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Post by fredg on Sept 2, 2016 16:07:00 GMT
This is a 12" (30cm) tub I'm using for 3 Drosophyllum. The copper tape I already had and I put it on really to use it up. The intention was to fit up a length of an Electric Slug Fence around the tub. However, I thought if I already had a potential circuit around the tub why didn't I just wire the copper tape up. Here it is, it's a 9v battery connected to the top two copper tape rings. The slug or snail travelling from one to the other will make the circuit and Fzzzzz, a little discomfort to make it turn back. For a connection I simply stuck on a couple of copper tape tabs and fed the wires through and twisted them on. ( I had some ready made wired croccodile clips but for some reason I couldn't get a current through them).  |
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Post by fredg on Sept 3, 2016 11:25:57 GMT
I wired up another two boxes this morning. The ready wired crocodile clips are a load of tat so I rewired four of them and I get a current. They're from China so the price I paid was very much less than a fifth I would have had to pay for unwired clips here so really no damage done. The circuit shown above I'll attach clips to when the individual clips finally arrive. (They were ordered first, despatched first and going to be the last to arrive by a long margin)
I have a couple of 10" (25cm) pots with copper tape on already so they will be planted up with Drosophyllum and tabs attached to the copper tape.
To take this a little further I have an idea to individually tape some square super long toms and then I can connect one to the next and have a group of pots all on the one circuit (This kind of thing keeps me occupied and out of MrsG's hair). Individual pots can then be removed from the circuit at any time or re-positioned within the circuit.
At least I've finally found a way to make the copper tape worth using.
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Post by stevebooth on Sept 4, 2016 9:44:57 GMT
Can you wire a remote l.e.d. in circuit so you can see when the circuit is made?  |
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Post by fredg on Sept 4, 2016 15:08:41 GMT
You can Steve  . I'll stick to my little multitester |
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Post by fredg on Sept 24, 2016 10:42:05 GMT
Things have moved on. I now have a single circuit, a double circuit and a 4 pot ring circuit using the standard copper tape.
Today I cut off a section of the electric slug fence and did the business on that , individual pots can then easily be moved in and out of the protected area ( it needs a flat surface or pinning to the earth) noting that the circuit is made up of aluminium tape. A quick check on eBay revealed that a purpose made 33m x 2.5cm roll of aluminium tape with conductive adhesive can be obtained for £2.99 ( or best offer) POST FREE which is considerably cheaper than using copper tape.
The digital multimeter shows that all my current circuits (pun intended) are operative at 9v.
Damage to plants protected by these circuits to date = Zero.
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Post by fredg on Apr 10, 2017 14:56:02 GMT
I moved a couple of the Drosophyllum pots ( the replacements) into the Darlingtonia house so I had to make a make a new battery holder. That means I know have 3 doubles and a single using copper tape on the tubs plus a ring fence using the proprietary board.
I tested all circuits and they still show full voltage.
No slug/snail damage on any of the tubs/pots protected by the circuits.
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Post by fredg on Apr 20, 2018 15:35:36 GMT
I checked the circuit on the Bamboo fern today. It's all been sitting outside on the garden over winter and still recording 9V.
It looks like my homemade battery holders and wiring do the job.
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. I'll stick to my little multitester
not here it isn't