DIY Wavebox! (With modded MJ)
- Thread starter smcnally
- Start date
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Its still the startup action within the pump's 'electronics' that burns it out. See, when a pump turns on, there is an instant 'flooding of the gates' with power. Its this spike in the output that eventually destroys the pump. Even regular MJs running on a power strip are vulnerable to it.
This is where the 'soft start' comes in though... okay, solved my own problem. But how are you going to get a 'soft start' timer that has such quick pulse timing?
This is where the 'soft start' comes in though... okay, solved my own problem. But how are you going to get a 'soft start' timer that has such quick pulse timing?
celebrityovernight
Member
make me one hahn.... =)
Tigger240
New member
i understand that, it takes an intial surge to get things going. but if a power head lasts a while before burning out, it maybe alright, in the neighbor hood of a year or so.. but i dont know how long they would last. and this is probably why tunze uses a "throttle" method over a on off method, because it would keep the electricty from flooding.
celebrityovernight
Member
i think alot of others were proposing the idea about a page before.
hahnmeister, just noticed you already suggested the mechanical option.
What I'm suggesting is mod the mod. the mjmod for the maxijet has slots in the side to let water in. Make one with a single opening for water to come in. put a small plastic door on it (like a gate valve). Pull it up and water can get into the maxijet. If it falls, water is cut off.
Very simplified description - take that door and tie a pingpong ball to it (or other float). As the water in the wave tank rises, the ball floats up. At some point it reaches its limit and pulls the door up allowing the flow of water to the maxijet. The maxijet pumps the water out, the door falls shut and the whole process starts again.
The maxijet stays on the whole time. The frequency is set by the length of string tied to the float (I think).
Could also tie a smaller float to the bottom of the door and leave this float in the main tank. Route it so the door is pulled down as it floats. Would have to be smaller so it doesn't defeat the float inside the wavebox
What I'm suggesting is mod the mod. the mjmod for the maxijet has slots in the side to let water in. Make one with a single opening for water to come in. put a small plastic door on it (like a gate valve). Pull it up and water can get into the maxijet. If it falls, water is cut off.
Very simplified description - take that door and tie a pingpong ball to it (or other float). As the water in the wave tank rises, the ball floats up. At some point it reaches its limit and pulls the door up allowing the flow of water to the maxijet. The maxijet pumps the water out, the door falls shut and the whole process starts again.
The maxijet stays on the whole time. The frequency is set by the length of string tied to the float (I think).
Could also tie a smaller float to the bottom of the door and leave this float in the main tank. Route it so the door is pulled down as it floats. Would have to be smaller so it doesn't defeat the float inside the wavebox
fat-tony
Active member
Everyone keeps mentioning DC pumps....
Anyone look into Marine or RV bilge pumps? There are some pretty beefy outputs available.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/itemDetailsRender.shtml?ItemId=1611759322
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...10001_200003005_200000000_200003000_image_2_3
Anyone look into Marine or RV bilge pumps? There are some pretty beefy outputs available.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/itemDetailsRender.shtml?ItemId=1611759322
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/s...10001_200003005_200000000_200003000_image_2_3
RandyStacyE
New member
I think the MJ streams are supposedly putting out well over 1,000 gph. A smaller pump could work on a smaller tank in theory.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
I was thinking along these lines as well, but the problem is that most float valve methods would then reach an equilibrium... the float on the gate would end up getting stuck in the half-open point, and the pump would run constantly. There is no device to propigate a surge, in other words... you would just have a self-adjusting overflow box. There might be a way to do it with strings or something to provide a 'buffer zone' where doors arent open until strings are in complete tension... but this gets complicated.
Perhaps the best method may just be to use something called a 'reverse carlson surge'. Does anyone else know what I am talking about here? If you were to use a higher volume air pump on a reverse carlson, you would get a wavebox effect. The maximum frequency of the waves would be determined by the volume of the box in comparison to the volumetric rate of the air pump, but the fine tuning would be done by adjusting the inlet/outlet levels of the reverse-carlson in the tank.
The basic idea behind a reverse carlson surge is sort of like the inverse of a carlson surge... rather than a tank above the main tank with water being pumped in, this box is inside the tank, with air being pumped in. Its a slick little device.
http://www.petsforum.com/cis-fishnet/seascope/00SS1705.htm
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
My MJ1200s running octura 1440 props and 2035 props I SWEAR can outdo my tunze 6100's.
fat-tony
Active member
My thoughts are that some of those style DC pumps are designed for a bit more ON/OFF than the MJ's due to their duties that they're designed for. It also came into consideration locally because if it's DC and has an impellor similar to the MJ than they should almost have to start the same way everytime.
celebrityovernight
Member
I DID IT!!!!!
I FOUND A CURE FOR AIDS AND CANCER!!!!!!
ok... no... but i found this DC powerhead we can use for our mod...
http://www.alita.com/dcpump/index.php
I FOUND A CURE FOR AIDS AND CANCER!!!!!!
ok... no... but i found this DC powerhead we can use for our mod...
http://www.alita.com/dcpump/index.php
jjoos99
New member
dc pumps
dc pumps
I havent tried any of this yet but I would say that the pumps that you found Celeb. will not have the gph to do the job. From what I have been reading you will need a pump that will do about a gallon of water per second of cycle on time. Thus about 30 gallons a minute times 60 minutes gives us about 1800 gph. The smaller pumps just wouldnt empty the wavebox fast enough to get the proper movement we are after.
Jeff
dc pumps
I havent tried any of this yet but I would say that the pumps that you found Celeb. will not have the gph to do the job. From what I have been reading you will need a pump that will do about a gallon of water per second of cycle on time. Thus about 30 gallons a minute times 60 minutes gives us about 1800 gph. The smaller pumps just wouldnt empty the wavebox fast enough to get the proper movement we are after.
Jeff
celebrityovernight
Member
i was thinking about modding the pump i posted the same as the mj mods seen around here on rc. i'm thinking it can do at least half what a modded mj12 can.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Hmm, but wait a second here... the other advantage of a DC pump, besides being able to speed control it, is that it always runs in the same direction... so a stopper for a propeller mod wouldnt be needed. Perhaps a prop mod of this pump would provide enough. A MJ400 after all, can be modded to make a good amount of flow... AND, DC pumps have more torque than AC pumps, so we may be able to run a prop as large as on a MJ600 on that.
The only possible problem I see is that its obviously intended for computer cooling... it may not be saltwater safe. Its 12v/4-pin molex may not be sealed to the pump as well, making internal use impossible.
It may not be much on its own, but a modded version may do the trick...
Anyone seen how much/where to buy one?
The only possible problem I see is that its obviously intended for computer cooling... it may not be saltwater safe. Its 12v/4-pin molex may not be sealed to the pump as well, making internal use impossible.
It may not be much on its own, but a modded version may do the trick...
Anyone seen how much/where to buy one?
L98-Z
New member
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Ah, good catch... but is it saltwater safe?
