Vertex Illumina

albert_dao · #1 10-05-2010, 02:28 AM

Hi,

Thought I'd chime in on this one:

The Vertex Illumina was designed from the ground-up as an open platform which will offer seamless integration into the soon-to-be-released Vertex Cerebra network. This network, the heart of which will be the Cerebra, will take the fundamentals of reef/aquarium equipment (eg. pumps, lighting, dosers, etc) and connect them all into one user-friendly, ever expanding network. This is something that no other lighting unit can offer. What exactly is all this 'fluff' you might ask? Well, off the top of my head, these are some of the developments currently under way:

- Fully synchronized tidal/photo cycles, as close as you will ever get to replicating the oceanic seasons in your living room. Moon cycles that run in tandem with surge cycles and beyond.
- Real-time weather simulation, not lighting, but current too. Imagine, with the advances in dosing pump and refrigeration technology, can you imagine increasing the amount of liquid food additives during a storm surge?
- Fully customizable color channel control to parallel the seasonal spectral shifts (this will become even more powerful with the release of the auxiliary modules, including RGB/UV-Cyan, etc).

These are features are very real and innovative options for the ultimate simulations. Pending some upcoming beta testing, they should be available nearing the end of this year/beginning of 2011.

As it stands, the Illumina has undergone nearly three years of R&D. There are no cheap parts or labour put into the product. The entire assembly was designed and assembled with the "buy it once, never look back" frame of mind and I have not had a single issue with any of the hundreds of fixtures that I have sold over the past few months. Every unit, every LED pad is hand tested.

Regarding the performance - the document leaked earlier this year was part of a much larger article which contains all the PAR and spectral data. This article is awaiting final drafts and editing prior to publishing.

@ Ron99

If someone from Vertex were to post here regarding this unit, you would know it (Hi).

Personally, I cannot engage into the debate of spectral efficacy as it is not a field of research to which I have applied myself. However, I am confident that, with the spectral testing being done and the impending publishing of the article being just around the corner, the Vertex Illumina will easily stand apart from the crowd in its ability both exceed the expectations and impress with its array of exclusive features.

I will refrain from making an analogy between this and the rather obvious car market. I think we're all a little more intelligent than that. I will however state that, having seen all the offerings from every manufacturer out there, this is by far the most unique and exclusive illumination offering from any manufacturer. There is no other lighting product out there as polished or feature-rich as the Illumina and this gap will only become larger as the Cerebra and auxiliary modules are released.

@ BlueTang<3

Check out TheDogFather's thread on RC for a more users. I cannot think of a single product I have dealt with over my entire experience within this industry that has left so many people feeling as PROUD of their investment as the Illumina. A particular example stands out in my head; one of the Canadian end-users actually called my office to tell me about how many different lighting products he had used, tested/experimented with over the years and wanted to thank me because he was ‘finally done with buying lights for his fish tank’. We’re not talking hodgepodge Chinese junk either – Aquatics, Geissman, Hamilton, Sunlight Supply, ATI, this guy probably spent more on lights in the past decade than I have spent on my car. To hear this statement from someone who was in that position of knowledge and authority has left me feeling brazenly confident about the capabilities of the Illumina.

Regarding the rapid 'leap frogging' that LED manufacturers seem to be doing with each other, the Illumina will be fully upgradable. The shell/haul of the light is completely modular and, should LED technology happen to surge forward in efficiency, easily be expanded to the current offerings and beyond. I should mention that all of this can be done without any prior experience or knowledge. No soldering, disassembly or internal parts replacement. Each pad is completely modular and can be removed by hand without the need for any tools.

Anyway, I’m getting off the soapbox now and will recede back into ‘lurker’ mode. Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions regarding this or any other Vertex products.

BlueTang<3 · #2 10-05-2010, 02:54 AM

Is the new v stick compatible with mac? I see on glass box they are using it with a mac but a few reviews say it was not working.

frizzo1983 · #3 10-05-2010, 03:50 AM

Hey guys I bought my 6' Lumina when it first came out and have had no problems. Coral growth over the past 6-8 months has really shocked me, as I was a little bit of a skeptic at first to dish out 3800.00. The customer service has been awesome and even sent me V stick to try out, and if you like to tinker this is the light for you. In my opinion its a great light and will just keep getting better. If you have any questions drop me a line, or come on over and check it out.

albert_dao · #4 10-05-2010, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueTang<3

Is the new v stick compatible with mac? I see on glass box they are using it with a mac but a few reviews say it was not working.

