EcoZone Vivarium FAQ Page
Vivarium Controller FAQ
Contents
Ez400 Vivarium Controller
Can I use the Ez400 Vivarium Controller with multiple enclosures? Like adding a power strip to an outlet to control multiple devices?
For sure! The Ez400 Vivarium Controller is extremely high power, and must customers use a single unit for multiple enclosures.
Each outlet can only have one mode/setting applied to it, but using a power strip or extension cord, you can certainly plug in multiple lights, misters, etc. to a single outlet, and those can be in different enclosures. Just make sure to stay under the 450W max rated load per outlet, though.
For temperature controlled / heater mode outlets, you need to be a bit careful when using a single outlet across multiple enclosures. Each heater control outlet is controlled by 1 and only 1 (any one of the 4, your choice) temperature probe. So although you may drive multiple heaters in different enclosures from the single proportional control outlet, the heater control probe that determines the heater power for that outlet can only be in 1 of the enclosures. So the temperature probe should be placed in a location that is an accurate representation of all of the enclosures, and this works best if the enclosures are well matched in size, heater inputs, etc.
Do I need a computer / Network Connection to use the Ez400 Controller?
No, the Ez400 controller can be completely setup and managed with the LCD user interface built into the unit. No computer or network interface is required (except to update the software … software updates are always free!) However the Ez400 base unit includes integrated Ethernet networking capability that provides a very nice, easy to use GUI that can be accessed from any computer or mobile device via a simple web browser. So if you connect the Ez400 to your home network router, you can take advantage of this interface, allowing you to setup, monitor, and control your Ez400 remotely. You can even setup the unit to send you email alerts for things like over/under temperature, unit restart after power failure, and more.
Are my Ez400 configuration settings saved during a power loss?
Yes, absolutely. Ez400 configuration settings are saved indefinitely in NV memory and are never lost. Also the Ez400 will continue to keep time during a power failure for several hours, so you won’t even need to reset the clock in most cases.
My reptile enclosures and ez400 vivarium controller are in a different room from my home WiFi internet router, and I can’t run a long Ethernet cable thru the house. I want to use the Ez400 Networking capability, can I connect the Ez400 to the network wirelessly?
To connect the Ez400 to a wireless/wifi network router that is in a different room, you can do this quite easily with a WiFi Ethernet Bridge (also sometimes referred to as a gaming adapter). This device converts or “bridges” the WiFi signal to Ethernet port , which is then plugged into the Ez400 Ethernet jack. Once that is done the Ez400 will be on your home network. These devices are reasonably priced, and have the added benefit of extending your WiFi signal, and most of them allow you to plug in multiple Ethernet devices into them (like multiple Ez400 controllers, or Xbox game console, etc.).
Check out some examples here:
Linksys – High Quality, name brand
http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Linksys-WET610N-Dual-Band-Wireless-N-Adapter/dp/B001QVQ7JU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1293481802&sr=8-3
NetGear – Name Brand
http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-WNCE2001-Universal-Internet-Adapter/dp/B003KPBRRW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293482014&sr=8-1’
TrendNet – Low Cost
http://www.amazon.com/TRENDnet-Wireless-Gaming-Adapter-TEW-647GA/dp/B0024G48VA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1293481802&sr=8-4
What is an “EcoZone”?
An EcoZone is a setup “shortcut” for the EcoZone Vivarium Controller setup, which provides an approximation of a particular vivarium climate (lighting, temperature, and humidity), with daily as well as seasonal variations.
Selection of an “ecozone” – Dessert, Rainforest, Savannah, or Woodlands, will setup the typical environmental parameters for a vivarium of that locale.
The EcoZone setup selection will program the unique temperatures, night drops, on/off times, temperature and lighting ramp durations, and mister intervals, over the full calendar year. Then after the initial setup, you can customize these settings.
For more information, please refer to the EcoZone Vivarium Controller users guide, where a section describes the EcoZone selections and associated setup defaults.
What is Proportional Power Control?
