- Thread starter
- #121
Skybound
Well-Known Member
Quick video, ass end of my res change
Latitude17
Well-Known Member
I would highly recommend you not pump over that great of a distance and move the pump as close as you can to the dosing point. Oh...and air bubbles are the devil!
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- #123
Skybound
Well-Known Member
Let me think of some ways to maneuver everything to a final location with minimal tubing. Perhaps an 8 pack of bottles under the pump somewhere. Also learned the silica doesn't like being exposed to air for too long or it will coagulate, had a minor blockage for a moment. I have check valves I will put on each end. Duh, those would've prevented air getting back in, I'm such a stoner!
sleepless
Well-Known Member
Wow this is really interesting.
I am checking mail daily as I await my toys.
I am still undecided on my ec/ppm setup.
I really like the looks of the ezo.
I am checking mail daily as I await my toys.
I am still undecided on my ec/ppm setup.
I really like the looks of the ezo.
- Thread starter
- #125
Skybound
Well-Known Member
It's a no brainier when it comes to EC (Atlas), but I think I might try the $50 phidget pH combo. Sleepless, are you nutting up on Arduino basics?
sleepless
Well-Known Member
sleepless
Well-Known Member
I found another build on here that never finished last night.
Good read though.
Good read though.
- Thread starter
- #128
Skybound
Well-Known Member
Can ya link us to it?
sleepless
Well-Known Member
Yes I'll share it on laptop, doesn't come up on phone.
Westcoastog or something was his name.
Latitude17
Well-Known Member
Your pumps may work better under the bottles, instead of the other way around - let gravity work to your advantage
Which make/model pump(s) are you using btw?- Thread starter
- #131
Skybound
Well-Known Member
I merged 2 Jebao DP4 dosing modules together (master and slave) into one case. I discarded included circuitry and built my own TIP120 transistor circuits with flywheel diode and 1k resistor between base and digital pin. My practice is to keep all electrical stuff up high and all liquid stuff down low, so getting nutes above the pumps would expose me to a fire hazard, but I will definitely shorten the tubing as much as I can to limit the amount of energy that can be lost in hose movements. It'd be nice to find some 1/4" rigid pipe, but I haven't seen any in all the hardware and trade stores I've been to. Perhaps Google will turn up better results?
Have you given any thought into code adjustments, or do you want to wait and see my results when I shorten all the tubes?
Have you given any thought into code adjustments, or do you want to wait and see my results when I shorten all the tubes?
Latitude17
Well-Known Member
Waiting to see how the tube length change affects things would be smart I think.
Latitude17
Well-Known Member
1/4" irrigation line is pretty rigid, I've used it in the past with some success. Is your entire run consisting of the silicone tubing?
Avoiding fire hazards is a good thing haha. Maybe get them directly over the bottles, then your output run doesn't have to be any concern and you minimize the possibility of air bubbles fouling your calculations.
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- #134
Skybound
Well-Known Member
I'm near certain THIS is the tubing I used. It's pretty rigid while still flexible. It's the tubing used on the backs of newer refrigerators for the ice maker and water dispensers. Still though, when the pumps are turning, the lines sway around a bit and this is loss of energy. I made a box to hold my 8 bottles and I should have a new video up tonight or tomorrow at the latest.
- Thread starter
- #135
Skybound
Well-Known Member
I reconfigured the bottles to a foot below the pump module. I can tell the liquid is moving more efficiently as the amount of milliseconds needed to multiply is noticeably less. I still have air bubbles in the lines, and I think I will continue to have this problem so long as the pump is the high point in the circuit. So I am gonna think of a work around to get the output lines to elevate to a higher point, and also have the ability to bleed off the air pocket with maybe a tee fitting and something else. I still need to find some time to continue testing. With my first harvest a week or two away, I'll be coming into a better position and will be able to advance this project further while continuing to debug these pumps. I got 2 of those little Adafruit Solenoid Valves today to see if I can use them the way I want. NOPE! Duds! Not duds per say, just not suited for my application. I'm using little 160 GPH pumps, but the solenoid valves require a minimum of 3 psi to open which my pumps can't produce. I also need two way flow which these pumps can't do. I was hoping to modify them to better suit my application, but no ideas just yet. I can see it now, because I've been reading hard about the valves for well over 2 solid years and still coming up with minimal leads or severely expensive valves, I will likely have all the probes and circuits in play and every bug worked out before I find a viable and affordable electric valves that is 2 way, plastic and doesn't have pressure thresholds.
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- #136
Skybound
Well-Known Member
Some more tests revealed a few things to me. The lower the dose, the less accuracy I get. I'm thinking to find a different power supply with increased voltage and use PWM to regulate motor speeds. Also, making little additions to improve something when I can, hence the larger circular PVC feeding ring. Also snapped a pic of one of my Bubblegum's lowest set of nugs. Pretty chunky considering the location. The trics look to be ripening nicely with only about 50% or less clear trics. I hope these buds swell up this week, especially the tops. The scent is hardly dank, but very sweet with a hint of earthyness. I hope the smoke will taste similar. I will use less lemon juice in my harvest wash so as not to overly influence the final flavor with citrus notes. Sad to say, I did not get any cuts, nor do I have the space to reveg, so this may be my only round with this strain. I will have a go at monster cropping during harvest and cube a few cuts to try and root, but if memory serves me correct, I think the ideal time to take cuttings from bloom is day 21, but I could easily be mistaken. Gonna find out either way I guess.