Mac software is under developement. We should see its release before the end of the year.

Skimmerking · #5 10-05-2010, 04:33 AM

That is great and all but 3500 for a light to light your tank is crazy. However if my light would do that then that is great would love it , they would probably sell more units if they wold lower the price, they want all the great advertising then lower the price and then you will get more people buying to rave about it. this light is geared toward the higher rich bank accounts and well if you can buy a 3700 light then you aren't really giving to craps about your tank. or have that much money to throw away. Just my opinion. but what do I know i'm just a middle class reefer.

albert_dao · #6 10-05-2010, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

That is great and all but 3500 for a light to light your tank is crazy. However if my light would do that then that is great would love it , they would probably sell more units if they wold lower the price, they want all the great advertising then lower the price and then you will get more people buying to rave about it. this light is geared toward the higher rich bank accounts and well if you can buy a 3700 light then you aren't really giving to craps about your tank. or have that much money to throw away. Just my opinion. but what do I know i'm just a middle class reefer.

I disagree. During my time as a retailer, I found the same spectra of zeal and passion to be true amongst all the financial stratas.

Regarding the price - despite what some of us would insist - this thing cost an arm and a leg, no, many arms and many legs to develop. Not only that, the manufacturing and assembly are state of the art. Even the components are top notch (no expense has been spared, as in there are NO CHEAP/SHORTCUT COMPONENTS, NOT EVEN A SINGLE TRANSISTOR HAS BEEN BOUGHT AT BARGAIN) and highly regarded within industry. The thing is built to last and the intention is and has always been "buy with the confidence that you will NEVER worry about it ever again".

EDIT:

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...0&postcount=12

YOU, good sir, are HARDLY a middle-class reefer, lol.

BlueTang<3 · #7 10-05-2010, 12:56 PM

I agree with albert again the customer service provided by proline aquatics is outstanding. I am far from being a high end reefer just save up to get the nicest equipment so it is maintenance free and efficient. But i am going to take the plunge and order this light hope it works out. I will keep everyone updated on it so if u wanna cut me a deal feel free to albert.

Skimmerking · #8 10-06-2010, 06:42 PM

I just noticed that Albert you Jack

Quote:

Originally Posted by albert_dao

I disagree. During my time as a retailer, I found the same spectra of zeal and passion to be true amongst all the financial stratas.

Regarding the price - despite what some of us would insist - this thing cost an arm and a leg, no, many arms and many legs to develop. Not only that, the manufacturing and assembly are state of the art. Even the components are top notch (no expense has been spared, as in there are NO CHEAP/SHORTCUT COMPONENTS, NOT EVEN A SINGLE TRANSISTOR HAS BEEN BOUGHT AT BARGAIN) and highly regarded within industry. The thing is built to last and the intention is and has always been "buy with the confidence that you will NEVER worry about it ever again".

EDIT:

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...0&postcount=12

YOU, good sir, are HARDLY a middle-class reefer, lol.

Ron99 · #9 10-06-2010, 10:15 PM

Well put Steve. Good analysis. However, I think looks and performance can go hand in hand. I have a design for a unit in mind which would look really sharp and perform really well. Just don't have the time and capital to do it right now

BlueTang<3, looking forward to your review and hopefully PAR measurements too.

Ron99 · #10 10-05-2010, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueTang<3

Thanks Ron i have been on the fence between vertex and aqua illuminations for some time. The finish and controller and software on the vertex is mind blowing vs what comes with the aqua illumination for now. The aqua illumination says on reef central that there are a few issues with poor unsealed connectors on the light and a little sketchy on warranty. But seeing the vertex is not in the states who knows what its flaws are. It is interesting the differences in the lights optics no optics cree vs rebel diodes. I would almost be tempted to try 2 12" and compare them side by side but ...I am big on looks in a fixture and i like the vertex more but thats just looks. I have the other big ones Ati powermodule t5's Geiseman metal halides so i would like to try leds. It is some interesting pros and cons for optics vs no optics. One thing that i am worried about it the shadows that i have seen on reef central from lights with optics. An y line in that article “On shallower tanks, I’m a proponent of using straight LEDs without secondary optics,” he states. “I’ve found that achieving a sufficient amount of light for high-light corals is possible, there will be no flashlight effect, no spotting, and more uniformly colored shadows.” Being my rag tank is only 10" deep this is something that finds me leaning towards the Vertex. I want to thank you for taking the time to educate us on the different versions on leds i find it to be interesting. One this that worries me tho is the increase in technology so quick in this hobby ill buy a led and something new and better will come out.

