12V DC Motor Controls
12V DC Motor Controls
(OP)
I am not an electrical engineer, nor do I know much about motor controls, and I was hoping to get pointed in the right direction for creating a custom programmable timer to drive a 12V motor.
My company manufactures solar powered pumps which we would like to run intermittently every 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 3 minutes. During each cycle, we want to allow control over how long the pump runs for. Basically we would need an on/off switch, 3 position switch for cycle time, analog input for run duration, and possibly run/fault lights.
I have seen similar timers designed to operate 12V appliances but many are limited to switching 8 times a day. Some of our requirements are:
1. Operate outdoors in a NEMA 3R rainproof box
2. Potted for moisture/shock issues
3. 12V +/- 10% input and output, 15A max
4. 3 cycle times; 2880, 1440, and 480 cycles per day.
5. Quick connects for input/output
6. Voltage sensing would be optional, so that when the batteries are low on charge we could reduce the run duration.
7. Run/Fault lights would be preferred, but we could go without them.
If anyone knows of a manufacturer who would be willing to work on something like this, or if something like this exists, I would greatly appreciate any information. Thanks
My company manufactures solar powered pumps which we would like to run intermittently every 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 3 minutes. During each cycle, we want to allow control over how long the pump runs for. Basically we would need an on/off switch, 3 position switch for cycle time, analog input for run duration, and possibly run/fault lights.
I have seen similar timers designed to operate 12V appliances but many are limited to switching 8 times a day. Some of our requirements are:
1. Operate outdoors in a NEMA 3R rainproof box
2. Potted for moisture/shock issues
3. 12V +/- 10% input and output, 15A max
4. 3 cycle times; 2880, 1440, and 480 cycles per day.
5. Quick connects for input/output
6. Voltage sensing would be optional, so that when the batteries are low on charge we could reduce the run duration.
7. Run/Fault lights would be preferred, but we could go without them.
If anyone knows of a manufacturer who would be willing to work on something like this, or if something like this exists, I would greatly appreciate any information. Thanks





RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
Pls note, I haven't broken the rules yet.
Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.
RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
True.
jeffc0987; Sounds like an ideal microcontroller application. Once you've stepped up to a microcontroller there are a lot of additional things you can do in that application for not much more cost. For instance you could add a display that tallies cycles, describes the modes, shows the battery state, perhaps soft-starts the pump, runs the cycles on a daily profile or the calender, monitors the temperature, and describes errors, to name a very few possibilities. With a little more additional cost you can take on all the solar charging tasks. You can also enable communications links to provide remote control and error notification. Lots of possibilities.
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
I have found a few places today that seem to be very confident that they can accomplish what I am asking for. I was definitely looking for a micro controller, and was in the process of getting something custom made by our motor manufacturer, however it wasn't EXACTLY what we were looking for. All of the additional options would be great, but this is also designed to be something extremely simple to set up out in the field and having too much is confusing/intimidating for the people who are setting them up.
Eventually I hope to cut my teeth on some micro controllers along with the work I have done with PLCs. I see a lot of DIY projects involving micro controllers that seem pretty interesting to me.
Again, thanks for all the responses today.
RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
If you need someone to program it, see above...
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RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
I did see the flaminsystems.com, and I looked into it. I'm sure that a custom design could be made, however during my searches I happened upon a company that does extensive custom work, and already has an OTS model with ~95% of the features I was requesting. The only modification they would need to make would be to add a 3 position switch allowing for different cycle durations. I am actually a bit surprised that I couldn't find a percentage timer manufacturer that has one OTS with adjustable cycle times.
RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com
RE: 12V DC Motor Controls
RE: 12V DC Motor Controls