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- TYPE OF FOOD AND APPLICATIONS
- CLOGGING?
- FEEDING CYCLES?
- FEEDING AMOUNT
- WHY AN EXTERNAL TIMER SYSTEM?
- OUTDOOR SUPER FEEDERS®
- HOW
WILL A SUPER FEEDER® LOOK ON MY AQUARIUM?
- WHAT
SIZE SUPER FEEDER® SHOULD I CHOOSE?
- AQUARIUM
SUPER FEEDER® MOISTURE TRAP ™ FUNNEL REQUIRED?
- HOW ACCURATE ARE SUPER FEEDERS™?
- WHAT
ABOUT OVERSEAS 220 VOLTAGE?
- WHICH EXTERNAL TIMER SHOULD I CHOOSE?
- CAN I FEED ONLY EVERY 2-3 DAYS FOR A
REEF AQUARIUM?
-
EXAMPLES OF USE WITH VARIOUS EXTERNAL TIMERS?
-
CAN I USE A 12 VOLT
BATTERY INSTEAD OF REGULAR POWER--battery backup answers?
No. They will not. Only flakes, dry or slightly moist pellets, fish
sticks, granules, cat or small dog food up to 3/8" diameter, and
seeds of all types can be used.
Hundreds have been used
in lab experiments for distribution of dry pelletized materials, and
particularly for animal training like police dogs and animal research. The
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture currently uses our Super Feeders® to do exactly that.
Other animals can be trained with our Super Feeder® using the task-and-reward
approach using our feeder's unique reset function which can be commanded
manually through a foot pad, or animal operated switch with very minor
modifications, or as is via a computer with a power module. Let us know
what you would like to do...Lots of possibilities. Your imagination is the limit!
No. If our Super Feeders® are installed as recommended
with our supplied patented "Moisture Trap™" funnels, there should
not
be problem at all. However, if a Super Feeder®, is installed within a
cabinet, the area should be well ventilated and the water below the feeder must be
sealed off. Remember, although you can probably use your feeder without
the supplied funnel, if you use flake food, you should use our patented funneling
system (see additional info below if you do not use it). Our Super feeders® are
also designed so the food is continuously stirred within the hopper when the feeder is
dispensing food, thus preventing particularly flakes from sticking together.
A feeding cycle is the time span that you adjust the feeder's own
internal timer to distribute food from a split second to up to 70 seconds when
"triggered" by a remote programmable timer, irrelevant of
the length of time the external timer stays on. This is not
a simple "time delay" feeding system that feeds for minutes or hours! It
will feed whatever amount you want immediately. With our innovative patented system,
a standard Super Feeder® can provide up to 24 daily feeding cycles or more
depending on the timer you choose and the optional reset time on the feeder. Great
if you are wanting to accelerate the growth rate of your fish!
See WHAT
EXTERNAL
TIMER SHOULD I CHOOSE?
below for additional info.
Absolutely NOT! THE neatest Super Feeder® feature is that each Super
Feeder's® feeding cycle is fully adjustable to feed from an extremely small amount of
food from a split second for a fraction of a teaspoon to a larger amount for up to over a
minute or more. The amount of food dispensed is primarily dependent on the length
of the feeding cycle you pre-adjusted on the feeder itself (click this link and see picture
of that system). All Super Feeders® (except the
Model 1) also have a secondary
food extraction volume (mechanical) adjustment to control the volume of food
extracted from its hopper for the duration of each feeding cycle. In
other words, if a full minute does not dispense enough food, you can mechanically control
the volume of food which is by-passed and not allowed to pass through. Pretty neat!
Eh??
First of all, what are you purchasing, a timer or a feeder? Very high
commercial quality timers can be extremely expensive. Why would
you want to spend a lot of money into a built-in programmable timer leaving
very little for the most important part you are purchasing, the feeder? A common
external 120V timer like used for lamps or appliances can be very economical.
