Is there any need for a stir plate wiring schematic?

I know there are quite a few threads on stir plates, however it seems people have a lot of questions when it comes to the wiring. I could probably turn out the schematic in 15 minutes if there is actually a desire for one. I train most of the technicians in my department for electrical set ups, so i have no issues making things as clear as possible...

I'd appreciate any feed back.

FYI- it cost about 15 dollars for the parts from radio shack, and my power supply, fan, and magnet was free.

Post as much detail as you can, just do it in terms that people without much electronics experience can understand. I am sure there would be interest, as some of the links in other build threads are now dead. Throw in a complete parts list as well if you have that info. You never know, you just might get wiki-ed or sticky-ed with a good set of instructions.

I don't think it will hurt.

Okay... I should have it up this afternoon...

Wiring Schematic
Pictures
Parts List

Could you do one with a potentiometer?
That's where I'm stuck at the moment.

It's in my signature...

Not to jump in on anyones thread, but if anyone is unsure about wiring a stirplate, you can omit the rocker switch and power plug and just use a hobby powerpack(train transformer) instead. Most of us at some point in our lives had a set ot trains, I still do. Anyway, the power packs are dc voltage. you can just hook up the two wires from the fan directly to the power pack and control the speed of the fan from it. Just make sure you dont hook the wires to the accssories terminals. Most powre packs are rated up to 12 volts, so you should have no problem with over heating the fan. It really wont matter how you hook the wires up, it will only decide which direction he fan turns. If you want the fan to spin in a different direction, then just reverse the wires. Hopes this helps a bit.

you need to be sure that the fan is spinning the correct direction... Ever notice how water flushes down the toilet the same way every time? Go to Australia and its the opposite.

Because of this effect, the water will naturally want to spin in one direction. I believe for those of us in the US, you are looking for a clockwise rotation.

The direction does not matter. What you are referring to has to do with gravity. Water flows clockwise in areas above the equator and counter clockwise in places below the equator. With a stirplate, it is the movement of the stirbar that is moving the liquid, not gravity.

That is true, however you do not want to fight the gravitational forces that are being put on the water.

NoClueBrewMaster said:

The point of this thread was to tell people how to build a cheap stir plate using my design, that allows them to fine tune their magnet placement and to use 20 dollars or less worth of parts that are readily available. I'm fine with you posting how you built one, but don't keep trying to hijack this thread... Assuming someone doesn't own a train set (I don't) how much does one cost at a hobby store?

This is how I built mine, and I thought I'd share.

Click to expand...

Wow, while we all appreciate your work, more ideas and options is never unwanted in a how to thread.
The discussion about water direction gravity is a bit though.
Thanks for doing the write up for those who don't mess with electricity much.
One thing I always like about how-to's here, and yours, are teh complete parts lists!

Thanks for the stir plate write up. I've been meaning to put one of these together.

NoClueBrewMaster said:

That is true, however you do not want to fight the gravitational forces that are being put on the water.

Click to expand...

Actually the Coriolis Effect is nowhere near strong enough to practically dictate the directional flow of water. Also the few successful test have proven that the opposite of common belief is true, in the northern hemisphere water should actually flow anti-clockwise.

Thats true, however when I have setup cooling systems at work, we have always gone in the same flow direction as gravity's pull. I guess its just standard for me now...

I hope that from my thread people can build this pretty easily...

As for my previous post, i thought it was on my actual how to thread, so I deleted it. I completely agree that the more the merrier when it comes to designs. After some research on line, I haven't seen any full hobby train power supplies for under 20 dollars, which was the point of my how-to thread - Cheap and easy...