ENERGY BAR 832 – THE ULTIMATE POWER CONTROL HUB

When we decided to create an Energy Bar for the most recently released Apex,  we designed it from the ground up.  Not only does the Energy Bar 832 have eight 120V AC outlets, but it includes an internal 100W 24VDC power supply as well. That power supply feeds three built-in 1LINK ports as well as two 24VDC accessory ports.

And, each individual outlet has independent power monitoring and there are individual LED indicators for each outlet. Read on and watch the videos for more info.

Your safety is important to Neptune Systems. This is why we design every product to established safety standards. In the case of the Energy Bar 832, and given it is a line-voltage device, we have taken that a step further and actually obtained ETL certification by Intertek, a nationally recognized testing laboratory. Click here for more details from Intertek on this certification.

For years we have been asked to provide power monitoring of the individual devices connected to each outlet – but it just wasn’t possible without pricing the product out of the range of most consumers. Now it’s here and with comes tons of benefits.

With this power information regularly monitored, you now know when your pump, skimmer, powerhead, UV, or any other device is not operating normally and an alert message can be sent. This enables you to catch issues right when they happen – or better yet when they are on the road to failure.

Also, for many of us the cost of the electricity to run a successful aquarium is a major concern in our household.  Even for those where electricity is cheap, we believe most aquarists care a great deal about their energy consumption and its effect on the environment. Ironically, our energy usage could be directly connected to excess greenhouse gasses, the warming of the oceans, and the bleaching of the corals!

However, armed with this power usage information, we believe aquarists will not only be able to make operating and purchase decisions that will save them hundreds of dollars a year, but they will also be able to reduce their carbon footprint.

This Energy Bar has a built-in 100W, 24VDC power supply that can control up to three Neptune Systems 1LINK products like the WAV and DOS.   It also includes two switchable 24V DC on/off outlets that are compatible with any 24V device under 30W and Neptune Systems 24V accessories like our Practical Multi-purpose Utility Pump (PMUP) and solenoid valve.

Each Energy Bar AC outlet as well as the two 24VDC accessory ports have their own status LED. This LED tells you when that outlet is energized. The LED will also blink rapidly if a device is plugged in that exceeds the current capability for that outlet.

Since the Apex is receiving continual power usage data from the Energy Bar 832, it can be configured to send you notifications when a device is not using power as it should be. An example would be a return pump showing no power consumption when the outlet is on. Or, tell you when a skimmer has a clogged airline because power consumption will show differently than normal operation. These high and low limits are completed customizable by individual outlet.  You can even use this power data to control other devices.

Times have changed and it is fairly uncommon now for aquariums to have AC devices that must be cycled on and off continuously. This means that we could now switch all AC outlets to relay switching.

13

Total power connections for your aquarium devices

8

120V AC Outlets all switched with relays rated for millions of cycles

3

1LINK 24VDC Smart outlets for devices such as WAV, DOS, etc.

2

Switchable 24VDC outlets for accessories such as small pumps, solenoids, fans, etc.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS

The EnergyBar 832 is for use in North America (USA, Canada, and parts of Mexico) and other locales where the electrical service grid provides 120VAC 60Hz power.  For sale in international regions which use 230VAC 50Hz power, Apex systems are bundled with an EnergyBar 6 equipped with 6 outlets specific to that region (UK, EU, AU, or Schuko).  EnergyBar 6 models do not include the EB832’s per-outlet power monitoring, 1LINK or DC24 ports, or per-outlet indicator LEDs.

ENERGY BARS 4/6/8

SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST A POWERSTRIP

The Energy Bars available for our Apex systems are much more than a glorified power strip. In fact, this component of your aquarium controller equipment is far more important than most people realize – and not all systems are created equal!

It is obvious that this component is key to controlling things on your aquarium, but what is not so apparent is how it is critical to preventing catastrophe in your aquarium. Here’s how.

CURRENT SENSING DEVICE

The Energy Bars continually send their information on their present current drain to the Apex controller. This is incredibly useful information for a number of reasons.

