the swirler-stein
- Thread starter Isayso
- Start date
zapata41
In Memoriam
hey dh, why did you wait so long to post a link to this thread in the maxi stream thread. this is just what i need to build now, a pair of these. 
looks like i get to have something new to day dream about now. cant wait to get some parts together to build these things. look out
Tim
looks like i get to have something new to day dream about now. cant wait to get some parts together to build these things. look out Tim
:lol: Actually Tim . I posted this on the maxi-mod thread a while ago.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=790770&perpage=25&pagenumber=6
scroll down halfway
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=790770&perpage=25&pagenumber=6
scroll down halfway
zapata41
In Memoriam
yeah that's where i just found the link at.
ok well off to find me a dc motor. thinking i wil run a dc motor, then run a rheostat and ontop of the stat knob run a linkage to another dc motor to turn. so i will have one motor spin the maxi, then another motor spin the rheostats knob to slow it up and down throughout the day, maybe do a gear reduction on the second motor so it spins really really slow , like .25rph
Tim
ok well off to find me a dc motor. thinking i wil run a dc motor, then run a rheostat and ontop of the stat knob run a linkage to another dc motor to turn. so i will have one motor spin the maxi, then another motor spin the rheostats knob to slow it up and down throughout the day, maybe do a gear reduction on the second motor so it spins really really slow , like .25rph
Tim
this is the motor I'm gonna use on this mod if I ever get around to actually work on it soon :lol:
https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2006031613352805&item=5-1563-A&catname=electric
https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2006031613352805&item=5-1563-A&catname=electric
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
You can control AC. Ceiling fans, box fans...etc...they use a system of blocking the alternating current. Sure, the speeds cant be dialed, but rather 'stepped' by blocking every other, every two other, etc pulses on the sine wave...but it is speed control.
You need a stepping motor for that, and I couldn't find any geared low enough. That was my first choice on motors, or maybe it was I couldn't find one with a torque rating I thought was high enough. Now I know that torque probably doesn't matter but I have 4 working motors.
zapata41 what dc motor are you using? I still think I may do a dc version after I finish the 4 I have.
I completely finished up one last night. I even have my mounting figured out. I'll try and get a picture or a movie when I'm home for lunch. I don't know how to post a movie so I may need some help with that.
I did change things a little for the better. I changed the way I connect the cam to the down tube. I basically cut a Y shaped cam, and cut a slit in the down tube. So you can squeeze the top of the Y and slide it into the slit. It stays nice and works great and I can replace the cam without problem if I want to try a different size. I still ended up with the same size as before though, maybe a little smaller even.
I also added a switch, it has 4 possitions (lowes like $3). It has off, A on, B on, A&B on. I have the mj on A and the swirler on B. I really only need a 3 possition for off, mj, mj&swirler but this was cheap and it was their when I looked. I can't imagine a reason to have it swirl without the mj on, but that doesn't bother me.
I also finished up the mounting design. I bent 2 of the current mounting tabs down, and ca glued acrylic on the bottom to just fit the rim of my tank. The mount is almost like a C that cups the edge of the tank now. I think I'll probably run plasic screws into the tab holes just to be sure though.
Oh and I forgot.. I figured out how to mount the mj on the mod with a great fit! I was so pleased with myself.. Anyway the mj has a V sort of slot on the, well its the top now on mine. Anyway I cut the corisponding sized anti V in the bottom of my down tube and just slid it on. I did end up adding a drop of ca glue to it just to be sure after, but as I finish up the next one I think I'll be good enough at it to not need it. I actually ran it without the ca glue on this attempt without any problems and without it falling off. But when I was trying to finish up the wireing I kept knocking it off, obviously not a perfect fit, so I wanted to make sure no snails did the same in the tank. But I'm certain on the next one I can do it much much better. The part I messed up on, and that I can surely do better next time is the angle its at. I can't explain it but if you try and do one you'll see. I got the angle wrong on the first side I did, and correct on the second side.
NOTES:
Here are some things I messed up on a little that if you pay attention you won't have.
I didn't make 100% sure I had the mj facing the right direction when I installed it, so now I have to mount it a little crooked to make it aim right. Don't do this like I did!
Make sure you have a cam thats removable or a length you know you like on your arm. My first arm was a "testing" arm and it was way to short to use. But my cam was glued so it was basically trash, what a waste of my time all that shaping a glueing was, I wish I just did it correctly the first time.
Well last night I had like 50 things I was thinking I should warm people about, now I can only think of those two. I'll post more if I ever remember them.
zapata41 what dc motor are you using? I still think I may do a dc version after I finish the 4 I have.
