| The Magic Dancing Waterdrops can be built table top size to 10 or more feet high. Each piece is a custom creation for your environment. Applications are limitless: restaurants, hospitality areas, public places, theme and water parks, nightclubs as well as custom home installations.
The lighting brightness level must be considered for any MDW installation. To assure that the MDW will work well, the design must include enough lighting to overcome any ambient light illumination the water. One way to insure optimum display of the MDW is to create a design so that a person viewing it is looking through the levitating droplets at a surface that is brightly lit by lights. This can be accomplished by either rear projecting lighting onto a screen surface behind the display, or by lighting that shines through the water from above and in front of the display and illuminates the surface behind the water. A design which puts a wall behind the MDW can be effective in almost any indoor lighting environment. A room can have normal illumination levels as long as the lighting brightness is kept at a high level with respect to room lighting.
Another way to assure the effectiveness of an MDW display is to control the angles at which people will be able to approach and view the water droplets. If you are only able to look through the droplets and see a strobe illuminated wall or screen behind the water, the MDW effect will work very well in even high ambient light environments. However, if viewers are able to step to the side of the display and look through the droplets to a brightly lit room beyond, the viewer will be able to see the droplets surrounded by the stream of transparent water which interferes with the MDW effect. Wherever possible it is best to have people view the MDW straight on without being able to view anything else in a room.
It is also possible to create a "room center" installation in the middle of a room. In this type of installation, the MDW display is installed away from any walls. This may be the most impressive way to display a MDW. A room center installation permits viewers to walk all the way around the rising columns of water droplets giving an increased sense of mystery to the display. However, in this design, the ambient light becomes a larger factor. In a room center installation, we recommend using High Brightness lighting exclusively.
To combat the effect of ambient lighting in Room Center Display, more lighting is required than usual. It is also advisable, if possible, to place barriers such as plants, or architectural elements such as walls or panels to act as high contrast elements between the water droplets and any brightly lit areas beyond. These walls or panels may be made of glass or some other translucent material. In addition, planning for the MDW should include attention to the amount and placement of room lighting. The goal is to control ambient lighting which falls directly on the MDW droplets or which is visible when looking through the MDW display to the room beyond.
To most successfully mount a Room Center display, the entire span of visible water should be lit by lighting. The room lighting should be designed so that ambient light does not directly shine on the MDW water droplets. More importantly, the audience should not be able to look through the water droplets and directly see any bright room light source or brightly lit surface near by. Remember, if you look through the droplets at a light, the "strings" of water will become visible and diminish the MDW illusion. While there can certainly be room lighting, to effectively create a Room Center MDW, there should be no direct light source easily viewed when viewing the MDW, nor should there be any brightly lit surfaces nearby which are viewable by people looking at the MDW.
In a Room Center installation, despite careful design and planning, it may be possible to see some water streams in addition to the rising water droplets. While the visibility of transparent lines of water does not destroy the effect, the MDW is most effective when only rising water droplets are visible. The parts of the display which receive the least strobe lighting and are illuminated the most by ambient light will exhibit more transparent lines than the parts closer to the The same is true for areas of the MDW display which are viewed through into a bright part of the room beyond.
MAGIC DANCING WATERDROP SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Each MDW consists of at least two major elements: The Head and the Receptacle. (Some MDW displays include more than one head.) Both elements are custom made by us and employ proprietary means to produce a unique water display.
The MDW Head contains the Manifold, the active mechanism for creating and releasing spherical water droplets that appear to levitate. The Receptacle receives water droplets released from the Manifold. The Receptacle also houses a pump that sends the water back up into the Manifold through a water line. The Receptacle holds about 15 gallons of water that is constantly recirculated by being pumped through the water line and Manifold. A splash and noise reduction element minimizes the noise of the water droplets falling into the pool of water in the Receptacle thus heightening the illusion of levitating water and suppressing water splash.
Total AC power requirements for the standard, moderate brightness lighting is 115 VAC @ 1 amp to the Magic Dancing Waterdrop Head and 115 VAC @ 3 amps to the Receptacle pump unit.
The standard MDW Manifold is a cylindrical housing made of black acrylic. The Manifold dimensions are 10" in diameter and about 14" tall. Eight streams of water droplets are emitted from holes spaced in a circle with a diameter of 7". This results in a column of water droplets 7" in diameter that emits from the Manifold and is seen as a column of water droplets rising out of the receptacle, traveling upwards through the air and finally disappearing into the manifold. Larger sized versions of the MDW Manifold are possible.
MULTIPLE COLUMN INSTALLATIONS
There is no limit to how many MDW Heads can be used together. By arranging multiple Heads side by side a very large MDW display can be created. As long as enough lighting is used to illuminate the whole display and the lighting is linked together electronically, the display will appear to be a wall of water droplets with all the droplets rising at the same rate. This is by far the most impressive application of MDW technology.
EQUIPMENT AND SPECIFICATIONS
Normally it is recommended that we do the installation of custom MDW systems. However in some cases where the client is qualified to do this kind of work, it will be acceptable for someone else to do the installation under our instruction.
