DIY Swirler Stein
- Thread starter miwoodar
- Start date
DeathWish302
Clown Hoarder
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14134637#post14134637 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chrismunn
well paul i take that back, when i put the lid on my SS i cant close the lid on my bio cube.1/8" mis-measurement on my part and now i have a totally defective and very dangerous swirler stien
ill have to build a new housing so that im able to get the lid on it. if not then the box will probably fill with water because it gets pretty moist under the hood. that would be a pretty bad situation!
when i do get the new box built then ill get that uni seal.for now ive got this...
Use some Plumber's Epoxy to fill in the area and redrill. It worked on my error on measuring motor mounting holes.
DW302
chrismunn
New member
oh, i drilled all the holes in the right places, the problem is that i made it 1/8" too tall. i had a maximum height tolerance of 11/16" and i used most of it up on the thickness of the bearing (1/4"), the thickness of the mounting ring (1/8") and the thickness of the bottom panel (1/8"). what i didnt realize was that the bolt head on the bolt used to link the rod and down shaft ring together is also 1/8". that only left me with 1/16" and that was before the lid was put on. the lid is 1/8" thick so when the lid is on, i cant close the hood of my tank... it stands about 1/16"-1/8" +- too tall.... i dont know where or why i goofed my numbers becasue i drew up all my plans to scale. everything was accounted for in the plan so maybe my plans were off? i thought i had it all under controll
my problem is that the inside of my tanks hood is completely sealed so anything that evaporates ends up as condensation (moisture? not sure if condensation is the right word???) on eveything inside of the hood, that includes the swirler stien. if the SS doesnt have a lid then it could potentially fill with water becasue of all the moisture. the rest is obvious!
one thing ive noticed is that the motor runs pretty hot. i9m afraid that if i put a lid on it all that heat might cause the entire box to split apart? that would be just as bad! i havent yet noticed any moisture inside of the box so maybe im ok? perhaps the heat being put off by the motor is enough to dry any moisture that gets in the area?
my problem is that the inside of my tanks hood is completely sealed so anything that evaporates ends up as condensation (moisture? not sure if condensation is the right word???) on eveything inside of the hood, that includes the swirler stien. if the SS doesnt have a lid then it could potentially fill with water becasue of all the moisture. the rest is obvious!
one thing ive noticed is that the motor runs pretty hot. i9m afraid that if i put a lid on it all that heat might cause the entire box to split apart? that would be just as bad! i havent yet noticed any moisture inside of the box so maybe im ok? perhaps the heat being put off by the motor is enough to dry any moisture that gets in the area?
hotwired99
New member
chrismunn -
I would try saran wrap and a rubber band. Thats about as this as you can get. Dont know if it would be bothered by the heat from the motor though. Just a thought.
I would try saran wrap and a rubber band. Thats about as this as you can get. Dont know if it would be bothered by the heat from the motor though. Just a thought.
DeathWish302
Clown Hoarder
CM -
Really the heat is normal and I think you should be fine so long as the motor is not bound up causing an increased load. That could cause a problem. I like the saran wrap idea for a moisture barrier....INGENIOUS! There is the 'clingy' stuff that could do away with the rubberband.
DW302
Really the heat is normal and I think you should be fine so long as the motor is not bound up causing an increased load. That could cause a problem. I like the saran wrap idea for a moisture barrier....INGENIOUS! There is the 'clingy' stuff that could do away with the rubberband.
DW302
chrismunn
New member
i read a thread not too long ago where a guy used this same method but instead of a downshaft at the end of the link arm there was a metal halide pendant. it wasnt a 12 hour simulate though, it rotated as many times per minute as the motor turned, somewhere around 5 rpm probably?
i like the saran wrap idea, my only fear would be that it might melt? that motor is literally too hot for me to hold me finger against for more than 3 seconds. the saran wrap would be within a 1/4" of motor and that would be the only problem. ill give it a try and see how it works out. ill just have to find time to sit around for a couple of hours and keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesnt start a fire!
if that doesnt work then ill just leave it topless or build a new one? i dont really mind having it topless because so far absolutely no moisture has gotten into the box. its looking like the only way it would happen is if i had my hands in the tank splashing around. ill let you all know what the outcome of whatever i do is?
i like the saran wrap idea, my only fear would be that it might melt? that motor is literally too hot for me to hold me finger against for more than 3 seconds. the saran wrap would be within a 1/4" of motor and that would be the only problem. ill give it a try and see how it works out. ill just have to find time to sit around for a couple of hours and keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesnt start a fire!
