Modify manual Valve to Electric

Only wanted to post once it was operational, but perhaps there is some easier way so let me bore you.

In a Flood and Drain system (hydroponics) they use a "Bell Siphon" to drain the grow beds. This is unfortunately a manual process that can only be slowed down by reducing the amount of water you put into your grow They also seems to be a bit temperamental based on YouTube clips. So i want to have a 50mm electrically operated valve that will drain the bed. A Solenoid valve of this size is just too expensive for an experiment.

Here is my idea..a normal ball valve (very cheep) attach an arm with a slot in it. Run a nut with some pins on the side in this slot via a piece of threaded rod been turned by an old 12v battery gun and with the help of a Arduino micro controller you have an electrically operated valve. the treaded rod will be supported at the end and where the drill is attached.

Attachment 26209

Fully closed. Imagine the flat bar with the slot in it attached to the flat bar bolted to the valve.

Attachment 26210

As the drill turns the nut will push the bar forward and the valve will start to close.

Attachment 26211

Fully closed it will be in this position. Just need to add some limit switches so the drill knows when to stop.

Now I can run the pump only when the valve is closed and by adding a sensor in the grow bed I can open the valve when the water reaches that point. The whole process can be slowed down at night because the Arduino has a clock and knows when it is night.

Back to the valve...any improvements or blatant oversights?? :confused: :headscratch:

Nut turned up.

Attachment 26212

The square piece of metal will be welded to the flat bar on the valve and the flat bar with the slots bolted to it to allow for disassembly.

Attachment 26213

Cheap + elbow grease = great stuff.

Many a process valve is similarly energized by a motor. The only real difference is that these valves use a gear train or in some cases a pneumatic actuator.

Do you think this will not work? :headscratch:

I was looking for an old worm wheel set up to keep the angular farce constant, but could not fins anything lying around at work or anything I could strip it out of.

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Originally Posted by garage nut

Do you think this will not work? :headscratch:

I was looking for an old worm wheel set up to keep the angular farce constant, but could not fins anything lying around at work or anything I could strip it out of.

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of course it will work. as for long life dependability that will be based entirely on how frequent the activation is required plus lubrication and maintenance
if it must actuate several times a minute then it could last for hours or days if it only has to actuate once in a while then who knows it could last for years.
I can see no reason not to try it you evidently put some time and thought into the design.
good job

Just thinking ,wiper motor actuator have previously used to open ball valve,nicely geared??

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Originally Posted by trigger

Just thinking ,wiper motor actuator have previously used to open ball valve,nicely geared??

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now there is an idea could easily be run off a battery kept charged by a solar panel.

garage nut, as someone has suggested, use a windshield wiper mechanism, or I'd add, automotive window regulator. The motor is already wired for forward and reverse, rest of regulator assembly aleady performs back and forth motion. Very cheap. When you scrap one vehicle you get four of them.

The only thing about window regulators is they are not all easily converted for use since many have a plastic or a cable for the actuation finding one with an arm would be best

I like the wiper motor idea, Just took my power saw apart as I had no way to replace the plastic gears. Will keep it mind as it will be a lot more compact when completed than the drill and threaded rod..

It needs to operate about 4 times per hour in summer and then I want to slow the process down to 2 times per hour during the night and 1 time per hour in winter. That is just the plan, the plants will how if they agree or not.

I'm not familiar with commercial hydroponics but in hobby systems ( flood and drain) when the timer stops the pump, the grow bed drains through the pump. No drain valve necessary.

We usually put the pump outlet above the grow beds to allow a little more oxidisationation of the water as it splashes onto the pebbles and enters the grow bed, so no syphoning back through the pump will happen once the pump stops. But I like the idea. Can pump the water in from the bottom and then this will happen...brilliant

so taken by the idea did a quick search on the net.

This is what I planned and what I am used to.

Attachment 26233

And this is the new suggestion...If I can find a pic of it somebody must have done it already.

Attachment 26234

Still going to finish my valve, but this could be up and running by Sunday afternoon.

Thanks again.