No worries. There are alot of misconceptions out there and we are still learning as this technology is new to our hobby (although not really new technology in other applications). yes, the article is correct that you can achieve good results without secondary optics on shallower tanks. For good PAR at depth you either need a ton more LEDs or to use optics. I have not noticed any spotlight effects in the tank with my array. It comes down to how it is set up. If I hold my hand under it just above the water then I can see a spotlight effect on my hand but everything blends well by 1 or 2 inches down into the water and since I have nothing that high up in the tank there is no spotlighting. That is pretty much a non-issue if the array is properly thought out.

As for advances in the technology that is going to happen no matter when you buy in. LED development is following what they call Haitz's Law (the LED equivalent of Moore's law for semiconductors) and LED lumen output has been doubling every 18 to 24 months with costs coming down as well. They figure that will not slow down any time soon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Hi,

Thought I'd chime in on this one:

The Vertex Illumina was designed from the ground-up as an open platform which will offer seamless integration into the soon-to-be-released Vertex Cerebra network. This network, the heart of which will be the Cerebra, will take the fundamentals of reef/aquarium equipment (eg. pumps, lighting, dosers, etc) and connect them all into one user-friendly, ever expanding network. This is something that no other lighting unit can offer. What exactly is all this 'fluff' you might ask? Well, off the top of my head, these are some of the developments currently under way:

- Fully synchronized tidal/photo cycles, as close as you will ever get to replicating the oceanic seasons in your living room. Moon cycles that run in tandem with surge cycles and beyond.
- Real-time weather simulation, not lighting, but current too. Imagine, with the advances in dosing pump and refrigeration technology, can you imagine increasing the amount of liquid food additives during a storm surge?
- Fully customizable color channel control to parallel the seasonal spectral shifts (this will become even more powerful with the release of the auxiliary modules, including RGB/UV-Cyan, etc).

These are features are very real and innovative options for the ultimate simulations. Pending some upcoming beta testing, they should be available nearing the end of this year/beginning of 2011.

As it stands, the Illumina has undergone nearly three years of R&D. There are no cheap parts or labour put into the product. The entire assembly was designed and assembled with the "buy it once, never look back" frame of mind and I have not had a single issue with any of the hundreds of fixtures that I have sold over the past few months. Every unit, every LED pad is hand tested.

Regarding the performance - the document leaked earlier this year was part of a much larger article which contains all the PAR and spectral data. This article is awaiting final drafts and editing prior to publishing.

@ Ron99

If someone from Vertex were to post here regarding this unit, you would know it (Hi).

Personally, I cannot engage into the debate of spectral efficacy as it is not a field of research to which I have applied myself. However, I am confident that, with the spectral testing being done and the impending publishing of the article being just around the corner, the Vertex Illumina will easily stand apart from the crowd in its ability both exceed the expectations and impress with its array of exclusive features.

I will refrain from making an analogy between this and the rather obvious car market. I think we're all a little more intelligent than that. I will however state that, having seen all the offerings from every manufacturer out there, this is by far the most unique and exclusive illumination offering from any manufacturer. There is no other lighting product out there as polished or feature-rich as the Illumina and this gap will only become larger as the Cerebra and auxiliary modules are released.

Hi Albert. I know I sound totally down on this unit but that's not the case. I am sure it is extremely well built with high quality components. For the record, the Luxeon Rebel LEDs are excellent emitters. Your software features are also very comprehensive (although personally I would probably never use things like weather effects and cloud cover etc.). It's great to see the technology gaining a foothold and companies trying different things.

However, I stand by my position that the design choice in terms of LED configuration is an issue. I firmly believe that you could have achieved the same or better performance in terms of coverage and PAR output with more even coverage over a users tank using fewer emitters in a more spread out configuration. That would reduce the production costs somewhat, reduce the retail price for the end user thus increasing market penetration and also used less electricity thus making the unit "greener" and reducing your product's carbon footprint which is a big issue for many people these days. I think that these considerations would have made your unit an absolutely outstanding product instead of a somewhat compromised one that will not work as well for deeper tanks or ones that are wider front to back.

If you want to talk about reconfiguring things for Gen 2 let me know