Neptune Systems APEX EB8

Product Description 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

So Much More Than Just a Power Strip!

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.

Let’s Start with Construction

We have put a lot of thought into the construction of our Energy Bars. Unlike our competitors and simple power strips, our Energy Bars are made out of 16 gauge, powder-coated aluminum. They are built to be bullet proof – almost literally!

Sure, like our competitors we could have gone with a slick, inexpensive plastic enclosure, but that would not provide you with the best protection against catastrophic failure. You see, plastic timer powerstrips and power bars used by some of our competitors can easily catch fire should saltwater enter them and cause a short. With our solid metal Energy Bars, if such a short did occur, it would be far less likely to spread to the tank or your home.

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 intentionalunderrateour 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)

Soft-Start Extends the Life of Pumps

Imagine revving the engine in your car and dropping the shifter from P to D. That is exactly what happens when many controllers turn on the power to your pumps. Just like in a car, this kind of instantaneous application of power to your return pump after a feed cycle or to your power heads will certainly lead to early failure. With the Energy Bar, power is slowly ramped on so that every motor is safely brought up to speed without the damaging torque.

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 programm