Installing an MDW system can be quite simple. A single head system can require simply mounting the MDW Head above the water receptacle and hanging the strobes adjacent to the head. These simple installations require placing 4 screws and drilling a hole in a piece of wood to allow the water and power lines to pass through. With creative themeing of the display and environment, an MDW installation can be quite spectacular.
Lighting attached to adjustable mounts by 1/4-20" bolts. These adjustable mounts are used to aim the strobe up or down and left and right, allowing the installer to direct light where desired.
Our Moderate Brightness Lighting measures about 3.66" wide x 3.56" high x 9" long, with a Reflector Housing 4.8" diameter. For planning purposes, you need a space at least 5" in diameter and 9" long.
The High Brightness Lamp Assemblies are 3.81" wide by 3.81" high by 6.75" long. The High Brightness Lights have separate power supplies that measure 4.8" wide by 2.8" high by 9" long.
In most installation configurations, the lighting will need to be mounted overhead shining down on the water. The light units can be mounted in the ceiling or hung like spot lights. With the high brightness lighting, there is a remote power supply for each lamp housing which needs to be located within 10 feet of the lamp unit. There is also a master control unit that needs to be mounted somewhere with easy access and visible sight lines to the MDW display for tuning purposes.
POWER
Power requirements are:
a ground fault protected circuit to the head capable of 110 volts at 1 amp per head. a 110 (or 220 volt) circuit for the lighting capable of 1 amp per light.
a 110 volt ground fault protected circuit for the pump capable of 3 amps.
Normally we spec the system for 110 volt 60 Hz power. 220 volt and 50 Hz systems are possible on a custom basis.
WATER QUALITY AND CONTROL
The standard MDW system requires a flow rate of about 3 quarts of water for each MDW Head per each minute of operation. It is best to recirculate this water by pumping it out of a reservoir holding tank. We do not recommend running the MDW directly from the house water line. An in-line 5 micron (or less) particle filter is provided. The filter must be replaced on a regular basis.
Our normal pumping system is capable of lifting the required volume of water to a height of 10 feet above the reservoir. If water is to be pumped any higher than this we will need that information to provide a more powerful pump
Water filtration is critical. The MDW system requires distilled or reverse osmosis purified water that is changed on a regular basis. The timing of replacement water depends on what kind of public access is permitted and the volume of water being used. In an installation where people can walk up and put their hands in the water it will need to be changed two to three times a week (or more often) due to water loss from splashing and also due to pollution. Pollution can be created from the oils, dirt, and salts that come from constant touching of the water by visitors who may also toss coins, food, or other debris into the receptacle.
Filtration can be simple where it is possible to manually change the water as needed. If daily inspection and manual water replacement is a problem, we can specify or provide an automated water exchange system that automatically purifies 10 gallons or more of tap water per day via reverse osmosis. At a specified time each night, the system can automatically drain and be recharged with purified water.
Over the long run, the purity of the water flowing through the head will become very important. The MDW Manifold has a number of small holes and capillaries inside. Should these holes or capillaries become clogged, the unit will cease proper functioning. If visitors viewing the MDW dump trash into the Receptacle, particles of this material can pumped into the head where it may become deposited and create an obstruction. We specify replaceable particulate filters to screen out large particles. Standard .5 micron filters work fine. These filters should be inspected and replaced regularly.
Another water purity issue that affects closed loop MDW systems is chemical salt buildup. If tap water flows through the system and down a drain so that fresh water is constantly provided, there is little chance of chemical salt build up due to evaporation of water. However, at the rate of 60 gallons of water hour per MDW Head, a flow-through water system is rarely desirable.
When water is recycled through a closed loop water system this water will be subject to evaporation. As tap water evaporates, it leaves behind chemical salts and minerals. Over time, these deposits will circulate through the system precipitating into the MDW Manifold. Over several months this can result in blockage. We recommend that you use one of two ways to prevent chemical salt build up:
You can regularly drain the system and refill it with distilled water.
You can build or buy a Reverse Osmosis water purification system that will provide a clean source of water on a daily basis.
A Reverse Osmosis system that replenishes the MDW daily is initially expensive, but over time is the most cost effective way to assure water purity and a long MDW Head life. Commercial Reverse Osmosis systems are available in most large cities.
The client must chose how to provide a constant source of clean water. We recommend a Reverse Osmosis system which automatically generates 10 or more gallons of purified water each day. This purified water can be swapped with the dirty water each day or so either by a maintenance person manually draining the system and adding the purified water. This process can also be automated, so that a mechanism opens the drain at a designated time each night. Once the MDW Reservoir is empty, the system closes the drain valve and pumps in the fresh purified water.
Some clients have chosen to "gamble" with the chances that the MDW Head will not become clogged. It is possible to use a closed loop system that has regular tap water added to it as needed and from time to time is cleaned and drained. Systems like this can last for many months or years with no problems. However, if this approach is used the MDW Head warranty is invalidated.
NOTE: If the Head Manifold becomes clogged and nonfunctional due to lack of water purity, a new Manifold may have to be purchased. The 1 year warranty on the MDW head is dependent on using particulate filtration and purified water that is replaced on a regular, documented basis. |
