• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Crap! Sonic cleaner died.

Semi on topic.
Read a article about Doctors experimenting with harmonics to clear plaque in clogged artery.
The results were promising.
If I remember correctly mostly deep base.
Was a interesting read.
Of course I will never find it again.
 
When you think about how they use ultrasound to blast kidney stones.. ouch. Focused beam of sound?
 
tatu said:
I have wondered about this, I can hear my cleaner as a screeching sound not loud but its there and I always wonder what those noises can do damage hearing even though we might be unaware of the sound.
Click to expand...
I suspect it won't. After all, the old TV set's had a 15-Khz horizontal section. I don't ever recall it causing little more than slight to moderate brain damage.
 
they make very good cat repellants.......... my cat legs it out the house and wont come back in when my U/S bath is running
 
All items have arrived for the new DIY Ultrasonic cleaner project. I'll post pics of everything once I get home and have my camera available.
 
OK, Christmas came a little late but here are the makings for my DIY Ultrasonic Cleaner:

dfx5.jpg


Here's the pan. It's a 1/3 size steamer table pan from a restaurant supply house. Be cautious about going too big on the pan. You need to have aprox. 50 Watts/gallon @40Khz at smaller volumes. Get the thinnest SS pan you can find. The good thing is the cheaper the pan the thinner the gage steel usually.
tjgs.jpg


From a suggestion on this board I found a frying basket on ebay to fit the pan. The lid was also ordered from the same restaurant supply (webstaurantstore.com) house that I got the pan at.
oygu.jpg


Here are the guts of the cleaner. 110VAC 40Khz 100W board and transducers. Purchased on ebay.
ql0z.jpg


Note that the leads to the transducer are polarity sensitive. The lead in the middle is the plus and the one closest to the mounting head is the negative
xdmi.jpg


I decided to upgrade the design to use an off the shelf count down timer I picked up at Home Depot
m8ef.jpg


The timer can be set to count down in time anywhere from 1 minute 24 hours
2m53.jpg


I plan on using JB Weld to bond the transducer to the bottom of the tank. I'm also using Rubber Maid shelving material to build the case and white silicone glue to bond the tank to the case. All items purchased at Home Depot
w5ju.jpg




uu12.jpg


Here is the wiring diagram
6lrz.jpg


I'll begin the tank bonding and building the cabinet today.
 
Last edited:
+!, can't wait to hear how it works.

Couple questions, can you get bigger transducers cheaply? I'd like to make one a lot bigger than the little HF unit I already have. Also, the HF one has a heater element, not sure how powerful but the liquid gets hot enough to be painful after a little while. It seems to help with the cleaning. Do you have any provision for heating it up?
 
No provisions for heat on this one. Who knows... Maybe next time.

As for bigger units, it's not the transducer that limits it. Even huge commercial cleaners use the same 50W transducer. They just add more of them and create a large array of transducers mounted to the bottom and sides of the tank.
lk96.jpg


wxvc.jpg

They even make submersible transducers you simply lower into the tank, but now you're getting into big bucks. It's the generator that gets troublesome when going high power. You either need to add more generators or use a generator that handles much more power. All the transducers are simply wired in parallel and driven by the output of the generator. Think of the generator as a signal generator/amplifier combination and the transducer as a speaker. One problem you need to be concerned with when designing your tank and transducer array is standing waves that cancel each other out. Standing waves will reduce your efficiency and create dead zones. There's a test called the "foil test" that shows how effective the cleaner is. I'll be documenting that as well. Even if you have a commercial cleaner, it's a good test to make sure it's still working properly. Transducers do fail over time.

Here's where I am as of now. I'm gluing the transducers to the bottom of the tank. I know that JB Weld doesn't require clamping, but I figured it would make for a stronger bond. I first etched the bottom of the tank using 60 grit emery sand paper. I then cleaned the bottom surface of the tank and the transducers using lacquer thinner.
cbhe.jpg


I then used an old battery on the inside of the tank to support the bottom and a board drilled to allow me to place a weight evenly across the transducers. Here's the scrap wood drilled.
9f5j.jpg


I mixed up the JB Weld (50/50) and then placed an even mount spread over a small area of the tank and the bottom of the transducer. The transducers were mounted far enough apart to allow the generator board to be mounted between them. Note the deep scratches from the 60 grip emery paper and also that the tabs were mounted so the polarity was oriented in the same direction. It just makes wiring a little cleaner.
sr27.jpg

I then stacked a heavier battery on top to clamp everything together. The battery on the inside was used to support the tank bottom so the weight on the top didn't distort it.
6nxw.jpg


Now I need to wait 6 hours for the JB weld to setup before I remove the weight. Then another 18 hours before I put it into use. From what I've noticed, the longer setup time epoxies seem to have higher tensile strength. JB weld is a SLOW cure epoxy with a tensile strength of 3960 PSI.
 
Last edited:
JTGS850GL said:
The transducers were mounted far enough apart to allow the generator board to be mounted between them.
Click to expand...

Is it a good idea to mount the generator to the bottom? I would think the vibrations would play Hell with any solder connections and circuit boards in the generator?
 
tkent02 said:
Is it a good idea to mount the generator to the bottom? I would think the vibrations would play Hell with any solder connections and circuit boards in the generator?
Click to expand...
JT can answer this but I'd think he's mounting the generator on the cabinet situated between the transducers.That would be the way I'd do it.
 
SVSooke said:
JT can answer this but I'd think he's mounting the generator on the cabinet situated between the transducers.That would be the way I'd do it.
Click to expand...

Exactly how I intend to mount the generator. On the cabinet bottom. I plan on having an access door on the back to gain access to the generator board just in case.
 
Wow, this was an inspiring read! So much in fact that I just ordered my own set of transdusers and generator board, for 220V.
Not sure what I'm going to use for a pan atm, your steamer pan seems perfect but not so easy to come by where I live. I was thinking an empty paint can or metal bucket or solvent can or similar. Maybe a cooking pan or a pan from one of those outdoor cookers... we'll see, :o

I have digital timer that you plug into your ac outlet to control lamps or heaters or engine warmers etc. that I think would make an excellent countdown timer as I believe it has that function too.

I'll be following this thread for more progress! :clap:
 
That countdown timer is a cool idea.Where about did you find it in Home Depot ?Don't have here so I'm hoping to find one in our local(Canadian)home improvement stores.Going to check out a couple of local restaurant supply companies today,shipping a pan from the US is crazy $$:(
 
Last edited:
Did a store locator check,closest Lowes is on the Mainland.It's an expensive ferry ride away.I like to shop Canadian as much as possible to;)
 
Ohhh well I tried....

Shop Canadian all you want, but all the crap is made in China....LOL

Canadian Tire might have what your after as well.....

or you can get one of these,,,LOL

a bit more manual involvement, but it could work....:p

HourGlassII.001.png99bfbc4f-3ced-488e-9e8d-1bd92d1c75dcLarge.jpg
 
Curious as to what others are using in their sonic cleaners. I'm using a 50/50 mix of simple green and water after a soak in Berryman Chem-Dip parts cleaner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top