timglaze

  • Posts: 81
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #100 on: December 22, 2015, 05:58:28 pm »
I thought I'd revive this thread because I've just made my first one.  Quality piece of kit and very simple to make. Thanks for the recipe Tosh

Lakes and Pennine

  • Posts: 272
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #101 on: December 22, 2015, 06:27:50 pm »
Tosh I have found the nob/ dial call it what you will..tends to break off very easily.
Had a similar set up in my van but just used normal togle switch
Its just the flimsy controll nob that lets it down.
How have you  delt with it ?  Apart from that they are very good controllers and unlike the surflow they run till the battery is dead

CleanClear

  • Posts: 14238
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #102 on: December 23, 2015, 12:10:18 am »
Tosh I have found the nob/ dial call it what you will..tends to break off very easily.
Had a similar set up in my van but just used normal togle switch
Its just the flimsy controll nob that lets it down.
How have you  delt with it ?  Apart from that they are very good controllers and unlike the surflow they run till the battery is dead

I put a voltmeter on mine for the specific reason i did not want to run the battery on less than 11 volts. If you run less, or run until the battery is dead you'll kill your battery pretty quick. If you're breaking the numpty off, make a protective cover to go round it so you don't break it off.
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rosskesava

  • Posts: 17015
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #103 on: December 23, 2015, 01:21:48 am »
Cut up a few bits of plastic from a pound shop tupperware container and some glue.

Be a bit inventive.

Agree 100% about the voltage.
Just chant..... Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. It's beats chanting Tory Tory or Labour Labour.

Lakes and Pennine

  • Posts: 272
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #104 on: December 23, 2015, 07:44:57 pm »
Tosh I have found the nob/ dial call it what you will..tends to break off very easily.
Had a similar set up in my van but just used normal togle switch
Its just the flimsy controll nob that lets it down.
How have you  delt with it ?  Apart from that they are very good controllers and unlike the surflow they run till the battery is dead

Not particularly knocking it off Clear, They just don't last keep altering flow as it is  very flimsy. You just need to be heavier handed the odd time and it snaps off


CleanClear

  • Posts: 14238
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #105 on: December 23, 2015, 08:04:47 pm »
Tosh I have found the nob/ dial call it what you will..tends to break off very easily.
Had a similar set up in my van but just used normal togle switch
Its just the flimsy controll nob that lets it down.
How have you  delt with it ?  Apart from that they are very good controllers and unlike the surflow they run till the battery is dead

Not particularly knocking it off Clear, They just don't last keep altering flow as it is  very flimsy. You just need to be heavier handed the odd time and it snaps off

Ok mate, i've never had a prob with mine. I fitted two on my mates van, and he's a yardstick for being thick, and his co worker is off the scale of thickness. I.e you can't even let him connect a battery up he'll get it wrong, anyway all ours are still intact with no issues.   ;D
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CleanClear

  • Posts: 14238
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #106 on: December 23, 2015, 08:06:42 pm »
Which reminds me, i'm not suggesting anyone goes and does it but we've found if you do connect the battery the wrong way round it just doesn't work. But also, does not blow a fuse nor scupper your controller. All is fine. Well after you discover you've got it wrong and connect correctly !!  ;D
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Tom White

Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #107 on: December 24, 2015, 01:47:21 pm »
Tosh I have found the nob/ dial call it what you will..tends to break off very easily.
Had a similar set up in my van but just used normal togle switch
Its just the flimsy controll nob that lets it down.
How have you  delt with it ?  Apart from that they are very good controllers and unlike the surflow they run till the battery is dead

No problems with the nobs on mine!  Must be about two years old, or older now; still going strong.

Dougaldum

  • Posts: 496
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #108 on: December 27, 2015, 06:36:28 pm »
I've just made another DIY controller - a spare - for under £15.  These are class, they only require calibration once (the air temperature doesn't affect them), and they don't require a battery in good nick to work either; they'll run on any old 12v battery. 

I've included an on/off LED switch - though I think that's superfluous to requirments; it would work without it and be even simpler to produce.  An LED on/off switch lets me know if it's on at a glance, and it also means I don't have to turn the dial to turn it on (I'm very lazy).



Anyway, these are the parts I purchased:

12v LED rocker switch £2.00
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261513977084?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&var=560391577650&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Waterproof Project Box 115*90*55mm £4.52
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201212241692?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&var=500405437151&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

10A 12V~40V PWM DC Motor Speed Control Switch Controller Volt Regulator £7.00
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10A-12V-40V-PWM-DC-Motor-Speed-Control-Switch-Controller-Volt-Regulator-Dimmer-/121250426718?pt=UK_BOI_Industrial_Automation_Control_ET&hash=item1c3b16af5e

I drilled the holes for the voltage regulator and the switch and a hole at the rear for the wires that go to the pump and the battery:



Then I wired it up; soldering the wires on the switch (first time soldering; which why it looks rough):



I was unsure how to solder or wire a rocker switch, but it's all on youtube:

How to wire a rocker switch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQpQWFYX524

How to solder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLfXXRfRIzY

The wiring on the voltage regulator is easy; on the rear it tells you what's what, with regards motor +- and battery +-.