Proportional power control varies the AC line voltage applied to the outlet, in order to control lighting intensity, or the output power of a heater, for example. This allows a more natural control of heating devices, as well as control over lighting intensity which can simulate dusk-dawn, seasonal changes in lighting intensity, or the phases of the moon. Proportional power control means that the intensity can be controlled from 0% to 100%, and any portion in-between.
Proportional power control is in contrast to on/off control, where the AC line outlet voltage is either 100% on, or completely off. Simple timers and on/off controllers will only turn the lighting or heating devices on or off, while dimming proportional power controllers will provide full, natural control of the output power level from 0 to 100% power, and anywhere in-between.
Tell me about the EcoZone leading edge Power Control. How is it different from other proportional controllers, and yhy is it better?
EcoZone Vivarium Controllers utilize a advanced MOSFET based power control circuitry for power control, similar to that used in high-end stage lighting controllers. This circuitry produces much lower AC line electrical noise (hence it’s benefit to the stage), and this can help with radio and interference with other AC devices. Also our dimming circuitry and can dim more types of lighting than the traditional Triac based dimmers found in most proportional controllers.
Typical proportional power controllers / dimmers use Triac dimming, which is lower cost, but produces more electrical noise. Also Triac dimming can can have difficulty dimming some types of loads that are not purely resistive.
The Ez400 Vivarium Controller has 4 AC line outlets. Can I use any AC outlets to perform any desired function (i.e. heater, Dusk Dawn, Mister, etc), or only certain functions per outlet?
Any AC line outlet can be utilized for any of the AC line operating modes (heater, cooling, mister, dusk/dawn, basking spot, multi-timer mode, etc.), there are no restrictions on the AC line outlet use, allowing maximum flexibility. Also you can connect multiple loads/devices to a single outlet, allowing one outlet to control the lighting in multiple enclosures, for example.
My controller is showing ERROR on the front LCD display instead of the probe temperature? Why is that?
The LCD display indicates ERROR if the probe is either missing, or the incorrect probe type is set. For unused probe slots, set the probe type to “None” to prevent an error indication. Also the LCD main display can display up to 2 readings, either Temp or Humidity (for RHT units with RHT probes), from any of the 4 probe slots. To change which probes are displayed, and which display type – Temp or Humidity – go to Setup Controller -> Unit Misc –> Main display Probe Set. Select which probe number and display type for Main Display ProbeA and Main Display ProbeB.
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Lighting Control
What is a lighting intensity ramp, and how does it vary lighting intensity?
One of the great features of the Ez400 Controller is that each outlet can provide programmable dimming control. With this feature, the lighting can be gradually brighten or dim over a programmable interval. Also the maximum and minimum intensities are programmable. For example, a 250W basking lamp intensity can be reduced from 100% in the winter to 70% in the summer, to avoid overheating the enclosure. Or you can control the basking area in proportional heating mode, which varies the intensity automatically.
This feature can be used for simulating sunrise and sunset, or seasonal lighting intensity variations, cloud cover, etc.
Changing these settings on a monthly schedule in the Ez400 provides very natural environmental control for your herps!
The lighting intensity ramp feature requires dimmable lamps, which are typically any incandescent and halogen light bulb. Fluorescent or CF lighting require dimmable fixtures/ballast (for linear fluorescent), or a dimmable CF bulb. Mercury Vapor (i.e. PowerSun, ActiveHeat, Mega-Ray, etc), and Metal Halide are not dimmable, but you can still control them in on/off mode using the Ez400 controller.
See our other FAQ fore more information on dimmable lighting.
See the diagram below for a pictorial view of the lighting ramp feature.
What types of lighting can be dimmed with the EcoZone controller?
Any lamp which can be dimmed with a standard wall type dimmer can be dimmed by the Ez400 controller. Incandescent and halogen lights can be dimmed very well, with excellent dimming performance from 1% to 100% of power. These lamps can be used for spot heat sources, with seasonal and variations in intensity. Also the incandescent moon/night lamps work well to simulate moonlight, etc.
