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media Home made repeat timer for aeroponics

So I saw a guy making repeat timers out of a regular 24 hour home timer. He had instructions up but no matter where I went, I could not find the exact same timer he used. It has to be a 3 prong heavy duty timer to be able to handle a pump of course but all I could find in these specifications was the GE heavy duty timer model: 15429.

So I decided to use this timer and figure it out myself by figuring out the gear reduction within the innards. I am a certified mechanic and this shouldn't be too hard right?

These are available at Target, Lowes, home depot, Wal-Mart, etc. So here goes the instructions. Lots of pictures so hope this helps someone out there. They cost about $10 which is a heck of a lot cheaper than purchasing a repeat timer. I always have a spare one of these on hand in case one fails. Don't want my plants dying.

So the timer looks like this.

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Now it has these weird 3 pronged screws. I use a small flat end screwdriver and it seems to fit between 2 of the flutes and allows me to remove them.

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So after the screws come out, it should just come apart easily.

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You can clearly see the gear box assembly at the bottom of the timer.

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The gear box just lifts out

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Using a flat blade screwdriver, pry the tabs up gently and break the box into the two halves.

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The magnetic drive for the motor should lift out.

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The gear box internals look thusly!

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AWESOME!! Just copy and paste the second bit after these posts, I'll delete the unnecessary ones after that.
 
This is what is left inside the timer

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So back to the gear box

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Lift out the first gear

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Then the second, this will be the one we discard!

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I almost forgot, buy a pack of these rubber washers when you are out also!

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So we have the gears like this, the right one needs to be discarded.

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The washer will be glued to the top of the third gear we removed.

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Can someone make one more post
 
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So this is where the problems begin!!! The small unused gear part on the third gear assembly is taller than the washer!

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Sand it down with some sand paper.

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The bottom of the first gear assembly needs to be sanded smooth also as it has a ridge in the middle.

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The third gear with washer fits back onto the spindle.

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We apply some glue to the top of the washer

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We then slide the first gear down on top of it and glue the thirst and third gear assemblies together. After they are dry, they can be removed and checked for structural integrity. I advise adding some more glue between the 2 gears without getting any on the teeth to ensure they are properly stuck together!

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Now here is the second problem. The slipper gear that is on top of the first gear will not fit flush down into the first gear any more after the first and third are stuck together because we sanded some gears down and the spindle is longer than the hole in the slipper gear is deep. If you are following me then you will understand that we have 2 choices. We can use some wire cutters and snip the spindle down by just a little bit OR we can use a drill bit the same size of the spindle and drill the whole way through the slipper gear which is what I did.

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So it all goes back together into the gear box with the second gear bring left out.

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The motor magnets are put back in place

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Cover snapped back on

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And gear box put back in place

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We then reassemble the timer.

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And VIOLA!!

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A repeat timer for less than $15

It has 48 timer pins and each pin is about 45-50 seconds. It varies slightly but always is within that range.

I run my systems with 1 pin down and then 6 up. This gives me about 45-50 seconds on and 4 1/2 to 5 minutes off. The whole time wheel will give you 35-40 minutes of time control. In my configuration, being that it has 48 pins, I have to have one off cycle with 5 pins and all the rest are off cycles with 6 pins. This does not seem to affect the aeroponic systems at all.

Here is a video of it in operation











queequeg, those last 2 you posted look like they have pins to be inserted into an electronic system of some sort and not into a wall...
 
no they are octal relay sockets.
the octal can be mounted on a din rail or surface mounted w.e you want. the octal socket has 8 terminals that you can wire very easily and conviently. its a standard for industrial control and automation equipment.

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Cool well thanks for letting me know that these are available. Maybe I will try one out to see how they work. The method I use is still nice for those that want to just make one out of stuff they can purchase right in their town or city.
 
Aeroponics do not require the roots to be completely wet all the time as other types of hydroponics do. Doing it this way saves energy and nutrients without being detrimental to the plant's growth. More oxygen(when not being sprayed) usually means better health.
 
Pretty cool! Although ideally you want the timer to only stay on ~1-5 seconds, this probably will still produce good results. Impressive and you saved about $70 by making the timer youself : )
 
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