By using an external timer system, you pay for the feeder, not a timer that
most likely will have limited program options or more than you need and be also prone to failure, particularly
with battery powered feeders (a real no-no as far as we're concerned). Depending on the timer you use, our system not only
offers more feeding cycles with total control of food dispensed from a fraction of a
teaspoon to large amounts, but it will provide more choices as to how the feeder
can be utilized, including home automation systems and other Wi-Fi systems. Although we offer a
battery setup (if you must have one), we believe that doing away with batteries is a big plus because they can be
unpredictable, costly and very prone to corrosion, particularly outdoors. Judging by all
the tests we have done, normal electric power, even with occasional power outages, will
always be more dependable and trouble-free, especially when unattended. The
Super Feeder will spend most of its life in the off reset mode anyway.
Nothing to reset if power goes off and back on.
How to use
the Super feeder® with a a
home automation system like a voice command system
or other means:
A home automation system like the X-10, Hall
2000 system used to turn on appliances can be used.
For Wi-Fi control, we recommend a system like
the Wemo
Wi-Fi switch by Belkin. We also
recommend various systems that are currently being
used available at smarthome.com Note:
Like too many systems offered on the market today,
due to perpetual changes and updates to Wi-Fi system
used. In regards to other Wi-Fi switches on the
market, some may not work if the socket does
not turn off completely (some do and some
may not), meaning that any residual power coming out
of it during its off time will prevent the feeder
from resetting itself between programmed feed
cycles.
You can plug the supplied power adapter into a
100-240V module controlled by your system. You then
turn the module on for a couple of minutes with your
system, which in turn triggers and powers the
feeder. The feeder runs only for time in seconds
you adjusted the feeder to give you the portion you
want and then stops. When you turn the power off
for a couple of minutes, the feeder resets itself
and is once again ready to be triggered at the next
programmed time. If your system has 12 to 24 volts
output ac or dc, you can do away with the feeder's
own power adapter and hook directly to the feeder.
You could also control the feeder's run time
entirely with your external system by setting the
feeder's feed time controller to its maximum setting
of 70 seconds. NOTE:
Iris brand "smart outlet" in-wall has been reported
to work with smart phone. Z-Wave Smart Outlet the "Quirkey+GE
Outlink Smart Outlet systems will work. Some systems
by Leviton may
not work properly due to the fact that their systems
such as Z-Wave module, Z-Wave receptacle and dimming
modules may not completely turn off and thus
not work with the Super Feeder. Any
socket must not bleed any voltage while in off mode.
Remember,
the external timer/device is only used to power and "trigger" your Super
Feeder at programmed times--Each Super Feeder® has its own internal electronic feed timer that you
pre-adjust for the
amount of food you want.
Absolutely! Due to the sturdy plastic materials and stainless steel hardware they
are made with, they will not be affected by rain and will not rust. Believe it or
not, whole feeder assemblies have been dumped in the water, dried out and kept on
working! However, due to the nature of flake food when exposed to outdoor humidity,
it is our opinion that you should never attempt to store and feed flakes
outdoors. Remember that steel housing feeders are much more prone to
"sweating" and moisture contamination with temperature changes. Our
KSF-2 Koi feeder is perfect for outdoors use!
Yes, most certainly! You will own a feeder which is second to none in quality and
workmanship. If needed, the ASF-1 can be used with only the basic
dispenser (without the
clear hopper extension) which can make it under 5 inches tall.
First, you will need to measure the volume (not weight) of food you plan on feeding
each day (1/8 cup, etc...), taking into account the amount of
daily feeding cycles you plan on having. You can do that with a measuring cup of some
type.
Second, multiply that amount by the amount of days you anticipate being gone or would
like to feed your pet without having to refill your Super Feeder®.
