Peristaltic Liquid Pump with Silicone Tubing

Using the Peristaltic Liquid Pump

A peristaltic liquid pump consists of a tube (made of silicone here) and a motor pump fitted with rollers (3 cylinders in a “clover” pattern in this case), which squash the tube as the motor turns to press the liquid through.

Adafruit’s pump is operated by a DC motor that does not need to be primed, so it has a lot of torque: the flow rate can reach 100 ml/min.

You can use the motor’s PWM signal to speed up or slow down the flow rate, and if you connect the motor the other way it will move the liquid in the other direction. You can connect it to a power transistor (on/off) or a driver chip such as the L293D.

Note: The tubing must be sterilised before use if your project has to comply with sanitary standards.

Possible uses of the Adafruit Liquid Pump

The advantage of this kind of liquid pump is that it circulates the liquid without ever touching it – the tubing does it all! So it’s an excellent device if you want to create a beverage dispenser or a machine for other liquid foods, which will of course need to meet certain hygiene standards.

Looking for another project idea? Adafruit’s 1150 Liquid Pump will fit perfectly into an Arduino-based gardening project.

With this pump and your Arduino board, your plants will be watered at the right time: you just need to create an Arduino project for your garden incorporating a timer and a triggering mechanism for the pump, for instance, or a humidity sensor if you prefer.

Technical specifications of the Pump with Silicone Tubing

• Diameter of the silicone tubing: approx. 4.8 mm
• Operating temperature: 0–40°C
• Motor voltage: 12 Vdc
• Motor current: 200–300 mA
• Flow rate: up to 100 ml/min.
• Weight: 200 g
• Dimensions: 27 mm (motor diameter), 72 mm (total length)
• Mounting holes: 2.7 mm diameter, 50 mm centre-to-centre distance
• Complies with the RoHS standard

Resources for the Adafruit Pump

How a peristaltic pump works