ICA Discussion

[ccjung]

The first ICAs got to customers yesterday.

 

Because these are new devices, and some of you may not fully understand their use, ive started this forum to address any questions/concerns about your ICAs.

 

The new ICAs feature a MIL-A-8625E, TYPE III CL 2 Anodized finish.

 

The ICA has been treated with a Gold Iridite MIL-C-5541-E finish for increased corrosion resistance on the lower surface of the heatsink.

 

During initial startup, take the time to verify the correct polarity on the plug. The waterblock should get very cold or very warm. It should get very cold in normal operation, so reverse the polarity on the provided DC power jack if the waterblock gets warm.

 

this is VERY important!!!

 

YOU MUST RUN THE FAN AT ALL TIMES DURING THE ICAs OPERATION.

 

If you dont run it with the fan on, you risk overheating the Heatsink and damaging the TEC. The TEC ships with a Fan, but no power supply for the fan, any 12v/500mA Adapter with 2.5mm Plug will do.

 

As always, I value your feedback and comments/questions.

 

Chris

[Fliger]

Hi Chris, I spoke with you a couple days ago about ordering the Larnie. I was thinking of having this chiller put on, but I have a few basic questions.

 

1) Do I need a temperature controller to turn the chiller on & off? Will a Ranco work, or an X10 off an AQ Jr.?

 

2) What is the actual pull-down on the 12G nano?

 

3) If I have you install it on the Larnie - it should be plug n play, right? Will it be tested at all?

 

4) Related question - I was planning on running the fans 24/7. If I do this, since the air flow is within the lighting "chamber" it shouldn't cool down the tank temp when the lights are off. As in, I have accidentally kept ONE fan on overnight on my 340G SPS tank and it took the tank temp down 4 degrees blowing over the top of the display tank.

 

Thanks and regards,

 

David

[ccjung]

Hi David,

 

1. The ICA is currently powered by a Plug In Wall Transformer that is variable voltage (3-8.4v). The tec can be turned up/down to suit your needs. It can be controlled by any timer or x10 device.

 

2. I've tried to be very careful billing this device as a "chiller" the name Integrated Chill Assist is to denote that this is a heat bias device. It will pull down up to 20w with the current powersupply. I have found that the optimal voltage/amperage is 10v @ 4.0 A= 40w. Unfortunately 40w power supplys in that factor are hard to come by and are pretty expensive (40-60 each).

 

The amount of chilling is determined by your thermal load. For example a Maxi900 (8w) and a MJ606 (6w) would put out roughly 14w of energy + Lights.

 

The real issue with the new model hoods is that they are pretty much airtight. The ICA allows you to remove energy from the system while keeping the hood closed.

 

If you are really in a tight pinch, evaporative cooling is most effective, but you risk the integrity of your hood/components that way.

 

3. All the systems i build should be plug and play and are tested before leaving the shop. We have pushed out quite a few units and the first rounds of consumers are recieving thier ICA'd units.

 

4. The fans being on in the main lighting area would only cool down the tank by means of a temperature difference (colder), and not by evaporation, so its effect on temperatures should be negligible.

 

The ICA is still in its infancy, but the good news is that its been designed with expandability in mind. I look forward to some neat controllers that will be able to take advantage of the heat/cool capabilities of the ICA and make it a world class device.

 

Chris

[limulus]

Chris,

I went to the nanocustoms site and clicked on chiller. The page came up blank. I know I saw it there before. Even w/standard lighting, my 12gDX got up to 85F yesterday. If I leave the front lid open, it helps keep it cool. I'm going to be ordering the Larnie upgrade and I'm definitely going to need something to help chill the water.

[ccjung]

The ICA is at the nanotuners.com site.

http://nanotuners.nanocustoms.com/nanotune...&products_id=79

 

 

About stock Temps:

 

The funny thing that people dont really know or remember is that I started nanocustoms due to some cooling improvements I did on my cube when the DX first came out. My STOCK DX ran 87 when it was 77 in the house.

 

I called JBJ, and to no avail. I finally broke down and did evap cooling, which did the trick, so much that i thought hmm, maybe an extra PC or 2 or 3 belong in there too. And the rest is history.

 

Surprisingly the Larnies run at about 1-2F above ambient, so they are actually cooler than stock.

 

My MH is barely cresting 81F today, and its 83 in my house.

