The algae machine was destroyed by the hurricane. the cylinders washed up on shore behind the church next to the lot we were using. the frame was retrieved from the bottom of the lake, the battery terminals were totally corroded, the angle iron frame was trusted the bearings were destroyed. The motor still worked but only for a few more days. The solar panel was still functional, it just needed the wire cleaned.
The next iteration has double angle iron frame with a cross brace to prevent movement. I also built a small pit in the yard, 5 x 7 feet and 10 in deep so I can continue prototyping without having to go to the lake. I added 80 grams of fertilizer to the water to give the algae something to feed on. I also added a speed controller, a pulse width modulator, and slowed it down to less than 1 rpm. The electronics are in a nice waterproof plastic box too.
I should have some growth in a couple weeks. I can keep better logs with the machine so close.
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
Sunday, May 21, 2017
ALMA out of the water for maintenance
I checked on ALMA 1 last week after a storm had passed and found that the solar panel had flipped over and was almost torn off and the whole thing had moved about 10 meters, it must have been a good storm. Plus I had no algae growth so time for plan B or was this plan C? But there was plenty of algae on the anchor lines, so I know it will grow give the right condition.
I decided that epoxy resin to be the best choice for the adhesive for securing cloth to the surface of the cylinders, so picked up a quart and hardener from West Marine. I got the 206, which is slow cure, because I wasn't sure what kind of time was needed to coat the cylinder and spread the cloth. The stuff is easy to work with but gets HOT and melted the clear plastic cup I was using. But the resin remained working for too long and the cloth slid and separated from the cylinder before it became tacky. So I tried again , this time letting it get tacky before I applied the cloth. But this was equally a failure. So I tried new cloth and polyester resin I have used before for fiberglass work, with faster cure rate. This worked great, resin spread great and I got just a few minutes of working time before the resin was out of working consistency. And the polyester resin is much cheaper that the epoxy resin. So I need to secure the solar panel and cover the other cylinder and I can get this back into the lake.
I decided that epoxy resin to be the best choice for the adhesive for securing cloth to the surface of the cylinders, so picked up a quart and hardener from West Marine. I got the 206, which is slow cure, because I wasn't sure what kind of time was needed to coat the cylinder and spread the cloth. The stuff is easy to work with but gets HOT and melted the clear plastic cup I was using. But the resin remained working for too long and the cloth slid and separated from the cylinder before it became tacky. So I tried again , this time letting it get tacky before I applied the cloth. But this was equally a failure. So I tried new cloth and polyester resin I have used before for fiberglass work, with faster cure rate. This worked great, resin spread great and I got just a few minutes of working time before the resin was out of working consistency. And the polyester resin is much cheaper that the epoxy resin. So I need to secure the solar panel and cover the other cylinder and I can get this back into the lake.
Monday, April 10, 2017
ALMA 1 is LIVE
4/10/17 We put ALMA in the Lake 3 weeks ago and still don't have a slime layer yet. But its been working since a small issue with the loose drive sprocket screw.
I had an axle break, so I replaced the custom axles with Delrin, they should last forever.
The solar panel has been charging the battery so far.
I have uploaded recent video and pictures to my youtube page.
I had an axle break, so I replaced the custom axles with Delrin, they should last forever.
The solar panel has been charging the battery so far.
I have uploaded recent video and pictures to my youtube page.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Finally in open water
2/21/16
I finally found access to a nasty lake where I can anchor the Algae Machine (ALMA 1). Its in Salt Lake, between Lake Tarpon and Anclote River. There have been a few issues, the first was the set screws were not tight enough and the sprockets were slipping around the shaft and not moving. Then the drive sprocket screw came loose and was spinning freely. I had to paint markings on the cylinders so I could see if it was spinning from Lake Tarpon Blvd. I checked on it last week and it was not spinning but the cause was not apparent, and of course I did not have my multimeter with me. I think it must be the controller or the motor. The motor is a F150 wiper motor so what is the life of a wiper motor when running 12 hrs a day.
I finally found access to a nasty lake where I can anchor the Algae Machine (ALMA 1). Its in Salt Lake, between Lake Tarpon and Anclote River. There have been a few issues, the first was the set screws were not tight enough and the sprockets were slipping around the shaft and not moving. Then the drive sprocket screw came loose and was spinning freely. I had to paint markings on the cylinders so I could see if it was spinning from Lake Tarpon Blvd. I checked on it last week and it was not spinning but the cause was not apparent, and of course I did not have my multimeter with me. I think it must be the controller or the motor. The motor is a F150 wiper motor so what is the life of a wiper motor when running 12 hrs a day.
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