Test running homebrew temp controller

R

righteousdog

Guest
my drums run great, but i like toys. there, i said it...

it's a 12vdc system with a 10.6cfm blower

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^ i believe this fails in feng shui

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^ i don't have a flapper, just choked the intake to about 25%. i usually run at about 60-70

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^ its been holding 225-230 for about 2.5 hours

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^ the victims (plus a few of them big eckrich sausages)

we'll see how she rolls...
 
I made a PID controlled electric kiln for my knifemaking so I can do heat treat in house. Pretty much all of the parts outside of the heating element are the same for making a homemade temp controller. Only difference is having a fan hooked up instead of a heating element.

After doing the research and you know what parts you need and what they do it is MEGA easy to make a temp controller with fan. Granted you still need something like a Mav 732 if you want to sit in the house and be able to monitor temps.

Hey Righteousdog where do you have your SSR for the fan speed control? I can't see it in any of the pictures.
 
gixxer said:
After doing the research and you know what parts you need and what they do it is MEGA easy to make a temp controller with fan. Granted you still need something like a Mav 732 if you want to sit in the house and be able to monitor temps.
Click to expand...

^ true all dat

gixxer said:
Hey Righteousdog where do you have your SSR for the fan speed control? I can't see it in any of the pictures.
Click to expand...

since this was just for fun and on a whim i didn't use one for a couple reasons:

*load current. the relay in the unit is rated for 3A my fan is <0.25 (i'm the unofficial tester for the MTBF cycle rating :becky:)

*cost - even tho it's only $7.20 for the 5a i'd use, if the $35 controller craps out it will just be it is what it is. if i end up really liking/using this setup (haven't had the opportunity for a long cook yet) i'll prolly add it - if i can fit it in the case. even with small size that 1/32nd DIN enclosure is pretty tight.

5ASSR.jpg


here's the instruction manual if anyone's interested. it specifically uses 2 BBQ smoker examples - 1 with and 1 without the SSR
 
righteousdog said:
^ true all dat



since this was just for fun and on a whim i didn't use one for a couple reasons:

*load current. the relay in the unit is rated for 3A my fan is <0.25 (i'm the unofficial tester for the MTBF cycle rating :becky:)

*cost - even tho it's only $7.20 for the 5a i'd use, if the $35 controller craps out it will just be it is what it is. if i end up really liking/using this setup (haven't had the opportunity for a long cook yet) i'll prolly add it - if i can fit it in the case. even with small size that 1/32nd DIN enclosure is pretty tight.

5ASSR.jpg


here's the instruction manual if anyone's interested. it specifically uses 2 BBQ smoker examples - 1 with and 1 without the SSR
Click to expand...

The 5 amp rating is for its switching rating, not load.
 
I am a hair confused. How is the PID controlling the current going to the blower if it is not going through the relay? Is that a feature of the PID itself? My PID is an Auber too...

--EDIT-- I need to read the instruction manual you posted...
 
Wow, not having to use a SSR cuts down on the wires. After your rig settled down how often did the blower cycle on and off?
 
btcg said:
The 5 amp rating is for its switching rating, not load.
Click to expand...

No, the 5 Amps is the rating for the Load. If you want to look at it from the aspect that it is an SCR and is therefore switching, then fine, but the switch is still the load. FWIW I'm a Journey Industrial Maintenance Electrician, so I'm probably more familiar with PID's / SCR's and such than the average joe. We literally have 100's of them in our plant.

gixxer said:
Wow, not having to use a SSR cuts down on the wires. After your rig settled down how often did the blower cycle on and off?
Click to expand...

All I can say is it was snowing, cold, and I didn't take notes on that this run. I was more concerned in it maintaining a good temp VS what could be expected out of battery power. I'm just testing with a wal-wart for now.
 
righteousdog said:
No, the 5 Amps is the rating for the Load.



All I can say is it was snowing, cold, and I didn't take notes on that this run. I was more concerned in it maintaining a good temp VS what could be expected out of battery power. I'm just testing with a wal-wart for now.
Click to expand...

A solid state relay @ 5 ampheres load? I don't think so. Ain't privy to the schematic, but that's a lot of current.
 
don't mean to come off wrong or anything, just want to try and keep information correct.

btcg said:
A solid state relay @ 5 ampheres load? I don't think so
Click to expand...

(1) sorry, but that's relatively small in the SSR world. we have units at work that are 150A, but they're the size of a shoe box. just built a tool heater panel with 48 modules rated 50A that are less than the size of a pack of smokes, controlled from a PLC running hand coded PID logic:

s.gif


http://www.teledynerelays.com/industrial/s.asp

(2) granted, to get full rating you generally need a heat sink if it's not an integral part of the unit, but running a 1/4 amp blower fan from that 5A model above is like candy from a baby.

(3) i wish this thread was about home brewing beer :thumb:

for me, it's still about the toys. yeah you can buy any number of off the shelf units that are great, and i don't want to get into all that.

i think many peeps here still enjoy the satisfaction of doing it themselves. so i'll shut-up on this one now, if anyone has ?'s just PM me
 
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