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Rondomatic Fish feeder - need info

3K views 4 replies 2 participants last post by  DKRST 
#1 ·
I need the North American specs off a Rondomatic Feeder power supply, specifically the ____volts and ____ amp output information printed on the plug. I have three non-US Rondomatic feeders and I need to purchase the proper power supplies to convert to North American/US standard.

For those who don't know what a Rondomatic feeder is, it's a great (but expensive and over-engineered) feeder that unfortunately has been discontinued.
 
#2 ·
Rondomatic info

I need the North American specs off a Rondomatic Feeder power supply, specifically the ____volts and ____ amp output information printed on the plug. I have three non-US Rondomatic feeders and I need to purchase the proper power supplies to convert to North American/US standard.

For those who don't know what a Rondomatic feeder is, it's a great (but expensive and over-engineered) feeder that unfortunately has been discontinued.
This may be coming too late to be of much assistance, but the power ratings for the Rondomatic 400 US version are 120v 60Hz on the box, and on the transformer it says:

Input: 120V AC/60Hz/0.9VA
Output: 24V AC/7mA

I'm not quite sure if you mean to say that you're going to alter the Euro Rondomatics that you have to run on domestic power, but would like to know if you can make that work.

I tried the opposite approach, and purchased a step up transformer to delver 220V power to the Euro model. I did this to replace my 120V version which had stopped working.

The Euro model with the step up transformer runs too fast, gaining about 4-5 hours per day. This has caused significant water quality problems on long trips. I have no idea if it is a fluke problem with this particular unit, or a power supply/mismatch problem that makes it impossible to use the Euro model at all.

If you can customize the Euro model to work on 120V, would you be willing to do it for a charge?
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks for the response. I actually solved the problem a while back. I cut off the European power supplies (I have three units), discovered it's powered by a transformer, not an AC/DC converter. So, I picked up some generic transformers of the right voltage and amperage in excess of what I need (anything over 7 milliamps), but then the timing ran 20% too fast - as you noted! The timing of the feeder is determined by the electricity cycle and US electricity cycles 20% faster than Europen.

Solution:
I finally figured out an easy solution to the timing problem! All you need is a programmable digital timer (less than $8 at Target). Turn the Rondomatic feeder off for a total of 4.8 hours (4 hours, 48 minutes) every day, and that corrects for the time-shifting issue perfectly, no converting needed and I can now use all the feeding wells! Why 4 hours and 48 minutes, well, that's the "20% faster" amount of time gained each day by the feeder (0.20 x 24 hours = 4.8 hours = 4 hours, 48 minutes)

So, every 6 hours, I'm going to program the timer to turn off electricity to the feeder for 1 hour and 12 minutes = problem solved and my "European" Rondomatic feeder is now accurate through the day - or at least close enough for me!
 
#5 ·
Don't know if this is helpful in your situation, but I had the same issue with limited outlets.
I found a wall-mounted power strip at Home Depot that has 5 or 6 outlets spread across about 4 feet. Works great for bulky light timers and such. Easy to mount to the wall under my 55, but I have an open metal frame. Depending on your stand, it could be more difficult to mount! Even with the strip, when winter rolls in I still have problems finding outlets for all the heaters for two tanks on the stand plus lights, pumps, filter, CO2, etc.

SAFETY TIP: always try to use GFCI protected outlets for all aquarium accessories.
 
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