Neptune Systems ATK - First look at the new Automatic Top Off kit
At MACNA 2016 neptune announced their new ATK (Automatic Top of kit) . I was lucky enough to get into the neptune insider program and get myself an ATK to try out for my self. Now one of the cool things about the ATK is it can be used stand alone, this is a first form neptune! This allows you to get a top of kit, and later expand the capability if you purchased a APEX controller down the road.
So now what makes the ATK so great? well the redundancy is the big from my perspective. The ATK uses an optical water level sensor as the main control, there is a second optical sensor as a secondary backup.. and an mechanical float switch for backup. now one of the other cool things is the controller has a built in algorithm that figures out the average fill time and will not let the system run more than double that. .this ATO has redundancy and safety at is core!
I used to consider the tunze 3155 Osmolator but now thing the neptune kit is giving it a run for its money (especially since it can be ran standalone or linked with the apex!)
The ATK also comes with two additional ports for further expansion. Port 3 can be used for a leak detector to disable the pump if a spill is detected. port 4 can use an additional optical sensor to alert you or turn off the pump when your reservoir is low.
When paired with an apex controller it can send you alerts via text/email and give you further options through the apex advanced controls
I ordered an extra optical sensor to use as a low level sensor in the reservoir.. now I didnt have an good way to mount it so i used a scrap piece of acrylic to build a little optical holder.
The Apex ATO sensors features two ultra precise optical sensor. The Bottom sensors features a five minute delay before topoff to prevent waves or splaces from triggering the fill.
The second sensor acts as a backup to the first.. and the float valve adds a further safety if the water level was ever to rise to high.
The Brains of the ATO or ATK is the FMM module which monitors the sensor inputs and can also be used with flow sensors, optical sensors and leak detectors
The Neptune pump, the PMUP (Practical multi-purpose utility pump.. or pump backwards for alittle play on words) is a 24v pump that can be hooked up directly to the FMM or used for other purposes and plugged directly into a 24v port on the new apex power bars (Energybar 832). The pump uses 17 watts of power and can be used for a multiple of tasks such as driving reactors and automatic top off's! The little pump can handle up to 14' of head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-XuMn98RmA