 

Hope this helps

 

Chris

[emoutz]

So I installed the ICA last night. After much dremel action on the splash guard I got it in. However, it does not fit properly in the back chamber of the 12dx. It looks like I'll have to dremel the back chambers too in order to make it fit.

 

Also, the ICA does not come with an adapter for the fan. I'd suggest that nanotuners include that adapter to save folks the trouble of running to the store. This is a minor point. Im more concerned that the ICA does not fit in the stock cube and that I'm going to have to drain the freaking thing in order to install it.

 

Just FYI for anyone considering this product.

[nanocustoms.com]

emoutz-

 

Sorry for the inconvenience. It should fit a stock cube fine, but it must be installed on the fan nearest the return. Since i shipped it out with no instructions, i feel that I owe you a new splashguard.

 

JBJ has them on order for me, eta 1 month or so. If you can hold out that long, id be more than happpy to provide you with a new unit.

 

on that note, for other users:

 

INSTALL THE ICA in the Fan over the Return. It will not clear the back chambers if installed in chamber 1 and 2.

 

As far as fan power is concerned, because there are so many different scenarios out there (stock fans/modded fans/nanocustoms installed fans) and I want to keep the price from being prohibitively expensive, I have made the AC Adapter for the Fan an option on the site.

 

Eric, sorry for the confusion about the placement of the TEC. I will get instructions together for the installation of the TEC. I appreciate you being candid with me about your problems.

 

This has been a bit of a whirlwind for me lately, since so many projects are coming together at the same time. I appreciate the feedback and please keep the questions coming.

 

Also, eric, I have placed you back in "warranty" queue on the site. So once we get the 2005 splashguards back in, we can get another one out to you.

 

Hope this helps

 

Chris

[deadmanh]

damn... thats some nice customer service... wish other companies would take your example... tho i admit im biased. hehe

[emoutz]

Chris -

 

That does help and I cant tell you how much I appreciate it!

 

Eric

[emoutz]

Ok. So another stupid question. What do you mean plug the adapter in "reverse polarity." It is warming up when I plug it in, so I assume it isnt working right. Does that mean I need to rewire the ICA (i.e. change the positive and negative connections from the adapter to the ICA??

[ccjung]

Sorry for the confusion. The "TIP" of the AC adapter can be arranged so that + aligns with "TIP" or that negative aligns with "TIP".

 

If you are getting warming from teh ICA, reverse the TIP on the AC Adapter.

 

Chris

[jasonincuritiba]

are you using the stock nanocube pump to cycle water through the device, does it come with tubing? if not what size tubing will fit?

[ccjung]

doesnt come with it, but 1/2" tubing is the correct size. Ive been using 3/8 Pharmaceutical grade tubing (my GF works for Amgen), but 1/2 clear tubing will fit the bill.

 

Chris

[ccjung]

One owner asked:

 

I have received the chiller, thank you. Does the Nano Dx fan power supply put out enough voltage and amperage to power the thin fan that comes with the chiller?

 

 

Yes. The stock JBJ (fan powersupply is rated at 320mA.) but it is advised to provide the new fan with its own independent power adapter so it will be able to run even during the times when the lights are off.

 

Anytime the ICA is on, the fans must be on. failing to do so could result in the TEC burning out or cause fan damage.

 

If you MUST use the stock power supply, here is my advice:

 

Keep the TEC/ICA on ONLY when the lights are on.

 

Chris

[ccjung]

Another question - keep them coming guys..

 

"one quick question, do you use the stock fan mounts to mount the ICA and fan to the hood? Started to pull it apart tonight but figured should get all of the parts first. "

 

>> The unit will bolt onto the stock fan mounts. The 2 - #6 x 2" screws will mount in the stock fan mounts.

 

The only components that arent included are:

 

AC Adapter (12v/300mA or higher) for the Fans

1/2 Aquarium Tubing (14" or so).

 

Chris

[Enrique]

Chris,

hi, could you kindly e-mail me the fedex tracking number of the ICA unit I ordered. I called Fedex but they said I needed to supply them with a tracking number. Thanks

[ccjung]

Pic of hose routing.

 

I used a 1/2" OD Silicone Tubing.

 

I cut the Green Hose coming from the return pump and jammed the 1/2" OD tubing into it.

 

on the Return nozzle. I took about 1 inch of the original JBJ hose and mated that into the return nozzle to create a joint.

