DIY - Dosing Pump w/Peristaltic Head

[mginster]

I just wanted to share my DIY dosing pump. I will be using it for a Alk solution. It is very simple and I was able to build it in a box in about 30 minutes.

 

Parts:

- 12V DC Peristaltic Pump - $13.99

http://www.ebay.com/itm/190878289751?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

 

- DC Motor Speed Controller - $13.00

(this part can be optional if you have a different way to adjust the pump time/power input)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CW82ZPG/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

- 12V DC Wall Adapter - $2.99

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-1A-2A-Plug-US-Power-Supply-Adapter-100-240V-110V-AC-5-5-2-1mm-LED-Strip-/310728687331?pt=US_Lighting_Parts_and_Accessories&var=&hash=item4858df7ee3

 

- Project Box - $5.89

(not the exact one I used, just find one of appropriate dimensions needed)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Electronics-Project-Box-5-25-x-3-28-x-1-56-inches-Aluminum-Lid-/111144748919?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e0be4777

 

Total for pump: $35.87

 

Optional (untested):

- Time delay relays

(*** Just purchased this to test; hopefully it will remove the need for a timer / controller. If this works, it could also remove the need for a motor controller because you could simply set the pump to as low as 1s intervals which is about 1mL/s. This would reduce the cost to about $33 for a fully programmable dosing pump.)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-12V-Relay-Cycle-Timer-Module-PLC-Home-Automation-Delay-Multifunction-/300946527212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4611cf93ec

 

 

Other parts:

- Airline tubing

- Check valve

- Timer / controller

- Dremel to cut project box

- Wire

- Small screws for motor mounting

 

 

Instructions:

- Cut hole for motor

- Cut hole for potentiometer (adjustment knob)

- Cut hole for power cable

- Splice DC Adapter to reveal red and black wires

- Attach red to + power on speed controller

- Attach black to - power on speed controller

- Attach wire from + motor on speed controller to one connection on the motor.

- Attach wire from - motor on speed controller to one connection on the motor.

- Connect potentiometer to speed contoller.

- Screw speed controller to the extra riser in the project box. Do not allow to contact any metal if there is some on the project box.

- Remove nut on potentiometer and put it through the hole that was created for it. Screw nut back on.

- Screw two small screws through the motor plastic housing into the project box to secure it.

- Apply electrical tape to any metal components of the project box. For me it was the back that was metal, the entire inside is lined with tape so a short can not happen.

- Screw in back of project box.

- Attach extra tubing the the pump lines.

- Test with glasses of water; if it pumps in reverse; either reverse where the tubing goes or you can reverse the +- connections on the motor.

 

For me my dosing volume was tested as follows (your volumes may vary depending on many factors) -

1/2 power; 60 seconds; 40mL

1/4 power; 60 seconds; 25mL

1/6 power; 60 seconds; 12mL

[MeepNand]

Dang! That's a really good idea. Extremely simple too.

Adding a small timer could also help. Mist King sells a timer with 6 settings with time setting from 1 second to several minutes. Even a 15-minute time would be useful. You could measure how much stuff comes out over a 15 minute period and adjust the timer or potentiometer accordingly.

[Esqueleto]

really nice, thanks for sharing

[lizardfish]

i wonder if 2 were receiving the same power input if the flow would match, if so this could make a $40 auto water changer, one taking water out one putting new in? any reasons why not?

[NanoTopia]

And stupid me went and spent $500 on a GHL Profilux 4 pump doser

 

 

How are you going to control it?

[farkwar]

And stupid me went and spent $500 on a GHL Profilux 4 pump doser

 

 

How are you going to control it?

You have to admit that the GHL is a beautiful device.

 

 

Anyway, I became interested in these cheap little pumps awhile ago.

I think that your motor driver is probably overkill, and intended for much larger motors; it has a 15A rating.

 

The 12volt pump motor is like 80mA(the 6v is like 30mA). The transformer you linked is 1000mA, it could probably power 10 of the pumps at the same time.

 

A 10K potentiometer should be able to dial in your rpms/ml rate.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9939

 

 

For easy control, a $119 RKL could control 4 of them if you didn't want do any Arduino/RPi work. If you already have the RKL or RKE then all you need is the PC4($85) to control 4 pumps.

 

Apex has their 8 outlet strip.

 

Reef Angel has an inexpensive actual relay out board. Or you could use their 8 outlet strip module.

[Horerczy]

 

 

 

Anyway, I became interested in these cheap little pumps awhile ago.

I think that your motor driver is probably overkill, and intended for much larger motors; it has a 15A rating.

 

The 12volt pump motor is like 80mA(the 6v is like 30mA).

 

 

just imagine how many of these pumps you could run in parallel on a single speed control.

 

Synchronized dosing for two part etc.

[farkwar]

just imagine how many of these pumps you could run in parallel on a single speed control.

Synchronized dosing for two part etc.

I don't know what that means.

