Thanks Eric for posting this, it is my honor to share this news to you as i’m a big fan of your site and read it at least once a day. I would also be interested to see how this little unit goes in terms of reliability. I actually got this unit around $200usd with the accessories from China (shipping was additional $50usd). Cheers, A

Adrian, can you comment on what the minimum and maximum per day output that you can program on the BMTO1? Are there buttons that let you manually dose?

Thanks.

Hi Reggie, hope this helps

this unit basically have 3 setting only, setup clock, setup program and manual control.
setup clock pretty much setup your current time
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/amashun/marine/Bubble%20Magus/DSC_1458.jpg

manual control, manually select pump channel to dose it (from pump 1 to pump 11)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/amashun/marine/Bubble%20Magus/DSC_1456.jpg

setup program, now this is the interesting part as i never use other brand before so i can comment on others but this smart thing does get me excited.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/amashun/marine/Bubble%20Magus/DSC_1457.jpg

First off, select the pump channel. BM-TO1 only have 3 channels on board (if you want extra channel, you need to purchase BM T02, we will talk about this later)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/amashun/marine/Bubble%20Magus/DSC_1459.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/amashun/marine/Bubble%20Magus/DSC_1460.jpg
after you selected the channel, you can select how many ml per day you want to dose into your system from 0-1999ml
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/amashun/marine/Bubble%20Magus/DSC_1461.jpg
after you entered your daily dosing volume, you can break down into how many dose per day with your selected amounts (up to 24 dosing time per day)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/amashun/marine/Bubble%20Magus/DSC_1463.jpg
and of cause, when to start
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v292/amashun/marine/Bubble%20Magus/DSC_1464.jpg

How is the power supply handled? Is it AC, or is it an external DC power supply? Anything required to get it running in the US?

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply Adrian! This looks like something I have been looking for!

Just a few more questions:

1. Does it have a calibration feature?
2. Do you know how many cylinders (those small round things that goes around squeezing the hose) each pump has? Usually there are two but the more of them, the more precise.
3. Have you tried dosing 1ml and see if it can really dose 1ml? I haven’t seen any dosing product that can do this. And what if you set it to 1ml at 10 cycles. I wonder if it can really dose 0.1ml per cycle.

Thanks again.

I have been asked a few times “does this Chinese unit worry your GHL doser market” So I thought it best answered.

Cant say we are over worried about this unit looking at the price and low functionality.

For $450 you can get a German built 3 stage doser capable of being expanded to 8 pumps with multiple more features. No issues about warranty and having to return it to China either.

@evilc66, this is what written on the power supply:
I/P:AC 100-240V 50-60HZ 0.38A
O/P:DC 12V,1A
HTH

@Reggie, to be honest, i do not know the answer as i only have it 2 days ago but it does not seems to have the calibration feature. I will be trying it out once the NACL free salt and MGCL arrives then i’m happy to find that out for you. But i remember that they have chart to state the dosing volume and cycle. i will have to get back to your questions.

HTH

@ youtube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w76G5G5zhGo

amashun, where did you purchase the unit from?

Rick, I got it from that video’s site.

Michael, I think the “German” doser motor is now made in china. I have seen the OME parts available in the Chinese market as there were another doser released before this BM unit. But that one is more towards to DIY model. I also think that it is unfair to make such a comment because you don’t have an actual unit on hand but saying the GHL quality is better. I have never own a GHL unit but I think that this unit is really a good build overall. BM claims that they have tested the unit for a good 18 months on their Chinese site and this unit comes with 12 month warranty as well. So if we compare functionality, having extra 4 channels on BM would surely increase the flexibilty too. all in all, let wait and see how this unit goes as we already know how popular the GHL is. I personally think it is a step up for BM as they offer a cheaper alternative in this hobby so it is a +1 to me. I really hope that this unit would help a few reefers out there still manually dosing 2parts.

Sorry it is 2am here and my brain does not function correctly. The BM doser can be expand to 11 pumps so there should be extra 3 channels more than GHL. My apologies.

@amashun, FWIW–the manufacturer of the actual peristaltic motor (used in the profilux unit) is a U.S. based, publicly traded company with over $2B in revenue and operations all over the world. If they are in fact made in China (which I don’t believe is true) they are from their own OEM factories with strict guidance.

[...]  http://glassbox-design.com/2009/bubble-magus-bmto1-dosing-pumps-roll-out/ [...]

With the launch of the ProfiLux 3 only a few days away the GHL slave dosers could in reality control up to 255 pumps

No the pumps are not made in China, this is something GHL are very strict on with all their products, Eric has the facts exactly right.

BM have a 12 month warranty
GHL have a 24 month warranty and you dont have to fight trying to get it returned to China.

BM have tested the units for 18 months
GHL they are now into their 5th year of doser technology.

I am sorry i do not mean to come across so negative, I just have huge commercial experience in finding GOOD products from China, and know the pitfuls very well, and products marketed direct from there always worry me.

My only advise I can give to anyone who opts for one of these units, make very sure you know the exact warranty path before purchasing. From bitter exerience I found it is pretty much impossible to return anything their due to the fact the chinese givernment charge import duty at original sales costs to the manufacturer and as such manufacturers can be weary in warranty returns.

One last thing, make sure any PSU that comes with it carries the UL or CSA mark proving it has gone through rigourous safety testing proceedures, most from china dont due to the cost of such testing.

Michael, i’m trying hard not to get into this comparison discussion because we are now starting to go off topic as this article is about BM stand alone dosing pump and i truly hope that we stick to the topic? having said that, i would also like to see the new ProfiLux 3 news as well I’m not sure how this stand alone dosing unit could compare ProfiLux 3 muti-controller and would be a fair comparison. how about the price that you didn’t mention?

I’m not in the industry and i honestly would let the reader/ consumer make up their mind because if that specific product is good, people will buy it no matter what. I also do not know how people in US claim their warranty if needed because i’m living in HK/AU. I’m just curious, wouldn’t the US reseller or distributor deal with DOA/ELF stuff instead of customer deal direct with manufacture?

I have to admit that i could be wrong with the motor being made in China but i have seen them available in the local Chinese market for DIY so i ASSUME that it was made in China, i apologize if my information is unture. but if i have more infos later on, i would be happy to share as well.