Looks like a lot of work went into that... A big tren I've seen over the past 5 years in this hobby is whenever someone develops a great innovative product, someone copies it and mass produces it in China. They just steal other peoples hard work instead of coming up with a product line of thier own. Not trying to be a Debbie downer as it appears you're trying to be transparent on your product so customers know what they're getting. But it seems to me at the same time you're making it easy for thieves.Hello Reef2Reef!
I've been wanting to become a Sponsor on Reef2Reef for a couple years but I had a feeling that the exposure would increase demand for my Algae Scrubbers, and I've never been able to keep up with demand as it is.
Things are about to change though, as I am pulling the trigger on mass production!
My goal has always been to come up with the most efficient, effective, and user-friendly Algae Scrubber available. I've spent countless hours over the last few years sketching these ideas down in the middle of raging brainstorms. These ideas have all finally come together into reality, and I am very happy to announce the 4th revision of my Turbo Algae Scrubber line of products!
The following renderings are just rough concepts and are missing a few features, but I'm to the point in development where final 3D models are nearly complete and ready for manufacturing, so it's time to lift the curtain on what I have been working on!
Here is a rendering of the fully assembled L2 Turbo Algae Scrubber (2 cube/day guaranteed filtration capacity):
The Rev 4 (which I will, from now on, refer to as just the "Turbo Algae Scrubber") will be composed mainly of injection molded Black ABS parts. The false bottom (not shown) will be extruded ABS, and the Growth Chamber will be injection molded clear Polycarbonate.
I have had a custom heat sink developed as well, which will be black anodized.
Here is a rendering showing the movable/removable parts
The new Turbo Algae Scrubber will be composed of a series of parts:
Here is a rendering showing how the Growth Chamber and Slot Pipe fit together. In this view, the J-channel has been moved away so the interior of the Turbo Algae Scrubber can be seen (the J-channel is bonded to the base and will not be removable as it functions to hold the Heat Sink Assembly safely in place)
- Base
- J-channels (shown above, bonded to base, with cutouts for screen illumination)
- Growth Chamber with dual 1.5" ID drains (O-rings and internal Divider, not shown)
- False Bottom (not shown)
- End Plates
- Lid
- Slot Pipe
- Heat sink and Heat Sink End Caps
- LEDs mounted on custom MCPCB (Metal Core Printed Circuit Board)
- Custom multi-channel dimmable LED Driver board & Power Supply
- Drain control valve assembly & sock/bag holder (not shown)
And a further expansion of that rendering, showing how the Growth Chamber slides out the end
The Slot Pipe itself is something that I spent a lot of time thinking about, until it finally hit me one day while I was sitting in a coffee shop while my stepson and his friends were waiting for a concert to start. That's when I came up with the design, and subsequently coined the term SquarePipe.
SquarePipe solves the problem with a slot that is cut into a piece of pipe - the pipe tends to pinch closed in the center over time. SquarePipe provides extra rigidity to prevent this from occurring, and also integrates Light & Spray Blocking into the Slot Pipe itself. Prior to this, I developed a snap-on Light & Spray Blocker that is good for use on any 3/4" PVC pipe
I still have a few hundred feet of Light Blockers for you DIYers - it's one of the best parts I've developed up until now, and it's only $10/foot and $5 shipping (Lower 48)
The Growth Chamber is a lift-and-slide-out design that seals into the base. This is achieved by way of two drain extensions, each with a double o-ring seal (O-rings not shown). Removal of the Growth Chamber is as simple as removing the Lid and one End Plate, then lifting up on the Growth chamber (about 1") and then sliding it out the end of the Base assembly.
Not shown in the above rendering are 3 things:
1) the false bottom, which is an extruded ABS part that is flat on top, with legs to keep it above the drain. There will also be tabs formed into the inside of the Growth Chamber to keep the False Bottom in place.
2) O-rings, as previously described
3) A divider between the two drains. The left drain is located in the center of the main section of the Growth Chamber - right below the screen. The right drain is an Emergency Drain. The divider is a molded-in-place wall, about 1"-2" in height, that will be located right next to the Emergency Drain. More on the purpose of this divider later on...
The Slot Pipe is formed such that it fits snugly in U-shaped cutouts formed into the Growth Chamber. The Slot Pipe has a matching U-shaped form at each end so that there is no mistake that the Slot is pointed straight down at all times.
