Cooling a ADSL Modem Router without modification.

Have you ever noticed how hot a adsl modem can get? Yes it can get pretty hot and there is no in build cooling system other than a few ventilation slots on the casing itself. I am not sure whether it is true for most adsl modems, but I am sure of those that I had used before. I am not sure what is the max operating temperature for a adsl modem but operating at a pretty hot temperature is not a good sign.

I recently got myself a new adsl modem router after my old one had the misfortune of being fried by lightning. That one too runs pretty hot and so I had it hung in a way that it will get maximum exposure in the air, like hanging a wet blanket out to dry. It didn't work because there is no breeze because it is indoor and in a out of sight place. From my experience, a hot modem will cause the line to be disconnected by itself which can be very frustrating at times.

This new adsl modem router too runs pretty hot and this time I decided to do something about it with whatever I have available. This modem comes with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty and so I cannot do any modification to it because it will void the warranty. Basing on this I decided on a external cooling fan to increase the air circulation outside the modem.

Checking through my collection of junks, I managed to gather together the necessary parts to put together the external cooling fan.  Some of the parts are almost 40 years old, the fan itself was saved from a pile of other items to be dismantled and

sold to the junk yard. The fan was taken out from a computer CPU because it was running intermittently with lots of noise ....... thought that it was going to kick the bucket then. Since I am building a proto-type and as long as it can work long enough to confirm my set up will work, it was OK for me. Then I thought maybe a little oil down the spindle might help, guess what, it is working perfectly right now, guess it must have been real thirsty after working for more than 4 years without a drink!

The rubber base is a must, without it the whole thing might just move around from the vibration of the fan. It is also to keep the whole contraption steady because the modem is going to sit right on top of it. The idea is to have the fan blowing from the bottom of the modem and leaving the top safe to operate the switches and wires. The rubber base will also keep the modem steady when handling the switches and wires.

Next is to connect the power supply for the fan to a DC power supply source since it is a DC powered fan. The AC to DC converter was taken out of retirement after it had faithfully served us 24/7 for many years powering a caller ID gadget for land line telephones. A tip here for connecting wires without having a lump in it. I guess the picture is self explantory.

Having the contraption assembled, it just did not look right with the fan so far down and with a some modifications got the fan to where I wanted it to be. The fan have to be closer to the modem so that it can enjoy the full blast of the
cooling air. It is not necessary to have it that tall, just about a centimeter above the base would be great and everything would be more stable. I did not want to cut the supporting screws and since it is stable enough for me I left it as it is. Next placed the modem where it is supposed to be and it is done. This modem have some ribs at the bottom and so it sits quite steadily on the contraption.
So far it had been running for about 3 weeks now and the modem is running at about just the room temperature and the warranty on it is 100% intact.

Project Garlic - They All Grew.

It's Complete!

All the cloves are now garlic plants. :)

Project Garlic - It Worked ... Did It?

I am not sure that the ice treatment trick did it! Hahaha!!!


Garlic Shoot :)

I am wandering whether it was a coincidence or it really worked. Anyway I am pleased that they are growing .... YES!

Project Garlic - Winter in Garlic Land!

A month and more than a week had passed and there is still no sprout. I was just thinking maybe I should make it snow.


It snowed? ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden )

It snowed!!! Wow!! Looks like I am getting fall garlic soon!!

Hahaha!!! Just joking, the ice is from the freezer that Home Minister was cleaning and I thought that if I can con the garlics into believing that a quick winter just passed, it might just start to wake up and sprout!    

Project Garlic - It's Still Alive!

The situation in the garlic pot is still very much the same and seems lifeless so I decided to take peek.


Did it multiply?!

I was really surprised when I parted the mulch right in the middle of the pot. I remembered that I only had one clove there when I started and now looks like two ...hmmm. I am very sure that only one clove is planted in each position. Anyway I left it as it is and covered the clove or cloves back with some earth and mulch. Well one thing for sure they are still alive.

Project Garlic - It's Lifeless?

Lifeless

Is it lifeless? It sure did take care of the intruder problem but what is happening to the residents? Maybe they are building their foundation first .... I mean growing roots. Guess just have to keep my fingers crossed, keep watering them and hope one of them will pop up real soon!


Patience, patience!

Project Garlic - Mulch in the pot

Garlic 

I noticed that the earth in the pot gets quite dry during the day because of the hot weather and intruders are raring their ugly heads!


Still Lifeless 

The garlic seems to be happy just sitting there while the intruders were busy marking their territories.


