Wiring diagram advice

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frank551

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Well, I've been lurking around for a while while collecting parts to go to an all electric 10 gallon rig. I've got a garage in the back yard that has a good electrical service running to it, that already houses a bar, my beer fridge, and a pool table.

I'm no electrician (so don't laugh at my schematic skills), so the wiring on this may be screwed up. Here's some bullet points that may answer some questions.
  1. I'm using a BCS-460
  2. I realize that what I labeled GND on the BCS 460 connections is in some places really +5v...so just think of that as "common" for now.
  3. I'm putting a 40 amp GFCI breaker in my main panel. I already have a sub panel in the garage that I will add a double 30 amp to the existing 15, I'm wondering if that will GFCI protect the whole garage...
  4. I am using an SSR for each leg of the 220v heating elements so they are totally off.
  5. I'm trying to figure out how to apply an emergency stop...I have a push/pull type emergency stop switch, I just don't know where to put it and how. I'm thinking a definite purpose contactor, but still not totally sure.
  6. I have this little heating element for the mash tun that I plan to run in a grant. I will recirc my mash the whole time. The idea being that I will mash in at my first rest temp, then use the small grant heater to raise it when necessary. I have to check to see what the wattage is on it, but it's 110v.

Other than that, just looking for some wiring feedback! Thanks!

OK...upon posting this, I realize the image is teeny tiny on the forum. Here is a link to a ginormous one. Clicky


E-brew-Diagram.jpg
 
I noticed a couple things at a glance...

Looks like you are using 2 BCS outputs per 220 element. You can drive both SSR's for each element off one BCS Output.

Also, not clear what you are doing with the switches... You are showing a 24v supply for the lamps... you would not want to switch that to the BCS DIN's, they are 5v. You can however, use the BCS +5vdc to set the DINs.

Ed
 
Good call on using the two BCS outputs. I'll make that change for sure. Free up some controls.

So, the lights are just indicator lights, and they are 24 volt LEDs. I have two contactors installed on each switch. One to control the indicator lights, and the other to switch the 5v to the BCS, which can in turn tell the SSR's to turn on or off. That way, I can choose to run the brewery through the web interface, or go without a computer attached and use the manual switch controls. Or, at least that's what I think I'll be able to do! Correct me if I am wrong!
 
I'm going to be adding on/off/auto switches to my BCS setup, but other than for priming pumps or temporarily switching a valve, I really couldn't see running anything without the PC interface. The biggest obstacle to using it in a manual mode is that you wouldn't have any temperature feedback as you need the PC display to see that.
 
If you are only using the 24v supply for the LED's you are going way overboard. Radio Shack has some 120v neon bulbs that you could use connected to the output of the SSR's. I have mine connected directly across the outlets that I plug in my pumps and heating elements. That way the indicator is on whenever the outlet is energized, either through the SSR or directly via switch. For 220v heating elements I have a 10k ohm resistor in series with the neon bulb. You could then eliminate the 24v power supply.
 
Good call on using the two BCS outputs. I'll make that change for sure. Free up some controls.

So, the lights are just indicator lights, and they are 24 volt LEDs. I have two contactors installed on each switch. One to control the indicator lights, and the other to switch the 5v to the BCS, which can in turn tell the SSR's to turn on or off. That way, I can choose to run the brewery through the web interface, or go without a computer attached and use the manual switch controls. Or, at least that's what I think I'll be able to do! Correct me if I am wrong!

I have my BCS rig configured to run very much like you are describing.

Unless you already have 24v pilot lights and are set on using them, you might consider looking for 5vdc or 120vac to eliminate the need for another power supply in your box?

I understand what you want to do with the switches, but I'm still a bit confused...

What I don't see on your drawing is where you are feeding +5vdc to the switches?

Also, you don't need to apply voltage to the DIN's in order to turn on the SSR unless you have another reason to have the BCS in the "manual" control loop. You can just apply +5vdc directly to the SSR which takes the BCS completely out of the picture when running in the "manual" mode.

I use the manual mode alot... For priming pumps, heating water for cleaning, etc. You don't HAVE to have the interface on to hear a pump run, or feel when the water is warm enough to clean with but, I usually have the interface on when the panel is under power. I have a wireless bridge, so my PC can be clear of the brewing area... but it usually sits right beside my panel.

BTW... I just got an Droid X phone and the BCS interface runs fine on it.

Ed
 
On the 24 volt lights....
I literally have a huge box of very nice, push to test Allan Bradley LED pilot lights. I'd be silly to not use them. What I may do, is build a power supply that has two voltages, one for the BCS and one for the 24v lights, so there is only one thing to plug in.

I'll update the schematic to reflect some of the BCS wiring errors I'm making. I don't have the unit yet, so I'm sorta shooting blind in my understanding of how it hooks up.

Thanks again, and keep that feedback coming if you see anything else problematic.
 
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