In this much more awesome rendering (thanks Dan!), you can see how the growth chamber interior in a lot more detail. Tabs for False Bottom, Divider, glands for o-rings,etc. Also shows the o-ring lead-in on Base, channels in Base for locking in the End Plates (they also lock into the J channels), and a slot pipe cross section. Also if you look close you can see another feature, the bottom of the Growth Chamber is sloped toward the drain, so that when you shut off flow, all the water will drain out instead of pooling in the corners (and running out as soon as you tip it)
Another cross-section view: this one shows the J-Channel & Base assembly (these form grooves for sliding in the light fixture), and the lid and SquarePipe cross section - the lid will hold everything together as well as keep water that condenses on the lid from getting out, via a drip tab. If you look closely, you can also see the tab sticking off the End Plate that locks into the J channel. So, you put the Growth Chamber in place (with Slot Pipe installed) and then put the End Plates on, and the lid on top and it's all locked together. Note that the cutouts for the light fixtures aren't shown (the rectangular cutout in the J-Channel).
The last thing not shown is the Growth Substrate, or Screen. At this point in time, I am working on development of a new technique that will mean I don't have to rough up plastic canvas anymore. Because, it sucks. Especially when you have done hundreds of them. What you might notice is that there is no rotatable ring. Well...I can't reveal EVERYTHING quite yet, can I?
Here's a few features and benefits of my new Turbo Algae Scrubber:
A bit about the LED fixtures:
- Dimensionally, it's actually smaller than my previous versions, which has the Emergency Drain on the side (elbow down).
- Heat Sinks with End Caps installed slide into a rail assembly on each side, and can be left there indefinitely
- Heat sinks do not need to be removed to view growth: an End Plate can be removed
- Slot pipe locks into notches on Growth Chamber (with vibration isolation)
- Lift-and-Slide-Out Growth Chamber means the new version can be installed in places with as little as 8" from top of sump to bottom of stand
- Dual Drain design allows for extended growth period without the danger of overflow
- Drains are 1.5" ID - meaning, huge flow capacity
- Base pipe extensions are 2" OD for standard US PVC pipe
- Drain valve assembly (under development still) will allow for easy "tuning" of the drain to achieve dead-silent operation
I'm probably forgetting a bunch of things, but, eh.
- Heat Sinks are a custom profile extrusion, with locking rails on each end (so they can be used for multiple sizes of scrubbers, like the L4 and L8)
- LEDs used are top quality Philips Luxeon 660nm Deep Red and SemiLED Hyper Violet
- LED Driver is extremely robust, developed specifically for me by Steve's LEDs using their Bucking Linear 700mA chip.
- Driver has on-board potentiometers for individual channel dimming (3 channels)
- Driver has a port for an external dimming knob
- Levels for individual channels can be set on the board, then dimmed in unison with the knob
- Driver has input ports for PWM dimming control (which means it's Arduino Ready)
- Driver has a power out jack that can be used to power either an Arduino-based controller (such as a Typhon) or an Apex interface board (so that you can control the LED dimming level with an Apex); this means you have a single-point power connection to the LED fixtures.
The L2 size of the new Turbo Algae Scrubber product line should be available in January and the current plan (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) is that it will be initially priced at $399 - that's the price of my previous version.
Anyone who has been a customer can attest to my level of customer service. If you aren't happy, I'll do everything I can to help you out, or make it right. I've never really offered any written warranty because to me, a warranty is only as good as the guy providing it. I suppose I'll have to come up with one though because I've had brick & mortar stores asking me for years to carry my Algae Scrubbers, and this version will be carried in stores, and will be eventually be available in stores internationally.
I will also be starting a companion thread to this one that outlines the process for getting on the Wait List for your Turbo Algae Scrubber
So, that's it for now folks!
If you have any questions, ask them!
Thanks!
Bud
No.. I understand all that.. Just seemed like you're putting all you work out there in pictures makes it easy for them.. At least make them buy a unit to steal your design
See below:
They will be all L2s, the L4 & L8 timeline currently is the end of March, and I think that is a realistic target at this point. The design has to change slightly for the larger width units so that I can incorporate expandability. But mainly, it's a method of manufacturing the parts that means I won't have to have separate molds made for the L4 and L8 growth chambers, which would be really super expensive for both of those, especially the L8 growth chamber - if I were to make that as a stand-alone mold, I would probably never pay back the cost.
I know it'll be well worth the wait when I finally get mine though so I'm OK with that. Better to have a perfect final product then release early with some minor things you don't like