Finally, you will now need to choose a feeder with the hopper capacity needed to fill
your needs. All Super Feeder® hopper sizes are referred to in
"volume" measurements. Also, make sure that it will fit on top of your
aquarium if you are buying an aquarium. The Super Feeders® have
additional 2-Cup clear extensions available. If more volume is needed,
up to 28 cups, you can add the larger black 1.5 gallon hopper to any Super
Feeder®.
Although the use of our "Moisture Trap™" funnel is
always recommended when dispensing flake food into an aquarium, our tests have shown that
there is still a possibility of successfully dispensing flakes without it. To do so,
you must make sure that you do not install your feeder over spattering water generated by
pumps, bubbles, filters, etc... Provide a small opening in your aquarium cover just
large enough to catch the food coming out of the feeder's chute outlet and place the
feeder's chute slide so that it is slightly away (1/4") from the edge of that opening
and NOT over it. You may also cut the supplied funnel where it just protrudes
under the glass so you can still use it to keep food from scattering on top of your
aquarium. If flakes stick to the slide after a few days of repeated use, small water
particles may be splattering on it, meaning that the feeder is too close to that opening.
If this still does not work out, then you will need to use our recommended
funnel installation. You may find more info about our funnel installation at:
funnel
or funnel 2.
Our Super Feeders® are amazingly accurate depending on
food type used. Typical fish pellets, crumbles. fish sticks and flakes will
work very well in the aquarium and koi feeder.
Cat Feeder: The
Super Feeder® performance has been very well proven over many years of
dependable service, and its performance has never been in doubt when operated as
recommended. If portion accuracy is "extremely" important to you, we recommend
round (spherical)
or slightly barrel shaped Ľ” diameter
kibbles as offered by Science Diet® brand or other common brands. Just
like any other similar feeder on the market, the Super Feeder will not “count”
kibbles. Our tests have shown that an accuracy of +/- 0.1 to 0.2 ounce (weight)
per portion can be achieved from one portion to another using recommended
kibbles. Most cat food kibbles up to
1/2" or even larger depending on shape will work very well by testing first if
portion accuracy is not of utmost importance. Flat and oddly shaped kibbles
will never perform like recommended kibbles in any feeder. If
you must have "exact" portion accuracy, you should not purchase any automatic
pet feeder other than one with prefilled compartments. Performance
is guaranteed as described with recommended kibbles! Our feeders
were never intended for large pets and large food over 5/8" diameter.
If you have any questions you may contact us at
info@super-feed.com
Which type
external timer should I choose?
WITH ASF-1 AQUARIUM, KSF-2 KOI-POND, OR CSF-3 CAT/SMALL-ANIMAL
FEEDER
1 to 48 feeding cycles per day: 1 cycle per hour with
standard reset time, or *30 minutes or more apart with any 24
hour timer with 15 min. on-off tabs.
1 to 24 feeding cycles per day: 1 cycle every 1.5
hours with standard reset time, or *1 hour or more apart with any 24 hour
timer with 30 min. on-off tabs (common).
1 to 12 feeding cycles per day, 2 hours or more apart: Any 24 hour
timer with 1 hour on-off tabs.
1 or more feeding cycles per day, *2 minutes or more apart: Any digital
timer with minimum of minute increments with enough on-off cycles to meet desired amount of feeding cycles.
1 to maximum on-off cycles of X-10 or other home automation system is
the number of feeding cycles available 2 minutes or more apart! Also
review "Why use an external timer? Why not a built-in programmable timer?"
- Plug the supplied power supply into any basic 24 hour timer like a lamp or Christmas
lights timer, and program it to come on when you want to feed.
- Plug the supplied power supply into any digital timer for time accuracy and program
"on" times for desired feeding times.
- Plug the supplied power supply into any X-10 home automation module or other type of
home automation module, program "on" times, and that will be your feeding
cycles.
- Plug the supplied power supply into a Wi-Fi switch and operate your Super Feeder remotely via your
iPhone or other item.
