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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!!

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Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

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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.

Last edited by Clay N' Pray; 05/07/18 07:31 AM.

Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

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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.
















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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


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
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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

Last edited by Clay N' Pray; 05/09/18 07:31 AM.

Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,898
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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.


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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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.














Last edited by Clay N' Pray; 05/12/18 02:32 PM.

Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

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

https://youtu.be/nNuiZAIlbWQ

Last edited by Clay N' Pray; 05/14/18 04:30 PM.

Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

Joined: Oct 2013
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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)


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 106
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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.

Last edited by SetterGuy; 05/21/18 06:18 AM.

9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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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!



Last edited by Clay N' Pray; 05/21/18 08:11 AM.

Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

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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!

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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.


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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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


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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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.

Last edited by Clay N' Pray; 06/01/18 08:34 AM.

Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,898
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Hope you get it solved. Mine’s been working like a champ since the battery swap.
What size feed are you using?


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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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.

Last edited by Clay N' Pray; 06/01/18 07:25 PM.

Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,898
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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.


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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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.

Last edited by Clay N' Pray; 06/02/18 07:41 PM.

Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

Joined: Oct 2013
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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.)


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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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.


Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,898
Likes: 106
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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!


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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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?


Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

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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!!


Half acre 30 year old farm pond, Mebane NC. Aeration & feeder.
LMB, CC, SC, BG, HBC, two no account welfare carp and nine seasonal Tilapia that all the other fish are terrified of.

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+ 1. Same experience here.
















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