Next Meeting Monday the 19th at 7pm at William Penn High School in Newcastle

DRC Archive General Saltwater Discussion
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The next meeting Monday the 19th at 7pm at William Penn High School in NewCastle.

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I will be out of town and unable to attend.

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Sorry to hear that, my prayers go out…

Ill be there anyone else planning to go…

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i’m there, and brett will also

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I will be there also.

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ill be there PBJ!

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Ill be there. I will also be doing a very brief ATO demo for those that missed the first one and are interested. I will keep it short for those that have seen it before. Its a completely new model that uses minature solid state electronics instead of electrical and mechanical components. Not only is it much cheaper to build but its about 1/4th the orignal size. The entire ATO could probably fit into an altoids tin with room to spare.

Ellen. If your still interested i would like for you to have the prototype to test out.

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shawn are you selling these? for those among us who are very non mechanical.
i saw the first demo at my first meeting and i was completely lost from the word solenoid. probably from before that.

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I am pretty sure that Ian and I will prob be attending as well. As long as we dont have to work OT.

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was completely lost from the word solenoid

I agree. Things got a little too technical last time. Im going to keep things very short and simple this time. Im also going to try and bring a small glass tank so that the visual will be easier to follow. The emphasis will be placed more on what an ATO is, how to install one, and why they are good and less about the DIY aspects. Overall, the demo will be geared for those that are not familiar with ATOs, anyone that would like to discuss things in more detail are welcome to follow up with me at a later time.

shawn are you selling these?
I know there was a lot of people interested in these before that i did not get around to making one for. As of right now there are a few possiblities that Jon and i have been discussing for providing these to club members. I want have any details until after officer elections more than likely, but im really hoping for things to work out. If they dont i will be more than happy to build some for members that are interested.

Also, for anyone that bought an older style from me, im more than willing to replace the old one for a new one free of charge. I would just need your float switches to use for the newer model.

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ATO?

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[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:11, topic:2227”]
ATO?[/quote]

Automatic top off

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IT ADDS FRESH WATERso you dont have to

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could you make an ATO for the raffle? im sure a lot more tickets would sell if you could, lol

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ahh okay i need one of those … was talking to melev a little… he said the best way would be get some float valve, then a switch that will switch on an air pump, pump water into an airtight container, then the water will come out another tube into the tank…
’
i need a top off though

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he said the best way would be get some float valve, then a switch that will switch on an air pump, pump water into an airtight container, then the water will come out another tube into the tank...

im not sure what the advantages would be for building an ATO that way, but if you decide to do i would really like to see what you come up with. also, the float valve and the switch are one in the same when building an ATO.

could you make an ATO for the raffle? im sure a lot more tickets would sell if you could, lol

I definitely could. I dont have one for this meeting though and the prototype ill be demonstrating has already been promised to Ellen. Like i mentioned, Jon and i have talked about some really good ideas for bringing these ATO’s to club members with a more professional and manufactured construction. However, because of the time of year we both think it would be a good idea to hold off on starting anything unti after the elections in case there are new officers voted in. It only makes sense to get the new officers onboard and involved with something that, in all likliehood, will extend into next year. If for some reason nothing comes to fruition i will be more than happy to organize a group build for the club.

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Well im open for suggestions on how to do them, and im surei will find a way… i just have no room above the tank, and limited room on the side…

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There are several different ways to implement an ATO. In example, i dont use RODI reservoirs for my ATO’s. The only components i use for my ATOs are 2 floats(about the size of a C battery) and a solenoid w/power supply that is about the size of a cellphone together and can be mounted remotely. Not only does it eliminate the need for a reservoir but it also eliminates the need to make water altogether. I have never had a spill related to making water for topoffs or waterchanges. My topoffs are 100% automatic and require absolutely 0 work/maintenence. My waterchanges only require the flipping of two electrical switches. The only thing i need to do is add a premeasured scoop of salt between waterchanges.

Im going to keep things simple tonight and will not be going into the method i use, but im sure you will get some ideas from the demo and hopefully a better understanding of ATO’s in general. Of course i will also do my best to answer any questions you might have when you build yours.

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a real simple way is to build a Nurse tank. it works something like a water cooler. no moving parts. just vacuum and gravity.

Or get Marty to share his little top off method tonight too. There are many ways to set up this feature. some are totally auto, and some require a little filling and monitoring, but get you through periods of time. Shawns fully auto setups are set em and forget em if you have it tied into the RO.

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[quote=“logans_daddy, post:7, topic:2227”]
Ill be there. I will also be doing a very brief ATO demo for those that missed the first one and are interested. I will keep it short for those that have seen it before. Its a completely new model that uses minature solid state electronics instead of electrical and mechanical components. Not only is it much cheaper to build but its about 1/4th the orignal size. The entire ATO could probably fit into an altoids tin with room to spare.

Ellen. If your still interested i would like for you to have the prototype to test out.[/quote]

I am very interested, but I just found out that I won’t be able to make it tonight. I have a late meeting at work and I am just dang tired. Can you give the prototype to Paul and I will pick it up from him tomorrow on my way home from work?