Building the Ultrasonic Antifouling Kit from Jaycar

[Norman_E]

Not sure this is a good idea, unless it is a trickle/float charger. Otherwise the batteries get a boost charge with no time to absorb it. Might be better to do it for a couple of hours once a week.

Its an old but good quality charger that switches to float mode. I have run it that way last winter, with no load on the batteries, without ill effects.

 

[photon]

Unidentified component

I have followed this topic and am now in the process of building 2 of these kits. The component the mystifies me is the one that NormanE has placed in the PCB marked "link". I assume that this is a small resistor-like component, sand coloured and with one black band in a central position. The component is part of the kit and is the only bit not identified anywhere in the information that Jaycar sent. Can anyone confirm this?

Otherwise this kit seems easy to build even though the last kit I built was just after transistors were invented. The components are not always easily recognised, especially the two small zener diodes.

Regarding potting the transducer, the outer packet material for the urethane potting compound is a aluminium/polyethylene foil laminate and is an excellent substitute material for the cling-film mentioned in the instructions as it does not ruck. It has a paper label glued on the outside which could be used with PVA glue to adhere this material to a flat sheet of board with the packet inside face upwards. I can confirm that with a tiny smear of vaseline on the inside face material it released from the cured compound leaving a very smooth potted transducer.

 

[wizard]

I have followed this topic and am now in the process of building 2 of these kits. The component the mystifies me is the one that NormanE has placed in the PCB marked "link". I assume that this is a small resistor-like component, sand coloured and with one black band in a central position. The component is part of the kit and is the only bit not identified anywhere in the information that Jaycar sent. Can anyone confirm this?

I had the same problem when I was building and did in fact put the "resistor" to one side thinking it had been put in by mistake - but on checking it with a DVM it produced zero ohms and looking at the colour photo -there it was.

 

[Norman_E]

See the very first post on page 1 of this thread. In my case the 10 ohm resistors were coded brown, black, black gold, brown, meaning 100 divided by 10 = 10 ohms, with 1% tolerance.

I have not seen one that is coloured as you describe, but if it has very low resistance, and you have correctly identified and placed all the others, then it is the link resistor.

I had to use an illuminated magnifier to be certain that I had all mine correct.
EDIT: Look at it very carefully with the magnifier, the brown and gold stripes do not show up very well to the naked eye.

 

[photon]

Thanks for clearing this up

Thanks. to both respondent The component must be the 10 ohm resistor but with a certain economy of ink! Both circuits finished now and in testing makes my AM radio whistle like a canary when the transducer comes near.

 

[Norman_E]

I never tried it with a radio, but that sounds correct. Both of my units produce a faint clicking sound when operating, but you have to be in a quiet place to hear it.

 

[wizard]

Thanks. to both respondent The component must be the 10 ohm resistor but with a certain economy of ink! Both circuits finished now and in testing makes my AM radio whistle like a canary when the transducer comes near.

Any particular frequency?

 

[Talbot]

Any particular frequency?

More to the point - is this going to be a problem for an SSB?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I have followed this topic and am now in the process of building 2 of these kits. The component the mystifies me is the one that NormanE has placed in the PCB marked "link". I assume that this is a small resistor-like component, sand coloured and with one black band in a central position. The component is part of the kit and is the only bit not identified anywhere in the information that Jaycar sent. Can anyone confirm this?

Otherwise this kit seems easy to build even though the last kit I built was just after transistors were invented. The components are not always easily recognised, especially the two small zener diodes.

Regarding potting the transducer, the outer packet material for the urethane potting compound is a aluminium/polyethylene foil laminate and is an excellent substitute material for the cling-film mentioned in the instructions as it does not ruck. It has a paper label glued on the outside which could be used with PVA glue to adhere this material to a flat sheet of board with the packet inside face upwards. I can confirm that with a tiny smear of vaseline on the inside face material it released from the cured compound leaving a very smooth potted transducer.

Sorry not been able to do it earlier but here is a close up of the board with the link in place:

Should confirm what you have done. There is a reference to it in the componant list R1R1500 and it is shown in fig 2 page 38 of the accompanying blurb.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

More to the point - is this going to be a problem for an SSB?