- Connect your ASF, KSF, OR CSF SERIES feeder directly to the 12 volt AC output
of any outdoors landscape timer/transformer.
- Connect your ASF, KSF, OR CSF SERIES feeder directly to the 12 volt AC output
of any outdoors light timer/transformer with dusk sensing, like the Malibu Brand, and when
it starts to get dark, your feeder will feed one cycle.
- Connect your ASF, KSF, OR CSF SERIES feeder directly to the output of a
sprinkler timer zone (normally 24 Volt AC), program your timer like you would for a
sprinkler valve to come on, and that will be a feeding cycle.
- Use a 12 volt DC timer along with a 12 volt battery. The feeder uses an extremely
small amount of power because it only needs to be powered for a short feeding cycle, thus
making the battery last a very long time.
- Plug several power supplies for multiple feeder operation into a power strip, plug the
power strip into any timer, then you will be able to trigger multiple feeders
simultaneously (up to 3 have tested ok).
- Plug a suitable power supply (8 to 24 volts AC or DC) into any type of suitable timer
and trigger and power multiple feeders at one time from the power supply.
- Use your own timing device. You may use any other type of timer not listed here
that you can plug the supplied power adapter into, or any type of timer/transformer device
with low voltage output as listed below. You can even by-pass the electronics
feeding device and power the motor directly from you own timing and power source.
IMPORTANT!
YOU CAN ONLY POWER YOUR SUPER FEEDER WITH 9 TO 24 VOLT AC OR DC, OR USE THE SUPPLIED
POWER ADAPTER!
IMPORTANT notes for powering Super Feeders® in
countries with 220Vac
WE
MAY UNDER VERY LIMITED CONDITIONS SHIP TO SOME FOREIGN COUNTRIES, BUT ONLY AFTER CONTACTING
US. DO NOT ORDER ONLINE!
The power supply (commonly also referred to as "power adapter") supplied with
each Super Feeder® typically converts 120VAC ( USA) to 12VDC or AC.
Except for Koi Pond feeders, the supplied power
supply will work with
220VAC but it will probably have a different prong style (bladed) than one supplied in
your country. Also, even if you have a converter from 220V to 120V, the Hertz
rating which is 60 Hz in the USA will most likely not be the same in other countries
with 220V,
meaning that our timers will most likely not work properly if used that way. The simplest thing to do may be to purchase the accessories listed
below from your own country. To operate the feeder, you will need to proceed
with any of the two options listed below:
1. A remote programmable timer of some sort (like a light or appliance timer)
to power and trigger the feeder at programmed times of day, and a power transformer
(to plug into the timer) that changes 220VAC to
any voltage from 12 to 24VAC or DC. The feeder uses and extremely
small amount of power, so any 12 to 24 volt power source with an output of 200 mA or higher
can be used. If you use a DC power adapter, attach the positive (+) lead to the red screw
or coded (+) screw underneath the feeder, or make sure the coax plug type is a
5.5 mm x 2.1mm
with center positive. If you use a 12 to 24Vac output power adapter,
polarity does not matter. If you can
only purchase an adapter with a plug at the end, and it's not the correct
polarity or the plug does not fit the feeder's input jack, just cut the wire near the plug
and attach leads to the outdoor feeder's terminal strip underneath the feeder. DO
NOT ATTEMPT TO POWER THE FEEDER DIRECTLY WITH HIGH VOLTAGE (110-240VAC)!!!
OR
2. If you are wanting to purchase a Super Feeder and use a
12 Volt battery (not sold here), you can purchase a battery type combo or the DT-03 timer with a 12VDC 7-day digital
timers for up to 8 daily portions at:
http://www.superfeederstore.com/
Unless you purchase an outdoor combo, some wire
and a 12v battery will be the only items needed to operate your Super Feeder. Any small 12 volt battery source will work any Super Feeder® and
last a very long time. The feeder and timer use an extremely small amount
of power to operate! You may of course also use a solar panel to keep your
battery charged.