if that doesnt work then ill just leave it topless or build a new one? i dont really mind having it topless because so far absolutely no moisture has gotten into the box. its looking like the only way it would happen is if i had my hands in the tank splashing around. ill let you all know what the outcome of whatever i do is?
chrismunn
New member
im glad you knew what i was talking about becasue ive been searching for that thread for the past 3 hours! :lol:
you can get the length if you attach a large diameter disk to the motor and attach the link arm to the outter most edge of that. the only problem is that you wont be able to find a motor slow enough for the application. even if you have a 1rpm motor, it would push the light rack 30" forwards in 30 seconds, and then 30" back in the next 30 seconds to complete one full revolution.
you can get the length if you attach a large diameter disk to the motor and attach the link arm to the outter most edge of that. the only problem is that you wont be able to find a motor slow enough for the application. even if you have a 1rpm motor, it would push the light rack 30" forwards in 30 seconds, and then 30" back in the next 30 seconds to complete one full revolution.
DeathWish302
Clown Hoarder
Anyone that is still experimenting with the bushing method, I have found a wonderful 'lube' for the bushing. I'll keep everyone informed of the longevity of the lube. I was having problems with a reoccurring squeek after about 2 weeks with the silicone faucet grease from Lowe's. So pondering lubricants this weekend and using some chap stick at the same time I had an epiphany.........
Why not clean the silicone grease completely from the shaft and coat a generous layer a chap stick on the downtube???? Well there are no noises yet and the downtube spun with a little more resistance than the grease but only time will tell.
DW302
Why not clean the silicone grease completely from the shaft and coat a generous layer a chap stick on the downtube???? Well there are no noises yet and the downtube spun with a little more resistance than the grease but only time will tell.
DW302
nauticac4
Baby Fish Wrangler
If you wanted to persue the 12hr simulate for a lighting cycle using the same principle demonstrated here a drawer bearing track and some gears would do the same thing. the 3 rpm would have to be reduced to .0042 RPM. A couple of big nylon gears from mcmaster would make that possible. Havent worked all of the math out though as far as gears needed.
On a more post dedicated note, I have completed my 1 gen and am working on the second gen. I'm not binding but the direction change makes some noise that I dont care for. I'll try to get some pictures up since I used a different motor than everyone else. I ordered 120V 2 RPM motors and used bearings from a set of bicycle cranks.
On a more post dedicated note, I have completed my 1 gen and am working on the second gen. I'm not binding but the direction change makes some noise that I dont care for. I'll try to get some pictures up since I used a different motor than everyone else. I ordered 120V 2 RPM motors and used bearings from a set of bicycle cranks.
DeathWish302
Clown Hoarder
jasonh - I agree with your comments, but I think for the most part all Swirler Steins are made with sealed bearings now. This was just another possible fix for one of the annoying attributes of the PVC bushing variants from the prototype/1st Gen. SS. If I was motivated enough, I would buy another junction box, VXB bearing, fab a new downtube and overhaul the existing one. If all I need is to apply some chap stick every few months, I would prefer this method until I run out of DIY projects that are partially complete.
Too much DIY and only 24hrs in a day........ :eek1:
DW302
DeathWish302
Clown Hoarder
I can solve your noise with my program that computes exact values for link lengths and ground (distance between center of downtube and motor crank). You could make a 'hard' connecting linkage from crank to rocker if you don't mind the lack of infinite adjustability. PM me your email addy if your interested. Miwoodar found the program useful......
DW302
chrismunn
New member
i need to re-build my SS in black acrylic. after i built the first one to fit under the stock hood of my bio cube, i got a new light and removed the hood permanently. now i have a somewhat unsightly contraption sitting in plain sight. its not too bad because its pretty small, but it would look better in black.
every once in a while my SS makes a bit of noise coming from the motor. you can hear the gears in the motor turning when the link arm transitions from push to pull. its not all the time and its not the noisy, but since ive removed the hood i actually notice it once in a while. when i had the hood on the tank i never head it at all.
i think i want to put two into my bio cube though. i really like the flow pattern i get from the one, so two of them would obviously be twice as great!
every once in a while my SS makes a bit of noise coming from the motor. you can hear the gears in the motor turning when the link arm transitions from push to pull. its not all the time and its not the noisy, but since ive removed the hood i actually notice it once in a while. when i had the hood on the tank i never head it at all.
i think i want to put two into my bio cube though. i really like the flow pattern i get from the one, so two of them would obviously be twice as great!
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