Mulched 

I was mowing the lawn and I thought why not mulch it with the grass clipping to keep the intruders at bay and the earth in the pot moist. I have never put mulch in a pot before and it looks like a good idea at that time. Now I'm thinking ... will it affect the garlic?

Project Garlic - Will it or WIll it not?

Yes that is the question, will it grow. I have not planted garlic before. Wanted to try growing it before but was discouraged because garlic is not a tropical thing but then again it is fun just to try it out. After reading most of the posting here in Garden Stew, I decided to plant them in a container for more control.


Garlic
Totally I planted 7 cloves, 2 already partially buried.


planted 

This is how far I had them buried, I hope it is the rigth depth or should I push deeper in?

Aquaponics - A Filter Is Needed!

The water in the fish tank was getting polluted with more and more suspended solids and the fish were getting depressed. The suspended solids were mostly from the fish pooh and loose earth that came with the pebbles. I did not wash the pebbles because they seemed to be OK when I started moreover I guess it is impossible to wash them. From what I observed, the outer layer of the pebbles seemed to have melted with the constant contact with water and is causing the water to be murky. The discharged nozzles got clogged after a week with these suspended solids in a slimy clump and cleaning is done on a weekly basis. The sliminess is an indication that there are organism breaking down the waste into nutrients and I am pleased but not with the clogging.
The murky water, sad fish and clogged discharge nozzles is not a good sign. I decided to do something because I want to have tasty fish and "Happy fish are tasty fish", also not having to clean the nozzles that often. At first I thought of just a simple suspended solid trap like a sieve of some sorts and after some considerations I guess it would be a waste of good resources.


Bio Filter Schematic 

Maybe I can just build a bio-filter base on the same principle as what I did for my little water fountain. It had been running for almost 3 years with no maintenance at all and it is still functioning perfectly. OK I'll do that.

Checked the water pressure at the regulating valve purging side and the discharge water looks strong enough so no need for additional pump. Take stock of what is available to be recycled and reused. I had to spend $4.80 only for a short length of piping and some fittings.

I have quite a few of these pigment drums which I got them free quite a few years ago and I just had no use for them for the time being. It is just the right size and is perfect for the bio-filter vessel body. Made a hole to fit a return tube for filtered water into the fish tank.


Filter material 

The filter material is some sorts of synthetic wool which I extracted from an old couch waiting to be dismantled. The actual material used were scrubbies but I guess the synthetic wool will work just as well.


Foam 

In case of scrubbies you can weight them down with some pebbles but with this synthetic wool I'll have to make use of a foam to keep them down so that any loose fiber would not flow into the tank.


Shape for tight fit

I have some old foam seat cushion and it was just perfect for this purpose. I have to cut it slight larger than the circumference of the tub for a tight fit so that it can hold the wool down.


Installed

The bio-filter took me slightly more than an hour to make and it was being installed in the evening.


Happiness 

When I take a look early the next morning, the water was already crystal clear and guess who were smiling and going to be tasty again?

The Veggies? They are delicious ... Yum!!!

Project Aquaponics - A summary.

Aquaponics is the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. I was introduced to this process of farming by a member of Garden Stew, the gardening forum that I participated in. My intention was to plant cool weather veggies like lettuce, romaines, spinach, leeks and so on. Incidentally I found out that leeks cannot be planted this way and growing leeks is really different. Anyway I wanted to start a hydroponic system organically and I never knew aquaponics existed.

My princess did planted some veggies using the traditional hydroponics method when she was still in school. The system came in a set complete with all the chemical for the nutrients and veggies seeds. I was impressed with the way the veggies grew and from this memory I decided maybe I can grow cool weather veggies this way. So after lots of googling and asking around in Garden Stew, I was introduced to aquaponics. More googling and concluded the only way I can do this organically is by aquaponics. There are web sites that claim that their chemical nutrients for the hydroponics is organic but I wanted something that I can have easy access to locally at minimum cost.

There are many methods to set up an aquaponics system and after considering the basics of space and hardware, I decided on the ebb and flow method. For a detail account of my set up please check out my blog on my aquaponics in Garden Stew.

Anyway I had my first harvest just a couple of days ago which is "nai bai" and had it for lunch today. It tasted just as good as those planted on the ground and it is finer. As for the planting of cool weather, I guess it is out of the question now. I planted a whole bed with lettuce and it is not doing well. Most of the leaves were scorched by the super hot sun and they are bolting. So instead of getting nice bunch of leafy lettuce, I am getting long skinny ones. Looks like planting cool climate veggies here would remain a fantasy for me.

Hey!! I hope I have encountered the BLANK!!

