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1 hour ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Hey Gert thats cool  . You know that we talk and discuss stuff and get on and i like you and you like me kinda. And i wouldnt mind something like this thats like fantastic and cool and well made and is the dog's nads of a watch cleaning machine. And that i know nothing about electronicy things and wouldnt know where to start at building such a well made ( i may have mentioned that already ) and well thought out incredible machine thats just fantastic and cool. Can you guess where this is going ?

Hahahaaha yeah man were like Laurel and Hardy bud 🤣

Thank you very much! As I said in another thread, I kinda gave up on looking for a proper vintage watch cleaning machine and with the issues guys have been having with the Pearl ones, I figured I'd have a go at doing something myself. And as you know, it started as something simple then ended up being a lot more complex than what I planned originally. It's about as close as I'm going to get to the fancy new Elma machines. The fact that I only need to change jars - everything else is pretty much automatic - buys me a lot of convenience and is another little pain taken out of the servicing process. I've not done a proper cost breakdown, but I'm about in the same budget as a Pearl machine but with high quality baskets and (I think) better cleaning action.

If you want to do something similar I've got no issue sharing more details on what I've done. It's not terribly complex to be honest - most parts are found from companies selling 3D printer parts and the Elma basket complete I got from Cousins (which was easily the most expensive part). The jars I got from a local dollar store and built the machine around that.

Edited by gbyleveldt
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Hi   I think thats a great soloution  as you said in SA cleaning machines are in short supply (second user) and what you have created is as equal to if not better than many commercial machines. Bearing in mind you built it and know its quirks and as such can modify and repair it your self.  brilliant.

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3 hours ago, gbyleveldt said:

Hahahaaha yeah man were like Laurel and Hardy bud 🤣

Thank you very much! As I said in another thread, I kinda gave up on looking for a proper vintage watch cleaning machine and with the issues guys have been having with the Pearl ones, I figured I'd have a go at doing something myself. And as you know, it started as something simple then ended up being a lot more complex than what I planned originally. It's about as close as I'm going to get to the fancy new Elma machines. The fact that I only need to change jars - everything else is pretty much automatic - buys me a lot of convenience and is another little pain taken out of the servicing process. I've not done a proper cost breakdown, but I'm about in the same budget as a Pearl machine but with high quality baskets and (I think) better cleaning action.

If you want to do something similar I've got no issue sharing more details on what I've done. It's not terribly complex to be honest - most parts are found from companies selling 3D printer parts and the Elma basket complete I got from Cousins (which was easily the most expensive part). The jars I got from a local dollar store and built the machine around that.

Appreciate that thanks Gert. Tbh the automated part of it I think is beyond me, I'm looking at something simpler.  I was looking at the first machines made and noticed something interesting that i hadnt thought of or heard mentioned.  Instead of the forward and reverse actions this one had an impeller mounted on the shaft below the lid that created a vortex driving through the inside of the  baskets.

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Hmmm, you're right they do seem to use impellers. I think it also helps that they're using square jars in order to break the waves. Using that expanded mesh on a round jar does a great job of breaking the waves as well. Looking from the top and spinning the basket in the jar, you can actually see many little "wakes" in the solution made by that expanded mesh - I didn't actually think it would work that well. So it might be something simpler to try than making an impeller?

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Hey Gert,

next level would be to expand the gantry and have 3 jars array and a heater all in line with a stepping motor and ball screw system to move the in the x axis, y doesn’t need to change and you have the z axis sorted already 😀

 

Tom

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14 minutes ago, tomh207 said:

Hey Gert,

next level would be to expand the gantry and have 3 jars array and a heater all in line with a stepping motor and ball screw system to move the in the x axis, y doesn’t need to change and you have the z axis sorted already 😀

 

Tom

Hahhahaha yeah my brother also said I should do that. I said no. 😛

As a matter of interest, I use Hexane as a rinse so I have no need for drying the parts. By the time it's done spinning and I move the basket to my bench, the parts are already nice and dry.

