Remote DS Unit

814jeffw

814jeffw

Active member
I put together a remote for my soap injector. VERY easy to build,..and gratifying as well. Also less than $100.00. Used the DEMA481P solenoid and an RS101 remote. Gonna be a welcome addition,..as I can see the value it's gonna bring. Been messing with it and it works extremely well,..I will transmit through obstacles at at LEAST 300'. And that's with the antenna tucked inside the unit,....It is also very reactive. All soldered connections and dielectric grease as well.

So I also wanted to have a backup,..I bought a very cheap solenoid,.$10.90,..made of plastic and has a VITON seal,..whereas the DEMA even only has EPDM,..and its approximately $70.00.

I bought another RS101 remote to go with it,.What I'm gonna do is put this spare unit into one of those ammo boxes along with a small 5Ah battery and have a self contained "Plug and Play" unit. These units use so little energy,..that this could also be an option for any pressure washer using a soap injector,..Just plug this things hoses in line of your soap injector and go. I have everything to put it together and will get a picture up sometime today or tomorrow. But basically,.it will be a picture of a small ammo can.

The RS101 remote is $19.00 and this Temco solenoid is $11.00. With hardware that'll be only around $40.00 for a remote DS,... Pretty cheap way to get a remote to at least try out.

*They make numerous options for these solenoids,..the DEMA 481P is nice,..but there are other "plastic" options to consider,..there's another one made from polypropylene for about $15.00.

I have (2) of the Demas but will likely be going to these cheaper models for testing purposes.

Jeff
 
s-l96.jpg
would something like this work? maybe not exactly this one but it looks like someone could power this up, hook up a remote, splice it in the soap line and call it good.
 
Yea Steven,..(without looking at the specs) it looks like another one I was looking at on ebay. It was around $15.00 I think.

When looking at these,.make sure they are in the "Normally Closed" position. You want it to open with the remote. And it will be off more than on,..thus using less juice.

Sometimes I've seen "Normally Closed" denoted as 'NC" in the specs.

Jeff
 
Here would be another one I think would work.

And also the remote I'm using:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-12V-DC-Plastic-Electric-Solenoid-Valve-Water-Air-R-O-12-VDC-FREE-SHIPPING-/290909115114?hash=item43bb88d2ea:g:ZckAAOSwstxVKJBn

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-LONG-RANGE-12V-DC-WIRELESS-REMOTE-CONTROL-SWITCH-WITH-12V-OUTPUT-RS101-/400634781759?hash=item5d47b1a03f:m:m68t2yeH2Zeoo1tgNDaIpoQ

So,..about $30.00 for the main parts of a remote DS unit. Definitely the way to go if you want to at least try a remote before buying more expensive pieces.

And in reality,..these will suffice for many of us anyhow.

Jeff
 
Hello Jeff, this sounds very interesting. When you transmitted through obstacles, have some of those obstacles been houses?

How does the solenoid valve work with bleach? I know bleach is harder on everything.

Even if it does not last all season long, that is not a lot of money for an investment but will save a lot of time, walking and chemical.

Now you just need a super bright L.E.D. light that you can see in the daytime so when you can see if the light is on to know for sure the solenoid is on also.

Post pics and/or a video of it working.

Thanks for sharing the info.
 
814jeffw said:
Here would be another one I think would work.

And also the remote I'm using:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-12V-DC-...115114?hash=item43bb88d2ea:g:ZckAAOSwstxVKJBn

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-L...hash=item5d47b1a03f:m:m68t2yeH2Zeoo1tgNDaIpoQ

So,..about $30.00 for the main parts of a remote DS unit. Definitely the way to go if you want to at least try a remote before buying more expensive pieces.

And in reality,..these will suffice for many of us anyhow.

Jeff
Click to expand...

That is awesome. thanks for the heads up. I will be looking into it soon. I am sure I am smart enough to figure it out. Like most of the parts I use to run sh through I would only expect one season out of it.
 
Hey Christopher,..yes,..I purposely went behind a neighbors house about 300' away,..and it transmitted without issue. I run 200' of hose,..so I should be good. Gonna keep the batteries changed in the transmitter. Yes,..SH is harsh,..but I hear the Demas get around 6 months of house washing use. These ones that look poly should last also,..they have the EPDM seals like the DEMA,..and are waaay cheaper as you can see.
I did hook up plenty of green indicator L.E.D lights,..just so I know it's on,..and so far in my testing,..this thing has worked flawlessly. Make GREAT connections when hooking up electrics,..use solder and dielectric grease,..gotta keep the oxygen out of the connections. So many electrical issue I see talked about could likely be solved with better connections.

