But even if the head unit fails, the power bar keeps on running based on the programs right?

I tried getting in touch with Eric but he is probably off to interzoo already; haven't heard back from him for the last couple of emails.

Only for Timers / Complex timers and manual commands.
Anything else needs the controller to read the value and tell the powerbar what to do. So Temp, Level, pH etc. all need the controller to tell the powerbar to shut on or off a plug.

So any program associated with sensors won't work? That is scary!

Yes it is, and it amazes me that with another brand of controller they take lockups so lightly, they just say oh unplug it and plug it back in. IMO anytime a controller locks up its a big big problem that needs fixing. Luckily this problem seems to be associated with a trivial feature that most people will not use. I know your one of those owners with a tank in the bedroom, so it is a problem for you but I think a dark cloth will tide you over until they release the update. After mine happened I looked at the ORP reading every time I passed the Tank. ORP is one value that is always fluctuating a little so I knew all was well with the Tank when I saw it move up or down one. BTW when mine locked the Clock for some reason kept the correct time. So dont watch the clock!

After a month or two after the incident I started to feel comfortable and have now gotten that good feeling that its very stable so long as the screen saver is off. Honestly I don't know how owners of the other brand deal with their issue. I guess they check there tanks via the web several times a day. I check my tank twice, once in the morning and the second time when I get home from work. I almost never remote in unless an SMS alert message comes to me.

Saturdays are my maintenance day. That's when the 2 part is refilled and all the skimmer cleaning etc goes on. A few water tests and that's it for the week.

Thanks for the heads up. I have started keeping mine on with the lowest brightness setting. Hopefully this will not be of any issue on the long run since this is an LCD. It should will just work as a night light haha.

Same maintenance schedule for me too. Saturdays are 5 gallon water change and cleaning skimmer cup. Every three or four months, I do a more vigorous cleaning and calibrate the probes.

So did the new firmware fix the screen problem?

No way to tell unless it happens again. It was a known but very infrequent issue. They have supposedly addressed it in the new firmware but like I said, there is no way to test it. The controller has been running well since.

Thanks for the reply. I guess if it's not a repeatable problem that's a good thing.

You are welcome. And it sure is. Every controller has its issues and I would say aqutronica is no different. All comes down to your personal preference and what works for you.

For sure they all do but what's important is if a company admits the issue and does she me thing to correct it. Looks like Aquatronica does this. I had a Reefkeeper Elite a few years ago and while it worked fine the Interface was pretty awful and difficult to use. The new touch screen and easy app based controllers that have been coming out recently have me thinking of trying one again.