BLANK!

It is really difficult for me to post anything lately. I have had wanted to post many things but when I log on all I can do is ................................ yes, just BLANK!! Nothing seems to enter my mind, sometimes after just keying in a few words and it is just BLANK again! Hmmm .................. don't ask me why because I have no idea myself why this BLANK is happening.

Right now I am fighting with this BLANK thingie so that I continue with my blog. I am going to post this even though it is a BLANK and if I can do it, I guess I might just overcome this BLANK period. A post is a post right?

Aquaponics - Planting ... I'm Happy :)

Today I added more seedlings to the aquaponics system. These new seedlings are specifically grown to be planted in the system.


Mini-Bok 

These are min-bok-choi or "nai-pai" in Chinese which is Milky White directly translated. One of our fellow member had planted this before but I cannot recall who.


Cleaning the roots. 

After carefully removing the seedling from the growth media, the seedling is gently put in water to remove as much as possible whatever is stuck to the roots.


Planting the seedling.

A couple of the pebbles is removed to make a cavity so that the seedling can be inserted.


Planted 

After inserting the seedling, the pebbles were carefully replaced and it is planted.


It's done! 

I decided to go on a 3X3in grid and I managed to get a total of 15 plants in a bed. Isn't that a pleasant sight?


Brassica and a single lettuce. 

A check on the first bed and I am please to say that they are doing well including the lone lettuce on the far right. I bought a packet of fresh lettuce seeds today and had sowed some seeds to be planted in the system next. Keeping my fingers crossed that they will germinate. 

Happiness!!!

Aquaponics - Let The Planting Begin!!!

Got the tilapias in on March 23rd and they were only about an inch. They got down to work immediately, easy job eat and poo.


Tilapias 

These fellas are growing real fast, more than four times the size when I got them. I feed them with commercial fish pellets and lettuce leaf once in a while. Still looking for duck weeds inactively anyway they are keeping the tank real clean from algae.


First Batch 

These are the first batch of seedlings which is what some people would refer to as "Orphans Plants" except for the one on the far right corner which is a lettuce. I wanted to start with lettuce but I only got a single seedling from the 20 seeds that I germinated.

I hate waiting, don't you? As a matter of fact from what I had read, I am suppose to wait like 2 or 3 months to let the bacteria grow to produce the necessary nutrients but I couldn't wait. Now is to watch how this first batch of veggies is going to grow. I have four more beds ...... maybe I'll start more seeds tomorrow!!!

Aquaponics - All System Go!!!

After ironing out all the problems (I hope!) I had the fish tank filled out to the brim.


Filled to the brim 

I made sure that all the water in the grow tanks were siphoned out before filling in the fish tank. In this way I am able to determine how much water is left in the fish when all the grow tanks were filled.


Water level after filled grow tank 

The water level is about 6 inches or 16cm below the brim, That is a comfortable level to work with and I think if I were to add one more grow tank, it would be no problem.


All system go!! 

After feeling everything is running smoothly, I started with the cycle time adjustment. The best time I could get is about 11 to 13 minutes, any slower the siphon will not start. I guess I just had to work with that even thought I mentioned theoretically is 15~20 minutes. Would a couple of minutes make a difference?? Hmmm ... Well the only way to find out is when the planting start and I am OK with that. I had also inoculated the water with some water from my fountain so that the maturity of the water can be shorten.

And I the final cost:

Total Hardware purchase: $175.00
Old parts cost estimate: $25.00
Total Cost : $200.00

I guess at Malaysian Ringgit $200.00 is reasonable and I am sure once it is productive, it should pay back in less than 6 months.

Next, should I get edible fish of just fish, buy or go fishing?

Aquaponics - Unforeseen Problems & Headaches

After sleeping on the flow problem I came up with a simple solution which I thought should work, restrict the flow at the throat before the outlet. Instead of adding regulating valves on each and every outlet which will attract and increase cost, I guess the simplest way to achieve this is to reduce the diameter at the throat by inserting a sleeves. Got hold of tubing of different diameters and cut short section of it to make sleeves. Inserted it into the throat of the outlet with the fastest flow rate and the result was encouraging. I had turned the flow regulator valve to feed the grow tank at the most minimal rate as possible in order to see the effect of the flow.