Will you be using SSB in harbour hooked up to shore power and you could allways switch off for the short time you would be using it anyway.

 

[starfire]

It is a zero ohm link.

In the old days of pcb assembly, a special machine was used to make links from wire, these were then inserted by hand, or a link inserter machine.

In more recent days, most pcb assembly is done by machine, the resistors & other similar components are 'bandoleered', (sp) fed into the machine on reels which then cuts, bends & inserts the component. Zero ohm links were produced in a resistor shape, so the same machine could insert the links.


These days, most circuit boards use surface mount components, so same principle, different machine, but the zero ohm links are still produced in surface mount packaging.

 

[Norman_E]

Photon Wrote" Regarding potting the transducer, the outer packet material for the urethane potting compound is a aluminium/polyethylene foil laminate and is an excellent substitute material for the cling-film mentioned in the instructions as it does not ruck. It has a paper label glued on the outside which could be used with PVA glue to adhere this material to a flat sheet of board with the packet inside face upwards. I can confirm that with a tiny smear of vaseline on the inside face material it released from the cured compound leaving a very smooth potted transducer.


I thought of using it, but had already used kitcken foil for the first one before I thought of it, so just carried on with the foil for the second one, but it is probably the best stuff to use because it does not crease. You need to be careful not to crease foil, but cling film is the worst thing to use.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Have decided to pot mine in situ to give a good bond to the hull and eliminate any transmission problems caused by gaps when screwing the potted transducer into the flange or it working loose at some time.

 

[Silent Lady]

Project

Might have a go at this. Source code for the PIC Micro is very simple. They even check the 12v power supply and if it drops below 11.5v then the unit will not drive the Transducer.

Keep me busy for a couple of nights.

Just hope my PIC Micro programmer can program this one.

 

[Norman_E]

Have decided to pot mine in situ to give a good bond to the hull and eliminate any transmission problems caused by gaps when screwing the potted transducer into the flange or it working loose at some time.

Interesting idea. If you do that, I suggest that you use the JB Weld epoxy glue to fix the nut to the hull, with the socket screwed in place and glued as well. The risk of that method is that it is a final solution, and if you want to try a different place, you will be out of luck.

 

[ruvane]

Help needed identifying the US transducer

Hi all,

I'm following this thread/subject avidly as I want to build one or two of these units.

Can someone please help me identify the transducer by posting any marks/numbers etc that appear on it. I've received a quote of $20 per piece from Hainertec for a transducer that I believe is the correct one, but I'd like to make sure that I'm ordering the correct unit.

I already have the physical dimensions that someone very kindly posted some time back.

At this price, I can't afford not to try the US A/F method!

TIA,
Ruvane.

 

[Norman_E]

Mine are both potted, but I don't think there were any markings on them.

 

[wizard]

Hi all,

I'm following this thread/subject avidly as I want to build one or two of these units.

Can someone please help me identify the transducer by posting any marks/numbers etc that appear on it. I've received a quote of $20 per piece from Hainertec for a transducer that I believe is the correct one, but I'd like to make sure that I'm ordering the correct unit.

I already have the physical dimensions that someone very kindly posted some time back.

At this price, I can't afford not to try the US A/F method!

TIA,
Ruvane.

If it looks similar is rated at 50watts and around 40Khz then in theory it should be ok. In this project the power output is the key.

Hope this helps

 

[nysaiko]

hm..bitman..can you list for me, the component of ultrasonic antifouling for boat, that you have show the picture?..
i really need it..your coopration is highly appreciated...
because i'm gonna doing this, for my final year project..
hope that you can really help me..
thanks you.!

 

[nigelmercier]

Can someone please help me identify the transducer by posting any marks/numbers etc that appear on it. I've received a quote of $20 per piece from Hainertec for a transducer that I believe is the correct one, but I'd like to make sure that I'm ordering the correct unit.

I'm also interested in this info, and perhaps organising a group buy for the transducers.