My cheap wavemaker

Well I bought one today, $29.99 shipped from E-Bay. When I get it I will post a review.

Those who have them already please post your opinions/experiences also.
 
I was going to mention I saw them on Ebay a month or so ago...I was a little afraid of what they might do to PH's but not for any other reason than I wanted to spend $109 on a wavemaster pro when this was $29.
 
What did you guys use to cut the ends off. I was gonna warm up the Dremel tomorrow and was just wondering what others used?

TIA
 
I got mine last month and it works as promised. My only dislike is you cant slow it down enough in chase mode, and it is too slow in timer mode. Would have like to of seen a broader speed control. It already has killed one of my Mj 900, but thats mostly my fault. I believe that cleaning the powerheads often is now a must. But the product does exactly what is says it does, and does create unusual flow paterns, now all i do is have to upgrade to a larger power head than the 900's i have one 1200 in the tank and that seems to work great with this.
 
cooder24: How long are your ph's on before you switch them? Also, does the unit make any noise when it is switching? Do the ph's make noise when being turned on? Thanks for the info.
 
I have been using one of these for about a year. It hasn't missed a stroke the whole time. I have been using the same ol' mj900's for the whole time and they still work fine. The unit is silent. No noise from the switcher at all
 
the only noise coming from the system is the hum of the power head. the unit makes no noises at all. as far as the timers. on chase mode eash power head is on about 2 sec but is ajustable up to about a 1/4 of a sec. I kinda this option would last a little longer. and then on to the next pwerhead. this is what i use during the day. And the timer mode works in 2 min intervals, and is ajustable to about 10 mins i would guess.
 
i personally have no experience with any other wave device, but other than a diy surge tank, i cant see how you can get a more bang for your buck product.
 
Ok, so I recieved my Chauvet timer today. My first impression of the unit was that it is well made and, for the most part, all the controls are easy to get to (the channel and on/off switch are mounted on the bottom). The device felt solid and had a little weight to it (which for some reason ,to me, indicates a well made product for some reason). The size is pretty compact 7.9x5.1x2 and it weighs 2.2lbs. (according to the instructions manual). When I hooked it up it started my ph's w/ no problem and the unit is completely silent. I also like the indicator lights on the front of the unit to show which channel(s) are getting power. The only complant I have w/ this device is it makes the ph's chatter when turned on in chase mode (which is pretty fast, 2-3 sec. switching time). I kinda expected this and I think I can fix it if I can find the thread on silenceing MJ ph's (a link from someone would be helpful). Overall I am very satisfied with this unit as a wavemaker, and when you factor in that I got it for $29.99 shipped (progearwarehouse @ E-Bay), it makes it all the better. If you're like me and looking for a cheap wavemaker then this is definitely the ticket!
 
artmusic247 said:
Rocketpop cool find.

I did a search and found that it is made for DJ lighting effects. The interesting thing about this is that it can be triggered by sound. You can actually hook it to a sound source and depending on the music that you choose, it can produce a random pattern of currents. Good or bad, I'm not sure but it's an option.

Dean.
Click to expand...

so in theory you could have it for the music and make the fish sway back and forth with the music? im sooo going to make my fish dance to mc hammer
 
A guy in our club came up with a great mod with the Chauvet.

"Ok, so 2 minutes (Timer mode) is too long


Here is your solution.

Open the unit (4 screws on back). Remove the timer board pictured (4 screws). Replace the 1uf capacitor with a 100uf capacitor (the new 100uf circled in pic). MAKE SURE TO KEEP the positive and negative of the capacitor in the right place (the board tells you which pole is +).

Reassemble.

Your chase mode is now about 10 seconds to 1 minute.

Enjoy your cheep wavemaker!"



timercircuit.jpg



Here was my reply to his post

"I made the mod and it works great!! It took me 10 minutes because I tried 3 different capacitors! (100uF, 44uF, 22uF)

I ended up going with a 22uF capacitor.

That makes chase mode from about 2 secs to about 15 seconds. I'm going to leave it on around 7-8 seconds at a time in my new 92 corner.

I hooked it up to 4 maxijets 1200 and tested it out and it worked beautifully! I also cut the maxijet nozzle off for even more randomness!

Very nice for under $100 I have a wavemaker with 1200GPH capacity!"

I have been running mine for several months now with no issues!
 
Versus said:
so in theory you could have it for the music and make the fish sway back and forth with the music? im sooo going to make my fish dance to mc hammer
Click to expand...

I am not sure if MC Hammer is reef safe :lol:
Maybe start off with Al Green and slowly work your way up to MC hammer
 
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