Dont buy that controller just yet!

jmaneyapanda

jmaneyapanda

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For all those aquarium controller junkies- Digital aquatics is on the verge of announcing their new Reefkeper Elite. It is supposedly meant to compete more heavily with the AC units, and have a bunch of expandability and programmability. I spoke to Scott at DA a couple days ago about my RK2, and we got to talking about the "limiting aspect" of the RK2. He, of course, was very guraded until they make their announcement, but said thay've been really focusing on making a new controller that can still have the ease of use of the current RKs, but also have the variability and porgrammability of other units (ie-ACs).

Personally, I'm not in the market, but I know some of you may. Keep your eyes peeled.
 
i emailed them tday and this is what they said
Victor,

We're posting all info on RC as it comes out. The questions you've asked aren't released yet so we can't comment on them. Keep up with the RC post for the latest info. You can look back through the thread to get all the details and pictures.

Scott BognerDesign Engineer/MarketingDigital Aquatics19825 141st Pl NEWoodinville, WA 98072http://www.digitalaquatics.com/"><span style="color: #810081;">www.digitalaquatics.com</span></a>
my question was how much and when
 
I see some intriguing looking icons on that display. I have really enjoyed my RK2 on my nano but decided not to get one for my big tank because I have more than 8 items to control. The RK elite seems to bust this limit wide open.

I am glad I waited for this guy. I will definitely be getting one as soon as they are released. (Shameless plug: Aqua Buys will be carrying them as well!)
 
<span style="color: black;">I've been following that RC thread also. I'll probably take a chance with one of these since I really like the DA products. The ReefKeeper Elite covers all my needs, but it's probably going to lack some luxuries I would like to have.</span>
 
They are late to market with it (they were targetting end of the year) and now appears to be mid next year before they release. I won't be suprised if they announce it for sale as their big MACNA announcement. I would also wait a few models before buying one. DA doesn't have the best "first release" record out there. It was scheduled to be around $500 with no accessories last year. My guess it will be in the $700 + range after accessories if their base is $600. The good news is they are planning an aggressive accessory release for all you gearheads.

Big shoes to fill in that market segment though. The Aquatronica is coming on strong with the accessories and has a slick interface. The AC3 is affordable and also has a few extras that are great for high end systems (AquaSurf and LunarSim). The Profilux II looks incredible even if it is pricey and pound for pound competes with the best of them. Biomatix looks awesome but I don't think that company is going to make it. A lot of money invested, nothing on the market, missed shipping dates and still no product.

So far though, I have seen nothing that would cause me to wait for one over a Profilux or Aquatronica if I had the money or a proven and affordable AC3 in that mid-high end range. In a couple years after all the bugs are out and they have a lot of accessories on the market, I could see myself shopping for one.
 
Sigh... and I just bought a Profilux II EX.... figures...
 
Mojo the Profilux is light years ahead of most controllers on the market and has a ton of cool accessories. I don't think RK2 Elite will be there any time soon and you will still probably have to deal with their CS which can be hit or miss. I don't think you will regret that purchase.
 
Cameron;114492 wrote: Mojo the Profilux is light years ahead of most controllers on the market and has a ton of cool accessories. I don't think RK2 Elite will be there any time soon and you will still probably have to deal with their CS which can be hit or miss. I don't think you will regret that purchase.
Click to expand...

Yeah- after reading up a little on the RKE, I think I'm still good. I really haven't had any problems with CS yet- they've been very responsive so far. [Oops- I just saw that you were talking about Digital Aquatic's CS...]

I bought it after a careful breakdown of the controllers available. The direct Tunze control and the dosing pump control are what sold me. I still would like some features available on other high-end controllers, but feel confident they'll come over time. I'm also hoping to get the API and have a little more control myself, as the Neptunes provide...
 
Just wanted to bump this thread with the link to the new DA site and more updates on the RKE.

a>
 
It would be an interesting pre-order but I still can not find enough write up on what it is suppost to do over the AC3 and others. The price point is a bit better at just under $500 but still not enough to make me jump if they have not fixed the problems witht he RKII.
 
Like the number of ports and the interface looks slick. Wonder what the programming dongle is... this is new since last I spoke with them. Hopefully they allow users to write code to interface with the unit. I found the RK2 very limiting in that regard. Price is nice as well.

The best news is that it will spark more competition in the market.
 
At that price point, they're competing directly against some major players.

Profilux just released a package right at $500.
showthread.php
 
That is just freakin cool! You can get the ACjr with an AquaSurf for that price but it can't be expanded as much.

I still like a programming language in my controller but I am biased.

I also like the USB of the RK Elite, but would be nice if the ethernet was included in that price.
 
An ACIII package is $588 and a almost similarly equiped RK Elite package is $490. The RK Elite doesn't include Ethernet? !? :wow2: The Ethernet module is under development? :wow2: Ethernet is a base feature if you ask me...

$100 off for an unproven controller with a fancy interface with fewer features isn't much competition IMO. I'm sure this will eventually be heathy competition for Neptune. Hopefully it will kick them into upgrading their antique web interface and device UI.
 
Don't quote me on this but I think DA is creating a module that has both ethernet and wifi. They haven't confirmed of denied any of this though.
 
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