Recent content by misterbk

Yeah, there seems to be a lot of confusion running around about what those handles are for. They were never, ever supposed to be used to shut off the beer flow. They are for fine tuning your flow after getting reasonably close with line balancing, to get the right head on your pour. That...

I wonder if this has something to do with this other thread? This guy was using 650s flow control faucets and getting a sulfur smell after use. Turns out he was turning the tap off using the flow control instead of the tap handle, which left a pocket of beer and ambient air to sit and ripen...

Your fan is a 12v fan. You should use the 12v power adapter. Sorry, should have waited for the forum to have a chance to see your post! 6v will set the maximum speed of your fan rather low. I believe 12cm fans also tend to have a lower RPM as well (they move more air anyway because the...

BTW, I should have mentioned before, that 3-position switch IS a potentiometer of sorts. It just only has three positions, instead of a continuous adjustment. So, if you're paying an extra dollar to have that 3-position switch, you're losing money and losing flexibility, and should just get...

Give it a try, and add the potentiometer if needed. The 3-speed switch might be all you need, but you might also need more than that. I find I have to tweak the speed around quite a bit to convince the bar to get started and stay centered. The little 3-speed switch will be kind of annoying...

Absolutely. There are lots of ways to build it. The last one I built used: 74221 'dual monostable multivibrator' ($0.62) Three capacitors ($0.15 each, TOPS) Six or so resistors ($0.02 each) Potentiometer (About $0.70) Transistor (Anywhere from $0.05 to $1.50 depending how beefy) Wire...

You're using the design where the potentiometer connects directly to the fan, right? That's just a limitation of that kind of circuit. That behavior is solved by a PWM circuit, but building one is much more complicated than putting a pot in series with the fan leads. So, don't worry, I'm...

Newark has a Canada branch. canada.newark.com They'll get you something so precisely what you need, you'll probably learn something buying it. What potentiometer value are you after? (Forgive me if I haven't read the same instructions you read.) If their site is too confusing I'll help you...

If you think about it, we're not really building these for less money. We're just not assigning a dollar figure to the time we spend assembling. If someone asked to pay you to spend all day building these, the dollar figure would go up a bit!

Nope. It would spin slower. The voltage causes the current to flow, and the amps rating is a maximum current the power supply will deliver on a constant basis while staying reliable. If you connect something to that power supply that allows 500mA to flow when it's given 12v, the power supply...

How are your circuit design and soldering skills? I might be able to help you figure out a solution for that problem. Also, where did you find pressure sensors for the gas lines? The places I've looked those are all industrial quality and hundreds of dollars each. EDIT (with parts): I found...

Wow, out of town for a few days and this thread really took off with useful info. Thanks guys! In regards to fermentation temp, 71 degrees is what the thermostat on the A/C is set to. It's really that crude. I'm looking into better systems, but I want to jump right into something that will...

About four posts up: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/does-no-secondary-equal-shooting-yourself-foot-434602/#post5546573 Sounds like this is something that used to be more of a problem, but now people have a much better yeast supply in general, better control of temperatures and sanitation etc...

I should probably recommend a secondary for my roommate then. He has a "RagnaBock" that he thought would be done for December 2012, but is still aging. It has now been on the yeast cake for almost a year and a half.

I have a "Spicy Holiday Ale" in the closet that has finished fermenting, and I just got my first taste. (1.064 OG, 1.016 FG, right on target!) It's a 5-gallon batch. I planned from the start to oak it, but need some tips from people who have done that before. Brew day was about six weeks...