I am not back to work yet,..this week I have a Church to do though,.they want it done before Easter,..so I will get that job done. Still waiting mainly though for the cold nights to STOP,Ha,Ha,..Anyhow,..I will try and get some pictures of it working. I don't have much of anything to take videos with. Not a smart phone person neither.

Jeff
 
Steven,..these remotes are VERY easy to hook up,..nothing to it. I can make one work on the bench in about 3 minutes. The remote I mentioned comes with very easy to follow directions. Power and ground to the coil from the remote receiver,..and power and ground from battery to the receiver and you're done. Make GREAT connections,..solder and dielectric grease always,..crimping just leaves room for corrosion. The remote come programmed to work with the unit. The antenna is the blue wire.

Jeff
 
Jeff your interest in remotes is great but i can tell you an anybody on the boards these cheap remotes an valves will not hold up to bleach very long.The cheap remotes also have a very limited out of line of sight to them as well.What i mean is when you are on the other side of the house they may or may not work an you will be always wondering did my remote switch.The valves are no different dema 481 p is the go to valve for corrisive material an saying that you need to order some extra plungers because when the valve gets some wear on them they will not work properly.I say all of this from many dollars spent on cheap remotes.I would rather use my old drop cord method to activate the valves than deal with a cheap remote.The drop cord method works similar to the chemex machines just with out the bulky hoses an when you switch it there is no error.The higher end remotes vibrate an let the user know that the brain received the signal and all is well.I have cut my house washing time way down by using the proper remote an valve set up an its really nice to wash a house with pretty much the same nozzel in the gun.It really does make a difference.I could not be happier with my remote set up the valves must have a filter because the way they work if a piece of dirt get in the valve body it will not close properly an will let soap keep coming through so you must have a good filter in place.
 
Thanks Hal,

I do have the DEMA 481P solenoids,..but at $70.00 it was worth exploring other options for myself,..along with other people who may just want to get their feet wet with remotes. I love playing with cheaper alternatives to the norm,..many times with bleach use,..the expensive fares no better than the cheap. But either way,..I like to play. If these $11.00 ones last a month then replace,..cheap enough to have on hand.

The remote I'm using is cheap,..but it seems to be the same quality of another remote I've seen sold with a DS remote unit,..which are just keychain transmitters. Of course,..maybe they're junk too,Ha,Ha,.. Mine works very well through obstacles,..including houses,..at 300' it worked everytime I hit the button,..and with interference being taken into account,..I had my engine running.

I looked at one that vibrates,..called,.."Feedback Feature",..but couldn't find one sold in the USA? Where did you get yours? Post a link if possible please. Cause I do like that feature. I do have bright L.E.D's hooked up,..and I won't be wondering if I'm on or not while spraying,..even if I have to peak around the corner to see it for confirmation. I could hook up the horn,..the customers would love that.

I appreciate what you're saying and just want to keep people from wasting money,..but to me it's not wasted. I'm not much of a listener.

Some people may not even consider a remote unit at the higher prices,..but a cheap, home built model for around $40.00 will get them the idea of if it's worth it to them to have one or not.

And yes,..I won't be without one now,..even if these cheap units prove to be junk,..I will buy what I need. As of now I will be using the DEMA 481P and the cheap remote. But I also have a plastic $12.00 solenoid with a viton plunger and an $19.00 remote I'm gonna put in a box with it's own battery,..and use as a standalone unit as a backup,..just plug in the hoses.

I have my remote inside a waterproof plastic pouch along with a handful of those silica packs,..also have them inside the remote box,..I opened up both the transmitter and receiver and applied dielectric grease liberally,Ha,Ha,..because I realize these are cheap and aren't waterproof like yours likely is.

I will know more on thi soon enough,..and I will give honest feedback on what I use.

Jeff
 
Last edited:
Heres a picture of my backup remote. Testing it was flawless,..worked everytime behind my own house at about 150',..BUT,,.that is all the further I went,..it's the same remote as the other that reaches 300' through houses without issue,...so I didn't feel it needed to be tested at a longer range at this point. It will be my backup,..I may also tie in the plug for the lights,..but in reality,..once I get comfortable with it coming on,..the lights won't be as "necessary". But that initial confirmation will be nice I think.

