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Thread: AI Hydra 52 not dimming when loose connection

  1. #1
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    AI Hydra 52 not dimming when loose connection

    I have the Apex Classic controller and the AI Hydra 52 (upgrades to original AI) fixtures. Unfortunately, we've experienced a recent controller glitch where I come home from work to find the tank with everything running in fallback modes and the controller not connected to the network. I reset the controller and everything comes back up and appears to come back up fine.

    1 - Is there an alert I can set for when this happens?
    2 - I understand the AI Hydra 52 are supposed to sense the connection failure and slowly dim - mine remained at whatever setting they had been at when they lost connection- is there a way to fix/troubleshoot this?

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    I have had that happen before and it was a corrupted config one time and a failed internal component another time. If the issue persists for long enough, the heartbeat function in fusion (this is disabled by default) can notify you of a crashed controller or other network issue.

    I would start by updating firmware and webpages and go through your code and outlet names with a fine tooth comb to make sure nothing is off and all outlet names only use alphanumeric underscores or dash. A seriously corrupt config will be very apparent as mine had things like squares and infinity symbols added to names and code when it was corrupted by a hardware failure. You can also send a request to support and they can check it for you more accurately and efficiently.

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    For sure enable heartbeat in Fusion, it will tell you when the controller is offline.

    I have a total of 6 Hydras paired to my AWM, 4 of them are 52's. It is not my experience that they automatically dim if there is a connection failure. The only thing you can do with AWM is update the light firmware from it. Though, if you aren't having problems with the lights specifically I wouldn't mess with this. repairing and updating the lights can be a challenge, at least it always has been for me!

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    Just to be clear, when I stated I had that happen before, I was specifically referring to things getting stuck on fallback randomly and nothing talking. The dimming issue of the hydra I know nothing about. On my AI sols, a loss of connection will keep the same intensity as the moment connection was lost, but that is a completely different interface.

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    I actually reviewed all of my code and programming when troubleshooting and determined that everything was in their fallback settings - and from a code perspective, I don't believe I have a corrupt config file. And when looking up a table Russ posted (fallback FAQ posting), the AWM does not have a fallback setting, but instead, the fixtures are supposed to detect when they loose connection and slowly fade to a low setting - so I was trying to figure out how to get that to work (or if because my Hydra 52 are the update kits, they don't support that).

    I will look into the heartbeat option as well.

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    I went and tested this with my 52's and planted tank Hydra, by disconnected the AWM. The 52's were at their normal day setting, the planted tank was in the process of ramping up. All them them froze in their current brightness. None of them faded.

  7. #7
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    Thanks- perhaps the disconnect info in the FAQ is for the new controller (2016).


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  8. #8
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    The All about Fallback sticky says this for Hydras & Vegas controlled by via AWM: Fallback is not available. Instead, if the fixture senses a loss of communications, it will slowly dim to a low intensity.

    There is no Fallback in the Apex sense for these. Note that the description says " if the fixture senses a loss of communications". It does not say anything about if the AWM loses comms with the Apex.

    When the Hydra or Vega loses communication with the AWM, the light will slowly dim to 10-20% of the current setting in about 1 to 2 hours. This is a feature built into the Hydras - at least the original Hydra, which I still have. It's been quite a few years since I wrote that particular part of the sticky. Perhaps the newer Hydras (26 & 52) behave differently - I do not know.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

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    I did not leave mine disconnected for that long. I have both 52's and an original Hydra connected. I will unplug the AWM now and see what happens. I will update back here after a few hours.

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    Welp... didn't take long at all. I unplugged the AWM and 10 minutes later the original Hydra and the 52's dimmed.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Detour View Post
    I actually reviewed all of my code and programming when troubleshooting and determined that everything was in their fallback settings - and from a code perspective, I don't believe I have a corrupt config file. And when looking up a table Russ posted (fallback FAQ posting), the AWM does not have a fallback setting, but instead, the fixtures are supposed to detect when they loose connection and slowly fade to a low setting - so I was trying to figure out how to get that to work (or if because my Hydra 52 are the update kits, they don't support that).

    I will look into the heartbeat option as well.
    Corruption is not always apparent. It can occur on the firmware level as well, which is not visible to the end user.

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  12. #12
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    AI Hydra 52 not dimming when loose connection

    Thanks for the info- hadn’t planned on needing to learn this much about the controller having issues. Russ and company are always a wealth of knowledge.




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