DIY Swirler Stein

Since a few people have had trouble with the power head pushing back on the down shaft - what about two power heads back to back. I'm thinking for a large tank having the unit in the middle of the tank. Like on a center brace. If you have magnetic mounts and they happen to be polar opposites - they would stick to each other though a flat piece of Plexi inserted into a slot cut through the down tube.
 
hollback said:
Sorry everyone. It was a busy weekend and I didn't have time to reply.

Most parts came from McMaster but there are also about half a dozen custom CNC machined parts. I'd love to do a step by step on how I put it together but with three young children, all of my extra time goes to scraping glass and water changes. :)

The housing is 7-3/8"x4-1/2"x2-5/8"high.
Click to expand...

thanks for the reply!!!

one other question, your speed control is it setup same as the LED dimmers???
 
Chrisrush said:
Any updates on this? I need to build a pair of these.
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The beginning of January marks the one year mark of running these rotators with my Tunzes. I honestly can't believe how much growth I have had to previous years. IMO, it's a game changer in this hobby. I will try to get some photos soon.
 
I've been reading over this thread, and the other similar ones. Definitely want to give these a try. I'm having a hard time choosing the motors, as I don't know much about them, and most of the links to the specific ones used in this project no longer work. I think I've found a few different options, although they may not be the best price. The bearing link still worked though, and I ordered them.
I'd like to build a few of these, both in AC and DC versions.
 
Tigé21v said:
I've been reading over this thread, and the other similar ones. Definitely want to give these a try. I'm having a hard time choosing the motors, as I don't know much about them, and most of the links to the specific ones used in this project no longer work. I think I've found a few different options, although they may not be the best price. The bearing link still worked though, and I ordered them.
I'd like to build a few of these, both in AC and DC versions.
Click to expand...

Careful with AC that close to the water. Remember, AC and water could mean a deadly shock! On your DC motor, try to find something brushless as they have a life far beyond the standard brushed DC motors.
 
hollback said:
Careful with AC that close to the water. Remember, AC and water could mean a deadly shock! On your DC motor, try to find something brushless as they have a life far beyond the standard brushed DC motors.
Click to expand...
I'd rather go the DC route, but I'm having a hard time finding a motor that (I think) would work.
I wonder if there's a way to build it with a speed controller that could be hooked up to an Apex?
 
Tigé21v said:
I'd rather go the DC route, but I'm having a hard time finding a motor that (I think) would work.
I wonder if there's a way to build it with a speed controller that could be hooked up to an Apex?
Click to expand...

I think Hollback uses PMW signal so you could use the Apex to control it. I hope to find something DC powered as well.
 
Ok, I admit it.... I'm pretty much electric-motor-challenged. More like illiterate.
Never have had much experience messing with these things, so I have no clue what I'm looking at, or what I should be looking for. Here's a few (possible) possibilities I've managed to come across
2 RPM Gear Motor
High Torque 12V 2rpm Electric Micro DC Geared Box Motor | eBay
40mm Gearbox 12V Rated Voltage DC Geared Motor 2rpm | eBay
High Torque Turbo Worm Geared Motor DC Motor GW370 12V 2rpm | eBay
2RPM 12V 0.06A DC Geared Motor
12V 3RPM Torque Gear Box Motor New | eBay
Amazon.com: Amico DC 12V 3RPM Output Speed 2 Pin Terminals 8mm Shaft Electric Power Geared Motor: Home Improvement

Would any of these work? It doesn't help that at least a portion of these aren't even the country. (When I emailed one of these sellers with questions, the only response I got was how many I wanted. lol)
Are any of these brushless? What's the difference between a geared motor and brushless motor? Or can a geared motor also be brushless? Do any have enough torque? How can I tell if they are rated for continuous duty? Do the prices seem inline? I'd like, if possible, for the first one I build to fit in a outlet box, instead of having to build a box out acrylic.
Should I be looking at 12v, or would 6v or 24v be better suited to this project?
Also, if I run it with a potentiometer, does the torque drop as the speed drops? I'm guessing the voltage drops as the speed drops?

I was thinking I should try to stay with a 2-3rpm motor. (?)

Thanks for any and all help.
 
All of those are geared motors which is want you want. It will provide slower rpms and give you much more torque. The difference between a brushed and brushless mote is night and day. Brushed motors life spans are usually measured in hours, brushless are usually years.

2-3 rpm might be a bit slow. Once you get some load on it, it will slow down even more. I also went with a faster rpm motor so I could use my speed control to make it faster or slower.