 

Have you seen NanoTopia's dosing regimen? If that's typical then there are probably a lot of Zeo reefers like her who could benefit from a cheaper 4, 8, or 16up DIY dosing pump system. It could be tied into a ready made controller system easily for say mobile phone or tablet control or logging, etc(unlike the Chinese dosers).

 

GHL does make a controller system, of course. I think I saw a tradeshow video that Vertex is working on one. I would bet that either of their beautiful German dosers cant tie into a DA, Apex, or RA system, easily.

 

Anyway, I want to be prepared when I start dosing, and am keeping my mind open at this time.

[NanoTopia]

The issue may be accuracy of control. I believe most reef controllers can only turn on/off a switch programable by the minute (correct me if I am wrong). Depending on the output of the pump motor, 60 seconds of dosing could be quite a bit of solution entering the tank. One way around this is to dilute the solution being dosed so 60 seconds of dosing only yields a small portion of say Ca or ALK. You would need 5 gallon pales for dosing containers though. Positive side is your top off water gets dosed at the same time.

[NanoTopia]

just imagine how many of these pumps you could run in parallel on a single speed control.

 

Synchronized dosing for two part etc.

This is what you would want to avoid at all costs. You should never dose Ca, ALK, Mg at the same time. Best to leave a space between all three by at least 2 hours to avoid precipitation issues. One other solution people may dose is a carbon source, but for that you need a reliable pump that will delver an exact amount of carbon, an error here could spell a quick disaster. I'm not sure what else you would want/need to dose with a parasitic pump, even Zeovit users like myself dose everything else by hand for accuracy.

[jestep]

The issue may be accuracy of control. I believe most reef controllers can only turn on/off a switch programable by the minute (correct me if I am wrong). Depending on the output of the pump motor, 60 seconds of dosing could be quite a bit of solution entering the tank. One way around this is to dilute the solution being dosed so 60 seconds of dosing only yields a small portion of say Ca or ALK. You would need 5 gallon pales for dosing containers though. Positive side is your top off water gets dosed at the same time.

 

You can use defer on apex to get it under 2 minutes. Not sure about Reef Keepers though.

[NanoTopia]

You can use defer on apex to get it under 2 minutes.

Thanks, I have never played with that feature as I have had no need for it. I have a full Apex and two RKL lites, the DA reefkeeper lite (~$120) does not have this function so the OP would have to buy a Neptune system, ~$250+. By the time all is said and done, motors, boxes controllers etc. You would better to just by a Bubble Magus doser IMO. I like to build things myself but now consider all avenues before starting projects like this.

 

This is why I originally asked what the OP would use to control it, the control feature on any parasitic system is the most important aspect of auto dosing.

[farkwar]

The issue may be accuracy of control. I believe most reef controllers can only turn on/off a switch programable by the minute (correct me if I am wrong). Depending on the output of the pump motor, 60 seconds of dosing could be quite a bit of solution entering the tank. One way around this is to dilute the solution being dosed so 60 seconds of dosing only yields a small portion of say Ca or ALK. You would need 5 gallon pales for dosing containers though. Positive side is your top off water gets dosed at the same time.

I just tested my RKE and it can control a switch on the PC4 down to one second. From my Android, I can turn the PC4 outlet on and off at any interval.

 

With that potentiometer you can dial down the speed/rate to 0.

 

A bigger concern for me would be evaporation from the container where the fluid is, as well as on the output end of the line. At least for the fluids which are measured in drops(which are exactly the ones I would most want to automate).

 

Just thought of something, one of those silicone check valve anti reflux valve would work as a self closing sealing cap on the of the output line.

 

Anyway, I have an RPi kit in my cart for two weeks at Element14 and an Arduino Kit in my ebay cart, just for this project. If nothing else but to prove to myself I can. My test pump has been on my workbench for 3 weeks.

 

While I am not a programmer, I do know how to program. And hacking and pasting is viable if the end results work; that is to say that taking a 16 channel led controller source and turning that into a 16 channel pump controller is in the confidence high category.

[NanoTopia]

I stand corrected then. Still adds to the overall cost of the project if you don't own one but most of my DIY projects ended up costing more than just buying a ready made version. Of course though, I haven't factored in the satisfaction you get from making you own device, even if it did cost more then buying it online ready-made.

 

Sounds like you have a great project on the go, gods speed

[mginster]

Yeah, I did go a bit overkill on the controller / ac adapter, but I wanted the flexibility to add more if desired.

 

I thought about putting it on a digital timer; but the problem with most of them is their min setting is 1 minute.

 

I then decided to put it on one of my relays that my DIY Arduino controller can control. I can then set it as low as I want and have it go as often as needed.

 

If a controlled relay is not available; you could attempt utilizing something like this.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TIME-DELAY-RELAY-1-SEC-TO-99-HRS-ONE-SHOT-OR-LOOP-TIMER-12V-DC-VERSATILE-/141054866475?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20d786742b

 

There are even some specialized digital timers that let you go down to a second (mist timers), etc.

