Pond Boss
Hello all.

I bought a used ADF75 off craigslist.
The timer is the F2 model.
I replaced the 12V battery with a new one (12V,8ah.) The battery indicator status shows all but one bar. My multi meter shows 12.9V.
When I run it in test mode, only the top spinner plate runs. However, if I hook my battery charger to the battery (2.5AMP), Both the upper and lower spinners run.
I have read that only the top spinner running indicates a weak battery.

I have access to 115V A.C. power at the feeder. I am considering replacing the battery with a 12V DC 5amp (7 AMP surge) power supply.

Here are the motor specs:
1/35 Horsepower RPM 2942 @ 2 amps Draws 4½ amps at startup, 3 when running.

Does anyone have experience with such a project? Do you think I need more amps?
The duty cycle is short (1 second feed time.) Motor startup is the same draw, regardless of the duty cycle.

Thanks guys!

Btw, this forum is a wealth of knowledge.
It's amazing how much information is here!!

Attached picture power supply.jpg
No one?
Guess I'll be the first.
Might be a good chance to build a better mousetrap. I think the issue I'm seeing is a common one with this model.

The plan is to leave the battery in place to hold programming on the timer.
The power supply will be hooked to the battery leads and be on a timer.


Timer will kick on the power supply only at feeding time. System will still be 12V, just additional amps will be available for the motor torque.

In my limited testing, an additional 2.5 amps made things run perfectly and the throw distance was as advertised.
Sounds like a bad timer or lower spinner problem. The bottom should go off first then the top if working correctly. I have had and worked on a few 75-Ds. I sometimes used 2 batteries wired together both 8 amps.
I’m not sure of the model number of my AquaPro, but I’ve replaced the timer and the wiring harness in it. It worked very well last year, but this year the top plate is not spinning and the bottom one is. I will tear into it later, as I’m just way too far behind on other tasks right now. Fortunately I’ve got a lot of GSH in the pond, that are keeping the YP and SMB busy.
Just an FYI, I’ve called the guys at AquaPro several times over the years. They’ve been very helpful and have sent in the timer and wiring harness at no charge. I’ve got all the leaks plugged. If it would have started up and run well this year (like last year) I was going to call it a bargain. Now I’m back to where I wish I would have spent the extra $$ for the TX Hunter.
Jeff
Here is where Mr. Greg Grimes mentions the behaviour of the spinners with a low battery condition.

@Setterguy
Try putting more amps on the battery and see if both plates run correctly in test mode.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=230252
Originally Posted By: Clay N' Pray
Here is where Mr. Greg Grimes mentions the behaviour of the spinners with a low battery condition.

@Setterguy
Try putting more amps on the battery and see if both plates run correctly in test mode.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=230252


Thanks, I’ll give it a shot tomorrow. I’ve got another battery on the charger.

Thanks again. Be nice if it fixed it, without having to take it all apart.
Got tired of the false jam messages from lack of amps/power from the little battery. Partly my fault for not getting enough sun to the panel.
Added the 12V power supply today.
It throws great. I put the power supply on a timer, no need for it to be on all the time. It kicks on 5 mins before the feeder, then shuts off after feeder finishes.
No more false jam messages. The motor (s) have full amps at startup.
The battery and panel are still in place and hold the timer clock and programming.













The noise is the feeder throwing chow.
It has some serious power now.
wink

https://youtu.be/nNuiZAIlbWQ
Well that’s a great solution. I have no power at my pond, but you’ve got me thinking. I wonder if I could tie in a deep cycle RV battery. Just sit it by the feeder. I still haven’t swapped out batteries to see if that will fix my upper motor. Had knee surgery this morning, so I’ve got lots of planning time on my hands. (90 miles from the pond)
Quick update.. I swapped out batteries yesterday at the pond in my AquaPro feeder. It worked perfectly after the swap. So, I’m not as unhappy with my AquaPro as I was. I think I mentioned, it worked well all of last year, and would have worked well this year had I put in a fully charged battery. I had to relocate my solar panel to the west side of the feeder, it gets the most sun. I needed to mow, but couldn’t due to recent knee surgery. So I’ll be back up there as soon as my knee will let me, and make sure it’s still working properly.
I did a test feed at 1:00 pm. The feeder got good distance on throwing food. The surface of the pond where the 10 sec test feed went was immediately covered with GSH. (From the shore out 30-40’) Made me think, maybe I don’t need to feed. Hopefully the SMB and mythical HSB are hitting the GSH hard.
Good to hear it's back in the game.
I hope the panel keeps up with the demand.
Give your knee all the time it needs!