Sleeves 

After lots of trial and error in establishing the diameter of each throat with all sorts of tubing and even plastic drinking straws, I managed to get the almost best even flow rate for all the 5 outlets. Once this is established, I can then adjust the cycle time . While adjusting the cycle time, I noticed that the drain did not stop and continue trickling at a steady pace. Oh no not another problem! Could it be the draining rate equals the feed rate? Checked the siphon hose one by one and confirmed that the two grow tanks that is the furthest away from the fish tank is the culprit. If the feed rate is equal to the drain rate then increasing the feed rate would solve the problem so I thought. Tried increasing the feed rate but problem is still there!


Version 1.0

Version 1.1

Insurance 

It was getting late and decided to pack it in for the day and surfed the net till late at night looking for a solution but there was none. The next day I thought could be the air access hole being too small to break the siphon must be the problem and decided to make them bigger. It was a tedious task having to remove the pebbles from the two tanks but it was done after nearly 4 hours. Since I had all the pebbles removed from the tank, I decided to add a cage to the opening of the siphon tube to reduce the possibility of getting blocked in future. All the siphon system have the same size air access hole when I made them so I decided to redo the other three tanks as well. Even though it is tedious, if it must be done, it must be done - better safe than sorry or is it better now than later? Anyway cages were also installed as well to be on the safe side


Pho bo - yummy 

The next day got all the components and pebbles back in the grow tank and got the pump running again and ...... no, no...oh NO!!! it was still not working. Ah well, decided to help Becky with the very delicious "pho bo" or Vietnamese beef noodle soup preparation for lunch. This was the very first time we were making it and it was really yummy. After satisfying my tummy and rested, I headed to the aquaponic area to look at it again. Hmm ...... this maybe if I can just see what was happening under the pebbles maybe I would be able to find a solution.


Siphon 5 

OK I decided just to make an opening in the pebbles until I can see the cage and observe the whole process from fill to siphon to break siphon to fill again. It was a long wait before the siphon started and again a very very long wait for the siphon to break because it did not. The siphon just slowed down when it reached a certain level and equal out to the feed, when I push the siphon loop lower the siphon speed increases. This must be the culprit, remove the hoses of the two problem tanks and compared them with the others and confirmed that they were shorter. Guess what, this problem was self inflicted, remember when some of the water was purging out during the very first run I cut the hose shorter to ease the flow, guess I cut a bit too much.

Now to set the cycle time.

Aquaponics - Its Done ... IS IT!

Got the water pump which is the heart of the whole system which is reasonably priced and very reliable. Best of all the shop is just walking distance from my place.


The Heart
It is a submersible pump exactly the same as the one that I have in my fountain which had been running continuously coming to three years now without any attention needed. It is rated 2,000 liters per hour with a power consumption of 28 watts. Took a piece of left over 15 mm pvc piping and it fitted nicely over the discharge port of the pump.
With the diameter of the feed plumbing settled, I sat in front of the incomplete aquaponics system to imagine and decide on the best delivery system to feed the tanks with the water from the fish tank. Once decided, I started to make a shopping list for the hardware needed. From my measurement, I needed about 14 feet of the rigid pvc piping but I decided to get a whole standard of 20 feet which is more cost effective than buying it base on foot run.


Dry, dry, dry!
After getting the hardware together, I had to stop work for the day because it was getting late in the day and the plants in the mini farm need to be watered, no thanks to the extreme hot weather and dry spell. I have to water them 3 times a day for the moment.


Power Point
Started immediately after breakfast the next day with the pump in hand and realised that the power was not done yet. Spent almost the whole day getting the cables and power point done up. The hardware were all left over from when I rewired the house. The wires were all new and the power was drawn from the main switch board with a dedicated mini circuit breaker. A switch is placed in the house for convenience of easy reach in case of emergency.


Feed
Basing on the principle that level of water will be the same if all vessels containing the water is connected, the feed pipe design is rather straight forward. The stopcock is to regulate the flow of the water. If the pump capacity is not enough, I had already convinced myself to buy another same pump if necessary because it did look a little small


Feed System
Once everything was hooked up and ready to go, I decided to filled the fish tank with tap water because I had no more rain water and I don't think it'll rain soon.


First Run
Once the tank was 50% filled and it was all system go! I was surprised the volume of the water that small pump can really pump up and in a matter of minutes the grow tank was filled and some even flooded before the siphon kick in. I was excited, really excited to see the system in motion. While adjusting the level of the flooded tank, I felt water splashing on my foot ......o..oh!!


O, oh!!

The Culprit
Made a quick inspection and found that water was splashing out of the hole where the hoses go into the drain pipe. Hmmm.... checked the hoses where the water is splashing and concluded that they were too deep inside thus restricting the flow of the water and causing a back flow. Without another thought those hoses were reduced in length by  an inch or so and the problem was corrected. I am pleased that it was running and took a moment to admire it in action

The flow regulating valve worked like a charm but I was wrong with the principle that level of water thingie, it only works base on arguhhh!!! I don't know!!! the flow to the five tanks were all at different rates.


