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Thread Number: 7946
Ok...this is your chance......to |
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Post# 152863 9/6/2006 at 19:38 (6,434 days old) by historyman  (Pittsburgh, PA/Aiken, SC) |
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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. | ||
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Post# 152864 , Reply# 1 9/6/2006 at 19:41 (6,434 days old) by historyman (Pittsburgh, PA/Aiken, SC) |
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oh and by the way........ | ||
| Post# 152870 , Reply# 4 9/6/2006 at 20:12 (6,434 days old) by westytoploader () | ||
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Post-1965 Maytag helical-drive with ramp agitator, recirculating filter, and permanent-press agitate/fill cooldown. Now THAT would be fun. | ||
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Post# 152880 , Reply# 5 9/6/2006 at 21:17 (6,434 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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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.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO unimatic1140's LINK | ||
| Post# 152901 , Reply# 7 9/6/2006 at 23:08 (6,434 days old) by pturo (Syracuse, New York) | ||
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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 | ||
| Post# 152933 , Reply# 8 9/7/2006 at 05:03 (6,434 days old) by sheerlookhomes (U.K.) | ||
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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! | ||
| Post# 152935 , Reply# 9 9/7/2006 at 05:22 (6,433 days old) by drmitch () | ||
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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? :) | ||
| Post# 152954 , Reply# 11 9/7/2006 at 08:16 (6,433 days old) by sudsman () | ||
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Or all the above With the Launderall type machine | ||
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Post# 152970 , Reply# 12 9/7/2006 at 09:31 (6,433 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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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! | ||
| Post# 152978 , Reply# 13 9/7/2006 at 10:17 (6,433 days old) by westyslantfront () | ||
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Hi Robert. Fascinating pictures. I enjoyed looking at them all. Ross | ||
| Post# 153002 , Reply# 14 9/7/2006 at 11:57 (6,433 days old) by sudsman () | ||
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Robert Videos Please | ||
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Post# 153023 , Reply# 16 9/7/2006 at 13:47 (6,433 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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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: 
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Post# 153024 , Reply# 17 9/7/2006 at 13:50 (6,433 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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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??? 
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Post# 153027 , Reply# 18 9/7/2006 at 13:58 (6,433 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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Post# 153028 , Reply# 19 9/7/2006 at 13:59 (6,433 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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| Post# 153035 , Reply# 21 9/7/2006 at 14:39 (6,433 days old) by westytoploader () | ||
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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? | ||
| Post# 153048 , Reply# 22 9/7/2006 at 15:25 (6,433 days old) by gmmcnair (Portland, OR) | ||
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??? | ||
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Post# 153056 , Reply# 23 9/7/2006 at 16:03 (6,433 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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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. | ||
| Post# 153064 , Reply# 24 9/7/2006 at 16:41 (6,433 days old) by brit () | ||
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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 | ||
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Post# 153078 , Reply# 25 9/7/2006 at 18:31 (6,433 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK) |
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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 | ||
| Post# 153090 , Reply# 26 9/7/2006 at 19:08 (6,433 days old) by unimac104 () | ||
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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 | ||
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Post# 153219 , Reply# 27 9/8/2006 at 11:57 (6,432 days old) by mistereric (New Jersey (Taylor Ham)) |
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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. | ||
| Post# 153226 , Reply# 28 9/8/2006 at 12:49 (6,432 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN) | ||
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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? | ||
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Post# 153232 , Reply# 29 9/8/2006 at 13:43 (6,432 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis) |
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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. | ||
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