Fwiw, my feeder has fed everyday since I added the power supply.
One issue that bothers me is I often find it with the text "jam" on the display, but a test feed throws fine.
Ghost jam? Is there a sensor that might be malfunctioning or needs cleaned?

Having an error message certainly doesn't inspire confidence but I'm happy it still functions!


SetterGuy, Hope your knee is doing better soon!

I hear about your mythical HSB and where they went and your story makes me think about the mythical loch ness monster. Your HSB have to be there, but how do they hide so well? How would all the fish make it in your pond except them?

You might need some motion activated underwater camera!
Originally Posted By: Clay N' Pray
Good to hear it's back in the game.
I hope the panel keeps up with the demand.
Give your knee all the time it needs!

Fwiw, my feeder has fed everyday since I added the power supply.
One issue that bothers me is I often find it with the text "jam" on the display, but a test feed throws fine.
Ghost jam? Is there a sensor that might be malfunctioning or needs cleaned?

Having an error message certainly doesn't inspire confidence but I'm happy it still functions!




I had jams the first year or so. I’m not 100% why. Very frustrating as I had all very small, newly stocked fish. I’d come up a week later, and no food had been thrown. It must have jammed the day I left. The main problem I had which I think caused the jamming, was water getting in. I finally tracked it down to water getting into the wiring conduit coming in from the solar panel. It was acting like a funnel. The wet spot would cause the jam, I believe. (Plus ruin feed, that I had to toss)
I got to where I ran my hands down through the feed, all the way to where it came out the hopper. Looking at the top of the feed, there was no evidence of a leak.
Lots of silicone caulking finally stopped it.
Originally Posted By: canyoncreek
SetterGuy, Hope your knee is doing better soon!

I hear about your mythical HSB and where they went and your story makes me think about the mythical loch ness monster. Your HSB have to be there, but how do they hide so well? How would all the fish make it in your pond except them?

You might need some motion activated underwater camera!


The knee is getting better, just not fast enough for me. I don’t heal as fast as I used to. My wife keeps telling me that Offroad motorcycling might have to be one of the things I concede to old age. I’m just 63 (almost 64) but feel 43.

There will be a party up at my place if I ever catch a HSB. Instead of underwater camera, I thought you were going to say dynamite. wink
Checked feeder yesterday after being out of town for 9 days.
"Jam" blinking on the display. I suspect it only fed one or two days.
I did not intervene, but waited to see if it would still feed...no bueno.
Blinking jam apparently is a fatal error status vs the steadily displayed "jam" which it will ignore.
The 12VDC power supply was active, plenty of amps available to motors and timer brain.

I then moved the selector to test mode and it fed just fine.
WTH???

So frustrating!!

I suspect there is a potentiometer in the timer module that is overly sensitive to amperage draw (false jam.)
Perhaps it's a temperature based sensor.
The low $ sensors sometimes measure temp vs draw.
If the timer module is already hot due to outside temps, it may fault out easier.

Next step is to bypass the timer with a simple timer relay. Much simpler.
Just put power on the motors (in sequence) for x seconds per day.
I think a cheap China PLC and two replays will do it.

Once I get it all working reliably I may build a retrofit kit for the other owners in my same boat.
Hope you get it solved. Mine’s been working like a champ since the battery swap.
What size feed are you using?
Originally Posted By: SetterGuy
Hope you get it solved. Mine’s been working like a champ since the battery swap.
What size feed are you using?


It's mixed size, tractor supply brand game fish chow. I tried Purina also, same issue. I'm not willing to pay the optima prices to test it with.
Maybe I can get my wife to pick out all the smaller sizes pellets?
wink

Update: the bottom motor no longer runs at all. I put 12V directly on the leads (bypassing the timer) and nothing happens. The upper motor still runs.
Looks like I'm tearing it apart soon.
I'm beginning to hate this thing.
Sorry to hear that. Hope you get it fixed. Have you talked to the AquaPro guys, maybe they’ll send you a new motor no charge.
They do seem to want their feeders to work.
Originally Posted By: SetterGuy
Sorry to hear that. Hope you get it fixed. Have you talked to the AquaPro guys, maybe they’ll send you a new motor no charge.
They do seem to want their feeders to work.


