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Topics regarding the Mosquito Magnet products, especially how to keep them working. This has nothing to do with PalOMoney, just mosquitos!
Re: Defender Arduino Design - 16 days ago
Dank0 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- I'm nearing completion of the design for the Arduino board to fit the old Defender. Ah, now you are descending into the depths of Mosquito Magnet hacking.... have fun! You'll see several different versions on here that were done over the years by different folks. Most of us are now done and have stable versions, soby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Defender Arduino Design - 16 days ago
How is this done? In other words, how does one use an air hose from a compressor to blow cleaner through the Schrader valve to the nozzle? Ha ha, nothing special here. I just squirt some cleaner into the schrader valve, and then put an air chuck onto it. It only gets a bit of cleaner at a time, but if you do it regularly enough, it seems to keep it clean enough...by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Defender Arduino Design - 8 months ago
Ha ha, I've been getting so lazy now that I don't even bother disassembling the unit to clean the nozzle. Since mine starts up twice a day, a failure to light screws up the schedule so now I just blow cleaner through the Schrader valve with a 100psi compressor at the beginning of every season. Seems to do the job...by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: First real test of converted Liberty - 1 year ago
liberty1 wrote: Mine starts up properly, but then shuts down after running for a while. I thought it was overheating, but I don't have a scope anymore to check states on the PIC. When it shuts down, there should be a blinking fault code. That should provide information on why it shut down. Do you have a board you can sell me and are the notes in here enough to do the conversion?by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: WTB: Commercial Pro regulator+hose assy. - 1 year ago
debugger wrote: I simply have too much going on right now to indulge in that. I just need something that works asafp that won't break the bank; once it's up and running I can try to have some fun too. Ha ha, then you shouldn't have picked a Mosquito Magnet! :)by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: using an adjustible buck-boost for 12VDC-> 20VDC for defender? - 1 year ago
ltgcc wrote: I have not been able to move it around as recommended because I buried the power cable. I could get another power unit, but I don't want cables running along the top of the ground. If you really want to move it around, you might want to consider getting a used Independence, or Liberty Plus model. Those have thermo eletric generator devices that allow it to start on batteriby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Defender Arduino Design - 1 year ago
beads wrote: Based on the features in the new Mosquito Magnet Executive version, which sells for a very steep $904 per unit, they sure have incorporated a lot of things that my Arduino already has had for years. If I'm not mistaken, the Executive was launched in 2010, and they also launched a wifi version in 2012 called the Commander, so they have had these features available for a whiby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Independence Model version... - 2 years ago
sevans01 wrote: Changing the gain 100% help resolve the ADS switching to reporting the Bat, TEG, and Thermistor voltages at 2-3x their actual values I think you are getting transient voltages from the ignitor board or solenoid that is causing the ADC to misread values and also the esp8266 to reset. If you have a oscilloscope, watch the power lines of the controller board when the ignitor isby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Independence Model version... - 2 years ago
Why do you suspect that transients to the ADC is causing resets of the esp8266? And why do you think changing the gain made a difference? I'm thinking that you might be having problems with the ignitor board since neither of my systems have ever had any reset issues during ignition. There might be coupling from the HV side to the LV side that is feeding back onto the main board.by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Independence Model version... - 2 years ago
sevans01 wrote: - my newer Independence powers it completely starting when the thermistor gets to 0.95v - my original Independence is drawing about 150mA at the same point and is drawing about 90mA when fully up to temperature That sure seems to indicate that your original Independence's TEGs are not producing as much as they should be. You can take them apart and make sure that thereby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Independence Model version... - 2 years ago
sevans01 wrote: These do use alkaline cells, but I wonder if they also used this board for a model with rechargeable cells The Liberty Plus used rechargeable cells, but it also had a power adapter that plugged into the unit to charge the battery in-situ. As such, the Liberty Plus board had additional components populated on the 134-031 board to handle the charging. Your 134-061 board doesn&by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 134-061 Rev B - 2 years ago
dev wrote: Hooray for using a transistor to connect the charging to the battery instead of that relay-diode mess. Might the battery be different, as well? My Independence used 4 C size alkaline cells, so charging wasn't originally supported. But that board was also used on the Liberty Plus, which used a 4 NiMh pack, and had the external charging circuitry populated. I think the relay waby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Independence Model version... - 2 years ago
Wow, 2 years difference between my boards and this (2008 vs 2010) and it's quite a bit different in layout. Main difference appears to be the use of the more efficient MT2700 device for the boost converter. Much smaller inductor and capacitors. Also, soldered wires for the solenoid and ignitor. You should trace out the schematic and post it here.. :)by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Atrakta Results? - 2 years ago
Dev wrote: Regarding your Atrakta testing, do you have any conclusions? Not really. Both seem to work well enough and I wasn't able to really see any difference in the catch. I didn't refill any of the Atrakta canisters as I had bought a 6 pack and didn't use them all this year. I saved them and will probably try refilling them next year. If I do, I think I will only refill thby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Tank runtime and do you really need CO2? - 2 years ago
