Simplex Wave Machine

[R. Jones]

I have an old Simplex Wave Machine that developed a crack in the acylic and lost its' content. I really like the relaxing appearance of the wave. I need some insight as to the nature of the two liquids contained in the wave machine. I would guess the contents are less complex and fussy that the Lava lamp. I would appreciate any comments regarding the liquids.

My intent is to manufacture a new generation Wave Machine, with some new twists, such as LED illumination. This would be a limited production item, with the emphasis on quality and durability. I would not expect to profit from the sale of this unit, but anticipate selling it for cost.

I am aware there is a wave machine on the market, but it appears to be inferior, and certainly not the quality of the original wave machine.

Is there a market for a quality wave ? Probably, but I anticipate it would be small. That is OK, in that I would be making these things for the few that would appreciate a handcrafted, limited production device.

Any comments, whether or not you think your comment is significant, would be appreciated.

[wayne miller]

The above stated works great ( baby oil and food coloring ) i have posted a couple of post explaining how i rebuilt mine. ( if you search my post ) You can also dye the oil with candle wax dye for a two color wave.

[HughesWaveMotionMachinesLLC]

Here is a link to the acrylic supplier I am considering.

http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Plexiglass-Cast-Acrylic-Tubing

[João Roberto Gabbardo]

I found on the web some ways of how to make a wave machine and the 2 links below shows the formulas:

http://www.e-scoutcraft.com/moving/wave.html
http://www.iit.edu/~smile/ch9601.html

The second suggest use of some hazardous substances and car is needed. Concernig to use LEDs to make light effects inside the device, the main problem in my point of view is that you will use colored liquids inside the machine and as the LEDs emits monochromatic lights (excepting the white LEDs) the final effect will not be nice. For example, if you use blue/clear liquids, the red/green/yellow light from the LEDs will be filtered, only blue LEDs will work fine. On the other hand even using a single light color you can make nice effects like flashing, dimming, sequencing and so on. To make these effects the best way is use a microcontroler based circuit. Also you want use a motor to make the device swells, this positioning and velocity can be controlled by the microcontroler too.

Kindest regards,

João Roberto Gabbardo

[Tim]

Not sure if this works as I have yet to try it but in my searching online recently I happened upon some info that states that the contents are baby oil and water, and food coloring... Give it a shot? Let me know if it works I intend to try it myself soon =)