Dimming linear fluorescent lamps requires a special dimmable fluorescent fixture which utilizes a “powerline dimmable” ballast. The Fluorescent tubes used in those fixtures are still standard fluorescent tubes. EcoZone Vivarium sells high quality low profile dimmable fluorescent fixtures…check our products pages. Also we provide info on dimmable fluorescent ballasts in the FAQ pages for DIY types.
http://www.ecozonevivarium.com/products-dimmable-lighting.aspx
These fixtures dim down to 10% light output, and provide excellent dusk-dawn effects as well as seasonal lighting intensity variations. These fixtures dim well with any T8 linear fluorescent bulb length, thus they work well with the popular reptile UVA/UVB bulbs (see our resources page).
Dimming linear fluorescent bulbs in a “standard” (i.e. non-dimmable) fluorescent fixture/ballast does not work well, the lamps may flash on/off, and ultimately this could be harmful to either the fixture or the Ez400 Controller.
Self-ballasted Mercury Vapor UVB lamps (i.e. UV-Heat, PowerSun, Mega-Ray, etc.) cannot be dimmed, They include an internal ballast inside of the bulb itself, that requires full power to keep the light ignited. If they are operated in dimmed mode, they may not ignite, or may turn on and off.
Metal Halide and Sodium Halide lamps are also not dimmable. These lamps use an external ballast that require full power to ignite.
For the scoop on screw-type Compact Fluorescent lamps, see the FAQ below.
Can I dim screw-type Compact Fluorescent reptile bulbs?
Screw-type Compact Fluorescent bulbs can be obtain in both dimmable and non-dimmable versions. The common Reptile screw-type UVB Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, such as those by Exo-Terra, Zoo-Med, etc., are typically not dimmable. They may dim slightly when used with the Ez400 Vivarium controller, perhaps down to 50% brightness, but overall, the bulb type is not dimmable, thus the dimming performance is poor.
However, there are screw-type compact fluorescent bulbs available which are dimmable, and provide excellent dimming performance. Look for a “daylight” or “full spectrum” bulb, 6500K is best for use in a vivarium, and that it is indicated as “Dimmable”.
One such bulb type is shown below, others may be available:
6500K Dimmable CFL, 23W – very nice dimming!
http://www.goodmart.com/products/820341.htm
Note, although commercial full-spectrum 6500K bulbs may well produce UVA and UVB, these bulbs are not measured / rated for EV emission output by the manufacturer, so do not rely on these for your herps UVB needs unless you perform the measurements and analysis beforehand!
Can I convert a non-dimmable fixture to a dimmable fixture by changing the ballast?
Maybe.
First, you must know what you are doing since we are dealing with AC power.
If you are not comfortable with this, then best to leave it to a professional!
Also you need to make sure that the new ballast will fit inside the fixture/enclosure. Buy that said, you can purchase a “powerline dimmable” Fluorescent ballast and use to with pretty much any Fluorescent fixture. These ballast types can be dimmed with standard wall-type dimmers, as well as the EcoZone controller.
See the “resources” page heading "Dimmable Ballasts for Linear Fluorescent Fixtures" for a link to the dimmable ballast used in the EcoZone dimmable fluorescent fixtures:
http://ecozonevivarium.com/resources.aspx#03a
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Temperature Control
What is a temperature ramp, and how does it differ from a typical “night drop” feature?
The EcoZone Vivarium controller supports a unique “ramp” feature, which can be applied to either lighting, or temperature.
For temperature, the ramp feature allows a slow, programmed heat-up or cool-down interval. For example, at the temperature high time of day, the ramp will begin and slowly increase the temperature set point over the specified ramp interval (specified in minutes), until the new set point is reached. This prevents a rapid rise in temperature to the daily high, for a more natural environment. Similarly, at the temperature low time of day, the temperature set point will be gradually decreased until the new nighttime low is reached.
See the diagram below for a pictorial view of the temperature ramp feature.
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Automatic Misting, Misters
How does the Auto Mister mode work?
The Auto-Mister Line Mode combined time-based mister operation with Humidity regulated misting. The Humidity regulated misting mode uses an Rh set point for daytime and nighttime, along with an Auto Mist Interval, to run the mister for the specified mist duration only when the humidity is low. The key is the auto Mist Interval, set in minutes, from 1 minute to 300 minutes. After an elapsed time equal to the Auto Mist interval, the Humidity is checked vs. the set point, and if low, the mister will run for the specified duration. If the humidity is higher than the set point, the mister will not run. Then nothing happens again until another auto mist interval time has elapsed, where the Rh is again checked and the mister runs or or doesn’t depending on the Rh reading and the set point.
