short cycle timers for aero ?

[GMax]

want like a 1min ON 5min OFF cycle, or close to it, anything but 15min/15min, lol. I thought a good digital timer would work but the ones at my hydrostore can only hold 8 cycles/day..that sucks.. I was hoping that I can find a "regular" style timer but the closest thing online I could find was something like this http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemDesc.asp?ic=TICCARTDNE... My DIY Aero system cost me less than 100 bucks to start up so $70 for just the timer kinda sucks but I am willing to do it. But if anyone knows of a cheaper alternative that would do the job Please send me a link. or if I do have to get something like that which brands are best ??? What timers do you other Aero growers use ???? show pics if possible...thanks

 

[PeteWeedSeed]

Repeat cycle timers are the only option and they aren't cheap because they have alot of edurance to handle the continous on and off. They're worth it and the only other options are industrial grade timers, which are even more expensive.

 

[Me2]

I built my own so i could have custom timing ranges.
Its no less reliable than a shop bought timer.

 

[~SYK~]

I have used many Cyclestat timers from IGS.

They are quality equipment, however the analog knobs seem to change settings.

I MUCH prefer the Sentinel DRT-1 since it was released.

An ALL Digital timer - cost $120 - value $priceless

Good Luck

SYK

 

[growshopfrank]

Another option would be an Encore timer. Reasonably priced, easy to use, nice timer.

 

[HellaFella420]

Cyclestat time checkout C.A.P or Green Air Products
http://www.horticulturesource.com/gap-cyclestat-4p-repeat-cycle-ti-p769/?=

C.A.P. ones i have, they make a 1on/4off
and also an adjustable one....
fixed: http://www.discount-hydro.com/productdisp.php?pid=74&navid=7
adjustable: http://www.discount-hydro.com/productdisp.php?pid=73&navid=7


that is what u want methinx

 

[Haps]

I agree there should be a cheap version of this type of timer. What type of home products are these used in? Can we find what we want in a basic mass produced industial model in another market?
H

 

[GMax]

I found the Encore at many petstore supply shop online but you cant find them at any pet store. Me2 how did you build yours, I love DIY, i am interested , more info. A digital one probably be the way to go, and worth every penny, but i am low on funds right now. I am looking for the cheapest quality alternative, but if there isnt one, i probably drop the cash for the digi or at least the Encore. I think it is stupid to pay $80+ for a timer that is already preset, even if its set for exactly what you want, if you are paying that much it should be able to customize to any of your needs, it would probably be better to drop the extra 10 for an adjsustable one just in case your needs change. just my opinion tho

 

[Aeroguerilla]

aero shouldn't need a timer unless its deep water aero table...what are u working with?

 

[Me2]

Hi Gmax,
I guess they can`t gear one timers range to suit everyones needs.
The c.a.p has pretty flexible ON times, the minimum "OFF" time steps are too wide for me at 1,3 and 5 minutes but look ideal for you.

I couldn`t find one to fit the bill, it needed 2 independant cycle timer circuits.
The On period for both timers is adjustable from 1-12 seconds in 1 second steps.
One timers Off period is adjustable from 30 seconds to 3mins 15 seconds (15 second increments) and the other timers Off period from 30 seconds to 6 minutes (30 second steps)
If i`d had the choice of buying or building.. i would have bought one :wink:

 

[TheMadHatter]

Art DNE timers has very flexible time ranges and only run about 100$, There good as for cheap ones but I use the ones Green Air makes there the best IMO but there closer to like 200$ but if your looking for something reliable and not to expensive a Art DNE timer is a good choice.

 

[opt1c]

i have a sentinel mdt-1... does the lights and drip.. it is idiot proof as far as setup goes.. battery backup is nice the hot-start prevention circuit is the bomb and the overheat shutdown is just icing on the cake... check it out... for all the features it is almost cheaper than buying all the individual timers and if heat is an issue you can't put a price on your timer shutting down your lights and saving your crop if the ac goes out or something... and as far as the settings go you can have it go on for 1 second every 2 seconds if you feel like it.. also the ability to only have the timer recycle when the lights are on is nice if you're not feeding when the lights are off; the timer also can recycle only during the night or 24 hours as well so you can really dial it in... only thing it lacks; as me2 pointed out, is a second independent cycling timer but i can live with one; and as a plus it comes with two plugs to tap into so you can run multiple pumps.... oh... that and i've been running it solid for over a year with zero problems 24/7

only cheap way would be to just have the pump 24/7 and a chiller to deal with the heat, or a large enough res to dissipate the heat, but chillers are way more expensive than a recycling timer

good luck and let us know what you end up with

 

