msbreton wrote: I wanted to update folks on my fountain experience this season as as as pose a question to LoR on their future fountain controller and pump line.
Back in the summer of 08 when I started working on my fountain plans and heard about LoR's future release, I choose not to wait (good thing) and went with a std 16 channel controller. I knew I wouldn't be able to vary the speed of my pumps but after testing in the pool I decided that was ok.
I used standard magnetic drive fountain pumps in hopes that I'd later be able to use them with LoR's future controller.
All in all, they looked pretty good and ran for "about" 6 weeks nightly but I did have to do repairs and at the end of the season, the pumps had all (literally) destroyed themselves.
Here's the issue. Magnetic drive pumps have a tendency to not always startup in the right direction. When the spin the wrong way, water flows in the reverse direction. The way the manufacture of the pumps I used prevents this is by including a small latch next to the impeller and when it spins the wrong way it catches and stops it. Not much of an issue when you use these for a fountain as you notice this right away and can unplug / plug it back in until it starts up correctly. Then you leave it that way, forever.
But, when you have a controller, turning the pumps on/off hundreds, if not thousands of times a night, you end up hitting that catch a LOT. Eventually, my pumps it it so many times the case cracked on two of them. I removed the catch and repaired the case to get me though the season but during the last week two more pumps had their catch rip right though the entire case and end up loose in the water. Oh well, lesson learned.
Anyway, my big question for LoR is how are you going to deal with this issue with the pumps you sell? One way would be to just not have a catch but regardless, a magnetic drive pump will not always start (say 50/50) in the right direction and that's going to impact the expected outcome.
Next year I think I'll look into how I can have just one always running larger pump feeding quick response valves I can somehow control. Any suggestions?
Thanks and Happy New Year!
Why could you not just keep the pump running at a slow RPM? instead of ON/OFF just do a intensity like 100%/10%. this way pump rotation remains the same.
I have been planning on using one larger pump with a bypass/relief valve and just using solenoid controlled valves with heads.
But for a small display, I can see where you would want to use individual pumps and it probably would not be cool to have water dribbling out at 10% setting. Someone could try it though I guess.
Sure would like to get A LOT OF POSTS from people who have been tinkering with the fountains this year to get a feel for what to expect/ lessons learned/ best practices... etc.
I know it is a lot of work to post it and I thank you all in advance.
PMSM pump motors can start up in either direction so they have a little flapper (rubber or metal) that allows the water to flow out the exit regardless of the spin direction. The pumps we work with do not force the motor to spin in one direction.
The valve is very simple and durable so it has not been a problem in 6 months of daily running. Additionally, since we are controlling the speed, the full stop/start sequences can be avoided. Keeping the pump running at a burble is easier on it. We are shooting for a pump life of 2-3 years with properly designed sequences.
msbreton wrote: Magnetic drive pumps have a tendency to not always startup in the right direction. When the spin the wrong way, water flows in the reverse direction.
Little confused, I think I use these pumps daily in my business for pond features. Can't say I every noticed any of them starting up backwards. My pumps turn on and off daily, and never noticed no water coming out of them. The pumps you used, are they just standard off the shelf pumps at dept stores for ponds?
If I am crazy and wrong, I applogize in advance. Just wondering, because I had ideas I wanted to do this summer in one of my ponds for a show using LOR.
____________________ ---> 160 LOR : 96 DIO : (2) Lamp Timers : EDM Trans
---> 25,000 up...5,000 to go
Not to belabor the point, but is there any more information about the new boards...more specifically the DIO board? I really could use a release date or at least a fairly accurate time frame...a week, a month, a year??
Just trying to plan out the projects for this year and I really need a servo board that can control a lot of servos...ie the DIO board.
Ponddude wrote: Not to belabor the point, but is there any more information about the new boards...more specifically the DIO board? I really could use a release date or at least a fairly accurate time frame...a week, a month, a year??
Just trying to plan out the projects for this year and I really need a servo board that can control a lot of servos...ie the DIO board.
Yes, well, we all need and want that. I'm betting if Dan knew, he'd tell us. After all, he is in the business to make a profit and feed his family.
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cenote wrote: msbreton wrote: Magnetic drive pumps have a tendency to not always startup in the right direction. When the spin the wrong way, water flows in the reverse direction.
Little confused, I think I use these pumps daily in my business for pond features. Can't say I every noticed any of them starting up backwards. My pumps turn on and off daily, and never noticed no water coming out of them. The pumps you used, are they just standard off the shelf pumps at dept stores for ponds?
If I am crazy and wrong, I applogize in advance. Just wondering, because I had ideas I wanted to do this summer in one of my ponds for a show using LOR.
A lot of them have non directional volutes, (so the term really does not apply) so that they have poor but equal pumping efficiency in both directions.
Ponddude wrote: Not to belabor the point, but is there any more information about the new boards...more specifically the DIO board? I really could use a release date or at least a fairly accurate time frame...a week, a month, a year??
Just trying to plan out the projects for this year and I really need a servo board that can control a lot of servos...ie the DIO board.
I am in the same boat as I have been waiting for the servo board to experiment with animatronics. I found a dmx controlled servo board that may fill the requirement and should be controllable with the idmx 1000. http://home.att.net/~northlightsystems/DMX512toRCservo.htm
