DIY Ultrasonic Cleaner?

[jim davies]

DIY Ultrasonic Cleaner?

A buddy has a 70's vintage depth sounder and has been told that he can scavenge it for a signal generator and a transducer to make an ultrasonic cleaner for cartridge brass, small parts etc. also needed is a bucket or other container and a small 12v charger(4 amps)

Anybody tried this?

[kendall]

DIY Ultrasonic Cleaner?

A buddy has a 70's vintage depth sounder and has been told that he can scavenge it for a signal generator and a transducer to make an ultrasonic cleaner for cartridge brass, small parts etc. also needed is a bucket or other container and a small 12v charger(4 amps)

Anybody tried this?

Not sure, but 70s it sounds like the type with the light on the end of a spinning arm, I'd always understood that those used a lower frequency sound.

[FETOAU]

There were two (actually three) types of depth finders in the 70's. The most common type was for inshore fishermen and was high frequency and limited to the depth it could sound (old term for determining depth). The second type was for offshore fishing and could read much deeper depths (fathoms vs. feet) and had a much lower frequency. The third type, and most expensive, had a switch that changed the frequency and the depth scale.

To make an ultrasonic cleaner using an old depth finder, the first step would be to determine the Hertz (frequency) of the depth finders transponder and the frequency of what is typically used for what one wants to clean.

Since this is a combination of "cut and try" and science forum, I would just try it. It may work and it may not of it may just take longer than a commercial cleaner. But since this is a home shop forum, efficiency generally doesn't take precedence.

To Kendall: I used depth sounders both inshore and offshore in the 70's for bass fishing and Bill-fishing, had all three types, and don't have a clue as to what you are talking about with the light on the spinning arm reference. Please explain. thanks in advance

[lakeside53]

Ha.. I had those - spinning arm and thermal paper. Made a black mark as is spun by... If the paper didn't get wet in the rain/spray.

[FETOAU]

OK - Missed it - Here is my sign.

Had great difficulty visualizing a light transmitting and spinning transponder. forgot the paper graphs, as I never used them. Saw them but never used them.

I do remember from going from "dead reckoning" navigation to Loran A and matching the sine curves to tune it in.

[macona]

You can buy the correct horns and drivers for way cheaper than you could put one together:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trks...1266&_from=R40

[CarlByrns]

DIY Ultrasonic Cleaner?

A buddy has a 70's vintage depth sounder and has been told that he can scavenge it for a signal generator and a transducer to make an ultrasonic cleaner for cartridge brass, small parts etc. also needed is a bucket or other container and a small 12v charger(4 amps)

Anybody tried this?

"
'Cold' Humidifiers have a dandy little ultrasonic generator- you can pick them up cheap at the Rescue Mission. Good for all kinds of projects.

[vpt]

Or get a heated ultrasonic cleaner for $39.

[vincemulhollon]

To Kendall: I used depth sounders both inshore and offshore in the 70's for bass fishing and Bill-fishing, had all three types, and don't have a clue as to what you are talking about with the light on the spinning arm reference.

My grandfather had a home assembled heathkit from the 70s (80s?) and the "display" is an arm (or was it a disk?) that spins around at high RPM at a precise, calibrated, loud speed and on the edge of the disk is a neon bulb and the bulb flickers with what it "hears" and at 12 o'clock (for the digital generation, when its "straight up") the thing transmits a very short pulse. To say the display was dim would be an understatement. Lunchbox sized box mostly to hold sunscreens to shade the display. As rube goldberg as it sounds, it worked surprisingly well. If you turned the gain up enough, you'd get good at discerning from blurry or sharp spots if you were over rock, or mud, or weeds, and could navigate your boat to the edge of the weeds or over the dropoff or whatever you felt appropriate for fishing. It used two lantern batteries (another dead technology, just like oil can spouts) and it would kill the batteries pretty well in a short time. For what it cost, my grandfather could have bought a lot of frozen fish filets from the supermarket; so it wasn't a productive tool so much as a very cool and interesting gadget.

The relevant part of the story is it was an interesting display of mechanical engineering and the most important point is I assure you the heaksink I installed could only output full power about 1% of the time, because thats all it ever did in the fish finder. So an ultrasonic cleaner built out of a classic 1970s fish finder will never work faster than 1% the speed of a "real" cleaner.

[ironmonger]

You can buy the correct horns and drivers for way cheaper than you could put one together:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trks...1266&_from=R40

Thanks for the link. Any thoughts on operating frequency?
I would like to build a cleaner for cleaning brass for reloading and to use cleaning motorcycle carbs and small parts.
I see 40 khz and 28 khz boards....
I could just buy a smack load of transducers and hook them up to my 18KW induction heater ...

paul

[EVguru]

Thanks for the link. Any thoughts on operating frequency?
I would like to build a cleaner for cleaning brass for reloading and to use cleaning motorcycle carbs and small parts.
I see 40 khz and 28 khz boards....

Seems to be lots of good information here; http://www.upcorp.com/ultrasonic.html

[macona]

Thanks for the link. Any thoughts on operating frequency?
I would like to build a cleaner for cleaning brass for reloading and to use cleaning motorcycle carbs and small parts.
I see 40 khz and 28 khz boards....
I could just buy a smack load of transducers and hook them up to my 18KW induction heater ...

paul

All of the ones I see are 40KHz.

Even if you hooked them up to an induction heater as a driver you would still need a matching network.

[ironmonger]

All of the ones I see are 40KHz.

Even if you hooked them up to an induction heater as a driver you would still need a matching network.

I had found some that are 28KHZ, and it appears they are preferred for larger objects that dampen the wavefront.
see:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/60W-28KHz-Ul...item4ace9861b4

I ordered a 2 transducers and one driver that operate at 40 KHZ, we'll let you know how they work out.

The induction heater has a PLL and will match coils that are resonant from 30KHZ to 100KHZ. If I try them it will be with the output dialed WAY down.


paul