Cabinet Styled Styrofoam Incubator?

[ahsworkshop]

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AS you see, i'm a newbie here ... and I'm a guy who suddenly interested to have 'a farm' like ..'old Mc Donald have a farm.. i a i ooo...' Don't ask me why cos i don't know ... (maybe the God of Chicken whispered something to me) I just created my blog 5 months ago after dreaming to have a 'farm

Well, I'm Indonesian, original inhabitant of Java Island (I root my ancestor and find Pithecantropus Erectus to be mine). Since I have to learn anything I want, .. the first thing I learn are languages ... and now I can speak Dutch, German, English, Spain and Indonesian of course

But i failed to learn French, Arabic, Chinesse and Japanese

(the last three I mentioned gotto do with difficult letters

)

I want to share the very very simple electronic timer schematics here, but i'm afraid to do so ... (at leat you have warned me that you a poor solderer). With microcontroller, we can manage time incredibly easy and precise with a few discrete components (cost not more than 10 bucks). Even you can point a second in 5 years timing interval .. so it gotto be easy to adjust timing in every 3 hours or I call it 10,800.00 seconds. But let me think a ready made timer that may work and easy to find. I'll share it then.

You did your homemade styrofoam incubators great. It inspired me a lot. You can find a giant ring gear on auto parts shop or just simply find it in junkyards (My friend form England say no no no, it's not junkyard, it's museum where antique stuffs collected

). It was flywheel ring gear and I bought it $5 here in Indonesia (made in China, you know China sells everything cheaper). The pair is starter motor gear of course. Choose aftermarket part, no need to buy the genuine one. It has big gear ratio of course and you can reduce the RPM significantly and raise torque at other side.

About the fan, I'm sure you can manage it soon

Ok, good to know you, and I hope to find more Mc Gyver here ...

 

[brimstone555]

Looks like it's gonna be a "huge" old macdonald's farm

Can you build a sensor so chickens can feed and wash themselves all way to retirement?

Oh oh oh I know 20 words in Putonghua!

(chinese) hmm, well I hope you can share your schematic of timer unit, you can have no fear of me stealing your business here!

...anyway thx for telling me about cog... "flywheel" but I think "rollers" could be stacked better with less space... just more expensive to make... you can use wooden rollers instead of stainless, but I want mine to last a few generations (with or without the box!) haha

p.s. I'm from Australia and I want a mini-farm too!

I keep Japanese Quail (you see my rollers are sized for quail, But can Turn Chicken eggs too!!

)

I'll begin serious temperature/humidity trials this week... if successful, you'll see a post detailed of my mini-bator... Titled: "They said it couldn't be done!"

cheers & goodluck...

 

[ahsworkshop]

Quote:
I dream it's growing bigger

About the sensor, Hmmm it was my daugter had asked me when she was 4 years old ... "I want the chicken smarter. Can we implant a chip to chicken head, Dady?" She asked.

"No no no!" You will turn it to be a cyborg-chicken!!" I said

I'm nof afraid someone stealing my bussiness ... I'm just afraid they don't like a complicated electronic things ... I look forward for your experiment result posting ... and hope that one day we can meet in Bali to discuss what we can do to make 'Old Mc Donald farm' comes true ...." cos i think Australia is the right place to have a farm

 

[aprophet]

instead of coolers the local building supplies sell sheet foam 1/2" - 1 1/2" thick I was thinking of just duplicating a normal cabinet incy using the foam instead of wood and fastening the foam at the corners with light gauge sheet metal angle and building it to a size I can use the LG sized egg turners

 

[brimstone555]

@ ahsworkshop although Bali is dirt cheap travel from Oz at moment sorry friend highly unlikely I'll go there! cause too many aussies already there!

I've been to China, China is "awesome"... next on list is "Japan" when the rads get a little lower

yep & when my mini-bator is working, I'll tell you "see, see, see" hehe... but not to worry about things like timer relay switches etc... they are cheap enough on Ebay for what they are...