In addition to the Automatic running, Auto-Mist includes up to 6 mist intervals based only on the time of day, so you can include those along with the automatic misting.
How can I connect my Mister to use the Ez400 I/O output port instead of occupying an AC Line outlet?
Easy! Using the I/O output on the Ez400 frees your AC outlets for other uses such as temperature control to lighting.
Please click HERE to download a technical note describing exactly how to connect the mister to the Ez400 I/O output.
Dimmable Lighting FAQ
Where can I get the dimensions of your dimmable Fluorescent fixtures?
Please check the links below:
T8 Fixture Dimensions:
http://ecozonevivarium.com/docs/EZ-DF-T8-CUSTOMERSPEC.pdf
T5 Fixture Dimensions:
http://ecozonevivarium.com/docs/EZ-DF-T5-CUSTOMERSPEC.pdf
What fluorescent bulbs do you recommend for your fixtures?
No special Fluorescent tubes are required for dimming with our fixtures.
Any T8 size tube will work (of the appropriate llength), or T5 HO tube for the 4' T5 HO fixtures.
Check our "Resources" page for some lamp suggestions and info:
http://ecozonevivarium.com/resources.aspx#03a
Our Dimmable Fluorescent T8 low profile fixtures work with the latest energy efficient, high performance reptile lamps. Just make sure the lamp is “T8”, which indicates the lamp diameter of 1”, and this is the most common reptile fluorescent tube available. A few reptile bulbs are still shipping in the “T12” size, which is 1.5”, and is not going to fit into the low profile fixture.
Our T5 fixture requires “high output” 54W T5 lamps, 44.5” long. These are typically available as aquarium lighting, purchase 6700K or 10000K varieties for bright daylight effects. Some 28W T5 lamps, which are 48.5” long, are available as reptile lighting, but these do not fit our HO fixture. Please see the T5 High Output Fixture Lamp Requirements info below.
Please refer to our “resources” page for lamps which work well with the ecozone dimmable fixtures, as well as the ecozone vivarium controller.
T5 High Output Fixture Lamp Requirements
Our high output T5 fixture utilizes the latest T5 lamp type, in the high output variety. The fixture is designed to drive a 45” T5 lamp. T5 lamps come in two varieties, “Standard output”, which are 28W per tube, and “high output”, which are 54 watts per tube. All T5 lamps for our fixture are 44.5” long. But often manufacturers advertise these lamps as "48-inch" which can be very confusing!
Most reptile UVB T5 lamps available are “standard output”, 28W per tube. Although our fixture is for 54K high output, we are evaluating the use of these bulbs in our fixture, and will update this report. However, if you are not relying on the fluorescent lamp for reptile UVB needs, you may investigate the “High output” varieties are commonly available as aquarium lighting. Select a 6700K or 10K lamp output for crisp, daylight effects. Since the aquarium lamps are not rated for the UVB spectrum required for reptiles, you should not rely on an aquarium lamp as your primary UVB source. However in the future we will be working with the suppliers to get these lamps rated.
Please refer to our “resources” page for lamps which work well with the ecozone dimmable fixtures, as well as the ecozone vivarium controller.
Fixture Grounding – Dimming Performance
EcoZone Fluorescent dimmable fixtures use a grounded AC power cord. Besides safety, the AC line ground ensures smooth dimming performance.
If you plug the fixture and/or the EcoZone EZ-400 Vivarium Controller into a non-grounded outlet, not only are you compromising safety, but the lamp will not perform well at low dimming levels. It may not light at < 50% intensity, for example.
So, please always plug the 3-prong AC power cords into the proper grounded outlets, don’t defeat the AC line ground with a “cheater” type plug adapter, etc. Both safety, as well as the lamp dimming performance, will be compromised!
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Naturalistic Backgrounds FAQ
How to Dimension my Naturalistic Background
Our naturalistic backgrounds are custom printed to your supplied vivarium dimensions.