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It’s a great solution Gert, I might revisit it once I have got some other tool ideas out of my head that are not so ambitious but I want to do a proper job on them. Funny enough I was thinking along your lines for one of them using aluminium extrusions so might hit you up for advice when I get a round tuit 😀

 

thanks for sharing this, very inspirational 

 

Tom

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4 hours ago, tomh207 said:

Hey Gert,

next level would be to expand the gantry and have 3 jars array and a heater all in line with a stepping motor and ball screw system to move the in the x axis, y doesn’t need to change and you have the z axis sorted already 😀

 

Tom

Sounds like more to go wrong 😅

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46 minutes ago, swiss2k said:

@gbyleveldt, great project. May I ask what motor are you using for spinning the basket? Thank you!

Hi swiss, Gert hasn't been around for about a year now, hope hes ok. I dont know where you are located but this is a good non automated option from Germany. Basically a lab stand, and a spindle motor connected to a fancy voltage regulator with a timer stop.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394609966471?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=pd7hhiotsps&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=tBiLZaCfRb2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Screenshot_20240107-145318_eBay.jpg

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@Neverenoughwatches Hi. Thanks for the link. I'm for Zurich. I am planning to build something similar to what Gert had. I was wondering about the parts he used. The device from the link would probably do its job pretty well, but I'm interested in the different agitation levels and so on. And if I do it myself I would not have to explain to my wife, why I invested thousands in to a cleaning machine, that doesn't actually do much of cleaning. )))))

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52 minutes ago, swiss2k said:

@Neverenoughwatches Hi. Thanks for the link. I'm for Zurich. I am planning to build something similar to what Gert had. I was wondering about the parts he used. The device from the link would probably do its job pretty well, but I'm interested in the different agitation levels and so on. And if I do it myself I would not have to explain to my wife, why I invested thousands in to a cleaning machine, that doesn't actually do much of cleaning. )))))

Looking at Gerts picture it is likely a 775 dc motor. Cheap to get and brackets, controllers etc. are all easy to come by.

 

Tom

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27 minutes ago, tomh207 said:

Looking at Gerts picture it is likely a 775 dc motor. Cheap to get and brackets, controllers etc. are all easy to come by.

 

Tom

I think we might be talking about different things. Maybe I tagged the wrong person. The motor I am looking for is a stepper motor from one of the video’s. I assume its a Nema23 size, but was not sure. 

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1 hour ago, swiss2k said:

@Neverenoughwatches Hi. Thanks for the link. I'm for Zurich. I am planning to build something similar to what Gert had. I was wondering about the parts he used. The device from the link would probably do its job pretty well, but I'm interested in the different agitation levels and so on. And if I do it myself I would not have to explain to my wife, why I invested thousands in to a cleaning machine, that doesn't actually do much of cleaning. )))))

I started to look into the same idea of extra agitation by adding in a motor programmer, quite cheaply if i remember. This had scheduled motor reverse options possible with a dc motor

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I've been wanting to build a cleaner for a while, i got the parts off ebay and ali, it will be manual not automatic as i'm not into programming so that rules that out for me, this is what i got to have ago at putting one together

3420 12v dc motor

DC speed controller with Forward and Reverse

12v dc time controller with adjustable pot knob to preset time countdown, it as a built in relay so it can be used so the NC position is connected to a buzzer and the NO is connected the 12v motor, so when the time finishes its countdown the relay flips back to NC and sounds the Buzzer, a switch in line with the buzzer for on/off the alarm may get annoying after abit.

Computer monitor stand, to attach the motor to so it can be moved up and down aswell as round to the 3 jars & heater, i will cut the arm shorter and and TRY weld a mount to it for the motor, notice i've put try i've never welded before.

12v dc heater with fan

12v dc Buzzer ( to sound when the cleaning cycle finishes)

3 x 12v dc Relays

3 x 12v Switches for alarm, heater & direct spin

An home made motor shaft connector to connect the 8mm motor shaft to a basket (not sure what i'll use yet for a basket)

I've put the elctronics together in a plastic project box so the timing and speed controller works the motor ok.