Feed Version 2
Decided to change the design to this improved version with the main feed flow coming from more or less from the center. For this design I had added in the pressure from the pump and hope that the flow pressure would be distributed evenly through the outlets. Well it did not but at least I got even flow in pairs, that is the 2outlets at the ends were the same, the 2 mid-way have a flow rate of their own and the one closest where the feed is coming from was the strongest.

Tried to find a solution but it was getting late and the mozzies had a feast of me!!

And the cost so far:

1 pc 200 litres Drum = $45.00
5 pcs 25 litres cans = $20.00
1 pc Funny Hand saw = $3.90
1 tube 300gm silicone sealant = $6.00
8 pcs Reduction Adapter 32 to 25mm = $5.60
8 pcs Reduction Elbow 25 to 15mm = $4.80
1 meter 32mm pvc thin wall pipe = $2.50
1 meter 15mm pvc thin wall pipe = $1.50
1 pc best quality hacksaw blade = $3.80
4 pcs 20mm pvc T junction = $3.80
1 roll teflon tape = $0.50
1 pc submesible pump = $48.00
5 pcs pvc 15mm T joint = $5.00
1 pc 20ft 15mm pvc pipe = $10.50
1 pc 15mm pvc/nylon stopcock = $8.50
7 pcs 15mm pvc elbow = $5.60

Total : $175.00*
*Malaysian Ringgit  

Aquaponics - Almost There!

Done with the sorting of the pebbles and assembly of all the grow tanks with the drainage plumbing in place. The sorting of the pebbles was rather boring but it must be done. In total I made 3 trips to pebble land and spent more than 10 hours doing the sorting. Good things doesn't come easy in life ya!!

The first batch of the pebbles was filled into the prototype tank to make sure that it would work fine and it did.


Pebbles
The pebbles were filled in the order of the coarse right at the bottom to small at the top.


Water Capacity
The amount of water that was being held in the grow tank before the siphon start was also determined after the pebbles were in. It is about 11 liters and with 5 grow tanks a total of 55 liters of ............ oops!! mental mathematics block!! Will look at this matter when I can do a full physical run to see how would the whole system perform.


Sealing
All the other grow tanks did not have a perfect fit for the drain pipes as in the prototype. This time I have to use silicone together with teflon tape (thanks for this suggestion Sojerd). The teflon tape is great for increasing the perimeter of the piping for a snug fit while the silicone provided a great seal.

While doing the assembly, a thought came into my mind that nasty algae will grow in the transparent soft pvc tubing that forms part of the siphon loop. I decided to make use of opaque flexible hose instead of the transparent pvc tubing


Opaque Hose
Once again up into the goodies store to look for an alternative and all I could find is this extra long garden hose that had been comfortably rolled up in its reel. It was all dusty for being up there for like ages and I guess cutting a couple of feet won't hurt.


The Return System
The pebbles went into the grow tanks as they were sorted until all were filled before the plumbing work was started on. I had the return plumbing firmly embedded in my mind and was really excited to see it transformed into reality piece by piece.
For the stand, I salvaged the materials from one my funny fishing gadget which was some kind mini sailing vessel.


Fishing Contraption
I made this contraption after reading about it in the internet and did not catch any fish with it. The idea is for it to carry the hook and baits away from the beach as far as possible which I thought there were many fishes but ........ ah well!! that was history. Some of the parts were salvaged from the rod holder.
The 20mm rigid pvc piping that I am using had a little story of its own. Never knew that the pressure could caused the pipe to crack, it was really messy and ugly.


All in a row.

Almost there!
Now I am glad that I got a use for it and it should not cause any unexpected mess. Anyway the only expenses here were the T-junctions and teflon tape.

And the cost so far:

1 pc 200 litres Drum = $45.00
5 pcs 25 litres cans = $20.00
1 pc Funny Hand saw = $3.90
1 tube 300gm silicone sealant = $6.00
8 pcs Reduction Adapter 32 to 25mm = $5.60
8 pcs Reduction Elbow 25 to 15mm = $4.80
1 meter 32mm pvc thin wall pipe = $2.50
1 meter 15mm pvc thin wall pipe = $1.50
1 pc best quality hacksaw blade = $3.80
4 pcs 20mm pvc T junction = $3.80
1 roll teflon tape = $0.50

Total : $97.40