Ok...this is your chance......to

[historyman]

DESIGN YOUR OWN WASHER!

Money is no object. Time is no object. It can be ruggedly simplistic or ultra-high tech. Vintage looking or say "Hello, Dave." when you walk up to it.

Design your own washer. What are its:

mechanics, controls, material(s), wash action, size, wash program (or programme for those of you over the pond), special features, new features that you'd have on it that don't already exist, etc.

OK. I'll stand back behind the double mirror and witness the results.

 

[historyman]

oh and by the way........

If you say you have an Apex in here, and don't actually have one.........well, then, we'll have to explore the true meaning of 'spin cycle colonoscopy.'

 

[eluxomarty]

I'm not a washer person by any means but after seeing some of the machines i like the looks of the Westinghouse Slant machines alot. My machines would have all the mechanical parts on the inside modern and state of the art and have the look of the retro slant machines on the outside. Lots of white and chrome or turquoise and chrome! Maybe put them on pedestals for ease in loading/unloading. A wheeled laundry cart/basket would be included free with purchase!

 

[mixfinder]

Washing Perfection

1 Helical Drive
2 Lots of sound proofing
3 Large high ramp Norge agitator
4 Perforated tub
5 Thermostatic controlled water inlet
6 Absolutely no safety switch or lock
7 Long, Long spray rinse before deep rinse
8 No No NO spray rinse after deep rinse
9 Super long and super fast final extraction
10 Lighted console and lighted tub

Kelly
11 No racheting agitator
12 Timed Bleach, soap and softener dispenser
13 Option for a prewash that advances into the main wash
14 Speed controls infinitely adjustable
15 Stainless Tub
16 Suds saver capability
17 Emergency quick wash cycle
18 Lid that does not block the controls when opened
19 Extra Rinse Option
20 Intregal Water Heater Boost
21 Service Access from the front
22 No Neutral Drain
23 Recirculating Lint Filter on the tub's perimeter

 

[westytoploader]

Post-1965 Maytag helical-drive with ramp agitator, recirculating filter, and permanent-press agitate/fill cooldown. Now THAT would be fun.

 

[Unimatic1140]

The Washer I'm Building

Here is my "Super Unimatic" a washer that I'm building using Frigidaire parts from 1950 thru the mid 1960's as well as modern parts such as a flow through water heater from a Decor dishwasher and a very powerful 25 gallon a minute recirculation pump. It has three ways of filling, through the detergent dispenser, into the outer cabinet and a jet-circle spray for the rinse. The heater keeps the water nice and hot though a 20 minute wash/soak period and gets my whites super clean without the need for bleach or boiling. I'm running the washer through a computer interface I built, using software I wrote. The machine and the software has evolved quite a bit since these original pictures were taken, I need to do a Super Unimatic update as I have added many new features, but for now you will get a good idea of what I'm doing.

http://automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/00ShowCollectionGETD.cgi?dir=/COLLECTIONS/_SUPER-UNIMATIC

 

[brettsomers]

mine would be a water-thrifty front loader, but built with the looks of Maytag center-dial machine. if i could have it my way, i would get a time machine and get the same guys who designed the post-Amp Maytag. the machine would have mechanical controls, of course, with wash time indicated IN MINUTES. it would have an intelligent water fill that senses the saturation of the clothes.

center dial timer
soak option EMBEDDED in the wash cycle (button cntrl)
commercial-strength door/hinges
stainless tub
extra rinse, selected by button
piston-style suspension
rinse temp select
water heater

i cannot decide if i want it to run on 120 or 220. also, i think some kind of function should be built to facilitate the cleaning of the water heater, a spray perhaps.

 

[pturo]

Unimatic's Invention!

I am blown away by the demo! I never knew that in solid tubs the cabinet was the outer tub as it appears here. How talented and interesting your efforts are! Phil

 

[sheerlookhomes]

Great Thread - Great Inventions!!

unimatic1140...all I can say is WOW-WOW-WOW!!!

That machine you're building is just awesome..that BIG window, the sprays, everything! If there's ever a video I swear I will pass out.

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!

 

[drmitch]

Although I have seen this before I am still amazed at your work on this machine! I love the larger window but I think I like the recirculation the best. Of course the 7 min 1140 spin is great too. Where do we place our order?

 

[sudsman]

My washer

Would a Slant front Style With Large window S S tub that reverses and water heater with dial temp gauge . A large mech. timer dial in the center with water temp controls and level controls on each side . A 1500 spin. cylce lights indicate when drain is on, one each for hot water cold water lo spin high spin and level lo med hi . Supply cups for prewsh wash bleach softner, would have the old style motor that waste no time going in to spin. All in gleaming S S . and a bell that rings 6 times each 10 seconds in the last min of operation.