[GMax]

aero shouldn't need a timer unless its deep water aero table...what are u working with?

it is my own DIY model, probably already been done before but seem like the easiest and good performance. It is basically like an oversized EZ-clone, 37G roughneck container, nestled on top of another 37G reservior ( different brand, little wider so it can be used like a table) then i got PVC going inside the top rubbermaid that makes like an H shape, 7 misters (ez-clone, thinking bout update to microjets) and 396 pump. I like to grow big plants and keep my numbers down so there is 6 plant spots, 6 Gallons of aeroponic space for the roots to grow!! I probably dont need the pump cause i got 2, 1 1/2" holes for MAX drainage, shit never fills up past 1/8" if even that, but i want the timer so i can have peak oxygen. I post pics soon its looks promising. thanks everybody

 

[GMax]

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?familyID=4470#description ????

 

[Dregs]

GMax, I know it is a pretty old post but I thought I would toss my 2 cents in there since I saw this post when searching for info on Aero and cycle-timers.

I am pretty deep into Marine aquariums and I will say that these things have a nearly 70% failure rate. In the fish world, people are more than willing to pay at least 4 times that price for something that is reliable and I tend to think that this might be one of those cases. If this thing fails in the off position (it is prone to doing either) and you do not catch it in time you could be looking at a dead crop. To me it is worth the extra $30 to get a reliable cycle-timer.

 

[Me2]

For the same $65 as the cap fixed timer you could make about fifteen 1min/4min cycle timers. I find them completely reliable as they use very few components. The only parts likely to fail after an extended service are the chip (plug and play replacement for a few pennies) and the relay which can be also be replaced at very low cost. You could replace the complete timer for about $4.
Here`s one i built for a friend, the relay is an 8A 250v, it runs on 12vdc and draws 50mA during the on cycle. If you diy the system you may as well diy the timer too :wink:

 

[ChunkUFarley]

One might try the following timers from canakit or Hobbytron (also canakit), they're cheap and already assembled or not.

http://www.canakit.com/5-minute-adjustable-on-off-cyclic-timer-kit-ck191m5-uk191m5.html

http://www.hobbytron.com/UK191.html

or

http://www.canakit.com/60-minute-1-hour-adjustable-on-off-cyclic-timer-kit-ck191m60-uk191m60.html

Any of these would work for aero, with the only drawback being they only have a 3 amp relay. Unless of course you are using it to drive a solenoid valve (this following a pump pressure switch) having a lower than 3 amp rating. If not you must replace the onboard relay with one that has a higher amperage rating. Especially if running a high amperage pump directly (no sol. valve, no switch, no captive air tank) to the sprayers.

These timers should work just great for use with CO2 solenoid valves as well. At least amperage wise. Timing cycle wise?

ME2- Do you have a schematic diagram for your timer? It's interesting and I like the DIY projects also. Thanks in advance!

 

[Me2]

Hi ChunkUFarley,
Shelling out $65 for a commercial cycle timer for a cloner (for example) seemed a bit much to me. The kits are quite good but still fairly expensive considering what you actually get for your money. I decided to ditch all the bells and whistles in favour of the simplest design that does the job, less things to go wrong and absolute minimal cost.
I will do a complete how-to with step by step instructions/pics/diagrams etc so anyone on a tight budget needing a basic fixed cycle timer at least has the option of building rather than buying.

 

[~SYK~]

Got a schematic?

 

[Me2]

Hi Syk
Once i figure out where and how to post it, i`ll post a complete how-to on the timer.
The idea is that anyone with basic soldering skills should be able to build one simply by following it. It sounds like you have electronics experience so you won`t need any help.
The tricky part of a project is translating the schematic diagram into a physical board layout so i`ve simplified that by using actual veroboard/stripboard component layouts along with a step by step description of where everything goes and in which order.
My 11yr old had a working timer built in about an hour and he`s a novice with a soldering iron.