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[Guest]

We use MaxiJet 1200 power heads and we have run them on X10 appliance modules (relays) and now on a soft start wave maker and you can tell a major difference. The X10 modules would close near the peak of the sine wave that you could see the power head really jerk. Anyone that uses electronics to switch the power heads will have an easy time of making them soft start. I know that we are misusing this term as it is used in the big motor world but we all know what it means in the power head world. I wrote software one time that drove a conveyor that carried 12 ton peices of metal and if you did not start that motor REAL easy you would break the chains in the conveyor.

[Guest]

bluebox and gnx87 you guys should go back to school, just because you work as an electrical engineer and sell motors doesn't mean you know about everything in your respective fields.

[Guest]

I don't think they should go back to school. They'd tell them the same thing when they got there. "Soft start" is a term used on 3-phase motors to denote a slow ramping up to operating speed. Can't be done on a single-phase motor (without controlling line frequency which is really ugly stuff) so the use of the term "soft start" on a powerhead is a misnomer. Wavemaker companies have come up with a technology that allows the powerhead to start quickly and silently, but it is in no way related to what anyone in the motor industry would identify as "soft start."

I don't think it's a matter of them not knowing what they're talking about, it's a matter of someone coming up with a catchy but misleading name for their product.

[Guest]

So let me be the devils advocate here: I f you made wavemakers and designed a circuit that would minimize the starting forces and make the powerheads last longer what would you call it, something that the novice would understand. Easy start? Slow start? zero start? Low current start? I think we should define the term that wavemaker manufacturers use to describe this benificial feature. Lets do a survey and then submit it to them. As far as I'm concernd "soft Start" conveys the message, but lets here from everybody on this. UP TO THE TOP AGAIN

[Guest]

Note : Has anyone out there heard of the Carlson surge device?

[Guest]

The Carlson device is an autosiphon and I built one and it does not let you have any rep rate you want, there is only one. If you pump water in to slow it won't start and if you pump in to fast it won't stop. I built the toilet valve design and it works great and you can pump at any rate you want so that you can get the rep rate you want.

check www.aquatouch.com and look for the surge design page. I built mine in a 20 gallon tub not a 5 gallon bucket but it will work in almost any container.