Do not use a potentiometer as these reduce the amount of power supplied to the motor. It will drastically decrease your motor life. A PWM pulses the full amount of power on and off quickly to slow down or speed up a device.

12v is pretty standard and maybe give you more motor options.

Honestly, it will depend a lot on how you mount the motor, what type of drive mechanism you are going to use for the oscillation and how much load will be on it. Your design will change based on which motor you go with. I'd suggest trying several.

Use a project box. They come in all different sizes.
 
Thanks for the reply.
So is a geared motor brushless?
Thanks for the heads up about looking for a motor with more rpm's. I think I found a motor that I'll try
http://www.dhgate.com/stock-small-g...e9dbf30137e9fc9f9e1cff.html#prod-body-related
They also have (what appears) to be the same motor in a 6v model. I'm guessing a 12v motor will have more torque than a 6v motor?
As far as a PWM controller goes, would this work?
http://www.dhgate.com/p-ff808081361...||kuuco|QL||&gclid=COC09dHgqrUCFcc-MgodoRYAiQ
Would this be all I need? And could one PWM control more than one pump?
 
Tigé21v said:
Thanks for the reply.
So is a geared motor brushless?
Thanks for the heads up about looking for a motor with more rpm's. I think I found a motor that I'll try
http://www.dhgate.com/stock-small-g...e9dbf30137e9fc9f9e1cff.html#prod-body-related
They also have (what appears) to be the same motor in a 6v model. I'm guessing a 12v motor will have more torque than a 6v motor?
As far as a PWM controller goes, would this work?
http://www.dhgate.com/p-ff808081361...||kuuco|QL||&gclid=COC09dHgqrUCFcc-MgodoRYAiQ
Would this be all I need? And could one PWM control more than one pump?
Click to expand...

A geared motor can be brush or brushless. The manufacturer would have to answer that as looking at the motor won't tell you.

Not sure on the 6v vs. 12v.

Yep, that PWM should work. I guess you could control more than one motor with the PWM but they would do the same thing. I have two on my tank, one on each side, and have them running at different rotational speeds for more chaos. That PWM is rated for 12v so you couldn't power a 6v motor through it.

Tigé21v said:
Also, I forgot to ask. Do you know if the motor I'm looking at is rated for continuous duty?
Click to expand...

Again, the manufacturer would be able to tell you the specs on the continuous run life expectancy. The problem is that most of these places are just resellers and only have the specs they list on their sites.
 
Hollback, sorry to keep bothering you, but I'm still trying to find something that would work long term, and located in this country.
Would any of these work, and if so any one of them better than the other?
http://www.robotshop.com/vex-continuous-rotation-dc-motor.html
http://www.robotshop.com/solarbotics-gm17-gear-motor.html
http://www.robotshop.com/solarbotics-gm3-gear-motor-3.html
http://www.robotshop.com/solarbotics-gm2-gear-motor-2-offset-1.html
Also, are the speeds on these too fast? Or could they be slowed enough with a PWM?
Thanks in advance.
 
Tigé21v said:
Hollback, sorry to keep bothering you, but I'm still trying to find something that would work long term, and located in this country.
Would any of these work, and if so any one of them better than the other?
http://www.robotshop.com/vex-continuous-rotation-dc-motor.html
http://www.robotshop.com/solarbotics-gm17-gear-motor.html
http://www.robotshop.com/solarbotics-gm3-gear-motor-3.html
http://www.robotshop.com/solarbotics-gm2-gear-motor-2-offset-1.html
Also, are the speeds on these too fast? Or could they be slowed enough with a PWM?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Really sorry I missed this. Those might be a bit fast. Yes you could turn them down with the PWM but if the PWM was accidentally turned all the way up, something might get damaged. I'd choose one of the previous motors you had listed over those. They don't look to strong and seem cheap being made of plastic and I'm not sure how you would mount them.
 
Hey guys I came across this thread while looking into the sea sweep I would like to build something to move a WP60. I think I can figure a material list, but my question is how are you changing the rotation/direction from side to side? I assume you are tripping something in the control box, but what tells the motor to stop and change direction? or is all in a swing arm?Thanks,---Rick
 
The mechanical linkage causes the back and forth motion. The motor is always spinning in one direction slowly. The ratio of length of the 2 arms and the distance from the center of the motor and the powerheads pivot sets the amount of angle the device will sweep through.
 
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