It's 2 years out of warranty.
I have spoken to them about the continual jam messages.
They recommended I get a "hotter" battery.

I'm starting to think this thing is a good money after bad situation.
A new motor is $30. I'll probably buy one.
I like a challenge.
Hope you get it back up and running. I was up at my pond yesterday. The feeder was almost empty, so it must be working. I did get .9” rain on Sat. There was a wet spot in the small amount of feed that was remaining. I guess my fix on the solar charger wire conduit needs resealed.
You know, when you factor in the price of feed. The better feeder makes more sense. It’s just a tough hurdle to get over. (For me anyway.)
Originally Posted By: SetterGuy
Hope you get it back up and running. I was up at my pond yesterday. The feeder was almost empty, so it must be working. I did get .9” rain on Sat. There was a wet spot in the small amount of feed that was remaining. I guess my fix on the solar charger wire conduit needs resealed.
You know, when you factor in the price of feed. The better feeder makes more sense. It’s just a tough hurdle to get over. (For me anyway.)


Regarding the solar panel wire hole leaking...you do have a drip loop or "drip droop" in the wire Right?
There is enough slack to pull some out, allowing the water to run/follow away from the hole.
Originally Posted By: Clay N' Pray
Originally Posted By: SetterGuy
Hope you get it back up and running. I was up at my pond yesterday. The feeder was almost empty, so it must be working. I did get .9” rain on Sat. There was a wet spot in the small amount of feed that was remaining. I guess my fix on the solar charger wire conduit needs resealed.
You know, when you factor in the price of feed. The better feeder makes more sense. It’s just a tough hurdle to get over. (For me anyway.)


Regarding the solar panel wire hole leaking...you do have a drip loop or "drip droop" in the wire Right?
There is enough slack to pull some out, allowing the water to run/follow away from the hole.


I’ll look at that. I moved it to the front of the feeder. It faces west, and gets the most possible sun from there. I think my low spot is inside, right over the food..
Once again the solution was staring me right in the face, and I didn’t see it. Agh!

Thanks!
New lower motor arrived yesterday.
Installing this weekend.
Not looking forward to removing 500 self tap scews.

If this doesn't square it away...

Well, we may get an answer to the age old question....


Will CC spawn in a ADF75?
Replaced the lower motor yesterday.
New one spins with much more torque.

I had to break all the joint seals and of course I didn't have any caulk, so maybe next weekend.

For anyone wondering, it was a pain in the arse. I hate sheet metal screws!!
+ 1. Same experience here.
Well, I’m glad you got it back up and running. Although you and I keep our AquaPro feeders up and running, I doubt we do much to help their sales efforts.. whistle
Originally Posted By: SetterGuy
Well, I’m glad you got it back up and running. Although you and I keep our AquaPro feeders up and running, I doubt we do much to help their sales efforts.. whistle


Hell, they should pay me for all the R&D!!!
Upper motor quit working.

Tore the POS apart again.
Found the upper motor power wire solder joint broken.
I replaced the motor with a new one since its such a pain to get at.
New motor was $10 from wildlife innovations.
Notice how the falling food hits the power wires what are poorly soldered to begin with.
Add the corrosive properties of fish food, vibration and humidity. I'm surprised it lasted this long.
Fingers crossed that the failing solder joint was the cause of the ghost jams that I have been fighting with.

Each time I tear it apart, i have to re-caulk the interior joints against moisture. I'm going to hold off on caulking for a week or two just to make sure things don't go belly up again. I trust this feeder less than slick Willy at an all girls school.

A day at the pond is still better than a day at work!!!






It fed all week with no jam messages using the tractor supply multi species chow.

I only added around 3 lbs of chow as a test, so I'm still very skeptical.
I added 5lbs yesterday for week 2 testing.

I had a theory that the mixed size chow was jamming the feeder wheel but so far so good.
It lasted 5 days before it quit.
That was a record.

Tore it apart and found my solder joint repair had failed. The ultra cheap aluminum stranded wire is just not up to the task.
After examining everything closely and having several beers, I noticed the replacement motor was 6V.
The original was 12V. Hmmm....

