Looks good… Thanks for keeping us updated 
1 Like
Business (other than this one) has been way too busy and I simply haven’t had enough time. The goal of this thread now is for newbies that might be interested in getting a machine.
And if I can fit this thing in a 1 bedroom and make a few hundred to a few thousand with it, anyone can.
But @jkwilborn thanks for following the journey.
1 Like
Still consider myself a newby
1 Like
It’s always good to keep learning. It’s going to take the slower months of my main business to really dig deep and learn the machine and the ins and outs. Your contributions to the forum are always good.
I may not pop on all the time, but I always gain something valuable with each thread.
Willie, your filter looks interesting, I hope for you it works. But when working in an apartment, I think it will be a good idea to also minimize the noise as much as possible. Does it make sense to put your fan in the filter box?
1 Like
Going back through some of my things that I looked at during my search for an extraction unit is one person needed to replace the expensive filter too often. The solution was a home ac filter that he put in before the expensive filters to catch the ‘large’ stuff that plugs his more ‘expensive’ filter.
They claim extended life over 6 months, instead of less than a month they were dealing with.
Notice in your ‘box’ you have room for something similar before the filter.
Just a thought…
1 Like
This inline duct fan is very quiet. You can only really hear it in the early morning before most people are up. At most it kind of hums like a refrigerator. I’ve already tested it’s abilities small scale with my Diode laser to see if it would vent gas or clean air. While I don’t have a gas analyzer, my nose reports it’s just fine. We will see how it does with larger volumes of smoke and particles soon enough. I already have a larger design and enough wood to make it should the need arise. And if needed I can add another inline duct fan or get a more powerful one. But it’s a very short run and most likely won’t need it. As long as there is negative pressure inside the machine and filter box then I’m not worried at all. I have a valve inline to prevent air from backflowing gas into the living area.
I do have room for that, however the white thing you see is a filter sleeve for the larger particles. The filter itself is a common Charcoal filter that most marijuana setups utilize. I can force the air in and through, or draw it in. I left room for another filter in case I decided to change the way it operates.
I’ll see if it needs more than a shake out here and there. I was also thinking of adding a dryer dust trap to catch larger particles. The possibilities are endless really.
Since HEPA fans are so common, there are all in one filter solutions for $20 -$30 that do it all, I’d just need to modify small bits to make it work.
Overall the output is very high, but we will see how it works with the laser. The machine has lots of places for vapors to exit so I am thinking I might seal up the worst offenders with weather stripping to help prevent exhaust gases from leaking out. I have a brand new Carbon Monoxide detector nearby as well. It will be watched closely.
Thank you both for the recommendations though.
I’d recommend to ‘suck’ through the filters. Keep the junk off the $100+ fan assembly
I have had to clean my fan off already.
1 Like
My inline duct fan was not that expensive, but it does indeed “suck” through the filter first. I can reverse direction without it going into the fan first no problem and the white particulate filter can be put inside the canister.
And incase anyone is interested in the Carbon Filter itself. If my Uncle inlaws setup is any indicator of how few odors will escape, then I’m pretty set. He has a grow operation and a few of these and you cannot smell anything unless you open the doors.
1 Like
Finally have everything up and running. Surprisingly my machine came with a very upgraded air assist! Extremely quiet and now I have a HUGE aquarium pump worth $150 doing absolutely nothing. About to load software and connect and then will probably be spending the next few nights aligning mirrors and tube.
If my tube has 1 small bubble above the cathode is this a problem? I’m sure I can eventually bleed it out.
Also bummed as it was listed as a RUIDA controller and came with a clone. Hoping to find no other surprises. Ryxon KT332N
Hi Willie, mine came with the same controller and works great.
I did have one problem with the machine (OMTech), the ‘exit’ wire from the tube was spliced just behind the home position (luckily) , there’s a hole in the casing just behind it and noticed arcing through the hole.
Where the wire had been spliced it was arcing to the frame, simple fix though.
Why they didn’t just run a single wire from the tube to the psu i just don’t know. 
1 Like
I’m sure the controller is going to be fine, but it’s shady and false sales practice to advertise one thing and sell you another.
But if you buy from amazon and document these things you can get a few hundred dollars back so just an FYI. Not trying to be cheap, but when you order one thing and it doesn’t come with it, you shouldn’t accept it.
@Kris1 I spent a lot of time going over everything with a fine tooth comb, followed everyone’s tips about what to look out for and replace or redo. It fires up fine and am just one thing away from test runs.
1 Like
Kris, I think they save 1/2 yen in wiring costs… 
One of the users I read about claimed he emailed Ruida about the KT332N. Questioning it’s heritage as a Ruida. They confirmed it was one of their products.
When I get back online with my machines, I’ll post the note if anyone cares
Of course ‘I found it on the internet…’
3 Likes
This is what they sent as proof that it’s a Ruida.
I have that also, can’t read the Chinese, it might say ‘certified forgery’
1 Like
Both are chinese companies, doesn’t even need to be a forgery. You know there’s like one maybe 2 factories that pump these out and then distribute them with different “brands”. All the same parts. TBH it’s smart. I just wish there were more American companies that would create a reasonable machine.
Impossible at $15 an hour wage + benefits. How’s your Chinese…
I’m sure they are much like the lasers we buy from them, a basic Chinese design approved by the government and produced by anyone that can or wants too.
Much like American companies, like Harley Davidson… A couple of decades ago my brother rode with one of the brothers and he asked why they use Asian manufactured parts instead of USA built parts.
He was very clear, no American manufacturer felt they could make the parts and make a profit. He claimed he tried, but the labor costs kill any USA development.
Apple noted in one piece that iPhones would be 3 to 4 times the price if built in the USA. They have already placed themselves out of my range of costs for phones. Not to mention Apple burnt me once with a new machine they quit supporting within 2 years. I went to Linux after that on my Apple hardware…
Seems like no matter what you do, it’s a crap shoot for this Chinese stuff. Fortunately most people seem to be satisfied with what they get.
One point is, I didn’t know much about this stuff and I could have gotten a junk pile and not even known it…
I wouldn’t have one at all without the low cost of Chinese labor…
Wages are always the main argument for high costs when we hear the big firms from the West.
Apple has a Gross Profit Margin of over 40%, and reported net income of 57.41 billion U.S. dollars in its 2020 fiscal year, the second highest net income to date.
If Apple’s products were made in the United States or Europe, there might be only 55 or only 50 billion US dollars of income at the same time, Apple would have to comply with significantly more environmental regulations (at least in the EU) and pay taxes. You can probably see that it does not work, poor Tim will not be able to survive a cold winter.
(I am not a socialist, communist nor vegetarian or vegan … 
2 Likes
@jkwilborn you set your chiller to 25C? I thought there are condensation concerns if you run the tube lower than ambient? (You said your ambient was 105F). I am avoiding using my laser in Massachusetts right now if it’s above 80F. It would be sweet to set the temp manually, but many have advised against it, I think?
No, if the tube temperature is lower than the dew point then condensation can occur. Dew point is related to humidity. Running below ambient is fine if you don’t go below the dew point.
1 Like