Sicce SDC 7.0 Pump connection to Kraken Force Port 24v

[BR260354]

I do have a Sicce SDC 3.0 I use to stir my refugium. I setup the Sicce key in the app. You are limited to the number of times you can change it. I believe the limited number of times includes how often you set the programming to change. For example, if you run it at 50% for a couple of hours and change to another percent, etc. it counts towards that number. Also, there is a lag on the control that I find. Fortunately, I only set it to change twice a day - one speed during the day, another at night.

With all that said, it's not going to make a difference on the Kraken. That's just power.

BTW, my RR 7000's run at 50% and 55% with a usage of 1.55a and 36W / 1.75a and 39W.

 

[KenS]

I run my two SDC 7.0's at 62% and they are constant. No speed changes. I am of the same mindset that generating a Sicce Key would not cause the Kraken and the pumps to behave they way they do, but if the new pumps behave the same way as the old once changed out, generating the Sicce Key will be the final test before assuming that I have a defective Kraken. I won't know where else to turn after that. It should be able to run these two pumps.

 

[KenS]

I do have a Sicce SDC 3.0 I use to stir my refugium. I setup the Sicce key in the app. You are limited to the number of times you can change it. I believe the limited number of times includes how often you set the programming to change. For example, if you run it at 50% for a couple of hours and change to another percent, etc. it counts towards that number. Also, there is a lag on the control that I find. Fortunately, I only set it to change twice a day - one speed during the day, another at night.

With all that said, it's not going to make a difference on the Kraken. That's just power.

BTW, my RR 7000's run at 50% and 55% with a usage of 1.55a and 36W / 1.75a and 39W.

Did you make a DIY connector for your SDC 3.0 pump?

 

[BR260354]

The SDC 3.0 was easy....it was a straight barrel connector right into the SDC controller. Nothing to wire up!

 

[BR260354]

I run my two SDC 7.0's at 62% and they are constant. No speed changes. I am of the same mindset that generating a Sicce Key would not cause the Kraken and the pumps to behave they way they do, but if the new pumps behave the same way as the old once changed out, generating the Sicce Key will be the final test before assuming that I have a defective Kraken. I won't know where else to turn after that. It should be able to run these two pumps.

BTW, sorry I didn't respond sooner. I never received a notification on the thread. I just happened to check on the forum and saw this light up.

 

[KenS]

Just got back from vacation & tried one of the new SDC 7.0's that Sicce sent. Same thing. The pump starts, runs for a few seconds, shuts off & just does an endless loop, same thing over & over. Next step is to open a ticket with Hydros, but I've read they will not help or comment on DIY projects or fixes, so we'll see what happens. If they don't offer any help or advice, I guess I give up on the Kraken powering these.

 

[BR260354]

Just got back from vacation & tried one of the new SDC 7.0's that Sicce sent. Same thing. The pump starts, runs for a few seconds, shuts off & just does an endless loop, same thing over & over. Next step is to open a ticket with Hydros, but I've read they will not help or comment on DIY projects or fixes, so we'll see what happens. If they don't offer any help or advice, I guess I give up on the Kraken powering these.

Did you jumper the connector for both + and - ? Otherwise, not sure what else to tell you. Too bad I don't have an extra M16 female connector.

 

[KenS]

Did you jumper the connector for both + and - ? Otherwise, not sure what else to tell you. Too bad I don't have an extra M16 female connector.

I actually tried both. I have one connector with both jumped, and another with only one jumper (jumper from p1 to p2 removed), exact same behavior with both connectors. I am now pretty confident the problem is not the connectors or the pumps, but the Kraken itself or a setting somewhere I am missing.

 

[BR260354]

I believe if you don't do the jumper, it won't be running at 24v.

As far as configuring the Kraken port, not much there. I have mine on Constant with the selected Output of the Force Port connected.

Do you have anything in Depends on that's triggering it to go off? I'm kinda reaching here....

 

[KenS]

Been doing a little more research.

I came across this on Sicce website (see attached screenshot below). It says the power supply used for Sicce SDC7.0 uses a "Switching Power Supply".

So I Googled "What is a switching power supply" and a snipet of the results are pasted just below. I am no electrician by any stretch, but I'm wondering if the "Switching regulator" mentioned is what is causing the on/off, on/off behavior I am seeing when I try to power this pump with Kraken. Any help or advice out there, I'd love solve this once & for all, if it is solvable.

FROM GOOGLE: A switching power supply, or SMPS, is a type of electronic power supply that uses a switching regulator to efficiently convert electrical power. Unlike linear power supplies, SMPS use high-frequency switching to regulate the output voltage, making them smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient. This efficiency allows them to be used in a wide range of applications, including computers, home appliances, and medical devices.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Key Features and Functionality:
High-Frequency Switching:
SMPS use switching regulators to rapidly turn a switch on and off, creating a high-frequency pulse waveform.
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM):
The output voltage is regulated by controlling the "on" and "off" time of the switch, which is a process called PWM.
Transformers and Inductors:
The high-frequency pulses are then fed to a transformer or inductor to step up or down the voltage to the desired level.
Filtering:
The output voltage is then filtered to remove any remaining ripple and ensure a stable DC output.
Advantages of Switching Power Supplies:
High Efficiency:
SMPS can achieve higher efficiencies than linear power supplies, reducing energy waste.
Compact Size:
The high-frequency operation allows for smaller transformers and filters, resulting in a smaller overall footprint.
Low Weight:
The smaller components lead to a lighter power supply.
Wide Input Voltage Range:
SMPS can often operate over a wider range of input voltages, making them suitable for international use.