Absolutely! You can do that using a 120 volt 7-day (weekly) digital
timer. Most digital timers will provide odd programming such as every
other day, 2 days a week, etc...You could even use a home automation system by
plugging the feeder's power supply into a power module or directly into the timing device's
12 to 24V power source.
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Yes, however, we believe that using regular power offers more versatility and
is much more dependable overall than a battery system. We do offer a battery setup whereby you only need a 12 volt
battery and our
12VDC timer. Because of the fact that our Super Feeders® only need to be
"on" for a very short time and use an extremely small amount of current, a fully
charged battery can last for a very long time without recharging or needing a
solar panel. The only problem with such a system is that it is much more
expensive for a dependable battery system and some wiring is required. We
only offer a battery system for the koi pond feeders.
DOES THE STANDARD SUPER FEEDER SETUP HAVE A BATTERY
BACK-UP?
First, keep in mind that the Super Feeder, unlike others,
will spend most of its lifetime in the "off" mode, meaning that with a power
outage, you will not need to ever do anything at all to the feeder for it to resume its
normal operation when power returns. However, it is true that it must receive
power again to operate.
1. With the analog timer, no feed cycles will be lost;
they will just be late by the amount of time the power was off until you
re-adjust the time to correct time by turning the dial on the timer. Nothing
else needs to be done. With the analog timer, you cannot see with a digital
display "exactly" when the feeder will turn on (it has small on-off tabs) or the
very exact time of day.
2. With a digital timer, time is always exact to the
minute and can be seen in the timer's digital display. You could lose a feed
cycle during a power outage, but only and only if the feed cycle was scheduled
to occur at the very exact time (a minute or so) that the timer was programmed
to come on (very remote). Remember, the feeder needs to be off most of the time
anyway. If you were to lose that feed cycle, all subsequent feed cycles would
still occur when power would be back on without loss of any programs because the
external digital timer has an internal battery-back-up system to keep time and
programs during a power outage or when unplugged from a power outlet to perhaps
update programs. With a digital timer, we recommend a minimum of 2-3 feed cycles
per day.
In conclusion, do not be drawn into a false sense of
security with a "battery back-up" system or just plain battery operated system.
If a momentary or permanent loss of power were to occur caused by a defective
battery or a malfunctioning "switch-over" battery system, all functions
could be lost with the
feeder no longer being able to operate properly until corrective action were physically taken to
correct the problem. The only somewhat dependable power back-up we may trust
for a certain amount of time, would be a home generator back-up or
computer battery back-up system (CPU). Depending on
type used, a CPU may run the timer for a long time
during a power outage if not sharing with computer, etc... The feeder is
off most of the time anyway, and the timer uses very little power, particularly a
digital timer being on for only a minute or two per cycle and utilizing even
less power when off.
Remember, very small portions can be distributed many
times per day with the Super Feeder making your pet feel that he/she is getting
more food and being happier while at the same time covering a possibly missed
meal during a short power outage, which would have to occur at the exact time
that the feeder is supposed to feed to be missed.
For extended absence we
always strongly recommend that someone occasionally monitor your pets and machine.
The
Super Feeder, like any other feeder should be, is only intended to solely assist in
feeding your pets and should never be left totally unattended for any extended period of
time.
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[To
buy and see all pricing on our store]
SUPER FEED & SUPER FEEDER are registered trademarks owned and licensed by
Super-Feed Enterprise.
SAFETY
REMINDER
All Super Feeders have been thoroughly tested and found to be extremely dependable in
providing your pet(s) with timely meals; however, as with any machine, your feeder should be
monitored at regular intervals for proper operation. If you anticipate being away for an
extended period of time where a lack of food could cause harm or even death to your pet(s), you should make arrangements with someone to inspect your feeder at regular
intervals.
Copyright © Super-Feed Enterprise. All rights reserved.
Revised:
June 09, 2018.