[ccjung]

other view

[LVReefer]

Chris,

 

Can the ICA be hooked up to a chiller controlLer? I have a Medusa left over from a previous tank.

 

Thanks, Robert

[ccjung]

Yes.

 

What i use now is a Reefkeeper which controls it based on temperature. Any controller capable of controlling an AC outlet, ie x10, Medusa, Neptune, Aquatroller Jr. Etc etc will work.

 

Ultimately, im designing a proportional controller that will actually vary the DC output to the TEC and should provide heat/cool capability around a setpoint.

 

Chris

[Nickeleye]

Ok everybody, this is the install guide for the chiller installation. It is actually pretty straight forward and not too difficult. The main thing to be sure of is that you are careful when cutting your splash guard. Take your time and do it right so you don't have to attempt to make any additional repairs. I will do my best to explain. If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Finally, this particular installation was done on the 12g DX. The install on the 24g will be essentially the exact same except that the placement for hole in the splashguard is slightly different.

 

1. Remove the splash gauard

 

2. Remove lights and unscrew the reflector

 

3. Unscrew the fan on the right side and disconnect both fans from the circuitboard. Remove fan on the right side.

 

4. Cut a small slot in the back wall of the hood so that the ICA wires can be run out the back side of the hood.

 

5. Cut approximately 1/8" off of the end of each chiller installation screw. If this is not done, the screws may "dimple" the top side of the hood if the screws are over-tightened. If the screws are clipped short, this will avoid the potential problem.

 

6. Place the new 60x10mm fan so that the arrow on the fan faces outwards towards the top of the hood (fan label towards top of the hood).

 

 

7. Place chiller on top of the fan and orientate the chiller so the chiller power cord comes out to the right side and towards the slot created in the hood. Screw down installation screws.

 

 

 

8. Cut off the connectors from the end of each fan and strip about 1/2" from the end of each pair of wires.

 

9. Drill a 1/8" hole through both rear walls of the hood and run another set of wires through the hood to connect to the fan wires.

 

10. Solder the wires to the included AC adapter connector and then solder the other end to the stripped fan wires.

 

 

[Nickeleye]

11. Create the outline on the splash guard where the hole will be cut. Measure 2-1/2" from the edge of the splashguard and make a mark. Measure 5-1/8" from the edge of the splashguard. Measure 1/8" down from the outside edge of the bulb extrusion on the splashguard. The bottom edge of the chiller borders exactly along the back edge of the splash guard so it can be used as a the guide.

 

 

 

12. Cut out the outlined pattern. Our tool of choice for this so far is a rotary tool (i.e. a dremel) with a diamond cutoff wheel. Be very slow and deliberate with this process. Take your time!

 

 

 

13. Remove any little bits of melted plastic.

 

14. slide splash guard on to the hood and make two small marks on the right side of the hole cut for the chiller. These marks will be notches that need be cut so that the wires from the chiller are able to slide under the hood properly.

 

 

 

15. Cut slots and reinstall hood. The hood should fit snugly with just a slight bit of space around the heatsink.

 

 

 

16. To seal everything off our choice was to run a bead of hot glue around the edge of the heatsink.

 

 

That's all that's to it.

[flyndive]

I installed my ICA chiller yesterday and it was pretty easy, took about an hour.

The only problem I had was the hosing kept on kinking when I would shut the lid. I ended up using I thinner tubing as Chris showed in his pictures. Works great now.

About the wiring, I just went to radio shack and purchased a plug and adapter fot the fan wiring, no need to cut or solder.

I did not run the ICA last night when the lights were off and the tank temp was at 79 this morning. After a few hours of the lights being on, ICA running, and the hood closed (first day since I had the tank) the tank temp is still at 79. Looking good so far.

Now all I need is some type of controler for the lights, moon lights, ICA and fan. I hate having to manual turn everything on and off in the morning and at night.

[Enrique]

Flyndive,

Hi there, what kind of tank do you have? 12 or 24? I have a 12DX and my ICA is scheduled to arrive tomorrow.....cant wait.....any changes yet on the tepm of your tank since installing the ICA?

[Enrique]

ICA continued....

 

Flyndive,

You could use a timer for it....what i have right now is a coralife power center.....though i'm not sure if that would be good enough....i'm just a newbie....gathering info from everyone.