Called the folks at wild game innovations and they swore that the 6V motor was the correct one and that only 6v was ever used in the upper motor.
Sounds like a fish story...

So I ordered an inexpensive waterproof 12V to 6V transformer. I replaced the factory wire run with quality copper stranded wire from the timer power output all the way to the motor terminals. I soldered the new wire to the motor and ruggedized the joints.
I wired the transformer in line close to the timer in case it needs attention.
I now see 6.2V at the motor leads. That should help with longevity and heat build up.

Here is the nice part- upon testing, I found the upper motor spins about half as fast as when it was on 12V. Thats a good thing, since it fed/slung feed to the lower motor much too fast.
Two seconds of feed time now equals what 1 second would feed previously. It now throws further out and gives the thrower motor a chance to fully clear the chute of nuggets prior to shutting/slowing down.
A fully cleared chute means less ants, coons and potential jams from wet food clogging the works.

I buttoned it all up, filled it half full of tractor supply catfish chow, said a prayer, had a beer and left it for the week.

Time will tell.

Attached picture 51nwXJew8rL._AC_SY400_.jpg
I hope this fix holds up a long time. My AP is down again. I just received a new timer. Ordered just in case. I’ll get back up there this week. When I was at the pond last week, it was dead. Had a max charged battery, and it wouldn’t make a sound. The timer is probably all right, but I didn’t want to proactively order in motors..
should have bought a TxHunter.. mad
Originally Posted By: SetterGuy
I hope this fix holds up a long time. My AP is down again. I just received a new timer. Ordered just in case. I’ll get back up there this week. When I was at the pond last week, it was dead. Had a max charged battery, and it wouldn’t make a sound. The timer is probably all right, but I didn’t want to proactively order in motors..
should have bought a TxHunter.. mad


My $ says it's a busted solder joint.
Very poor design on the upper motor.
The food impacts the wires every Time it feeds. That causes the cheap aluminum wire to break off right at the motor terminal where the solder/wire meet.

To test the motor:
Bypass the timer with wire straight from battery to the blue/white pair to test upper motor function.
Mine would still run using the bypass test, but it was only connected by a single strand of that crappy aluminum stranded wire.

A replacement 6v motor is $10.
It's such a pain to access, just replace it if you suspect the solder joint is busted. I replaced the wire also.
(I included a pic of The wire I used. The size/gauge was perfect for the job. You'll need about 7 ft if you replace the entire run)

That factory wire is not worth messing with. I would use a 12V to 6V transformer.
It's easy to install and really helps with the rate that feed is presented to the thrower.

Btw, grab a package of 10Amp 250V glass fuses to keep in the timer compartment.
I burned 3 hours yesterday driving "to town" because I popped one and did not have a spare handy.

You will need a set of Allen keys, some blue (removable) loctite, a 1/4" drive set, a multimeter and a cardboard box about 8" tall to use to support the assembly while it's free from the feeder bottom.
(Wires are not long enough to sit it directly on the ground)

You will need a power source and a soldering iron, plus some rosin core solder and some shrink tube.

Hard to explain, but I used solid core 12ga copper wire, small zip ties and shrink tube to "ruggedize" the wire and solder joint that are subject to impact from the feed hitting it.
Wish I had taken pics now.

I used crimp caps to wire the 12V --> 6V transformer into the upper motor power run (Blu/wht pair)
The transformer is small enough to fit in the timer compartment. It's waterproof and 3amp max.
That's plenty for its intended job.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CGQRIFG/ref=psdcmw_10967761_t1_B06VTCJ311




Attached picture 20180715_094736.jpg
Attached picture 20180715_094814.jpg
At the risk of jinxing myself, the feeder
Has run correctly every day for 40+ days.

This is a record!
Fingers crossed that i got the gremlins out of it.

For the sake of documentation, i used a piece of plastic to cut off half of the food outlet hole. Additionally, I used a 6V motor @ 6v in the upper, which reduced the motor RPM by a good bit (half?)

These two mods do two things.

1. Keep the RPM of the lower motor up due to the reduced volume of food.

2. Increase the throw distance due to the same as #1. Less volume = less load= higher RPM= longer throw.
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