Help me make some waves!

[KevinB]

Ok not necessarily waves per se, but I need to get some random flow going in my 75g.

I've got two koralia 3s right now. Ideally the solution in looking for is cost effective and has some degree of controllability, I.e.: low flow setting, high flow, and off. It'd be great if the controller featured a timer.

Doing some preliminary research on various store websites, I found it hard to know what controllers work with what powerheads.

So what controller/ph combo do you recommend?

Thanks!

[(Bio)³]

jebao wp40? if the group buy ever happens....

[esacjack]

^ what he said..

I've heard the sicce and mj's can be used in wavemakers, but I have no experience to base that off of. Why not use two spinstreams?

[KevinB]

Only bad thing there is there seems to be no way to reduce the speed of it, and what I've read says its too powerful for softies and lps in a 75g. Have you heard otherwise?

[esacjack]

or one of those SQD? SKD? I can't remember what they're called... I've seen them referred to as a squid.

[esacjack]

well theres also the new WP10 and WP25. I've seen the 5 in action on a 20 long via Youtube. I really hope the group buy goes through, The price was something like 30 dollars for a WP25 and 50 for a WP40 or something similar.

[KevinB]

Spin streams on my return lines would help, but I'm looking for a little more than that, my returns aren't all that powerful and get overpowered by the koralias anyway. I like this idea though, I'll probably get a pair for kicks

[esacjack]

Im beginning to wonder if someone else needs to take the helm on the group buy... cough cough bio cough cough

[KevinB]

I'd love the lowered power version of th wp-40, but rumor has it that it won't be released until June...maybe worth the wait though

[Ibnzmonkey]

I have successfully modified the WP-40 to have variable speed control with a 12-24v PWM dimmer. In case you don't want to wait for the stateside release of the WP-10 and 25.

If you need details I can help you out. It's pretty simple.

[Planeden]

What I found on the wp25 was something like 1300-1500 gph. I think the demo video may have been filmed on a 75 gal. From brooks' wp40s, the controller that comes with them gives full throttle or 1/3 throttle. I've read the there are ways to run them through a controller with a mod and software (I know nothing of controllers) or with a dimmer switch.

I chickened out on the group buy. To me there seemed to be too many unknowns and too many "if you tweak its". I'm not joining the anti jebao team. They still seem to be pretty neat for the price.

[Ibnzmonkey]

What I found on the wp25 was something like 1300-1500 gph. I think the demo video may have been filmed on a 75 gal. From brooks' wp40s, the controller that comes with them gives full throttle or 1/3 throttle. I've read the there are ways to run them through a controller with a mod and software (I know nothing of controllers) or with a dimmer switch.

I chickened out on the group buy. To me there seemed to be too many unknowns and too many "if you tweak its". I'm not joining the anti jebao team. They still seem to be pretty neat for the price.

I just posted on how to run them with a dimmer. You can for a fact also run them through a Reef Angel or Reef Keeper controller. They sell connectors for them over in the RC forum. Since these motors have a two speed setting, you CAN ramp from the lower setting to the highest without damaging the motor or controller.

The problem comes from going below 12vdc. The Jebao controller NEEDS at least 12vdc or else it wigs out and causes the pump to stall. That's why I said to use a 12-24v dimmer. 0-24 causes too many controller issues.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Ibnzmonkey

[KevinB]

So something like this?

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=230754876471

[Ibnzmonkey]

So something like this?

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=230754876471

Actually yes. That will work if you don't want to splice anything. It essentially does the exact same thing. The only problem is that you dont have nifty test points to see exactly what voltage is where on the wheel. As to not go under 12v.

[Ibnzmonkey]

For those who are curious. I made a thread regarding adding speed control to the WP-40.

http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/26903-jebao-wp-40-speed-control-mod/#entry201031

[Sherita]

If someone else takes the helm on the group buy, I would be in for a couple wp-25. I can't find any info on the wp- 10, but would probably take a couple of those to.

[(Bio)³]

Although they have the different settings, dimming/slowing the motor this way can cause damage to a motor depending on how it is built. Just because they have a low setting that drops to a predetermined rate dosent mean you can run between those two speeds and get correct cooling and operation. I'm not saying it won't work I'm just saying we won't know for sure until longer testing. <br /><br />I've seen can fans that are allowed to adjust speed by their control but when applied to a dimming control linked to humidity they have shut down because the speeds you adjust to aren't cooling properly with the right amount of flow past them. Something that is considered when set to predetermined speeds.<br /><br />Now this shouldn't happen with passive cooling effects of it submerged but is a possibility with electronic motors.<br /><br />I will be modding the ones I get though following your mod.<br /><br />I also sent jebao an email to get the gb started on the right track. Asked for price breaks on wp40 and wp25 plus shipping costs. As soon as I get a response ill let you know. Might end up calling them and seeing if they have anyone in English working.

[KevinB]

Sounds good. They are cheap enough so that they should be fine to experiment with.

I just need the time to sift through the multitudes of pages over at RC on the topic of hooking one up to an arduino pwm controller

[Ibnzmonkey]

Although they have the different settings, dimming/slowing the motor this way can cause damage to a motor depending on how it is built. Just because they have a low setting that drops to a predetermined rate dosent mean you can run between those two speeds and get correct cooling and operation. I'm not saying it won't work I'm just saying we won't know for sure until longer testing. <br /><br />I've seen can fans that are allowed to adjust speed by their control but when applied to a dimming control linked to humidity they have shut down because the speeds you adjust to aren't cooling properly with the right amount of flow past them. Something that is considered when set to predetermined speeds.<br /><br />Now this shouldn't happen with passive cooling effects of it submerged but is a possibility with electronic motors.<br /><br />I will be modding the ones I get though following your mod.<br /><br />I also sent jebao an email to get the gb started on the right track. Asked for price breaks on wp40 and wp25 plus shipping costs. As soon as I get a response ill let you know. Might end up calling them and seeing if they have anyone in English working.

I understand your cause for concern. The only reason why I think this mod is okay is because they are submerged. Most open air DC motors that are used to do work have a cooling fan built into the rotor. This fan is usually located inside of the main body and draws in air through vents to cool the motor. In this configuration, there needs to be a minimum RPM the motor needs to turn in order to cool itself properly. These types of motors might also have a built in self control unit which monitors temperature as well as RPM in order to determine the best possible speed. I can see where a manual override would cause it to over heat if the load increased without proper increase in cooling.

The only other thing I can really compare this to is to some of the Tunze models. They come with a switchable power supply that has a switch on the side to select different output voltages. Same exact thing as my mod except its a linear switch instead of a rotary knob.

If you wanted to emulate the Tunze, you could just go ahead and buy this switching power supply and use it instead of the OEM power supply that comes with the Jebao. No splicing required and you get pre-set voltages.

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Adapter-Charger-Laptop-Notebook/dp/B0027C16H0/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1367281263&sr=1-19&keywords=12-24+power+supply

One last thing. The motor on the Jebao has a 3 wire configuration. Much like a PC fan. It has a positive, negative, and RPM signal. This means that it has native support for speed control built right in. However, the controller makes very minimal use out of it with only a Hi/Lo setting and a terrible photoresistor.

Sounds good. They are cheap enough so that they should be fine to experiment with.

I just need the time to sift through the multitudes of pages over at RC on the topic of hooking one up to an arduino pwm controller

Good luck. It's a pretty lengthy thread. Somewhere near the end someone was saying that there is a company that now sells a prebuilt cable for Reef Angel and Arduino.

Edited April 30, 2013 by Ibnzmonkey