Savant Systems Control Panel

by request From another thread: Euro Tanks

Here is the control panel for my new system:







Ask any questions if you want

Very sweet! How bout a schematic. Any pics of the plumbing?

That puppy looks like it controls the space shuttle.

Ok, here goes:

1. What kind of enclosure did you use and where did you pick it up?

2. What are the three devices in the lower right side? Looks like one is a pH meter. Will you have a pH probe in the mash? If so, where did you pick it up and what kind is it?

3. What's up with the recirculate switch? I see you have two switches for the pumps, what does the recirc switch do?

Any plans or wiring diagrams?

4. How about a pic/diagram of the rig it's going to serve?

That might provide volumes of info about why, and what.

jdoiv said:

Ok, here goes:

1. What kind of enclosure did you use and where did you pick it up?

2. What are the three devices in the lower right side? Looks like one is a pH meter. Will you have a pH probe in the mash? If so, where did you pick it up and what kind is it?

3. What's up with the recirculate switch? I see you have two switches for the pumps, what does the recirc switch do?

Any plans or wiring diagrams?

Click to expand...

This is a HERMS system, nothing really new about that, just some improvements? enhancements ?


Most everything was picked off ebay, the NEMA enclosure is 16"x16"x8" , $75 bucks new, really a Hoffman or Bud style and very high quality box .

pH Controller was a steal, I think they list for $ 800, I picked it up for $40, has tons of complicated functions including relays and O2 saturation, disolved 02, 18 different out puts and tons of pH controlling features, I only plan to use it to monitor the conversion of sugars, check brewing water, and keep tabs of pH levels for replication of future batches. I have no way of changing the pH levels from an automation standpoint, just monitor and document. Yes, pH probe on the outflow of the mash tun

There is a countdown timer, for brew time, hop additions, mash cycles etc... I bought a whole control panel with 26 of these, and all the industrial switches( shown) plus a ton of other expensive industrial components for $ 5 bucks ( ebay again ) , I had to drive 2 hours to pick it up, but for $5, it was WELL worth the trip.

The Durant PID, is an AC/Voltage monitor( a fluff device ), it keeps systems power and load, for the stirrer motor, pumps and overall systems electrical loads, it's just cool, that's all.

Recirculate, is a system flush for cleaning mode, plus sparge water/ automatic water filler. it overrides the main pump switches for specific functions ( user defined ).

You guys know what the LOVE controls do , so I won't go into detail, STC valves, not ASCO are the gas valves of choice for me, plus they are way cheaper.

I have only a hand written schematic of wiring and plumbing for now, I have a company working up CAD drawings and full build plans for the complete project.

I hope to finish this project up in the next couple of weeks.

Questions ?

Yes , I know it kinda looks like the Brutus, almost all single tier stands do , give Lonnie credit, he started a revolution:fro:

The interface looks cool...lets see the backend

Cheers
BeerCanuck

BeerCanuck said:

The interface looks cool...lets see the backend

Cheers
BeerCanuck

Click to expand...

I hardly know you .......



I am not quite finished with the wiring yet, but promise I will give the full monty shortly

Great looking box man. I'm getting a Wiegmann SS Nema 12 box for my Brutus clone. That PH gizmo looks pretty cool. I found this on Ebay. Are these complete, or do I need to get electrodes? How do you have your probes setup?


http://cgi.ebay.com/Signet-pH-Contr...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks. KD

korndog said:

Great looking box man. I'm getting a Wiegmann SS Nema 12 box for my Brutus clone. That PH gizmo looks pretty cool. I found this on Ebay. Are these complete, or do I need to get electrodes? How do you have your probes setup?


http://cgi.ebay.com/Signet-pH-Contr...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks. KD

Click to expand...

Hey KD,

That's the exact one I have, nice find. Yes you will need a pH probe, they can be expensive, but there are some in Canada ( ebay ) , for about $30 bucks including shipping. they fit in a 3/4" nipple > into a tee, best to locate it on the outflow of your mash tun, this device will do alot of different functions but, mostly to measure mash pH. You can also monitor water pH , and replicate future brewing sessions for your brewing software or brew log. How far along on your Brutus are you? pictures ?

Here's my progress so far:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=55696

mrbowenz said:

Hey KD,

That's the exact one I have, nice find. Yes you will need a pH probe, they can be expensive, but there are some in Canada ( ebay ) , for about $30 bucks including shipping. they fit in a 3/4" nipple > into a tee, best to locate it on the outflow of your mash tun, this device will do alot of different functions but, mostly to measure mash pH. You can also monitor water pH , and replicate future brewing sessions for your brewing software or brew log. How far along on your Brutus are you? pictures ?