 

[sudsman]

Or all the above

With the Launderall type machine

 

[Unimatic1140]

I never knew that in solid tubs the cabinet was the outer tub as it appears here.
Hi Phil, yes in early Frigidaire, ABC-o-Matic, Kelvinator, Apex, and all Hotpoint washers through the mid 70's had used the cabinet as the outer tub. It makes for a wonderful sound as the water is being thrown out of the wash tub and hitting the cabinet. If you are washing in hot water in a cool basement, when the washer goes into spin the cabinet goes from chilly to so hot you almost can't touch it for a minute.

As for the Super Unimatic, its a machine I'm going to build over time and keep building, I expect it to never be truly complete. I've added a flow through detergent dispenser on the outside of the machine (one I took out of an Asko washer), I've added a pump pressure sensor to determine the flow rate of the recirculation pump, this makes for a metered fill as the wash cycle will not begin until the wash tub is filled to overflowing and the recirculation is up to full 25 gallons a minute force. The software is now much more robust and give complete information about exactly what is energized in the machine and displays any messages that the washer is sending back to the computer. I have three main goals for this machine: Excellent Washability, High Drama and most important, just plain Fun!

I'll do an update when I have time, videos included!

 

[westyslantfront]

Hi Robert. Fascinating pictures. I enjoyed looking at them all.

Ross

 

[sudsman]

Robert

Videos Please

 

[bobofhollywood]

ROBUST PROGRAM

Robert!~

I'm in love with your machine.

Did you design the program yourself to run the cycle or is it an X-10 type of thing? I'd really like to know about that as I see the doability of such a project, and would really dig having a computer controlled custom washing beast of my own.

You ROCK man~!

Holla from Hollywood~

Bob

 

[Unimatic1140]

Hi Bob,

Well for starters you need to build a PARALLEL PORT RELAY BOARD that you can get from many places on the web, like: electronickits.com.

This board allows you to energize up to eight different components, up to 10amps each. I think it comes with some very basic software (not good enough to run a washer time cycle), but I did not use it.

Right now in my Super Unimatic I have 11 possible components that can be energized whenever my computer software calls for it. Because I have 11 things to operate, I needed to build two relay boards (as each one can only run up to 8 things) and I added a second parallel port to the computer expansion slot. Here are the 11 components I energize at different times in my machine (this list is going to grow over time):

1. The Unimatic Mechanism Motor
2. The Unimatic Mechanism Spin Solenoid
3. The Water Heater (I love this part!)
4. The Electric Drain Pump
5. The Electric 25gal a min Recirculation Pump
6. The Hot Water Solenoid (3 solenoid water valve)
7. The Warm Water Solenoid
8. The Cold Water Solenoid
9. The Detergent Dispenser Water Diverter Valve
10. The Cabinet Fill Water Diverter Valve
11. The Jet-Circle Spray Water Diverter Valve.

You can run up to 10 amps through these babies, but I don't think it's a good idea for the health of the relay boards in the long run. So for the Unimatic Motor, Spin Solenoid, Water Heater, Electric Drain Pump, Electric Recirculation I run the power through a five separate 16amp relays so the only amperage going through the actual computer board is to run these separate relays coils.

As for the software, I wrote the entire thing from scratch in Visual Basic. Since I'm a computer programmer by profession, this was a very simple task for me to do.

I'm using the five volt dc voltage of the parallel port to communicate from the washer back to the computer. Right now there are only two items that talk back to the computer. An unbalance switch and a recirculation pump full pressure switch. When either of these switches closes it sends a five volt DC surge to one of the inbound ports on the parallel port singling the computer program to react.

I love this machine, the water heater alone is worth its weight in gold for super sparkling white washes. There are more things I want to add this winter to the machine, the next is a flow through fabric softener dispenser, and amperage meter, a thermometer to display the water temperature on the computer screen and a way to measure the rinse water level.

Here is the first screen you seen in my software, this is when you first start the washer, you pick a cycle and select start:

 

[Unimatic1140]

Here is the software screen after you have picked a cycle and have started the machine. You can adjust the cycle by double clicking on any new function you would like to start or repeat from the list in the box on the right.

You can also adjust the time of the current function by entering in the blue box near the top left.

The times in (###) next to the functions are the seconds that they will run unless adjusted.

Anyone want to guess what the "Knock Counter" is located in the yellow operation box???

 

[Unimatic1140]

I should point out that both the Saturation Fill and Wash Fill are metered fills, not timed fills. The computer does not advance until the recirculation pump pressure switch is satisfied. There are times the in parens (120) but those are just estimates for viewing purposes only.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Here is the rest of the "Hot Suds White Towels Cycle":

 

[brit]

Just found this in a google search

that is quite an interesting project, one thing that could look quite cool is if you extended the back of the unit so you could fit a large-ish LCD touchscreen (or even have one riase from the back on a pair of actuators, change the machine running it for one of these compact via eden boards

then just change the windows shell to something else, have the pc boot into a kiosk type thing giving you the option to launch the wash controls/mp3 player so you have music in the wash room

and hey presto an all in one computer controlled washing machine and i suppose if you want to be really really flash im sure that as a programmer you could knock up a version of the control to run on a pocket pc over wifi

I do like the idea of keeping water in the outer cabinet as balast, efficent use of waste water

 

[westytoploader]

Hi Robert, great pictures of the Super Unimatic...can't wait to see more on what you've done to it! Is the "Knock Counter" feature you mentioned the off-balance mechanism that would shut the machine off if the tub knocked a certain number of times?