First, it enables you to recognize what the overall power consumption is on any Energy Bar so that you can better distribute the load across your multiple Energy Bars. Also by having this feature you can accurately determine the power utilization of your tank to compare different lights, pumps, skimmers, etc. (Not available on Energy Bar 6)

CONTROLLED OUTLETS

Each of the independently controlled outlets on the Energy Bar are independently switched and easily carry the current load specified on the label. In fact, we intentionally underrate our outlets just to provide that extra level of security.

So, depending on which Energy Bar you purchase, each outlet is rated from 5A to 10A at 120V AC or 8A on our 240V European model.

CURRENT SENSING DEVICE

The Energy Bars continually send their information on their present current drain to the Apex controller. This is incredibly useful information for a number of reasons. First, it enables you to recognize what the overall power consumption is on any Energy Bar so that you can better distribute the load across your multiple Energy Bars. Also by having this feature you can accurately determine the power utilization of your tank to compare different lights, pumps, skimmers, etc. (Not available on Energy Bar 6)

POWER-FAILURE DETECTION, COMMUNICATION ERROR PROTECTION AND PRE-PROGRAMMED FAILSAFE STATE

Each Energy Bar outlet can be configured to be either in an off or on state if the power were to fail and then come back on or if there was a communication failure with the Apex base unit. This means that if, for instance, your heater was on when the power went off, you could have it programmed to be off until control was reestablished with the Apex base unit. Or, as another example, you could program your main return pump to always be in the on position in case of failure.

This feature is very important as many other controllers on the market may leave the outlet in its last position or possibly default all of the outlets to off or on. This is even true if they simply lose communication with their base unit due to a system failure, software bug, communication issue, lightning strike, etc. Not good. Imagine if you were away from home and a storm took out your Apex – the Energy Bar would just fall back to the Failsafe state you had programmed for such an incident. No worries.

One additional advanced feature is that when you use an additional Energy Bar on a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) you can have key lifesaving devices (low power power heads and bubblers) on there that will automatically go into their Failsafe State once power failure is detected. This can keep your tank alive and healthy for hours on a good UPS until the power comes back online. This will run completely unattended and is ideal to give you peace of mind when you are away from home whether out for the evening or on a two-week cruise!

It is easy to see the importance of this one small feature that differentiates the Neptune Systems Energy Bars from the rest and how once again Neptune Systems is looking out for every possible way for you to avoid catastrophe in your aquarium.

EXTRA AQUABUS CONNECTIONS

Each Energy Bar has additional connectors so that you can easily expand to other modules. This is very helpful for those that want to use one Apex to control multiple aquariums. The Energy Bar becomes an AquaBus “hub” at any location you choose – allowing you to connect more modules in that area. This is called a “star topology” and is unique to the Apex. Many other controllers require you to daisy chain together every module or they require you to buy a separate “hub” to connect everything together.

ENERGY BAR MODELS:

Energy Bar 8

  • Designed for a USA-style 120V power grid.
  • Eight controllable outlets. Six of these outlets are controlled by super-silent solid-state triacs and are rated at 5A. Two of the outlets are controlled by high-current mechanical relays and are rated at 10A.
  • Each Energy Bar can consume a total of 15A  and has a built-in 15A circuit breaker.
  • Six AquaBus connectors so you will have five free to connect to more modules or Energy Bars

Energy Bar 4

  • Designed for a USA-style 120V power grid.
  • Four controllable outlets. All outlets are controlled by high-current mechanical relays. Three of the outlets are rated at 8A and one outlet is rated at 12A.
  • Each Energy Bar can consume a total of 15A  and has a built-in 15A circuit breaker.
  • Four AquaBus connectors so you will have three free to connect to more modules or Energy Bars

Energy Bar 6 – 240V

  • Designed for a European-style 240V power grid.
  • Six controllable outlets. All outlets are controlled by high-current mechanical relays rated at 8A.
  • Each Energy Bar can consume a total of 10A  and has a built-in 10A circuit breaker.
  • Four AquaBus connectors so you will have three free to connect to more modules or Energy Bars
  • UK, SHK, AU, and Universal Versions available through International Resellers