house so I have no qualms about doing it for myself. But I would never offer to do it for others. I would not want to be liable for anything that happens should something go wrong.

Just saying.
Click to expand...
Good point.
Offered since I work with HV 440V automotive electronics for my day job.
 
Vhuang168 said:
Just a cautionary word.

You are dealing with 120v electricity. If you not comfortable with that in general, please send it in.
Myself, I do a lot of wiring in my own house so I have no qualms about doing it for myself. But I would never offer to do it for others. I would not want to be liable for anything that happens should something go wrong.

Just saying.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I rewired my whole house from knob and tube to romex so, like you, are comfortable and cautious with electricity. Another alternative if the person is not comfortable working with electricity or soldering would be send it to fixreef.com. I have used this guy to fix my loose connection on my apex head unit. He also has a series of fixes from lights to apexes on YouTube. All require soldering though.
 
I opened a ticket with Neptunes. They gave me a check list of procedures to try first before sending it back in.
Drew 24 Y said:
Mine went out last week as well and was out of warranty. Does your ed8 have power but is not switching on? If so, I opened my ed8 replaced mine with a 5 dollar part and it worked again. If you determine that is the problem, I have an extra switch I can give you. Basic soldering skills are needed but I can walk you through it if you feel comfortable.
Click to expand...
The EB seems be functioning with the exception of no power to the outlets. The EB itself is getting power as indicated by the orange Neptune logo and it still responds to fusion when I toggle the outlets on/off as indicated by the led lights on the EB. I just don't hear that "clicking" sound the relay makes when it's functioning. I opened up a ticket with Neptune and received a check list of things to try to from Jon to see if I can get it to work. If all fails, I will be sending it in for them to trouble shoot. I will keep everyone posted.
 
Drew 24 Y said:
www.ebay.com

12V 500mA AC-DC Power Supply Converter Step Down Module Electronic Transformer | eBay

Output current 500mA. We will be happy to resolve. Otherwise deal is final. very important to us. Item Location. All products are quality checked. They are new and in good. If you don't receive.
www.ebay.com
Click to expand...
The problem with this replacement is that it is just that- an OEM replacement. Looks exactly like you would find in an original EB832. And they fail. Note the branding on the capacitors. Sayeth Fixreef:
"Zhuohao are not just low quality, they are the bottom of the bottom of the barrel capacitors. You can pretty much only source them directly from China. No reputable electronics supplier in the US carries them. Just google them to get some juicy details from the electronics community."
If I were doing this fix,I would buy a couple of the ebay replacements ( to learn on) and solder in quality capacitors. Last time I looked, before most of you were born, Panasonic and Nichone would be on that list. Capacitors are the most failure-prone component in power supplies, and in such critical applications, they only fail when you are away from home.
 
Wild Bob said:
The problem with this replacement is that it is just that- an OEM replacement. Looks exactly like you would find in an original EB832. And they fail. Note the branding on the capacitors. Sayeth Fixreef:
"Zhuohao are not just low quality, they are the bottom of the bottom of the barrel capacitors. You can pretty much only source them directly from China. No reputable electronics supplier in the US carries them. Just google them to get some juicy details from the electronics community."
If I were doing this fix,I would buy a couple of the ebay replacements ( to learn on) and solder in quality capacitors. Last time I looked, before most of you were born, Panasonic and Nichone would be on that list. Capacitors are the most failure-prone component in power supplies, and in such critical applications, they only fail when you are away from home.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Yes, I bought 4 - one to practice on, one replacement, and two in case things fail again. If you happen to find any high grade one, please let this thread know. Thanks in advance.
 
When I got all my apex gear, I had two of the EB832’s but only was using one, figured I’d keep the other for a backup. Well the one I was using went out on me in a couple months, like 2-4. I opened a ticket and had it repaired and now split the load between two units, one of which is the same that failed. I now have a backup ready to go in case of another emergency.
 
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