This is a standalone unit,..just plug in line of DS pickup and you're ready. This is one of the cheap solenoids $12.00. It is plastic with a Viton plunger,..Will be fine for a backup,..but I will also be using it off and on to see how it holds up in MY environment.

Total: $19.00 Remote
$12.00 Solenoid
$13.00 Battery
$6.00 Box
$6.00 Fittings/Hose/Misc. Electrical

Total Cost: $56.00. Not bad to get your feet wet and see if you'd like a remote. And will also work with a pull start washer.

*I did forget to add the fuse,..not a big deal though,..I will put one inline. Will also be keeping the battery unhooked while not in use.
**Ok,..I also see that it looks like a bomb.

Jeff0322161352.jpg0322161354a.jpg
 
814jeffw said:
Heres a picture of my backup remote. Testing it was flawless,..worked everytime behind my own house at about 150',..BUT,,.that is all the further I went,..it's the same remote as the other that reaches 300' through houses without issue,...so I didn't feel it needed to be tested at a longer range at this point. It will be my backup,..I may also tie in the plug for the lights,..but in reality,..once I get comfortable with it coming on,..the lights won't be as "necessary". But that initial confirmation will be nice I think.

This is a standalone unit,..just plug in line of DS pickup and you're ready. This is one of the cheap solenoids $12.00. It is plastic with a Viton plunger,..Will be fine for a backup,..but I will also be using it off and on to see how it holds up in MY environment.

Total: $19.00 Remote
$12.00 Solenoid
$13.00 Battery
$6.00 Box
$6.00 Fittings/Hose/Misc. Electrical

Total Cost: $56.00. Not bad to get your feet wet and see if you'd like a remote. And will also work with a pull start washer.

*I did forget to add the fuse,..not a big deal though,..I will put one inline. Will also be keeping the battery unhooked while not in use.
**Ok,..I also see that it looks like a bomb.

JeffView attachment 30204View attachment 30205
Click to expand...

I am digging it Jeff.
 
I should have mentioned the time it took to put it together: All pieces and tools laid out,..it took about 15 minutes.
And the connections are soldered. ALWAYS solder your connections,..NEVER just crimp,..crimping leaves room for oxygen to get into the connections and cause corrosion,..and that leads to things not working as they should. and blaming the part instead of the installation. Also dielectric grease. I also use heat shrink tubing.

Jeff
 
Oh yes Jeff i see you like to make things thats great an i hope it all works great for you.Wished it would have for me for sure but the problem proved that they just didnt switch when needed i have valves set up an when the machine is on its time to roll.I love the idea an i think that everbody that washes houses or trucks needs a remote.You can soft wash so much faster just leave the same tip in for most or if not the whole house an roll on to the next job or just kickback an enjoy your time however you like it.I hope it works great for you.
 
That turned out very nice Jeff.

I like how you put the solenoid outside the box so if it leaks it would not mess up things inside the box.

Very creative and nice.
 
Hey Christopher,..I can't take credit for the solenoid inlet/outlet being outside the box. That is an idea I used from a commercially sold unit. But,..I have it on the outside more due to being able to hook the hoses up easier on this backup unit.
I actually prefer the whole thing inside,..which is how I made my permanent unit that is mounted on the trailer. Time will tell if it's an acceptable method or not.,Ha,Ha,..Although the permanent model does use the more expensive DEMA 481P,..I did put vent holes in the box to help with condensation,..and they are also for in case it leaks.. I' m wiling to gamble that it won't leak,..these things aren't under much pressure,..we shall see.
I have a handful of those silica packs inside my permanent box and will do the same for this one.

The transmitter and remote were taken apart and dielectric grease applied inside for help against corrosion from condensation. I also put the transmitter inside a plastic electronics pouch,.and again,..added the silica packs. You can get the silica packs on ebay by the hundreds,.and different sizes.



NOTE: Although I am experimenting with these cheap units,.for the good of myself and maybe others,...it is the design and ease of assembly that I wanted to share more than the components. You can use whatever components you like,..I actually have a spare DEMA 481P that I was gonna put in this backup unit,..but I want to try these cheap ones.



Jeff
 
Keep us informed on how it works and how good those inexpensive solenoids hold up.

Great work.
 
I have been watching this thread more to see how it would turn out as I am making my own switcher. Only difference is I am using the dema valves and a different remote setup. It is more expensive, but getting dema valves up here is easily double what you guys pay down there. In saying that I need this to work all the time, not some of the time, hence why I stuck with dema's. I can't say how well the viton based valves will last, but let us know as I am very curious about there reliability.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top