ctb6760

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Just built mine tonight. Just have to get my magnets and throw 'em on. Great directions made this easy for someone with little electrical knowledge. Thanks again and can't wait to try it out.

coypoo

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Happy to report mine is working well. When I actually had a starter going the 9V wall wart actually worked better. With the increased resistance the did not get thrown and I was able to get a good vortex

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Rowdy Reptile Brewing
http://rowdyreptilebrewing.blogspot.com/

Accidic

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On fans like that I chop the blades off then glue an extra washer on. The metal of the washer you glue the magnet to will actually help to shield the motor and prevent any issues from them. Plus an extra thickness or two of washers can position the magnets further up depending on how your box mounting is set up.

56Firedome

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So, Thanks for your input but I finally solved it. As I thought all along, the problem was the Fan Motor Magnets.

The Hobby Lobby Magnets were strong enough, when stacked, to scramble the North/South Poles of the Motor Magnets causing the Motor to just twitch when power was applied.

The RS Guy tried it out on the counter with his 12V PS & his conclusion, Bad Motor. I didn't mention what I was doing with the Fan, only that it didn't work.

The next battle related to the Wiring Diagram.

The Potentiometer to Fan is on the Left, Not the Right, Connection & the Black/White Wire from the Power Supply went to the Right (non LED Side) not the Left, the Black Wire from the Power Supply & the Black Fan Wire went to the Left (LED Side) of the Power Switch.

Finally it ran. Then came the Fan Magnet height adjustment. I just cranked it up until it dragged inside the Box & then lowered it until it cleared. Approx 1/16” clearance.
I was running the 12VDC Power Supply & noticed I had No Speed Adjustment until about 2/3 of Potentiometer. I remembered that many folks on the Thread were having a problem with Speed Control & went to lower Voltage Power Supplies.

I cut the PS wire & tried 9 V. Better Speed Control but no control below ½. Then I tried the 6 V PS & had much better Control. Speed Control from 0 to Max. Slower than the 12 V or 9 V but it worked.

I tried out the Stir Bar on the Lid of the Box. The 12 V wouldn’t Spin it at all, with the 9 V it would turn about 4 times then jump off. Then I tried the 6 V & the 2” Bar spun perfectly.

Since I don’t have the 2L Flask yet I tried out a Flower Vase. At 12, 9 & 6 V the 2” Stir Bar jumped around & wouldn’t stay connected to the Fan Magnets. I noticed the bottom of the Flower Vase was Convex, domed up. Since the Bar spun fine on the Box Lid, flat, I looked around for a Flower Vase with a Flat Bottom.

I found 1 on a shelf in the Basement with a thick coat of dust. I tried it out dry & SCOOOORE! It spun like a champ. The key appears to be Flat Bottom on the Flask & the ability to accelerate the Spin Up from 0 to 100%, smoothly. The 9 & 12 V had nothing until ½ or 2/3 & then 100%. Finally, I tried it with 6 V & Water in the Vase with the 2” Stir Bar.

Holy Crap! I pulled a Vortex to the bottom of the Vase & cavitated the Stir Bar. It flew off right after that. I can run it at 75% & pull a Vortex to ¾ of the depth of the 10” tall Vase. Plenty for what’s needed for a Starter. I let it run for 12 Hrs without a problem.

Now the question is, Will it have enough power to stir when the Yeast is thick & the viscosity is high? We won’t know the answer until Monday/Tuesday. My LHBS was out of 2L Flasks & will get the next shipment then. The Vase works pretty well & holds 1L just fine. It has a wide neck which should allow O2 to get to the surface. But there’s little room if the Yeast develops a Krussen (foamy cap).

My next question has to do with the thickness of the Starter & the Neck of the Flask. So, how thick is the Starter after 2 days of stirring?

The flasks I’m looking at have a fairly small Neck. I’m wondering if the Starter would clog it up as I’m trying to pour it into the Fermenter. It would seem that NOT decanting the Starter would reduce that problem, or not. I'm figuring to Slosh it about to thin the settled slurry before pouring it into the Fermenter. I can't see how that would hurt anything. Any comments?

So, all seems to be working as advertised. I ended up swapping the Bad Fan for a New one rather than a refund, oh well, Parts for the next Stir Plate, I suppose.

coypoo

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It seems that since you are pulling such a large vortex in the water that you'll be able to get one in a starter as well. You just might have to go higher on the rheostat.

As for the thickness of the starter, I seriously doubt any neck would be too small to pour liquid yeast through so you don't have to worry about that

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Rowdy Reptile Brewing
http://rowdyreptilebrewing.blogspot.com/

mightynintendo

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Good grief do you have to tell your entire life story?

It's "krausen".

Have you ever made a starter before? It's not any thicker than that. It's thicker than water but it's not like you're stirring porridge.

You should decant your starter after cold crashing unless you like the flavor of ass in your beer. Starters, especially stirred starters, taste terrible.

Mikespunchlist

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My stirrer is speed controlled with the LM317 voltage regulator. Everything stores within itself when done. The coffee container top was a little springy so I added a piece of clear acrylic on top to accommodate heavier payloads. My flask is on order so I borrowed a glass from the kitchen for testing. It should be even better with the thinner flask bottom.

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Raiders Choice Brewing

56Firedome

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Life Story? Not so much. But since you didn't read ANY of the descriptions of the Problem, I thought a Retelling of the issues was in order.
Oh, & thanks for the Spelling Lesson.
No, I have never made a Starter before, That was the purpose of this Project.
THanks for you input Coypoo It was helpful & not derogatory or condesending.
Later.

ekjohns

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that is legit! my only worry would be if the whole thing is not balanced enough it does not have much base to prevent the whole thing from toppling.

mightynintendo

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Sorry man, i didn't mean to be derogatory or condescending.