I also ordered a powerful RC servo for a decent price out of Japan. If the thing lives up to it's torque specs, I'm confident I can pair it to either of the valves I want to use and hopefully open and close the valves electrically. This is with out a doubt my biggest hurdle in this project as everything else was simply locating the right parts to price, and learning the code, but when it comes to these valves, they more or less do not yet exist in my price range. Just to manage my 2 bloom rooms would consist of 13 valves, maybe more depending on my desire to expand functionality. The ones on the market that I would need cost up around $500 each. If this works out, I think I can shrink the total cost down to around $30 each. That's still a lot, but what are my options?
The numbers in the left column is dose in ml,
right column is milliseconds per ml and the < under bloom means I tried a dose of 15ml of bloom nute with micro's number@15, and the result was less, which means it required a higher value.
I also ordered a powerful RC servo for a decent price out of Japan. If the thing lives up to it's torque specs, I'm confident I can pair it to either of the valves I want to use and hopefully open and close the valves electrically. This is with out a doubt my biggest hurdle in this project as everything else was simply locating the right parts to price, and learning the code, but when it comes to these valves, they more or less do not yet exist in my price range. Just to manage my 2 bloom rooms would consist of 13 valves, maybe more depending on my desire to expand functionality. The ones on the market that I would need cost up around $500 each. If this works out, I think I can shrink the total cost down to around $30 each. That's still a lot, but what are my options?
The numbers in the left column is dose in ml,
right column is milliseconds per ml and the < under bloom means I tried a dose of 15ml of bloom nute with micro's number@15, and the result was less, which means it required a higher value.
Latitude17
Well-Known Member
Just found these guys and ordered a kit from them via eBay, thought they might be worth checking out for you too.
- Thread starter
- #138
Skybound
Well-Known Member
That's a cool site, do you know if they ship from the USA? I noticed they have the 8 channel relays I use for half what I paid, and I bought two. That's a good start to an automation project in that site, that's for sure! Thanks for sharing.
I changed a res today and worked out all of the air bubbles. Also, didn't have the time to get deep into discovering values, I just dialed my dose, then redialed the difference of what it was short by. Definitely not what I want, but it's still a hell of a lot quicker than flipping bottles with syringes, and much easier too. I add my supplements first, then half of my base nutes and take a reading. If I still want to add to the ppm, I just put a solo cup under the correct nute, and pump blindly, well blindly to the extent that I'm not double checking the volume of what was pumped, but the math is pretty much still the same, so it can't be off that much.
Today is day 52 of Bubblegum. I am hoping for a 63-70 day finish. Plenty of tops with a nice sweet smell, pistils have ambered and the trics are clouding up really nice. Only thing left is for the buds to swell and some trics to amber. Ooo I can't wait. So tired of shelling out $50 for street bud, unwashed street bud. IDK if any of you wash your crops, but I do when I grow and will never again not do it.
I changed a res today and worked out all of the air bubbles. Also, didn't have the time to get deep into discovering values, I just dialed my dose, then redialed the difference of what it was short by. Definitely not what I want, but it's still a hell of a lot quicker than flipping bottles with syringes, and much easier too. I add my supplements first, then half of my base nutes and take a reading. If I still want to add to the ppm, I just put a solo cup under the correct nute, and pump blindly, well blindly to the extent that I'm not double checking the volume of what was pumped, but the math is pretty much still the same, so it can't be off that much.
Today is day 52 of Bubblegum. I am hoping for a 63-70 day finish. Plenty of tops with a nice sweet smell, pistils have ambered and the trics are clouding up really nice. Only thing left is for the buds to swell and some trics to amber. Ooo I can't wait. So tired of shelling out $50 for street bud, unwashed street bud. IDK if any of you wash your crops, but I do when I grow and will never again not do it.
Latitude17
Well-Known Member
Fairly certain they are China-based. But oddly enough I get things from them quicker than if they would ship from the USA.
I have decided to hold off on the peristaltic/dosing and start from the environmental side of things for the next grow. I will be doing monitors (sensors) for pH, EC/PPM, Temperature (res and ambient), humidity, and PAR. I would like to also have a way to do Dissolved Oxygen (DO), but the price point is just too high still. The relays for controlling the AC power will be nice too, and allow me to monitor things like the fans and light timing, control the chiller, etc. all from my phone. I'm even considering adding a couple cameras for timelapsing, who knows.
Most "pre packaged" systems that do all of this are well over $1,000 and I just cannot justify spending it when I know I can do it myself - and probably better haha!
- Thread starter
- #140
Skybound
Well-Known Member
Fairly certain they are China-based. But oddly enough I get things from them quicker than if they would ship from the USA.
I have decided to hold off on the peristaltic/dosing and start from the environmental side of things for the next grow. I will be doing monitors (sensors) for pH, EC/PPM, Temperature (res and ambient), humidity, and PAR. I would like to also have a way to do Dissolved Oxygen (DO), but the price point is just too high still. The relays for controlling the AC power will be nice too, and allow me to monitor things like the fans and light timing, control the chiller, etc. all from my phone. I'm even considering adding a couple cameras for timelapsing, who knows.
Most "pre packaged" systems that do all of this are well over $1,000 and I just cannot justify spending it when I know I can do it myself - and probably better haha!
You're preaching to the choir! I saw the various growbots on the market in all their various names for umpteen thousands, and yet the functionality is so basic and limited, I couldn't allow myself even if I had the dough (which I didn't). We're heading to the same destination, just different approaches I guess. I'll be eager to look at your code for the water sensors to familiarize myself with the process. Wait, are you using Rpi for your controller or Arduino?
Edit - What are you using for your network?
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