@ aprophet... I'm doing something similar to what you are thinking... I'll have to extend my height of incubator walls because Radiant heat from Light bulb is too close to Egg turner... TRY some "Silicant Sealer" it will definately Help

@ punk-a-doodle, Your incubator idea is really good one

I'm sure the temps will balance right throughout eventually, but I'd consider placing the FAN/s directly over Tube inlets... you'll get better velocity through tubes, whether or not it will make a difference I don't know!

p.s. I promised a friend of mine that one of my white japanese quail wouldn't go on my dinner table and "he" will live a long life!! isn't that nice of me?

cheers guys & girls...

 

[ahsworkshop]

Quote:
Of course you're so nice for 'one of them' ... just make a fair selection ... and whisper to their ears (if they have, i don't know) ... i'm a wish master... tell me what you wish ...!!

 

[ahsworkshop]

Quote:
I'd like to place heat source at the top and drag the warm air to the bottom by some little fans (we force the air, don't we? Thats why we call it 'forced air'... what a fool me

) . But seems that airflow has to be conditioned in such a way not to directly hit the eggs, by a sloping fins for example (i remember someone suggested me a turbo cyclone, kind of stuff usually put under the old car carburetor).

Anyway just do what you want to do and believe... cos only dead fishes follow the stream

 

[SierraView]

You draw very well. I love your design its very clever.

 

[brimstone555]

@ Punk-a-doodle.... Yeah I'm stacking 2 styrofoam coolers Vertically and I think your design with the Fans is a Good One!

Cause I'm using similar design with Fans!

Funny thing is it's nearly finished but I keep changing mind and modifying it!!

..And also your idea for Plastic tubes will work fine! you'll have to spend hours temperature and humidity trials just like me...

P.S... If your Heat Source is a Light Bulb then depending on Watts then Not Too Close to Roof or you'll start to Melt it like I did...

Will be great if you can post some pics of your work in progress... Good Luck

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Brimstone: Haha, yeah, of course you can use the idea of adjustable vents (which I definitely didn't come up with), or even spice caps for vents if they suit your model.

These are the adjustable desk grommets:
http://www.jbrp.com/Rockler-Woodworking-Hardware-Coupon-Codes/2-34-Brown-Multi-slot-Grommet/ (there is a similar "spring desk grommet" for cheaper, but I took a look at both at a hardware store, and the spring kind are not air tight by any means)
And these are the pricey cage vents:
http://www.cagesbydesign.com/p-354-3-adjustable-air-flow-vent-and-cord-hole-grommet-in-one.aspx
Here are some of my spices that I'm considering stealing tops from. Some flip open, others twist for better adjustability. I think I'll use one small and one large twistable lid to start (these also happen to be my grilling spices and the messy tops will have to have a good cleaning!):

Oo, please let me know if the fan blowing across the window works out for you. If so, I'm totally nicking the idea from you to use on my windows.

Thanks so much for the awesome duct and fan advice. Vinyl tubing and used fans are so cheap that I'll probably be able to try out each method.

I've posted some progress info below, and I'm loving your new photos. Keep it up!

Ahsworkshop: Woah! Great looking set up.

Aprophet: Sounds like a great way to get into cabinet incubators. I'll be watching for updates from you!


Jenjeran: Hey thanks. Let's hope it works!


Progress...or lack thereof:
I finally had time to pick at this some more. I ever so carefully measured and cut my first cooler into a perfectly straight half. It was awesome! ...But then I realized that perfectly straight was not at all what I needed to fit the deceivingly bumpy top of the lower cooler. I did what I could making cuts to get the fit tighter, but there is a huge gap all around. I was ready to scrap it all and buy more squarish material to work with, but my husband said it looks fine to him, and just to caulk it. So, I'll give it one more shot. But argh.

Forgot to put the lid on for the picture, oops. But, that fits just fine.