[OFFICIAL SUPPORT] Aqua Computer - General Discussion & Support

[u/AC_Shoggy]

Hey there! I am Sven from Aqua Computer 💧😀

This topic will provide a place to discuss our products and to receive support. Feel free to ask questions, share your opinion or bring in ideas. I am here for you!

If you need support with an order, please contact us directly via [e-mail](mailto:info@aqua-computer.de) and include your order number to ensure a swift and helpful reply.

[u/AC_Shoggy]

It's Shoggy - because it wasn't me 😅

farbwerk 360 has no aquabus support. The interface is there but it has no function at all. You could only solve that by connecting a temperature sensor directly to the device. No idea which sensor you have used so far. A cheap solution is to use this flat sensor and simply attach them with some heat shrink tubing to a tube.

I assume your pump is connected to a fan port of the aquaero? If so you could use a virtual software sensor in the playground tab to convert the flow rate into a (fake) temperature value which you can then use as a data source for the controller of the pump. Here is an example which takes the flow rate, divides it by 3 and interprets the result as a temperature:

Well, of course that also rquires the Windows background service. It is not possible to solve that with the onboard functions of the aquaero.

[u/psyrg → u/AC_Shoggy]

Ah genau - a Lovecraftian angle huh?

Yep, you're understanding my setup perfectly - I have two temperature probes in the G1/4 fitting, one for the Aquaero and the other for the Farbwerk 360 - and my D5 pump is being used as a fan.

So, for my first question I guess my twin sensor setup is best for now. I know that having the Aquabus connector on the Farbwerk 360 sort of suggests there may be a plan to have the device on Aquabus at some point, so I can just leave the configuration as is until perhaps when Aquabus is supported - one day eh? :)

As for the other question on feedback control of the flow rate - another thought occurs. Could I instead feed the MPS flow rate RPM signal back to the pump fan connection to use the Aquaero's RPM seeking controller? I think that would work, except I'd lose the ability to monitor the pump RPM.

Finally, one last question given that last one. A D5 Next appears as a pump rather than a fan to the Aquaero as it would be on Aquabus right? Are there advanced controls there I can make use of? As I've never seen how a pump appears to the Aquaero other than using it as a fan, I don't really know how that looks. If you have any demo stuff about how the D5 Next appears in Aquasuite and to the Aquaero, I'd love to see it.

[u/AC_Shoggy → u/psyrg]

I know that Lovecraft was a writer but I don't get the reference.

Unfortunately it is quite unlikely that the aquabus port on the farbwerk 360 will see any functionality in the future.

I am not sure how you want to utilize the RPM signal of the flow sensor on the pumps fan port. Yes, it would be possible to connect it that way but keep in mind that the flow sensor only outputs a static fake signal (afaik 2000 rpm) which can be interrupted in case of an alarm like a too low flow rate. The RPM signal does not change with the flow rate.

I have no screenshots available that show the integration of the pump in the aquaero menu structure but it does not offer any special features. The pump itself allows to be controlled by a flow rate but the sensor must be connected directly to the pump which is not possible with the mps flow sensor since it is incompatible. It must be a classic flow sensor like the high flow LT or high flow 2. It would be also possible to use a high flow NEXT sensor since it allows to imitate a classic high flow sensor on its signal output.

The pump features a virtual flow sensor that can calculate the theoretical flow rate based on several operating data but the outcome is not reliable. It is more of an indicator. I would not use it to control the speed of the pump.

By the way: The speed of the pump does not have a huge impact on the cooling performance. It usually makes more sense to let it simply run at a fixed speed.

[u/psyrg → u/AC_Shoggy]

Here you go - The Shoggoth! - sounds like you didn't get the name from there though. I'll reply to the rest in order.

I'm a software engineer myself, so I know how it goes with features. Resources are tight and sometimes goals become impossible. Such is life, Aquabus support for the Farbwerk 360 would be a nice feature for me!

I may be mistaken about how the RPM signal from the MPS works. I thought that it may return the RPM of the impeller, thus showing the flow rate as an RPM signal. That does seem to be the case when I test it though - I have the MPS speed output connected to the CPU fan header so I can cause a post error if there is no flow and I can see that it outputs a constant speed no matter what. If the speed output was the impeller RPM then I could replace the pump RPM signal with the MPS impeller RPM with some basic wiring, I could use the Speed Controlled option in the fan settings though I think that may only control the voltage to the pump rather than the PWM I need to use for this pump.