Independence wrote: On the Independence, with a 1.75 GPM nozzle, and a full tank, it ran out at a total runtime of 17 days 22 hrs 10 mins I guess the fill at these propane places vary a bit, or the OPD valve shut off varies as well. On my next tank on the same unit, I got an accumulated run time of 23 days 7 hours, using a total of 19.84 lbs of propane. I believe the above tank was 1 lb lesby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
dev wrote: What a great idea! (Chip Quik) No kidding! Once you start using it, you will not go back. A hot air station is needed for many devices like BGAs, etc, but for leaded SMD devices, Chip Quik is a much better solution for folks like us who don't do it for a living. The hot air station temperature can vary tremendously based on the distance from the board, so unless you do it eveby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
iikkakonola wrote: I used "amtech" solder, a Chinese knock off that works quite well. They don't make the special low melting point solder I'm talking about. The Chip Quick solder melts at about 85C and is designed specifically for removing SMD devices. Take my word for it and avoid the heartache. Check out the video on their website.by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
iikkakonola wrote: I have to say that it is really darn hard to try to replace the ic:s. As mentioned earlier: A hot air station is a useful tool to have, but I would suggest you also invest in some low melt solder. It is MUCH easier to remove SMD parts with this solder and you are also less likely to damage any parts or the board as you don't need to heat it up that much. I didn&by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: re: clogged propane regulator - 2 years ago
After looking at that $50 regulator as well as my own Independence, it appears that the fitting that screws into the solenoid valve assembly is a 1/8" NPT M fitting, and there are numerous 'Weber' regulators on Amazon that have that 1/8" NPT M fitting. They also appear to be at 11" WC pressure, so it appears that any of those regulators should work for the Independence andby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Clogged propane regulator and possible solution? - 2 years ago
I started to get some 'No ignition' errors on my Independence, which indicates that no temperature rise was detected upon ignitor and gas being turned on. I could hear the ignitor clicking away as well as the gas solenoid clicking on, so that left the propane path. Upon investigation, I found some residue on the inlet port of the regulator (see yellow circle below): I don't hby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
Thank you for the photos. The innards certainly look identical to the Independence model. From one of the photos, it looks like the mounting tabs for the old board still exits - see yellow circles: The only thing I am not totally clear about is how the current board is mounted. It appears to located at the top where the old handle was. I presume it mounts to the top, covering the hole whereby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
dev wrote: What I don't understand about this circuit is the purpose of the shutdown function, which cannot reduce the output voltage to zero because of the DC path through the inductor and diode. I believe they shut down the switcher to save battery power when the unit is in the 'off' state. These units are never really off and the off function just puts the processor in a hiby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
Oh sorry, I meant mechanical pictures of the insides of the MM, not more detailed pictures of the main board. Kinda like the first and third pictures in this post. My goal is to see if the inside mechanical layout is still the same and the slots for the old board and the ignitor board are still there. Next time I modify my Independence board, I will convert it to the LM2700 part. It'sby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
BTW, I'm curious about the internal layout of the Executive. If you don't mind taking some pictures of the internal layout and posting them here, I'd appreciate it. They occasionally show up used for cheap and I was considering getting one and re-spinning my board for it, minus the display, since my version is web enabled anyway.by Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
iikkakonola wrote: it is arriving from China "sometime" this autumn probably. Ha ha, I guess we take fast delivery for granted here in the US. For me, anything other than 2-4 days delivery would be too long! :) A hot air station is a useful tool to have, but I would suggest you also invest in some low melt solder. It is MUCH easier to remove SMD parts with this solder and youby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
iikkakonola wrote: My "attempts" are consequence of lack of a reflow station, right replacement IC:s and maybe battle fatigue. As far as replacement ICs, it seems Mouser has a Finnish site, although the prices and shipping charges are considerably more than in the US, since they probably ship from the US. But it's free shipping if you spend more than 50 euros. And at least yoby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: 2011 Executive pcb outputting ~halved voltages to fan+solenoid - 2 years ago
Welcome! It's nice to see an Executive MM show up, from Finland no less! From your description, it would appear (as I expected) that the fundamental design and operation of the Executive is the same as the Liberty Plus and Independence models, with the exception of the larger processor and LCD display. For reference, here is the schematic of the Independence If the Executive is the sameby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Tank runtime and do you really need CO2? - 2 years ago
Independence Wrote: Interesting, but the 1.75 GPM nozzle is exactly 16.7% more flow than the 1.5 GPM nozzle. And 21 days is exactly 16.7% more than the 18 days I got. However, ,MM is still using 21 days for propane tank life for ALL their units. Given the different nozzle sizes and my Independence test, I call foul..... Well, I just got another data point to compare. I have been running my rby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Howling Recording? - 2 years ago
Dev wrote: I am happy to hear that this whine or howl is not affecting your catch rates. Ah, no, I don't let it run with the howl. It DOES eventually reach operating temps, especially in warmer weather, but it's not as hot as the normal unit. I play around with leaving the cover open at lesser angles, with no howl, as it warms up, until I can get the temperature above 165C, at whby Independence - Mosquito Magnet
Re: Howling Recording? - 2 years ago
I did suspect the fan as well, but then I had swapped the whole combustion assembly into another quiet housing with a different fan, and it did exactly the same thing, so that would seem to rule it out. I also measured the fan rpm and it was within spec. I even went to the trouble of ordering a replacement fan, and it measured out exactly the same. I also did vary the fan rpm while the sound was pby Independence - Mosquito Magnet