The biggest job for me is to weld a motor mount to the monitor arm, i've never welded before so this will be tricky, silver brazing may do it, i've been practising on some scrap steel with hard silver solder, i'll post some photos when i get it put together.

 

 

 

 

 

36 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

I started to look into the same idea of extra agitation by adding in a motor programmer, quite cheaply if i remember. This had scheduled motor reverse options possible with a dc motor

I've seen the motor timer control pcb's on ebay & ali with forward / reverse program modes, also theres a couple of youtube vids showing them in action and how to program them, around the 8 quid mark so not expensive.

I was thinking of adding one of these to my contraption when i get it up and running.

Edited by valleyguy
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1 hour ago, tomh207 said:

Looking at Gerts picture it is likely a 775 dc motor. Cheap to get and brackets, controllers etc. are all easy to come by.

 

Tom

Fully automated is great but expensive to buy, fiddly to make if you are not electronic savvy like me. i dont think there is such a thing as semi automated, i love my made up washer. Very simple, very cheap and very little extra work involved in its use compared to the old vintage style cleaners.

23 minutes ago, valleyguy said:

will cut the arm shorter and and TRY weld a mount to it for the motor, notice i've put try i've never welded before.

Some pictures of what you have will inspire some ideas from others looking. If your motor has a rod arm attached what are you welding ?

30 minutes ago, valleyguy said:

An home made motor shaft connector to connect the 8mm motor shaft to a basket (not sure what i'll use yet for a basket)

I made a basket from the plastic parts baskets cousins sell. An upgrade is on its way from India courtesy of HectorLooi's information.

Screenshot_20240107-174648_eBay.jpg

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1 hour ago, swiss2k said:

I think we might be talking about different things. Maybe I tagged the wrong person. The motor I am looking for is a stepper motor from one of the video’s. I assume its a Nema23 size, but was not sure. 

Ah, right ok, I would suspect looking at the setup a nema 17 would do the job.

 

Tom

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1 hour ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Some pictures of what you have will inspire some ideas from others looking. If your motor has a rod arm attached what are you welding ?

This is the monitor stand i want to adapt so i can use it raise and lower my motor, i'm going to cut the arm shorter and weld or braze an 3420 motor mount bracket onto it, so the motor will be able to be bolted onto the mount with a lid on the underside to cover the jar, the stand will be bolted to a base.

This is the motor, timer and speed controller i got, these work well and are inexpensive, i've got these boxed up and running ok.

I'm no welder so adapting the arm and welding the mount to it is the hardest part for me.

monitorstand.png

3420motormount.jpg

3420motor.jpg

timer.png

 

speedcontroller1.png

Edited by valleyguy
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23 minutes ago, valleyguy said:

 

This is the monitor stand i want to adapt so i can use it raise and lower my motor, i'm going to cut the arm shorter and weld or braze an 3420 motor mount bracket onto it, so the motor will be able to be bolted onto the mount with a lid on the underside to cover the jar, the stand will be bolted to a base.

This is the motor, timer and speed controller i got, these work well and are inexpensive, i've got these boxed up and running ok.

I'm no welder so adapting the arm and welding the mount to it is the hardest part for me.

monitorstand.png

3420motormount.jpg

3420motor.jpg

timer.png

speedcontroller.png

Would a standard lab stand be any easier to work with ?. Drilling a hole in the bracket so you can solder the adjustable rod in.

Screenshot_20240107-185608_eBay.jpg

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10 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Would a standard lab stand be any easier to work with ?. Drilling a hole in the bracket so you can solder the adjustable rod in.

Do you have a link for the stand, it could be easier if i stuff up.

I've had an idea, i'll weld or braze a small 1 inch long square bar to the back of the bracket, this will push into the hollow arm of the stand then a bolt through it to keep in place, doing it this way makes it less likely i'll knacker the stand.

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