I quite enjoyed doing it too.

If anyone fancies a bash, don't be shy to ask questions, though it's pretty straightforward.

And if anyone can suggest any improvements, I'm all ears.

Oh, Ionics sell a similar, with VAT and delivery, it's £210.00



And it doesn't even have an LED switch on it!  :'( :'(
  can you do a D I Y footage of how to do it because I'm very interested sick of paying a lot of money for these controllers thanks

Plankton

  • Posts: 2441
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #109 on: December 28, 2015, 01:38:53 pm »
Tosh I have found the nob/ dial call it what you will..tends to break off very easily.
Had a similar set up in my van but just used normal togle switch
Its just the flimsy controll nob that lets it down.
How have you  delt with it ?  Apart from that they are very good controllers and unlike the surflow they run till the battery is dead

Not particularly knocking it off Clear, They just don't last keep altering flow as it is  very flimsy. You just need to be heavier handed the odd time and it snaps off

Ok mate, i've never had a prob with mine. I fitted two on my mates van, and he's a yardstick for being thick, and his co worker is off the scale of thickness. I.e you can't even let him connect a battery up he'll get it wrong, anyway all ours are still intact with no issues.   ;D
LOL that's one of the reasons why I work by myself as I only have to worry about my own stupidity.

mufcglen

  • Posts: 1507
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #110 on: December 29, 2015, 07:21:24 pm »
ive been making these and knocking them out for £25 plus £5 postage, they dont have a voltage display but they have a flow display, i stopped making the controllers with voltage display as they took me longer to wire up!!
yes we know you can make them yourself slightly cheaper but i've put a little bit on for my labour etc and they're still cheap, i have one of these fitted in my van now and they look and work a treat!!

m.b.s.

  • Posts: 89
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #111 on: March 03, 2016, 01:42:49 pm »
quick question guys
these 10A 12V~40V PWM DC Motor Speed Control Switch Controller Volt Regulator
you have have two wires on the pump one red one black and a wire from the pressure switch in to the pump on a shurflo
so i have connected the red black to the speed controller board wer it states motor and the battery ones to the battery all good switches on pump runs 
but the controller wont slow the pump down
should i hear a drop in the pump as it is turned down and once its fully turned down should the pump stop?
Thanks

CleanClear

  • Posts: 14238
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #112 on: March 03, 2016, 08:32:03 pm »
quick question guys
these 10A 12V~40V PWM DC Motor Speed Control Switch Controller Volt Regulator
you have have two wires on the pump one red one black and a wire from the pressure switch in to the pump on a shurflo
so i have connected the red black to the speed controller board wer it states motor and the battery ones to the battery all good switches on pump runs 
but the controller wont slow the pump down
should i hear a drop in the pump as it is turned down and once its fully turned down should the pump stop?
Thanks

Yes you should be able to hear it going faster or slower. And i think you can slow it down so much that it stops. If yours is wired correctly, and from what you say it sounds like it is i would suspect a faulty motor controller.
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m.b.s.

  • Posts: 89
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #113 on: March 03, 2016, 09:14:51 pm »
Thought as much have ordered another as there only £3 delivered
Thanks

Missing Link

  • Posts: 42025
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #114 on: September 21, 2019, 04:44:12 pm »
My flow controller went pear-shaped on Friday morning, so I fitted a small switch to it (I had got this from Wilkos a long time ago, just for this kind of problem), so I could turn it off and on; using the pump's pressure switch for the rest of the day.  It meant working at 'full blast', but that's fine by me.

And I've just fitted a spare controller that I had ready made; it took about ten minutes to connect it up.

No downtime.

I'll order another two volt regulator and another two switches and re-make the one I've just taken out of the van.

It's very simple because the boxes already have the correct holes cut in them and I just re-use the wires; they're already cut to the right length.

Pronouns She/Her/Madam/Ma'am

P @ F

  • Posts: 6312
Re: DIY Controller (for under £15) Instructions...
« Reply #115 on: September 21, 2019, 07:18:07 pm »
I just use these , £7.21 on eBay , the dial has the on off built in and it has led to tell it’s on

I'm so lazy I'm getting tired of it !

P @ F

  • Posts: 6312
I'm so lazy I'm getting tired of it !