DETERMINE THE RIGHT TOOLS AND ACCESSORIES FOR THE JOB

There are a variety of cables and accessories you can utilize in your Apex’s installation.  Below you will find a picture, a description, and the suggested usage case for the variety of cable offerings in the Neptune Systems product line.

AQUABUS CABLES

WHAT ARE THEY?

Aquabus is the communication link between your Apex and most of our modules.  The cable itself looks just like a USB cable, but it is not to be confused with a USB cable.  Connecting a computer or USB accessory, like your phone, to the Aquabus will likely result in damage to that accessory and possibly to the Apex.

There are two types of Aquabus cables.  One is for connecting Neptune Systems’ modules together and the other type is an extension cable. The Aquabus cables can be connected in any manner you wish— just don’t create a loop. You can daisy chain or use the connectors on your Energy Bar to make a star configuration.

Aquabus 1′ Cable

SKU: ABUS1

This is a one foot Male/Male Aquabus cable that allows you to connect one module to another either under your tank or on a mounting board.  The cables are perfect for keeping things tidy by eliminating extra cable— your hobby is keeping aquariums, not wire management.

Aquabus 3′ Cable

SKU: ABUS3

This is a three foot Male/Male Aquabus cable that connects one module to another.  This cable is included with some of our expansion modules.  The 3′ cable is a great solution for when you have modules in close proximity but not right next to each other.

Aquabus 6′ Cable

SKU: ABUS6

This is a six foot Male/Male Aquabus cable that connects one module to another.  This cable is included with our power bars and some other modules.  This cable allows you to connect Apex components on opposite sides of your tank.  A great example might be  to connect an Energy Bar 8 on the right side of your tank and another Energy Bar on the left side of your tank.

Aquabus 15′ Cable

SKU: ABUS15

This is a fifteen foot Male/Male Aquabus cable that connects one module to another.  This cable is intended to connect modules over greater distances.  It is only included with our Automatic Feeding System (AFS).  It is a great solution when needing to connect Neptune Systems’ devices above or below your tank.

Aquabus 15′ Extension Cable

SKU: ABUS15EXT

This is a fifteen foot Male/Female Aquabus cable that is used as an extension cable.  So if you have a 3′ foot Aquabus cable that came with your PM2 and need to go 18′, then the 15′ extension cable is the perfect solution to make that 18′ distance possible.

Aquabus 30′ Cable

SKU: ABUS30

This is a thirty foot Male/Male Aquabus cable that connects one module to another or connects to an Aquabus extension cable.  This cable is intended to connect modules from one location to another.  It is not included with any of our products. This is a great solution when your filtration area or life support area is in a different location from your aquarium.

Aquabus 30′ Extension Cable

SKU: ABUS30EXT

This is a thirty foot Male/Female Aquabus cable that is used as an extension cable to connect Neptune Systems’ products over great distances. So if you have the aquarium in your basement and your other aquarium in your kitchen (because who has just one aquarium?), then you can control all of that from one Apex System! Use the 30′ Aquabus cable along with the 30′ Aquabus extension cable, then you can run two aquariums that are 60 feet apart.

NOTE: You can have up to 200′ of Aquabus cable per system and it is recommended that you have one powered Neptune Systems accessory (i.e. Energy Bar or 1LINK module) every 75′.

1LINK CABLES

WHAT ARE THEY?

Apex accessories such as the WAV, the DŌS, and the forth-coming COR all use a new connection type called 1LINK.  1LINK is the marrying of the Aquabus communication standard, along with the power wires to drive higher power devices, all in one single cable.  One of the benefits of this is to avoid the need for a DC power brick for every 24V device in your aquarium.  You can use the power brick included with your 1LINK module or built into the EB832 to power three 1LINK devices!

There are two types of 1LINK cables.  One is for connecting 1LINK devices together and the other type is an extension cable.

1LINK 10′ Cable

SKU: CBL-1LINK-MM-10

This is a ten foot Male/Male 1LINK cable that allows you to connect one 1LINK device to another.  This is a perfect cable when you are using the Neptune Systems’ DŌS— If you have a 1LINK connection free on your 1LINK module or Energy Bar 832, then you can toss the DŌS Aquabus cable and the power supply aside and just use this single cable! Ultimately, this will help save time in wire management and you can spend more time with your aquarium and less time managing wires.

1LINK Extension Cable

SKU: CBL-1LINK-EXT

This is a ten foot Male/Female 1LINK cable that can be used as an extension cable.  This cable is a great solution to extend the cables on your 1LINK devices when your Apex or 1LINK is located further away from your aquarium.

NOTE: No single run of your 1LINK cables can be longer than 20′.

DC24 CABLES

WHAT ARE THEY?

The 1LINK module and the EB832 have two DC24 accessory outputs built that act like additional on/off outlets for DC24 devices.  There are some Neptune Systems accessories, like our PMUP, that connect to these outputs directly.  There are also two DC24 cables we have available at this time that connect to these outputs.

DC24 10′ Bare Cable

SKU: CBL-DC24-BARE-10

This is a ten foot cable that has the DC24 connector on one end and two tinned wire leads on the other.  The Do-it-yourselfer will love this cable!  They can wire any DC24 device to the cable and power it on/off from the DC24 outputs.

NOTE: Device must be rated under 30W.  For more information on how to use this cable please see here.

DC24 10′ Extension CABLE

SKU: CBL-DC24-EXT

This is a ten foot Male/Female extension cable that will enable you to remotely locate DC24 accessories like the PMUP.

NOTE: The maximum supported DC24 cable length between a DC24 port and the PMUP or other 24VDC device is ~20 feet

MISCELLANEOUS CABLES

WHAT ARE THEY?

Generally the cables that fall into this category are used for dimming lights or controlling variable speed pumps.

Stream Cable

SKU: SURFCAB2

This three foot cable connects to the variable outputs built into the Apex, Apex Classic, and the VDM which has two DIN5 connectors.  This enables speed control of up to two TunzeTM Stream pumps that are compatible with the TunzeTM Turbelle 7090 or 7095 Controller.

Two Channel Dimming Cable

SKU: DIMCAB2

This is a six foot cable that has an RJ45 connector on one end that will connect to the Apex, Apex Classic, or the VDM module and terminates in wires to connect any device that is variably controlled with an analog, 0-10V signal.   One wire will let you control up to two devices (or channels).  This wire opens up many control possibilities with your Apex.  For example, it allows you to take off the shelf analog LED drivers and build your own lighting fixture!  Of course this still does take some DIY effort but it makes controlling these devices much easier.

NOTE: For more information please see the DIY forum here.

Advanced Dimming Cable

SKU: AICABLE

This is a ten foot cable that has a serial connector on one end that will connect to the serial port on a VDM module.  The other end is a 1/8″ plug.  This cable allows AI Sol LEDs, Apex Ready+ Acan Lighting LED fixtures, and Apex Ready+ Zetlight LED fixtures to be controlled by the Apex System.