I completely finished up one last night. I even have my mounting figured out. I'll try and get a picture or a movie when I'm home for lunch. I don't know how to post a movie so I may need some help with that.
I did change things a little for the better. I changed the way I connect the cam to the down tube. I basically cut a Y shaped cam, and cut a slit in the down tube. So you can squeeze the top of the Y and slide it into the slit. It stays nice and works great and I can replace the cam without problem if I want to try a different size. I still ended up with the same size as before though, maybe a little smaller even.
I also added a switch, it has 4 possitions (lowes like $3). It has off, A on, B on, A&B on. I have the mj on A and the swirler on B. I really only need a 3 possition for off, mj, mj&swirler but this was cheap and it was their when I looked. I can't imagine a reason to have it swirl without the mj on, but that doesn't bother me.
I also finished up the mounting design. I bent 2 of the current mounting tabs down, and ca glued acrylic on the bottom to just fit the rim of my tank. The mount is almost like a C that cups the edge of the tank now. I think I'll probably run plasic screws into the tab holes just to be sure though.
Oh and I forgot.. I figured out how to mount the mj on the mod with a great fit! I was so pleased with myself..
Anyway the mj has a V sort of slot on the, well its the top now on mine. Anyway I cut the corisponding sized anti V in the bottom of my down tube and just slid it on. I did end up adding a drop of ca glue to it just to be sure after, but as I finish up the next one I think I'll be good enough at it to not need it. I actually ran it without the ca glue on this attempt without any problems and without it falling off. But when I was trying to finish up the wireing I kept knocking it off, obviously not a perfect fit, so I wanted to make sure no snails did the same in the tank. But I'm certain on the next one I can do it much much better. The part I messed up on, and that I can surely do better next time is the angle its at. I can't explain it but if you try and do one you'll see. I got the angle wrong on the first side I did, and correct on the second side.NOTES:
Here are some things I messed up on a little that if you pay attention you won't have.
I didn't make 100% sure I had the mj facing the right direction when I installed it, so now I have to mount it a little crooked to make it aim right. Don't do this like I did!
Make sure you have a cam thats removable or a length you know you like on your arm. My first arm was a "testing" arm and it was way to short to use. But my cam was glued so it was basically trash, what a waste of my time all that shaping a glueing was, I wish I just did it correctly the first time.
Well last night I had like 50 things I was thinking I should warm people about, now I can only think of those two. I'll post more if I ever remember them.
boxfishpooalot
Active member
where do you buy the box and whats it called?
I just thought of another "gotcha". I didn't do a very good job of making sure that my cam, tie-rod arm, and motor arm where at the same level when I test fit everything. So I ended up needing to redo some of it. I ended up with the cam being to low. So I redid the tube that the down tube fits into, inside the box. I had to raise it up. But anyway the point is to make sure you get your cam, tie-rod arm, and motor arm all on the same level. I didn't do a very good job of this and had to redo it.
reverendmaynard
New member
To use the smooth shaft motor, you could use a grinder to shave off some of one side of the end of the shaft, creating a flat spot (kind of D shaped). Cut the corresponding shaped hole in the arm and you're all set.
well I can't find the card to the camera to take pictures. But I set it up to run last night all night on just rotate. I don't know how long it lasted, but it wasn't that long, not even 2 hours. The motor arm attachment, with the x cutout is shattered. I don't know what caused it, I think maybe my wireing got caught on something and the motor just ripped it apart. I'm pretty shocked the motor had the torque to do what it did, but it did it.
I use an O spacer under the motor arm to raise it a little, I think tonight I'll be making a new arm double thickness and remove the O spacer. I'll also need to come up with something to keep the wireing from getting caught. I had most of the longer pieces taped up with scotch tape, but that didn't hold.
I'm also going to purchase two small 120v neon lights so I can see exactly whats switched on/off, they are like $3 at radioshack and instock down the road from me (cool feature of radioshack.com). Not sure when I'll get a chance to get that done, but its obviously secondary to a non-shattering arm.
I use an O spacer under the motor arm to raise it a little, I think tonight I'll be making a new arm double thickness and remove the O spacer. I'll also need to come up with something to keep the wireing from getting caught. I had most of the longer pieces taped up with scotch tape, but that didn't hold.
I'm also going to purchase two small 120v neon lights so I can see exactly whats switched on/off, they are like $3 at radioshack and instock down the road from me (cool feature of radioshack.com). Not sure when I'll get a chance to get that done, but its obviously secondary to a non-shattering arm.
