$45 e-bay dosing pumps?

[Jack04]

On eBay there are these $45 peristaltic pumps. They come with a small 12V DC motor and the pump apparatus.

It is advertised to pump between 1 and 60 ml per second.

I know I would have to integrate this with my Arduino or other timing circuit to dose the proper quantities of supplements.

Has anyone tried these?

 

[Jack04]

Here is the link to what i spoke to above.



http://cgi.ebay.com/Aquarium-Perist...aultDomain_0&hash=item4158f53272#ht_852wt_922

 

[Jack04]

No experiences with these?

Bump

 

[sjm817]

I'm not wild about the fact they come with check valves. Decent peristaltic pumps dont need them.

 

[das75]

Motor Life: 150

minutes, hours, months?

 

[disc1]

I've been using the same thing, with an arduino to control them. The first thing I have to say is keep looking because you can find them on there cheaper than $45. The second thing is that NONE of them run at the same freakin rate. I had to include a piece of programming to calibrate my controller to the actual flow rates of the pumps. So far no two are the same. But once I got them dialed in they worked great. I will gladly share the design I made and my program.

 

[Jack04]

One thing that crossed my mind was switching the dc motor for a stepper or a servo to control the rate and quantity of rotations. I am interested in hearing more about your setup disc1.

Another thing for sure is that I would put them through a month or two of calibration to ensure I get them dialed in correctly.

I saw them for $29 with free shipping and think this would be a low cost opportunity to develop a diy dosing system!!!!

 

[disc1]

I did quite a bit of testing before I trusted them to my tank. No two pumps run the same speed, but I've been using them for about four months now and the speed of each pump has stayed consistent. I will post something tomorrow with pictures of the set-up.

And even if they don't last and I end up getting more expensive pumps later, I like the Arduino set-up, and I wouldn't have built that without them.

 

[shifty51008]

that is the same pump that came in my dosing pump setup. I have been running them for 5 months and they have been dead nuts everytime I have checked them. here is the post I did about them.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1938900

 

[S.B.D.]

These pumps are commonly used in Europe for ready systems such as GHL and Grotech.
They have largely replaced the larger type of hose/dosing pump more commonly seen in the US much due to the fact tat they are more exact and reliable.
If you do a search on European sites look for "Balling" or "Balling dosing pumps".

I have 2 systems that are using these pumps, one whit a Grotech system and the other whit a GHL EX2.
They have been very reliable for 3 years now, the buckets become empty at the same time if they are equally filled.
What I need to do in the near future is to change the hoses in the pumps, they do harden depending on what you run true them.

Hope I got it right, English is just my third language

//NiXoN

 

[disc1]

If English is your third language then you're good at languages.

The only concern I had was the way the pin fits into the rollers. It just kinda slips in there and holds by friction. It runs really exact, like you say, but I worried that it may wear over time. I am glad to hear that yours are still good after three years.

 

[das75]

These pumps are commonly used in Europe for ready systems such as GHL and Grotech.


//NiXoN

This somewhat surprises me with all the hype of superior product against the Chinese units (BM) then here the pumps are for $29.

They sure do look the same.

GHL
http://www.ghl-profilux.co.uk/acatalog/DoseHead.jpg

 

[disc1]

Here's what I did with mine.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2015868