 

Also, the motor controller I linked will operate down to 6v input (another way to slow the dosage down). So if you were to apply 6v at 1/6 power, you could possibly get it down to 6mL / dose even on a digital timer that only allows a minimum of 1 minute. I was pretty suprised at how accurate this pump was also. It was very linear when increasing time / power. Repeated tests were done and measured with syringes for volume.

[farkwar]

I was thinking that a syringe pump would be good for the micro dosing of Zeo liquids.

 

 

Can't be too much more difficult than a time lapse stepper motor rig (for a camera).

 

Definitely would use Arduino and a pwm motor shield for something like this.

[evilc66]

One thing I didn't see is the number of rollers the pump head has. You should take it apart and look.

 

If the pump head has only 2 rollers (common, as it makes the pump cheaper and take less current to run), then you have to use a check valve on the output of the pump. 2 roller pumps can back siphon if the output tube is below the water surface. Even if it's not, the entire tube back to the dosing source can drain, making your timing calculations wonky. mginster, you have already put a check valve in your setup, so this is more for anyone else looking to use these pumps.

 

If it's a 3 roller or more, then you don't need to worry about a check valve.

[ldballoon4]

One thing I didn't see is the number of rollers the pump head has. You should take it apart and look.

 

If the pump head has only 2 rollers (common, as it makes the pump cheaper and take less current to run), then you have to use a check valve on the output of the pump. 2 roller pumps can back siphon if the output tube is below the water surface. Even if it's not, the entire tube back to the dosing source can drain, making your timing calculations wonky. mginster, you have already put a check valve in your setup, so this is more for anyone else looking to use these pumps.

 

If it's a 3 roller or more, then you don't need to worry about a check valve.

Hey Evil, I use BRS 1.1mL dosers I only see two roller points. Should I still use a check valve? I guess it could not hurt?

[evilc66]

Wouldn't hurt

[mginster]

The one linked is actually a 3 roller. I just used check valves to be safe as I had some laying around.

[MeepNand]

You have to admit that the GHL is a beautiful device.

 

 

Anyway, I became interested in these cheap little pumps awhile ago.

I think that your motor driver is probably overkill, and intended for much larger motors; it has a 15A rating.

 

The 12volt pump motor is like 80mA(the 6v is like 30mA). The transformer you linked is 1000mA, it could probably power 10 of the pumps at the same time.

 

A 10K potentiometer should be able to dial in your rpms/ml rate.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9939

 

 

For easy control, a $119 RKL could control 4 of them if you didn't want do any Arduino/RPi work. If you already have the RKL or RKE then all you need is the PC4($85) to control 4 pumps.

 

Apex has their 8 outlet strip.

 

Reef Angel has an inexpensive actual relay out board. Or you could use their 8 outlet strip module.

You can't use a 10k potentiometer to control speed. It won't allow enough current to pass through.

 

Anyway, once the Meepduino has alarms (for dosing and ATOs) they will be configurable from 0-255 seconds.

[farkwar]

You can't use a 10k potentiometer to control speed. It won't allow enough current to pass through.

 

Anyway, once the Meepduino has alarms (for dosing and ATOs) they will be configurable from 0-255 seconds.

Well, youre right but for another reason.

 

It does let enough current to go through to work. Except when I turned it down a notch. It even worked to slow the motor, but then smoke came out of the resistor, and it glowed a bit as well. BAD idea. I suspect these pumps run on more than the rated 30mA given the fire and smoke the resistor pot gave out.

 

Also the cheap chinese pump is NOT going to work. Seems that the only thing controlling the wheel speed is the resistance the tubing within gives it, so it goes from full on motor spin to dead stop intermittentantly. At least the 6v version I bought.

 

Theres no form of gearing to step down the motor speed, aside from the gears directly attached to the wheels.

 

No good.

 

Those German pumps are looking very nice right now. Well, the Vertex is half German; the pump half is Japanese. And I kinda like the red, blue would look better and they make them in different colors.

 

 

I Love The Smell Of Ozone In The Morning.

[mginster]

Also the cheap chinese pump is NOT going to work. Seems that the only thing controlling the wheel speed is the resistance the tubing within gives it, so it goes from full on motor spin to dead stop intermittentantly. At least the 6v version I bought.

 

Theres no form of gearing to step down the motor speed, aside from the gears directly attached to the wheels.

 

 

 

 

Are you referring to the pump I linked? It is fully controllable simply by the speed of the motor.

[farkwar]

No.

 

I bought one a month and a half ago when I had the same idea.

 

I'm no longer interested in doing this. Even with your 12v motor if it's built the same way.

 

Maybe your pump is built better, I dunno.

 

Ill post a vid later.

 

 

Correction, two months ago. http://.nano-reef.com/topic/329309-diy-auto-top-off/?p=4391382

[farkwar]

Are you referring to the pump I linked? It is fully controllable simply by the speed of the motor.

 

 

 

Watch "20130912_122546.mp4" on YouTube