 

[gmmcnair]

My Dream Machine

Since our leader isn't mass producing Super Unimatics (wish you would), I would have the lint filtering capabilities of the GE filter flo, the agitator from the old Norge/Wards machines, the huge straight vane model with the mega oscillations, along with a 1000+ rpm spin speed, extra rinse options, and a timer that advanced automatically from Pre-Wash/Soak into the wash cycle (add timed detergent/bleach/fabric softener dispensers to that list too).

Of course, I would also want a window in the lid to see all the splashy splashy action! :-D

Is this too much to ask???

 

[Unimatic1140]

Hey Brit, welcome to aw.org. Someday I might do a touch screen thingy, but for now I like the robustness of an actual pc terminal.

You got it Austin, the unbalance sensor has to be knocked into by the transmission four times before it goes into my unbalance load routine. Sometimes in a Unimatic during the start of spin, part of the wash load reaches the wall of the wash tub before the rest of the load causing the tub to wobble out of balance two or three times before the entire wash is pressed against the side of the tub. Have the computer count "knocks" prevent any unbalance load "false alarms". If the computer counts four knocks on the sensor, the unbalance routine then stops the motor and engages the spin brake and the washer tub sits still for ten seconds, this allows the wash load to drop down to the bottom of the wash tub where it is less likely to swing the tub, then it tries to spin again. If it knocks into the unbalance sensor four more times than the computer stops everything and announces an unbalance load. This rarely happens, but it does on occasion.

 

[brit]

it may be worth looking at the in car audio community as i know for a fact that you can get touchscreens for PC use that are about 7inch in size that connect to a PC for in car computers if the idea of a touch screen appeals

 

[chestermikeuk]

WonderWasher!!

Hi Chris
Mine would be a revamped 1961 Hoover Keymatic!!
Sloping Front, 8kg load, 2,000rpm, Stainless Drum with Stainless Pulsator, H & C fill, Susz Save Water Tank under the drum, With a Keyplate moulding machine to Design & Print your own keycards...

Robert
Your`re just such a Whizz with those machines, BUT...How could you be such a tease and tell us you cannibalised a lovley ASKo, just to get your parts!!!! shame...LOL

Hi Brit
Welcome to the club, lots to do and see, what are your favourite Brit machines??? (please dont say Miele!!!)

Mike

 

[unimac104]

super unimatic

robert,
what more can be said other than you are true genius at what you do. hope i get get meet and shake your hand one day.

bob

 

[mistereric]

Hey Rob!

What if your washing machine gets a virus? Could you imagine the horror? Dingy whites, suds gone awry... and what if it gets to the fill mechanism? YEE!

I'm just kiddin around. Do you have plans to bury the control box inside the machine? It'd be neat to have just the parallel port on the back of the machine.

I think you should submit your work to makezine.com, they'd love it.

 

[jasonl]

Robert, does the water heater have a thermostat, or do you just give it a specified on time until you think it's gotten hot enough?

 

[Unimatic1140]

Do you have plans to bury the control box inside the machine?
Hi Eric, no worries about viruses the in-line heater will keep all the computer germs at bay -- as for placing the control box inside the machine I might do that some day but for now I like having easy access to the 2 relay boards. I also like the idea of the keyboard and mouse user interface over a touch-screen; it makes for much more robust control. Granted it would never be able to be marketed that way, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to have a totally cool, fun, flexible, one of a kind washer that I can sculpt and use over the years.

Robert, does the water heater have a thermostat, or do you just give it a specified on time until you think it's gotten hot enough?
Hi Jason, the in-line water heater is from a 30” Dacor dishwasher, it was designed to heat only a few gallons of water at a time and it has its own internal 165 degree thermostat. Since my machine has 14 gallons of water recirculating through the system there is very little chance that the water temperature is going to reach 165F in a 20 minute heat period. What happens is the incoming hot water is at 140F, it cools down to 120F as it enters the cool wash tub and clothes, the heater will then bring it back up to nearly 130F but I've never seen it go higher than 130F. The point of the heater is not to heat the water, but to keep the water very hot throughout the 20 minute wash/soak cycle. I've experimented by keeping the heater turned off and in 20 minutes the hot water temperature drops all the way from 120F to 101F, by simply keeping the water hot, it seems to make all the difference in the world for getting whites really white without using bleach. Granted I like the idea of starting with cold water and heating it up during the wash cycle, but that would take forever and one my objectives for this machine, unlike many modern washers, is not to waste one second of time on nonsense cycles and functions.