Thanks everyone, I'll take more pictures soon. And yes I'm going to bring this machine to the Omaha wash in
<i>Robert , did you decide that you were going to do
2.0 all in one "Big Bang" event? Do you think of
one thing to add at a time? How soon before you will need
a "newer" computer?</i
Hi Darrel, no I sort of think of things I want to add slowly, like in when I'm on the Freeway or in Business Meetings (it's the Attention Deficit Disorder you know
. Then I have to research how I'm going to do it and I collect the parts. Sometimes I find a part and think, cool I can use this in the machine. The computer I have works just fine, and I can't ever imagine it not being able to do what ever I throw at it. I do want to get a flat screen monitor for it, just to make more room <br
<i>Do you have any ideas for a softener dispenser yet? </i
I do have two possibilities Greg, the only thing I haven't decided yet is where on the outside of the machine to add it so it's least in the way <br
<i>Are you going to make the unit completely self contained?</i
Nope, I love having it attached to a PC, it's the ultimate in "Dial Pushing" or flexibility <br
<i>Any changes in the cycle?</i
Hi Louis, yes I've changed the cycles constantly, I'm always thinking of things I want to try and its real easy with the software to try anything with any length of time. The biggest change to the cycles has been using the sensors to detect when it's time to move to the next step over using a specific time period. All fills now are metered either by the recirculation pump pressure or by actual amount of water that has entered the machine <br
<i>Can the on-board heater raise the water temp (significantly)as well as maintain it? </i
Hi Toggs, since the water heater is only 120 volts it's not that powerful. It does rise the water temperature maybe 6 degrees in 20 minutes, but what it's really there for is it keep the water temperature from dropping. <br
<font color=red>Here is my Whitest-Whites Cycle for white towels or as I call it "Hot Suds Towels", it's my longest cycle, I have lotsof cycles...</font <br
VARI - Means the time is variable, a sensor determines when it's time to move on <br
00:30 - "Hot Water Line Flush" (Runs hot water into outer tub and pumps it down the drain to clear the hot water line of cold water) <br
VARI - "1 Gallon Fill" Fills Outer Cabinet with exactly 1 Gallon of Hot Wate <br
00:04 - "Rotate" Spin Wash Tub to approximately 100 rp <br
00:20 - "Clothes Guard Spray" Pumps the 1 gallon of hot water up through the recirculation pump onto top of dry clothes so dry lightweight items like socks wont go over the top of the tub during the Spinning Pre-Wash <br
00:25 - "Gain Speed" Spin wash tub up to full speed at 1140rp <br
BEGIN Pre-Wash (4 Minutes of Magic
04:00 - With the tub spinning at 1140rpm the motor is turned off and the tub is allowed to simply coast down slowly downward from 1140rpm. The recirculation pump going and now the heater is turned on, hot water is filled through the detergent dispenser pushing the detergent and hot water into the outer cabinet which is pumped up into the spinning tub. When the recirculation pump comes up to full pressure (usually takes about another 1.25 gallons), the computer stops filling. Since there is only about 2.25 or so gallons of water mixed in with the full strength of detergent the concentration is very high. As the tub slows down to about 350rpm, the motor is pulsed back on for a few seconds to keep the wash tub spinning from 650rpm to 350rpm during the rest of the Pre-wash <br
VARI-Brake is applied and recirculation pump pushes all the water from the outer cabinet back into the wash tub, when the outer cabinet is empty the pump pressure switch opens telling the computer to move on <br
VARI-The washer fills through the detergent dispenser with hot and it is pumped into the wash tub. When the pump pressure comes up to full again the computer knows that the wash tub is full and overflowing and its time to move on. Usually takes about 10 gallons <br
20:00 "Wash, Heat and Soak" - The washer Agitates for 168 seconds, then soaks for 58 seconds and it repeats those intervals for the next 20 minutes. The recirculation is going as well as the heat during both the washing and soaking <br
01:00 "Drain Cabinet" the washer pumps out water and suds from the outer cabinet down the drain <br
02:00 "Spin-Rinse", the tub spins and throws out its water into the outer cabinet, when the tub is up to full speed there are four 7-second Jet-Circle Spray Rinses added <br
VARI-Rinse Fill, Exactly 10.5 gallons of cool or cold water is filled directly into the wash tub via the Jet-Circle Spray for the rinse. The computer analyzes today's date to determine if it should use cool or cold water. May-October it's cold, November thru April it's cool <br
02:00-"Overflow Rinse" the washer agitates and water is added to the wash tub and it is overflowed into the outer tub and down the drain <br
01:00="Softening Rinse" - The overflow part of the rinse is stopped but agitation continues in case I want to add softener so it will not overflow the softener away. (This is where the dispenser will come in once I've added it) <br
07:00-"Imperial Rapidry" - 1140rpm for 7 Minutes gets those towels really dry! At the beginning two 7-second spray rinses are added.
