PFO aquatics LED

Can anyone help me better understand this equipment and the quality of it. Why did they go out of business?

i would like some help

 

In short, PFO was a pioneer in Aquarium LED. They were forced into a patent suit with Orbitec who held patents on various aspects of LED aquarium lighting. Prior to the suit being filed, PFO and Orbitec were unable to come to an agreement on a licensing agreement. Due to quality control issues (early versions built in China), slow sales, and unsurmountable legal fees to defend the patent suit, PFO filed bankruptcy. The LED fixture was using the best LEDs for it's time although current LED's used in fixtures will outperform the Solaris.

Personally, I think Sunlight Supply had more to do with the failure of PRO than Orbitec. Prior to Sunlight Supply, PFO was the leader in Metal halide products for aquarium. That all changed in less than 2 years when Sunlight Supply entered the aquarium market.

 

in addition, Aqua Illuminations was able to secure a licensing agreement with Orbitec and have become a very popular LED fixture. The legal fees also seem to have hampered Orbitec as so many companies have began to violate the patents that it would cost them a mountain of money to stop them if a simple lawyer letter did not get them to stop.

The major aspects of Orbitec's patent included programmable dimming as well as active fan coolong. We all know that fan cooling is bercoming more necessary with high power LEDs, and programmable dimming is one of those features that people really want in an LED fixture.

 

would you recommend buying a pfo fixture for $200
14inches

 

No, but if you meant to ask if that is a fair price, the answer is yes. Especially if you are a DIY person because you could upgrade it to more current LEDs and possibly even upgrade the optix to a wider degree. That was my biggest gripe with this fixture. It could achieve PAR numbers of a 400 watt MH but only in a 15" x 15" area. Outside that, there was little to no output.

 

so i would be able to upgrade the lenses for a wider PAR....

 

How could you possibly have a patent on dimming? And active cooling...that is done in computers (all the time) and on some T5HO ligths? Did Orbitec have something special about their lights?

 

LOL You'd be surprised what gets patented in industry. Just because something is patented however, doesn't mean the patent would hold in court if someone began to question possible infringement.

 

You would have to ask the US patent office about that. Orbitec submitted the patent request December of 2004. At that time, virtually no one was considering LED over aquariums. Innovative? Depends on if you are Orbitech or somone who wants to build LED lighting.

If you are interested in reading the patent, I beleive it is US patent # 7220018

Here is a statement from Orbitec explaining why they filed a patent but never produced a fixture:

LED AQUARIUM LIGHTING STATEMENT
February 4, 2009

Orbital Technologies Corporation, a small business with 70 employees located in Madison, Wisconsin, has recently been the target of inaccurate, negative publicity regarding its patent for a Marine LED Lighting System and Method.

As ORBITEC's president, I am an avid aquarium enthusiast. Back in 2003, the company combined my new-found passion for aquariums with our decade-long experience in LED lighting systems for plant growth, science research, underwater bioreactors and aerospace applications to create a new design for a complete LED system for marine environments. Working together with aquarium industry partners, our engineering team began developing high-quality, effective LED lighting systems for small and large marine applications, including aquariums.

ORBITEC's ability to launch its product line was delayed due to internal resource limitations and a challenge to its intellectual property. We take our intellectual property rights very seriously, and expect others to do so as well. We look forward, however, to working together with our aquarium partners to release a growing series of reliable, exciting products later this year. My excitement is most felt at home, when I experience the benefits of these units in my own aquarium systems.

We continually welcome any comments or input that you may have regarding these products and future capabilities and you are welcome to email us at aquarium.lighting@orbitec.com.

Most Sincerely,
Tom Crabb, President

 

Looks kind of like a wider Eshine fixture...
What's weird is that this poster seems to be trying to sell this fixture in another thread with the same name?