I haven't had a problem with my Protanks, but they should work even without an airflow controller. I do have one of those coming in the mail today, imho. Is the coil well screwed into the bottom of the tank? As said before, I would next look to see if the coil is making contact. Are you getting the crackle when you hit the button? If not, the coil is not connecting to the positive terminal on your battery.
Always fun to put stuff up on the lift and tinker...