The new aquaero 6 is an improved version of the aquaero 5. Our main target was a dramatic increase of the available power on the outputs. Other than the aquaero 5 which works with an analog voltage control, this time we used very efficient switching controllers of the latest generation. The performance capability of the aquaero 5 is mainly limited by the temperature of the voltage regulators since they become pretty hot when you attach some stuff and use it with lower voltages. The aquaero 6 has no problems in this area and the maximum power is only limited by the current which means you can go to the limits without worrying about the temperatures. To make this possible we had to redesign everything around the voltage regulators with a special attention to the thermal design. This time we placed more than 250 elements on the PCB without changing its size. For the first time we use a multi-layer PCB for the aquaero.



The maximum current per channel is 2,5A (30W at 12V) without any special cooling. The aquaero 6 does not even have a passive heatsink! Anyway, we will also offer a waterblock for the aquaero 6 since it will allow to go a bit further with a maximum of 3A (36W at 12V). Of course the voltage regulators also handle short peaks above this rating to make sure that fans and pumps will spin up. The new controllers also feature some new directly integrated security features. For example they can switch of a channel in less than 1/100000s if you have a short circuit. Also the temperature, current and voltage monitoring has been improved. The 5V supply which for example powers the CPU or display got a new protection circuit which will disconnect the power supply if there is an overvoltage. Another nice thing to mention is the pretty low voltage drop with that new design which is only 0,5 to 0,8V between the power supply and the outputs.

So, what does that mean for the real world? For example you can connect 80 fans in total (20 per channel) and control them in the full range from 0 to 100% - as said without additional cooling! Or you connect 40 fans and two Laing D5 pumps which we have done here in this demonstration video:





The available power should be no longer a question and to take full advantage of it all channels are 4-pin PWM compatible now. PWM fans can be also stopped by cutting their voltage supply. Normally a PWM fan will always run at a specific minimum speed if there is no or a too low PWM frequency signal.

The onboard memory of the aquaero 6 has become larger and offers four time more space for log data or whatever the future brings.

All these new features have their price... we understand that not everyone needs that massive amount of power so the aquaero 5 series will stay in our assortment of goods. That means the aquaero 6 will not replace the aquaero 5 - it will extend its possibilities. So if you want to enter the world of aquaeros it still starts with 59.90 Euro for the aquaero 5 LT and will end with the aquaero 6 XT as the top-of-the line model for 179.90 Euro. The aquaero 6 will be also available as a PRO version for 149.90 Euro. A LT variant of the aquaero 6 will not be available.
(mentioned prices include 19% VAT)

The delivery of the new aquaero series will start at the beginning of October this year. At that time we will also release a new update of the aquasuite 2013 software which will support the new aquaeros and brings some new features to both generations. If you already own an aquaero 5 or plan to get this one, there is no reason to worry about the future support. Since both versions of the devices are based on the same firmware it means that every update will work for both of them. The only exception could be special extensions in the future (there is noting planed right now). If they require a lot of memory they would be reserved to the aquaero 6 because of its larger onboard memory.

Last but not least a little time travel:



10 years of development in one photo. Even without special knowledge about electronics you can easily tell the changes from version to version, especially if you compare the aquaero 3.07 to the latest one.

And if this is the first time you read about the aquaero you might be interested in some screenshots of the software:

All accessory for the aquaero 5 with exception of the waterblock can be used with the aquaero 6.

Yes, it is the same.