basic analog e brewing

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maltbarleyhops

maltbarleyhops

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i want to build a simple, effective electric power controller for a 4500w/240v element to be installed in my brew kettle.

ill use dial thermometers to monitor temp.

looking for something very basic.

power to controller, on/off selection, possibly a dial to decrease-increase power to the element, and power to element.


budget and limited electrical know how dictates this.

thanks for any and all input.
 
I'm building something for a friend of mine exactly like what you're talking about. I'll throw up a couple photos in a couple days when I'm done. I'm using a $10. 240volt 30amp contactor. The infamous variable ssr kit (ebay search "1pc KYOTTO AC Solid State Relay SSR KR2040AX 280VAC 40A") and a switch I yanked out of a old pc power supply. The switch will control the contactor on & off and the dial will control the boil rate. I have a little aluminum project box that I'm looking to place everything into so that I can mount the element through the box so everything will be self contained against the kettle. I have all the parts I need I just need the time to drill holes and screw it all together.
 
grandequeso said:
I'm building something for a friend of mine exactly like what you're talking about. I'll throw up a couple photos in a couple days when I'm done. I'm using a $10. 240volt 30amp contactor. The infamous variable ssr kit (ebay search "1pc KYOTTO AC Solid State Relay SSR KR2040AX 280VAC 40A") and a switch I yanked out of a old pc power supply. The switch will control the contactor on & off and the dial will control the boil rate. I have a little aluminum project box that I'm looking to place everything into so that I can mount the element through the box so everything will be self contained against the kettle. I have all the parts I need I just need the time to drill holes and screw it all together.
Click to expand...

Very interested in how that Kyotto SSR turns out. Great cheap solution for boiling if it works well.
 
I have a very simple setup. I use a 240V 5500 W element in my HLT to get to mash temp. Once there, I plug it into a 120V outlet through a ETC controller to keep temp. Use that for my HERMS for maintaining mash temp. For the BK, I have a 240V 3500W element. It runs a little hot; I have about a 25%/hr boil-off. But that's OK as I compensate for it with my lautering (typically at 8 gal pre-boil; 6 gal post boil to get 5.5 gal into the fermentor post losses). Simple ..... no SSRs, no PIDs. Just the ETC controller, which I also use for my fermenting fridge.
 
grandequeso said:
I'm building something for a friend of mine exactly like what you're talking about. I'll throw up a couple photos in a couple days when I'm done. I'm using a $10. 240volt 30amp contactor. The infamous variable ssr kit (ebay search "1pc KYOTTO AC Solid State Relay SSR KR2040AX 280VAC 40A") and a switch I yanked out of a old pc power supply. The switch will control the contactor on & off and the dial will control the boil rate. I have a little aluminum project box that I'm looking to place everything into so that I can mount the element through the box so everything will be self contained against the kettle. I have all the parts I need I just need the time to drill holes and screw it all together.
Click to expand...

would also like to here and see more about this
 
It's the Ranco 120v controller. I don't have model # handy, but its the popular one most homebrewers have been using. I connect the heating element to it when I want to control temps. A 5500w element is actually about 1400 w at 120v which is approx 12a, well within the ranco 16a limit. So, plug element directly to 240 v to get to temp and then disconnect and reconnect to 120v thru the Ranco to maintain temp. It's rediculously easy and inexpensive if you need the ranco anyway for a fermenting fridge
 
maltbarleyhops said:
im liking the controller that i seen at www.theobtuseangle.com

it just may be the one.
Click to expand...

I did the controller in this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/pwm-show-us-how-221301/

You replace the C1 cap with a 2.2uF, which they sell at RadioShack and you have about a 1.2Hz PWM controller. You can order the PWM from Bakatronics preassembled if you want which means just replacing the cap instead of assembling the whole thing.

I didn't see anywhere on theobtuseangle.com where you can buy his controller so if you don't want to design the circuit yourself the bakatronics one is a simple solution.

Good luck and be sure to post pics when you build one.
 
RTL said:
I did the controller in this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/pwm-show-us-how-221301/

You replace the C1 cap with a 2.2uF, which they sell at RadioShack and you have about a 1.2Hz PWM controller. You can order the PWM from Bakatronics preassembled if you want which means just replacing the cap instead of assembling the whole thing.
Click to expand...

I'm not great at soldering - tend to make a mess - and I thought about ordering the Bakatronics board pre-made. I don't guess it's too difficult to remove the stock capacitor: heat up the solder around the points and pull it out the second the solder melts?

I guess I'd have to make certain that I remove the correct item.

IIRC, Walker shows his own PWM circuit in which he uses a potentiometer that includes the clicking ON/OFF switch.

Keith
 
and what would i add to make the power switchable to operate two elements. one at a time of course. (i.e. operate a hlt element OR bk element, never both simultaneously)
 
i finished installing the element in my hlt. i decided it was time to see it do something. currently testing it at 110v on 5 gallons of water. nothing special. 1 hour and im from 68f to 143f.

no leaks, ground continuity at 000.2 ohms. so im calling it viable. the real test at 220v will be on saturday. im hoping there is some type of "ramp" that i should expect when i throw the 220v at it. if not, ill have to explore a different element than the 4500w on im currently using.
 
from my mother-

"watch a pot and it will never boil",

so im gonna step away for a bit (of course i have a remote thermometer ;))
 
so, after 2 hrs, no boil at 5 gallons, 220v should prove much better. now ive hit a snag with the procurement of the PWM circuit. will order from Bakatronics online.

still shooting for brewing on this system in some form on 10/21.
 
maltbarleyhops said:
would this PWM work?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-24V-3A-...216?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d0572cff8
Click to expand...

Sure. The only problem I see is that they don't list the frequency and they may not include schematics. PWMs for DC motors are usually higher frequency so you don't notice the cycling of power. We need low frequency because most SSRs I've seen on ebay have a 20ms response time. If you got that one and figured out where C1 is you could play with different values until you got the desired frequency. I would post oscilloscope screenshots but I can't figure out how to get the stupid thing to save them to my thumb drive.

Would you be interested in buying pre-modified bakatronics PWMs? The caps are cheap and shipping should be relatively cheap, I would do $20 each shipped.
 
i bought 2 like the one from bakatronics (fk804) locally today. i have the 2.2 caps to modify them with. was it C1 or C2 that gets replaced?
 
It is C1. If you are looking at the board and have the pot towards you C1 is the cap closest to you. As long as you didn't buy tantalum caps the orientation of the cap won't matter.
 
and as soon as hong kong snailmail catches up to me ill be replacing the PWM with a PID and thermocouple.

this little rig is going to be a "template" for my original project of a 240v keggle based ebrewer system.

but i gotta tell ya, i like this mini biab recirculating rig i built. 3 gallon batch day in 5 hrs complete and a new beer every week.

and what im really liking about electric, everything done indoors in my little brewery.
 
x
maltbarleyhops said:
finished the 120v ebrewer. wanted to post a pic. how does that work? it asks me for a URL.
Click to expand...

110v ebrewer.jpg
 

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