Here's my progress so far:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=55696

Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for the information. Checked out the other thread. Great setup! I think I will scoop one of these up for kicks. I'm about two weeks away from brewing I guess.

mrbowenz said:

Hey KD,

That's the exact one I have, nice find. Yes you will need a pH probe, they can be expensive, but there are some in Canada ( ebay ) , for about $30 bucks including shipping. they fit in a 3/4" nipple > into a tee, best to locate it on the outflow of your mash tun, this device will do alot of different functions but, mostly to measure mash pH. You can also monitor water pH , and replicate future brewing sessions for your brewing software or brew log. How far along on your Brutus are you? pictures ?
Here's my progress so far:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=55696

Click to expand...

Hey mrbowenz, a few questions about the PH monitor. I picked one up BTW.

1. Does the monitor support more than one electrode, or would I use a wet tap to switch between MLT and HLT?

2. How are the electrodes wired to the unit (wire included with electrode?)?

2. How are you powering your unit?

3. Do I just stick electrode in 4/7 solutions to calibrate?

4. 6 inch deep enclosure ok? Cutout size? I can't find a data sheet on this model. It appears to be discontinued.


Cool toy! Thanks again!

oh yeah. You mentioned checking conversion. How do you check conversion using PH? I can't seem to find an article on that. I am aware of iodine test, and of course Brix or SG.

Hey mrbowenz--

Did you ever get a wiring diagram put together? My controls will be very similar expect for the recirc and pH meter. I wouldn't mind taking a peek at your to make sure i'm wiring it all correctly. I too am putting in lights for visual notification. I'm new to the wiring part of this project.

MNBugeater

korndog said:

Hey mrbowenz, a few questions about the PH monitor. I picked one up BTW.

1. Does the monitor support more than one electrode, or would I use a wet tap to switch between MLT and HLT?

2. How are the electrodes wired to the unit (wire included with electrode?)?

2. How are you powering your unit?

3. Do I just stick electrode in 4/7 solutions to calibrate?

4. 6 inch deep enclosure ok? Cutout size? I can't find a data sheet on this model. It appears to be discontinued.


Cool toy! Thanks again!

oh yeah. You mentioned checking conversion. How do you check conversion using PH? I can't seem to find an article on that. I am aware of iodine test, and of course Brix or SG.

Click to expand...

Wow Korndog,

I am sorry I must have missed your response to this thread a while ago.

1. I use a tap/tee just on the outflow of the MT to monitor pH, calibration with a pH neutral solution, prior to adding any grain, you can check the pH of your brew water provided to is not too hot , above 165 F , that all the probe that I have is rated.

I guess you could wire two probes with the unit, one for HLT and one for MT, although if you are using a HERMS, it wouldn't make much sense to me I guess.

24 volt stepdown transformer will power this unit or 12V with a slightly different jumper setting as with many high end panel mounted devices

Each probe is different , but yes, a pH 4/7 solution is what I have to calibrate the probe. it's mounted into a PVC nipple and then a grommet to seal leakage into a SS tee.

I believe it is almost 7 inches deep, but because of my delay in this response, you probably already know that. I went with an 8" x16x16" NEMA box , fits perfectly in my setup.

Misleading on my part my fault, having the proper pH levels in your mash creates the best opportunity for starch conversions, that is, not to say that you can actually determine conversions of starch to simple sugars by observing the pH.

Signet manual : I can't post pfd, and have lost the link, if you want PM me and I will regular email it to you

MNBugeater said:

Hey mrbowenz--

Did you ever get a wiring diagram put together? My controls will be very similar expect for the recirc and pH meter. I wouldn't mind taking a peek at your to make sure i'm wiring it all correctly. I too am putting in lights for visual notification. I'm new to the wiring part of this project.

MNBugeater

Click to expand...

I have a hand writen schematic, but a full wiring diagram will be available shortly in CAD, I have a friend who is doing the whole project.

MNBugeater, if you have questions , just fire away

Thanks for getting back to me. I would love to see the inside of that box sometime if you ever get around to it.

Thanks again.

KD

korndog said:

Thanks for getting back to me. I would love to see the inside of that box sometime if you ever get around to it.

Thanks again.

KD

Click to expand...

Here is just some progress, not finished with all the wiring or wire management yet:

mrbowenz said:

Here is just some progress, not finished with all the wiring or wire management yet:

Click to expand...

That's great. Thanks for sharing that here. This part is new to me, so I appreciate any visual references I can get.

KD

Here's the wiring finished, everthing seems to be working very well and is now mounted into the space, I will have the schematic posted shortly:

Beautiful control panel! I'm using a lot of your ideas for my own (same box, same colour, industrial sealed controls, etc).

Kal

kal said:

Beautiful control panel! I'm using a lot of your ideas for my own (same box, same colour, industrial sealed controls, etc).

Kal

Click to expand...

Keep us posted with pictures, pm if you need anything

Great Brew setup. Did you have get the CAD drawing of the wiring? I would be interested in seeing them.

kldobbins said:

Great Brew setup. Did you have get the CAD drawing of the wiring? I would be interested in seeing them.

Click to expand...

Being that this thread has been dead for 7 years I wouldnt hold my breath on getting a response.
Thanks though because now im intrigued by the ph meter.