ICA Discussion

[Enrique]

Chris or anyone with an ICA,

I just got my ICA unit today.....took my an hour to cut the plastic shield....its alot harder without a dremel tool. But i was able to cut it cleaner than a dremel. (wouldnt want to do that again) So everything is installed and running....how long would it take the ICA to start pulling out some heat? By the way i'm using stock lighting at the moment. And, is the fan supposed to be blowing "in" towards the heatsink or "out"? Right now its blowing "in"....but I just want to make sure. Initial temp is 83.7

[dga]

as the dc fan requires so little amperage to spin, couldnt one wire it to the power supply of the ICA (by daisy chaining the output line)and use a resistor if required? although if running at the optimum transformer output that is shipped with the ICA (8.4v)would that constitute enough rpm's to sufficiantly cool the heat sink? that way theres no doubt that the fans will be powered when the peltier is powered.

I believe that using hot melt glue to seal around the ICA to splashguard will effectivly make it difficult to remove the guard in the future. a thin bead of 100% silicone or silicone tape would provide a good seal while making removal easier.

[ccjung]

dga- ive been considering that but i think once cooling the ICA is assured, im not too sure if there are enough CFM to sufficiently cool the canopy.

 

The end user is more than welcome to tailor the product to their tastes, needs.

 

Ultimately the fans would only come on when neccessary and go off when the canopy is cool enough.

 

Chris

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Hey Reefers,

 

I've been dormant almost all winter and now it's summer and I finally got my ICA units from Chris and I'm ready to share pics and installation on my MikeGuerrero series tank.

 

I purchased two sets of ICA units since I own two 12 gallon cubes both of which are upgraded, first one being MikeGuerrero and the second one being Larnie edition.

 

I didn't have any problems following the directions on this thread and found myself actually having fun modding my hood.

 

The hardest part was actually getting the 1/2 tube to fit without kinking over and blocking flow. I had to re-do my entire refuge, pulling out all the rubble and fitting the tubbing in a circle, thus preventing any kinking. Placing the rubble back in was no problem.

 

Taking pictures was the funnest. Here they are in the sequence in which I began. I haven't done the larnie edition tank, thats tommorrow. It will be nice to see what the difference is between the two in bring the temps done.

 

Remember that one is 115 watts total power and the other is 92 watts of juice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Here are some early test with the intergrated chiller assist. I took these pics at 7:39 am after only running the ICA since 11 pm when I connected it.

 

I lowered my EBER jagger heater to 71 degrees, allowing the ICA to reach a lower temp. This will give the ICA a fair chance to fight the blast of 115 watts all day.

 

The first reading is my outside/inside temp of the living room. I left the door open and window open allowing my Condo to become very cold, my wife was upset with me, but I said it's for you reefers and it's only for 1 night.

 

73.3 temp is my mikeguerrero tank with the ICA unit. 77.7 is the larnie tank in my bedroom and the last temp is my pico tank in the living room with a temp of 77.7.

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Here are the results for 2pm temps and then at 4pm. Looks like Chris has hit another milestone with his ICA.

 

For all that remember my tank back in January 05 with my SPS corals, here I am with zero losses in any corals, that includes my SPS. That's good news for any out there that thought they couldn't do it PC lighting.

 

 

 

Mike

 

 

 

 

 

[ccjung]

I stress tested the MH today... It was a hot day indoors today, ambients were 84-85.

 

I usually have my heater set at 75, but yesterday i decided to crank it up a notch to 79.0.

 

 

With the Ambient at 85.5, the reading after 10 hours of my 70w MH setup was 83.0.

 

Although this is a 4 F variation, given the thermal load and the ambient conditions, I'm quite impressed by its heat handling capabilities.

 

Once the lights go out, the ICA pulls about a degree per hour depending on your pumps, etc.

 

Ive decided to drop the heater temp to 78 and see what tomorrows results are.

 

Chris

[putz28]

Quote******************************************

If the chiller fan only comes on when the chiller is on, the lights arent getting enough CFM to properly cool them.

 

I really wish i had a big company and electronics up the ying yang, then id make it so the cooling fans only come on when needed (ie a laptop.)

 

Chris

 

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Chris can you not come up with a DIY controller which will turn fans on at a set temp and hit the chiller at a higher temp.

I've seen posts for DYI temp controllers on the net???????

 

I have a reefkeeper so I don't need it but you must be able to come up with something that would cost less.

[ccjung]

I really want PID control. As the ICA approaches the set point, the voltage should be slowly lowered. That way, we can use the ICA as a heater by reversing polarity.

 

Chris

[ccjung]

it has come to my attention that owners of 24g cubes are having issues with the mounting location of the ICA. as a result, i am doing a second run of ICA specifically for the 24g. it appears that moving the waterblock should rectify this situation. if you have an ICA and a 24g, please send me an email and we can coordinate an exchange. i will be working on this "fix" this week and get them in your hands as soon as I can.

 

chris

[ccjung]

it has come to my attention that owners of 24g cubes are having issues with the mounting location of the ICA. as a result, i am doing a second run of ICA specifically for the 24g. it appears that moving the waterblock should rectify this situation. if you have an ICA and a 24g, please send me an email and we can coordinate an exchange. i will be working on this "fix" this week and get them in your hands as soon as I can.

 

chris

[NanoBob]

Chris,

Thanks again for getting back with me on this matter. Upon closer inspection of the water block it looks like my problem may be corrected if I turn the unit around. At first glance it looked as though it was centered on the base, well it's not. I will rotate it and see if that fixes the hood issue.

Bob

[thebrian]

For planning purposes, could someone give me the dimensions of the ICA? most important is how tall it is from the end of the fan to the end of the water block.

 

Thanks,

~Brian