The background is designed to mount inside of your vivarium, so consider this when supplying your dimensions.
Measure the vivarium inside WIDTH, as well as the insight HEIGHT, and supply those in the indicated fields as part of your order. The WIDTH is always the horizontal dimension of the vivarium, and is entered as “Specify Printed Length (Inches). The HEIGHT is always the vertical dimension of the vivarium, and is entered as “Specify Printed Height (inches).
Note: Our maximum print size is 48” x 36” for Large, and 72” x 48” for XLarge. The “long” dimension in either of these sizes (48” or 72”) can be applied to either the height or the width, as you specify in the order. So, if you have a 6” tall x 4” wide vivarium, you would purchase the XLarge background size, and specify printed length as 48”, and printed height as 72”.
How is the image cropped and scaled to fit my dimensions?
To fit your custom supplied dimensions, we first scale the image until it reaches the limits of your longest dimension. Then after the longest dimension is reached, any excess image will be cropped. We crop uniformly from each end in most cases, ensuring that the essential image elements are maintained. The image crop on the horizontal dimension is done evenly from each side (left and right), and if cropped in the vertical dimension, the image is typically cropped entirely from the TOP (depending on the image). But if you have a specific request (like cropping only from the top or bottom of the image), please email us.
We never stretch the image to fit, as they would distort the image. Thus the image cropping step is necessary.
All of our images are produced from ultra-high resolution graphics files, and thus can be scaled to these large sizes while image quality is maintained.
How do I mount my background inside the vivarium?
A: The background is designed to mount inside of your vivarium, which works great for vivariums with non-transparent backgrounds, but even if your vivarium back is glass, you will get a more realistic look if you mount the background inside of the vivarium.
Velcro strips are provided for vivarium mounting. We have found that it is easiest to mount the Velcro strips pre-mated into the vivarium first. Cut the hook and loop portions of the Velcro strips into pieces of a few inches in length, and mount uniformly along the inside edges of the vivarium. Then, after all strips are mounted inside the vivarium, remove the adhesive backing from outer strip and install the background into place. Start at one end/edge and proceed to the other.
Do you own the rights to print these images?
Yes, we do!
We have purchased the rights to use this artwork for vivarium backgrounds from photographers around the world, and thus can make it available to you.
We are always looking for new and interesting naturalistic vivarium scenes, if you have high resolution artwork that you want us to consider, please email us (see our contact page).
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Other FAQ
Ez400 Flash Loader
The Ez400 Flash Loader Application Flash_Loader_Client.exe is unzipped to my desktop, but when I double click to run it, nothing happens. What is wrong?
The Ez400 Flash Loader Application requires Microsoft ActiveX to run. Most computers have this installed from various web page accesses, etc.
But in some cases the computer does not, and the Flash Loader application will refuse to run.
To remedy this, install Microsoft Active X Control Pad from this link.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms968493.aspx
Note that the Active X Control Pad application itself is not needed .. just some of the ActiveX components installed by it are used by the Flash Loader Application.
Also if you receive some installation errors while installing the Active X Launch Pad, just continue and if necessary reinstall with recommended settings if prompted.
After this step is complete, you should be able to execute the Ez400 Flash Loader Application Flash_Loader_Client.exe.
Mobile Device and Remote Access
I have an iPhone, can I access the Ez400 remotely? What about Android phone?
When the Ez400 is connected to your home network router, the Ez400 Web Interface can be accessed from any computer web browser – Mac, PC, Linux, etc. You can also access it from mobile devices, and it works wonderfully from the iPhone. There is no app to install, just open the device browser and type in the Ez400 IP address. However at this time there is a compatibility issue between the Ez400 web interface and the Android phone browsers. We hope to resolve this in time, but for now only the iPhone devices are supported.
Now, to access the Ez400 when you are away from home, you need to do a few steps with your router/firewall to enable this access. You need to know your WAN IP address, and create an IP forwarding rule for port 80 to your Ez400 Vivarium Controller. Also the Ez400 should have a fixed IP address so that the IP forwarding rule stays in effect. Check out our full users guide, which has a section on remote access for a bit more information.
EZ400 Series Vivarium Controller Users Guide
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