Coyote Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Hello, here is my new project: diying a vortech style pump... here is the magnetic rotor with the 45mm propeller: for the outside part, i've used a brushless motor with a modelism controler and the same kind of magnetic rotor here is a picture of the first prototype, now i've made a new one which look better: and here is some video of the result: with the first magnetic coupling, unfortnately it was not strong enough and everything was going apart after a while: http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=721...89376&hl=fr http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=573...63626&hl=fr the same with the sound and an ampmeter (the motor is a 12v type): http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=-48...18229&hl=fr http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=-57...00543&hl=fr As you can see, the main drawback of this prototype is the noise but i'm working on it... finally, i've made a new rotor with a special 30mm neodym magnet: and the result: http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=4896546981957490829 this one is a lot quieter than the first one but it's still unusable like this... i'm actually working on a new kind of motorisation to reduce the noise Link to comment
reef n ale Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Nice work! But I'm a little concerned about possible low flow rates... Rob Link to comment
Kirin1 Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Wow! I'm guessing this is for a larger tank than what you're testing it in. Link to comment
matt510 Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 poor fish your tank would look like chum bait after you run that thing Link to comment
smcnally Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Very cool DIY idea. I bet it will be tough to get everything balanced perfectly though and super quiet. Link to comment
irishtexan Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 WOW! Nice! Crazy video too. What tank are you using this on? Link to comment
er1c_the_reefer Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 are you planning on building a housing for the parts too? i can't imagine it not rusting without some sort of housing. looks good though, i might be requesting a build for myself when you get it down. Link to comment
Coyote Posted June 22, 2007 Author Share Posted June 22, 2007 hehehe... I was sure it will please you.... I'm testing my prototype in a 11l tank but i intend to use it in a 100+gallons... For now i'm just trying to find the good combination of magnet, propeller, motor and hox to balance everything. If everything goes well, i will design and make a housing for everything. The main drawback is the noise but there is already a big difference between my first test and the last.... now the last remaining sound is from the motor and his ball bearing. All the rest is well balanced enough to give only a small hummmm. As for the low flow rate, no problem the controller is able to drive everything at very low speed.... Now if someone want to go skiing he can take the actual system... it will work... LOL Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 that last video is awesome. Very nice work! That's an incredible diy. Crazy how simple it is for something that would otherwise cost hundreds of dollars. Link to comment
Coyote Posted June 22, 2007 Author Share Posted June 22, 2007 that last video is awesome. Very nice work! That's an incredible diy. Crazy how simple it is for something that would otherwise cost hundreds of dollars. I've already seen the inside of a real vortech and there is nothing more than mine and it effectively cost hundred of dollars... As for the conception, it's really simple. Now everything is a question of small adjustement.... Link to comment
Daemonfly Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 O_o The main drawback I see is that it's made out of what looks like an aluminum frame, and steel washers/bolts. You gonna change that? Link to comment
Fishyfan Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 lol it sounds like a blender... Link to comment
Coyote Posted June 23, 2007 Author Share Posted June 23, 2007 If you look well on the last video, you will see that the aluminium parts have been replaced by PVC. As for the steel parts, it's now only high grade stainless steel and i'm working on a ceramic shaft and bearing for the futur test. So no worry on this side... At first, i've made a quick prototype to validate the principle of the magnetic coupling and have a idea of the power of the magnets you need. Now I'm slowly changing parts to find the good combination of material... blender noise: yes that's exactly my impression . Now, it's a lot better. The new magnetic coupling is well balanced and i don't have anymore any rattle noise. I only have the whiiiiiz of the motor but i'm working on that... Finally, i just have a question about the magnet. the one i've choose is a neodym one with nickel coating. I intend to protect it with epoxy but i've seen a vortech and the magnet doesn't have any kind of protection (no varnish, epoxy of any kind). what do you think about nickel in a marine tank? Link to comment
Oregon Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 Forget aquarium pumps, you should put your resume in at Mastercraft or Bayliner Link to comment
bklynmet Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 what kind o fwattage is the motor using? Link to comment
Matty1124 Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 how many gph? cause that is CRAZY!!!! Link to comment
stoney waters Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 OMG... I love it. Cant wait to see the progress. Ohh, I'll take a pineapple daiquiri. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 dude how many amps are u using??? Link to comment
Coyote Posted June 24, 2007 Author Share Posted June 24, 2007 In all my test, the motor is working at 12vdc. In the first video, you have an ampmeter that give you an idea of the wttage. On the last test, the motor was drawing around 5amps, that's 60W. As for the volume of water, it should be around 20000l/h in the last test but it's difficult to In fact, i think that the wattage is similar to the tunze stream 6200 As for the price, here the différent pieces: -2 magnets ~20$ -1 propppeler ~4$ -1 motor ~20$ -1 controller ~20$ the rest is some rest of pvc i had but to make an real housing, it should cost around 80$. thsi price is high 'cause i want to make a professional housing in abs by quick prototyping. The price of the motor will surely go down as i intend to go with a gobrushless cdrom kit wich cost less than 5$ (but you have to do the wiring yourself) you will also need ceramic axes plus bearings, that's 5$. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 the magnets were saltwater proof right? this little thing got me interested. i was planning to make a really big proppeler so it a wider flow so there wont be any poewrful steams. kind of like a natural wave. Link to comment
strangelove Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Finally, i just have a question about the magnet. the one i've choose is a neodym one with nickel coating. I intend to protect it with epoxy but i've seen a vortech and the magnet doesn't have any kind of protection (no varnish, epoxy of any kind). what do you think about nickel in a marine tank? I don't see any problems with nickel plating causing any problems with the tank it's pretty inert. I think the only thing you need to worry about is the plating being worn off and the neodymium magnet being exposed, which would oxidize quickly. You might want to encase the propeller and magnet housing in marine epoxy by making it hallow for the moving parts inside. the area from the propeller shaft to the propeller could be solid epoxy with an acrylic tube to house the shaft to keep most of it water tight. Or you could make it easy to open so when you do maintenance on it you could check for wear. Coyote I'm really interested in this so I'll be following this thread for sure. Think you might be able to retrofit a Hydor FLO on your design to aid in current movement too. Link to comment
Coyote Posted June 25, 2007 Author Share Posted June 25, 2007 I don't see any problems with nickel plating causing any problems with the tank it's pretty inert. I think the only thing you need to worry about is the plating being worn off and the neodymium magnet being exposed, which would oxidize quickly. You might want to encase the propeller and magnet housing in marine epoxy by making it hallow for the moving parts inside. the area from the propeller shaft to the propeller could be solid epoxy with an acrylic tube to house the shaft to keep most of it water tight. Or you could make it easy to open so when you do maintenance on it you could check for wear. Coyote I'm really interested in this so I'll be following this thread for sure. Think you might be able to retrofit a Hydor FLO on your design to aid in current movement too. That's a good news, i will be able to make the test inside my tank without problem and i will see later for an epoxy finish. As for the prop, i'm using a 45mm prop but you can go with a bigger one. Just take into account that these motors are not made to turn really slowly. Maybe a gearbox will be necessary... Link to comment
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