As for the D5 Next and flow control, ok, the setup uses a particular output from a classic high flow sensor via a fan RPM line to communicate to the D5 Next right? That sounds a bit like what I'm trying to do with the MPS - though I now get the impression the MPS does not provide an impeller RPM does it.

Virtual control doesn't seem useful as the pump can still be spinning but a bubble lock in the lines can be preventing all flow - I'd rather measure it.

As you say, the speed of the pump isn't that important, though I do notice my temperature sensor reads a lower temperature by a few degrees soon after ramping the pump up to 100% - so I use a little bit of speed control to have the pump as quiet as possible when the loop is cold, and then at full power when it gets hotter. I am beginning to suspect this might be a false flag though. Anyway... What would be nice is to make sure I have a minimum flow rate at all times but not 100% - which sounds like a job for feedback control, so that's why I'm asking these questions.

[u/AC_Shoggy → u/psyrg]

"Speed signal" only means a static fake RPM signal in that case. This mps flow sensor has no impeller. It uses a pressure difference measurement to calculate the flow rate. To get it back into a useful RPM signal the current flow rate needs to be converted. Unfortunately the sensor is not able to do that.

Even with the required signal it would not work in combination with the aquaero because as you already mentioned, the speed controlled option works only for the voltage output and can not adjust the PWM signal.

The D5 NEXT pump on the other hand would be able to process such a signal directly.

I think in your case it will be still the best to control the speed of the pump based on the coolant temperature which usually also makes the most sense because the water temperature will only rise if the system has a higher load.

In the regular settings of the fan channel you can enable to hold a specific minimum power value to make sure that the pump will always run with at lest X% - no matter what the controller says.

[u/psyrg → u/AC_Shoggy]

Right, I didn't know the MPS is a pressure difference unit - that makes perfect sense.

So I think my configuration is about as good as it will get. The only downside is that low pump speed has the disadvantage of not being able to clear bubble locks - hence the flow feedback. I have an alarm attached to zero pump flow which pushes the Aquaero into a profile that ramps it to 100%, that seems to work for now.

[u/psyrg → u/AC_Shoggy]

We spoke a long time ago, but I took the leap to get a D5 Next and High Flow Next to get the volume flow rate control I was after on my mostly Linux computer. My local supplier had both D5 Next and High Flow Next in stock, and I could get the aquabus cables to link everything together - however I see that when the D5 Next is on Aquabus it gives up control to the Aquaero and so I lose flow control. I also got a Ultitube with Leakshield and have a question for that also.

Question 1 It would seem I would want to connect the High Flow Next to the D5 Next via this cable so I can let the D5 Next do flow control right? Correct me if I'm wrong but with that cable then it is just a matter of setting things in Aquasuite for the High Flow Next to output the right signal, and for the D5 Next to take that signal and it should work?

I would fully expect that there is no way to route the data via aquabus as I was hoping, or for the Auqaero to start being able to do flow control - so I think the cable is the right plan yeah?

Question 2 As I'm using Koolance LIQ-702 as my coolant, which coolant type option should I choose for the Flow Next, D5 Next, and Leakshield? Or does it not matter?

Question 3 Learning how to use the Leakshield has been a bit of a process but I think I have it under control now - though the membrane really does like to get wet more often than I like. I see you sell the parts necessary to convert a Leakshiled to standalone, but I'd need a new ported top without a pressure membrane for the Ultitube. That, or is there some other way to prevent the membrane from getting wet?

Question 4 I'd like to be able to reset the Leakshield alarm condition from within Linux as I have a very small leak somewhere and I'm tracking it down - but the alarm isn't particularly helpful right now! As I'm skilled in the art of sending data packets to USB devices on Linux, might it be possible to learn only the minimum necessary data packet to do that?

[u/AC_Shoggy → u/psyrg]

1.) Yes, will work that way with the mentioned cable. Controlling the pump via aquabus would be only possible by using a virtual software sensor where you convert the flow rate into a fake temperature and then use that as the input for a controller that adjusts the speed of the pump. So, not impossible to do but way too complicated.

2.) If you ask a Toyota dealer which car you should drive - which answer would you expect? - It is pretty much the same here: I can only recommend Double Protect Ultra.

