I agree the Solaris operations manual could be improved upon.
Poorly written product manuals are my pet peeve. Many manufactures seem to consider manuals an afterthought instead of an art form, and do not spend much time on revising the clarity, grammar, translation, diagrams or even spell checking. Even if they are rushed to market, you would think these manuals could easily be improved in electronic form after the release date. Perhaps they assume most users will never read the manual? I for one would read manuals more dilligently if they were better written!
I liked the part of my Solaris instructions that told me I had to unscrew/open up the fixture to install the eyescrew and nut for hanging. I was a bit confused because the holes were already threaded and there were no nuts included with the fixture. I also read on the PFO site that if you screw the eyescrews in too far they could touch and/or damage the circuit board. Scratching my head, I called PFO and they said that those instructions were for the original units and that I should just ignore them. Also, the eyescrews on my 24" unit are not positioned over the internal circuit boards, so that was not an issue either. Perhaps longer units have this potential issue?
On a more minor note, the instructions for a really expensive LED fixture could be a bit nicer than fourteen photocopied pages in a cheap grade-school slip binding. My Solaris manual has already broke free of the binding and has since been stapled. No biggie, just not very professional looking for an expensive fixture.
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On a semi-related note:
The only major bug in the Solaris Control Panel software that I have run across is when changing the TIME of the unit. If I change the hour and then exit to the main screen, the Solaris on/off times may not be as expected. I have to press the SELECT button for the Hour, Minute, AND Second fields for the new time to be correctly engaged.
The only other bugs I see are spurious display refresh issues where I see extra characters appear on screen when they shouldn't. For example, one moment you see "Clock" and then the next moment it reads "Clockk". Also, when I went to change my Time just moments ago, the time appeared as "46:49:16" instead of "06:49:16". Weird stuff.
PFO Solaris LED lights now being built in the USA!
The latest news from PFO is that their Solaris LED illumination System will be built in house. Current plans are for a mid September delivery date. While Pat and his team are being somewhat elusive on any improvements to the technology, it is my belief that we will get a new and improved version. Whether it will carry a new model designation remains unclear.
As usual, we expect sales to be brisk and as in every prior model run, they are expected to sell out before they are even built. So, what does this mean??? Just this ... PFO's Solaris LED Illumination System remains the most popular LED lighting system on the market.
I have many people inquiring about buying a Solaris and waiting too long to purchase. They find out that paying ahead of time is the only way to assure getting one. You have to get on the reserved list by ordering ASAP.
As of today, I have heard of no price changes. We, The Cultured Reef, offer the lowest prices allowed by PFO (yes, they control pricing) plus we pay shipping charges. This adds up to the lowest price on the internet.
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
"Made in the USA" will probably help PFO maintain QC. Perhaps when the dollar rebounds the parts (and thus the fixtures) will become a good deal cheaper.
I am glad I got my original "G" series at a steal (thanks Dick!) when I did.
PFO is busy gearing up for the first "Made in America" Solaris LED lighting systems. The units are expected to ship in mid September. All indications are that this will be another sell out.
We offer the lowest selling price PFO allows plus, we are offering free shipping on pre-orders. Get them while they are available - Solaris I4-LED Lights - All sizes available but, that could change at any time.
Dick
__________________ Amphibious
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
I think LED's are so extremely promising but at $2500 for a 48" setup....I'll have to pass. This technology is still in its infancy and am hoping pricing comes down dramatically over the next few years.
__________________ Brian
Man I am HOOKED on DIY...I'd build me a fish from scratch if I could
They are expensive but I have had mine 15 months. When my chiller broke when we moved it a couple months after I got the Solaris and at the beginning of the summer I was a little worried but the tank stays at 80 without it!
I'll have to start and interest bearing savings plan...Maybe sock away some cash in CD's or something and shoot for the $1000-1500 price range
I'l LOVE to go LED. I think the technology is awesome and being able to program the sunrise to sunset to moonphases is AWESOME! Love the passing cloud radom thing too. I thick its a much better ecological footprint in energy consumption and heat generation.
Would be cool to make grids, say 12"x12" that are interchangeable. Maybe being able to buy three of these as individuals would be better for a larger system than one long hood. Have a central contoller and have them all work in sync....That way if you had a smaller tank and upgraded, you would just buy another panel.
__________________ Brian
Man I am HOOKED on DIY...I'd build me a fish from scratch if I could
to TR.
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