 

[Danny]

Been doing a little more research.

I came across this on Sicce website (see attached screenshot below). It says the power supply used for Sicce SDC7.0 uses a "Switching Power Supply".

So I Googled "What is a switching power supply" and a snipet of the results are pasted just below. I am no electrician by any stretch, but I'm wondering if the "Switching regulator" mentioned is what is causing the on/off, on/off behavior I am seeing when I try to power this pump with Kraken. Any help or advice out there, I'd love solve this once & for all, if it is solvable.

FROM GOOGLE: A switching power supply, or SMPS, is a type of electronic power supply that uses a switching regulator to efficiently convert electrical power. Unlike linear power supplies, SMPS use high-frequency switching to regulate the output voltage, making them smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient. This efficiency allows them to be used in a wide range of applications, including computers, home appliances, and medical devices.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Key Features and Functionality:
High-Frequency Switching:
SMPS use switching regulators to rapidly turn a switch on and off, creating a high-frequency pulse waveform.
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM):
The output voltage is regulated by controlling the "on" and "off" time of the switch, which is a process called PWM.
Transformers and Inductors:
The high-frequency pulses are then fed to a transformer or inductor to step up or down the voltage to the desired level.
Filtering:
The output voltage is then filtered to remove any remaining ripple and ensure a stable DC output.
Advantages of Switching Power Supplies:
High Efficiency:
SMPS can achieve higher efficiencies than linear power supplies, reducing energy waste.
Compact Size:
The high-frequency operation allows for smaller transformers and filters, resulting in a smaller overall footprint.
Low Weight:
The smaller components lead to a lighter power supply.
Wide Input Voltage Range:
SMPS can often operate over a wider range of input voltages, making them suitable for international use.View attachment 5159

There are very few brick type power supplies that are not the switch mode supplies. They just use a high frequency transformer instead of the standard 60 htz transformer. In doing that it is a lot smaller transformer. The output form one that is working correctly is still a constant output voltage. As long as the pump gets a constant 24v there should not be an issue regardless of the source of the voltage. Have you tried powering another 24v device with the output to see if it has an issue on that ouput?

 

[KenS]

Actually, no. I haven't, and I should have. I will definitely try that today. The Kraken is currently powering two Versa 4 head base stations & one Varios 4 running my skimmer. They function properly. I will do that today & post back the result.

Not holding out much hope though. I have two of these pumps & two DIY connectors. What are the chances that both of the outputs i picked to run these pumps are both bad? Not likely, but I will confirm. Thank you for the suggestion & the help.

 

[KenS]

I tested this today. Both of the Kraken ports in question function normally with my Varios S4 pump running my skimmer. I ran it on each port about 6 hours, perfectly normal.

Any other ideas? If not, I'm about ready ready to bite the bullet & just purchase 2 Varios 4 pumps & be done with it. Sucks because I paid a pretty penny for these Sicce pumps & I like the wifi control.

 

[Danny]

Unfortunately I have not used that particular pump. I have a SDC 3.0 pump. It is powered off a force port but it has the barrel plug type power input so I did not have to make my own adapter. It works fine on the force port.

 

[KenS]

Understood. Did you take a look at how I made the connector? Do you see anything I could have done in error?

 

[Danny]

Understood. Did you take a look at how I made the connector? Do you see anything I could have done in error?

Unfortunately I do not know the correct pinouts for the connector to the Sicce to know on that side of things. I do have a meter and could measure the pins on the Sicce power supply if I was doing it and it as not labeled on the power supply itself.

 

[Dr.ABag4]

Think I saw your post elsewhere regarding ReefMat, Gyre and Sicce. The ReefMat is easy and I actually power two of them with a y adapter. The challenge is definitely the Sicce adapter. I saw the exchanges and came here just like you to find the adapter. Placed my order today. As long as it is the correct adapter, should dedinitely work. Replace the 120V cord, power brick and cable that goes to controller junction replacing it was the Force cable butt connected to pigtail. Kraken will definitely power it normally. Power it on battery might be another story. My SDC is skimmer and won't be active in low power mode so don't really care.

Hi can you please show how you did the reefmat mod please

 

[BR260354]

Simple method - cut the power cord for the ReefMat and splice to a female barrel. Plug that into the Direct cable. Photo attached. The other method, which I have on another aquarium, I used a M11 connector. Just red / black wiring to + and -.

HTH...

 

[oregon_nano]

That aliexpress link didn't work out for me. What they ended up sending has a mismatched exterior housing for the interior plug. Here you can see the correct exterior housing for SDC connection has the male plug (not female).

 

[oregon_nano]

Perhaps this photo makes the issue clearer. Just a warning to other people attempting to order that part from AliExpress.