At IMAC we had the opportunity to speak with the guys at Digital Aquatics and play around with the new Reef Keeper Elite. This highly anticipated controller looks like it will live up to it’s hype.
Here are some great photos thanks to our friend Mike (mcliffy2).
We really liked the blue backlit screen, but should you […]
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At IMAC we had the opportunity to speak with the guys at Digital Aquatics and play around with the new Reef Keeper Elite. This highly anticipated controller looks like it will live up to it’s hype.
Here are some great photos thanks to our friend Mike (mcliffy2).
We really liked the blue backlit screen, but should you care for another color it has full RGB control meaning you can have a variety of colors. The iPod like touch controls make adjusting color and using the interface very easy.
The menu and control functions are very user friendly. Many controllers have one or two buttons that apply to a range of functions, but the RKE has individual touch buttons for simple things such as Menu and Back making it very easy to use. You do not need to be tech-savvy to understand the controls and layout, they are very simple and logical.
Things we liked:
- RGB screen. One day I want blue, the next could be green all on a large 128×64 screen.
- Touch buttons and Program layout/structure.
- Timers. 63 to keep track of all kinds of odds and ends.
- Graphs. Shown live on the display allowing the user to keep track of true swings. Able to use 32 probes/devices.
- Control module for Aqua Illumination LED lights. The black and silver design of both look great together.
- It looks good. The only controller that looks better is the Elos Biotopus, but the RKE has more ability.
- The Strip. It has an individual power override meaning you can turn everything off without having to change the settings on the controller.
- New Ethernet Internet Module
- Affordable with Upgrade Possibilities. You can buy the bare bones system at a good price, and expand as your system grows.
Things we didn’t care for:
- Still no word on pump capabilities. Digital Aquatics said they are in talks with other companies. Maybe they wont control Tunze? Vortech, Koralia, X-wave? I don’t know but without knowing we wont be buying one.
- The Plastic Construction. After seeing the high gloss computer generated images I was hoping for an appearance like the Elos Biotopus. It still looked good, but a slight let down.
If it can perform as designed we have no doubt this will be a very popular controller among reef keepers. Our only initial complaints were aesthetic and something in the works…we just hope DA makes the “right” decision on which pumps to control.
