Understanding my PIDs

Well I'm attempting to determine which modes are needed in my PIDs. I couldn't beat the price I got the units, so I realize they are a little over kill. However at $15 a piece I'm not afraid to ask some help.

http://www.omega.com/manuals/manualpdf/M0531.pdf

The above in the manual for the unit, hard part is they are images of the original manual as it was produced several years ago. I have two at my disposal and I'm planning a HERMS setup. I assumed one to control the mash, and second for HLT.

Someone help me understand!

Hey where did you get those? At 15$ a piece I might be interested too.

nice score on the prices!
Well, not sure where to start as I don't know exactly what it is you don't understand. First off, shall we assume you're planning on an electric-heated MLT and HLT? Going from there you'll need a thermocouple temperature probe and solid state relay for each unit. These industrial controllers are very flexible and configurable in a thousand different ways, but looks like they will work for what you have planned for them. I can try to help you with specific questions.

I'm trying to determine from the manual two things

1. Can it be ran with the cooling function disabled or just not connected

2. Can it be cycle adjustable so I can limit frequence when I've reached a boil

>1. Can it be ran with the cooling function disabled or just not connected
If it can't be disabled, just don't connect anything for cooling. Cooling will be the absence of heat.

>2. Can it be cycle adjustable so I can limit frequence when I've reached a boil
I would think for boiling you would put it in manual mode, full-on.

Rick

but once I've reached a boil, I would like to be able to cut it back some, is this possible

I know very little about PIDs but the responses to my PID thread led me to understand this. Its basically an on/off switch with a temperature differential to activate the switch. You wont be able to make it any hotter than boiling(212 at sea level) and if the differential is even 1 degree, then it will boil and then stop(because boiling is 212 not 211). at the same time it would try to cycle faster and faster to regulate the temp more consistently. therefore while being a sweet device for a HLT or possibly on a gas fired autopilot MLT (I dont think I would want my grain scorching against a heater element in an electric fired MLT). It wouldn't be very effective for the boil kettle. I'm still trying to figure out why some riggs have PIDs set on MLTs. I'm probably all wrong on this and hope someone with more brewsense and tech know how than me gives you better answers than I have.

but once I've reached a boil, I would like to be able to cut it back some, is this possible

Click to expand...

I could have missed it, but I didn't see any manual mode with a quick scan of the linked operations manual, so I'm not sure you can pull it off except by toggling it back and forth in stand-by.

By the way, page 26 of the manual discusses heating only applications.

Rick