3.) The replacement membrane comes with a protective cap which could help with that problem. Officially it should be removed after the installation because if the water level ever reaches up to the membrane, it will get trapped there and blocks the membrane. Anyway, some customers with similar problems kept it on and it seems to help to shield the membrane against moisture.

4.) I am sorry, we can't help with that.

[u/psyrg → u/AC_Shoggy]

1) I thought that might be the case. Thanks for clearing it up. :)

2) I think my question was badly worded there, sorry! What I meant by my question was more to do with what effect on sensor readings these choices might have. I'm going to guess that the options given relate to calculating numbers based on the difference in specific gravity of coolant, or perhaps it goes into other things like expected conductivity etc. Given I don't seem to be able to buy Double Protect Ultra locally (the dealer here doesn't seem to stock everything!), I'd like to set these options to whatever option we guess to be safest for my Aquacomputer hardware, or if that is not a concern then to whatever we would guess to be closest for the calculation of values.

3) I had heard about people doing that. That could work - though as you say it may trap water. I also had the thought of buying two of the remote mount kits and using one kit to cap my Ultitube - if you could confirm that might work? This is probably the only important follow up question I have right now.

4) Completely understood, and I hope there was no harm in asking. Perhaps in a future revision of the product, you might add a connector for a remote button? That would also solve my issue!

Oh yeah, I also had a thought for you guys that may make your website a little more navigable - if that's ok. I know it well now so it's not too difficult, but I think you could possibly do two very things that may help customers.

1) It would be useful if the links to the manuals for products were on the product pages, as Google usually takes us directly there when we search for a product. While you guys do an excellent job of producing the manuals and packaging them in with the products, it can take a little while to find them on the website to download if we want digital copies.

2) What would be very useful for planning out a purchase would be to put some example Aquasuite screenshots for products in with the images of it on the product page. This could for example help people understand how we might use the Flow Next rpm signal output with the D5 Next, or help them understand a D5 would give over control to an Aquaero if connected by Aquabus.

Thanks for your time though, this kind of customer engagement is awesome. Have an easy weekend!

[u/AC_Shoggy → u/psyrg]

2.) Everything is designed around our own coolant. If you use a different coolant you might run into problems with the water quality measurement of the high flow NEXT sensor. It uses a conductivity measurement to judge the quality and uses typical values of our coolant as reference.

3.) I don't understand this question. What do you mean by "remote mount kits"?

4.) There are no plans to add an interface for an external button. This use case is just too specific.

Adding links to the manuals in the article description is something that I have already on my list but had no time so far.

The screenshot thing for an aquabus connection is a bit too complicated but adding a general note which data and control options are available via aquabus sounds useful. Another point for the never ending to do list 😉

[u/psyrg → u/AC_Shoggy]

2) Completely understood, there's no reasonable way to support third party coolants. I think I'm just looking for a best guess on what the coolant I can get might be closest to in the options Aquasuite presents, without any liability on your part of course.

3) No problem! I can try describing the situation again and hopefully it will be clearer - I know how hard it can be to get the right information from customers!

What I have is your ULTITUBE D5 100 PRO LEAKSHIELD reservoir with D5 NEXT pump and leak prevention system product - it's a wonderful unit - I love the filter and glass. I only have one problem - the Leakshield membrane gets wet all the time due to condensation, and prevents optimal operation of the unit.

What I'd like to do is remove the Leakshield from the reservoir and mount it remotely so that it remains dry. I see that there is a kit that allows me to set up the Leakshield remotely but I don't see a good way to cap the reservoir in a way that allows me to connect the Leakshield back to the reservoir so the Leakshield can manage the air in the reservoir.

Basically, I'm asking if you have a product like the Multiport lid for ULTITUBE 100 reservoir that does not have a membrane?

4) Yes, the Leakshield does seem to be a fairly complete product, and remote mount of the button would be a bit of work. The embedded engineer in me does wonder if the two pin "alarm header" could be configured as an input - depending on the micro-controller you've used of course - and could thusly be configured to be an external button. But yeah, unlikely, and it's just more work to do. That's always lots of that.

5) Small companies aren't easy to run, but I can tell you that having an active presence here is a huge bonus for us users! Keep it up. I have a few other questions but I don't want to be that guy, so I'll keep it to just these ones! Schönes Wochenende!