feeding timers

[bertoni]

I'd like to make my own "feeding time" switch to
turn off power heads or my Bak Pak for 60 minutes.
Home Depot sells timer switches that turn lights
on for 60 minutes. I'd like the inverse function.
I guess a double-pole, single throw would do it?
Is that terminology correct? Has anyone found
something like this?

I did some searching, but couldn't find anything.
Sorry if this is obvious, but I have no experience
in this area.

 

[jemichaeliv]

I bought a timer at my local Shopko it was a electronic timer 19.95$ and it and turn on and of 5 times each day at different times each day.

Try your local places like walmart or target. I dont know if you have a shopko but thats where I got mine here in colorado.

 

[jbash]

I've been lurking and hoping you would get some answers. I'd like to do the same thing for tanks that don't have a wavemaker that includes this function. I'm sure there is some way to build such a device using a relay (I think) but I don't know how to control the time. Electronics isn't my thing but I'd be very interested if someone knew about parts and a schematic to do this relatively cheaply. (I guess I'm assuming there isn't a cheap prebuilt device to do this--what I think we want is a device that we can push/click to turn off electric to pump when we go to feed and it will automatically start again in xx minutes--right?)

I'll keep checking back and hope someone with some do-it-yourself electronics expertise can help. I did ask at a Radio Shack once and got replies that it was doable but no help on doing it!

jim b

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
Check out John's page:
http://www.globaldialog.com/~jrice/diy/wavemaker.htm

 

[bertoni]

Thanks for all the pointers. I should have been
more clear in my original post. The timers I
see at Home Depot are the twist-turn timers,
design for keeping lights on for up to 60 minutes.
I don't want a programmed timer for this because
I feed the tanks more randomly than that.

I did find the following reference eventually:

feeding timer

Other ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

That drawing you found is exaxtly how you would use one of the timers to make a circuit turn off instead of On.

if you were looking for a cheaper alterative, you could use one of the regular light timers (the ones with the pegs) on the skimmer, and turn off the timer by hand when you feed, and put an "on" peg back in for an hour or so later. it would continue to run untill you turned it off again.

B

 

[bertoni]

If anyone's interested, I got a referral to
www.labsafety.com and am ordering an electronic
countdown timer from them. I'll see whether it
works. Here's a link:
Lab Safety

 

[jbash]

Jonathon (and others):

Thanks for the info! I may try that "feeding timer" as it looks simple (etching circuit boards is far beyond me . I'd be interested to hear how the electronic countdown timer works out.

jim b

 

[jchonline]

I strongly recommend you get a X10 setup if you want to automate anything for your tank. The $50 investment in an ActiveHome kit with a few extra appliance modules is the best option for aquarists IMHO. I have both of my powerheads, my MAG 350 Deluxe, and my lights on the system, all setup to turn on and off multiple times per day if I wish. The flexibility is endless. Just get it and enjoy!! HTTP://www.x10.com

 

[bertoni]

I've seen the x10 products, but I've also heard
reports of interference causing failures of
various lethal sorts. Are there any statistics
or other data on this problem? What types of
situations can cause problems?

 

[jbash]

I've used X10, in fact I've had X10 switches for a lot longer than I've had fish However, they don't don't easily fit the "feeding timer" requirements in that I don't feed at exactly the same time each day. I'd have to somehow use my computer as the "switch" to signal X10 to turn off the tank and turn it back on xx minutes later.

Also, I've found X10 to be less than reliable on circuits with lighting ballasts. I have a 4x96W CSL PowerCompact with 2 ballasts where I had to add noise filters to each ballast. That seemed to solve my X10 problems for the last couple years, although something is going on now that I haven't had time to analyze. There are lots of threads on pros and cons of X10 on this board if you want more info.

jim b

 

[bertoni]

Well, the countdown timer has arrived. It's
expensive ($56 delivered), but it will do the
job. It can time an interval up to almost 24
hours, and turn the line off or on at the end
of the period. It also seems to have the standard
14-program daily-weekly-etc on-off capabilities.
Once programmed for a one-hour countdown, the
unit can be activated by touching one button.
The program isn't lost: it can be stopped,
started, or repeating with one touch.

Other than the cost, it seems to be just what I
needed, although it's not really DIY anymore...