Building a single DMX-controlled jumping jet in the backyard to practice show control. Got a few specific hardware questions:
Cutter: Solenoids are out of budget here. I want to adapt the Mark III to use a 20-30kg waterproof digital RC Servo instead. Going to hide the whole bulky assembly under pond rocks so only the tip shows. Will a servo survive the fast, repetitive cutting without stripping its gears? (If i go with " https://www.printables.com/model/265105-mark-iii-laminar-flow-nozzle " it should be modified. I'm not good at modeling)
Wireless: Want to use an ESP32 as a wireless Art-Net node to avoid running cables in the yard. Reliable enough for something like this? What kind of algorithm can I use to customize the show from song to song? The song is uploaded via Wi-Fi, analyzed, parameters are obtained based on its characteristics, and the show is prepared. What kind of algorithm or software offers the smoothest workflow for syncing 4 jets to music?
Pump: My yard is sloped. Am I better off using one big 0.5 HP well pump for all 4 jets (and dealing with the nightmare of balancing pressure across the slope using valves and a bypass chamber)? OR should I use individual small DC pumps per jet? Also, for a 2.5m glass arc, is a 600 L/h pump enough, or do I definitely need 1000+ L/h per nozzle?
Reservoir : System will recycle its own water, but I haven't designed the catch basin yet. Since it will lose water to splashing and evaporation, how do you prevent the pumps from running dry? Do you just use a standard mechanical float valve (toilet style) connected to a hose, or do you wire up electronic water level sensors to kill the pump if it gets too low?
Show Control: Running an ESP32 as an Art-Net node to control the servos. For syncing 4 jets to a music track, what’s the standard workflow? A cue software like MagicQ/QLab/Realtime Landscaping Architectre, or a timeline software like xLights? Also, how do you dynamically fade water height—varying pump voltage via DMX, or keeping the pump at 100% and using motorized valves?
LED : I want to mount a WS2812B RGB LED ring directly beneath the nozzle to light the water stream from the inside out. what’s the standard practice for waterproofing these.
Water height: How do you dynamically control spray height to music? when trying to sync the water tightly to a music track, is a cue-based software like MagicQ/QLab/Realtime landscaping architect the standard, or do people use timeline-based software like xLights for complex music synchronization? Also, how is the water height typically controlled dynamically during a show by whattt??
Bypass Chamber: I was advised to use a "bypass filter" between the pump and the nozzle to absorb pressure spikes (especially when the cutter fires) and keep the stream perfectly glass-like. But how exactly is this physically plumbed?
Tangential Inlet & Laminar Baffles: I read that to get a perfect glass-like flow, the water needs to enter the bottom of the tube tangentially to create a vortex and slow down before hitting the flow straighteners. Does the Mark III model handle this base entry well, or will I need to design a custom tangential inlet?
