Brew Controller

I'm planning to put together a PID/Pump controller box to help with:
- Fermentation heating/cooling
- Post-boil cooling
- RIMS control (future)

I've digested many posts and have come up with my plan (see attached schematic and use-case document). Any suggestions/etc before I get started on putting it together? I will, of course, post pictures when it's done.

Schematic & Use Cases

Looks good. I was thinking something similar. Looking forward to pictures

Wow. Just had a great score, at Lowes of all places. I had driven all around looking for the right toolbox to house the controller, and had just about decided on this one:



But then, for $3 more ($20 total), I found their last unit of /this/:



I figure that I can mount the pump, with the input/output vertical, its switch, and fuse, on one side, just above the wheel, by bolting the base to the back of the box. The other side can house the PID, fuse, breaker, and PID switch. The receptacles can go on the back. That gives me the bottom of the main compartment, below the electronics, for storing things (short hoses when dry, power cord, etc), and the entire upper compartment for storing all the miscellany that I always need to find on brew day (whirlfloc, fermcap, etc.)

This is looking nice.

Thats pretty cool. It will be like a pump on wheels. Like you would see in a BrewPub's brewing room.

I would think about isolating the pump to the bottom with the head sticking out the front. House all the electronics separate from where liquid might get to it. You could build a shelf over it so you can use the rest of the space in the bottom container for other stuff.

Brewmoor said:

I would think about isolating the pump to the bottom with the head sticking out the front. House all the electronics separate from where liquid might get to it. You could build a shelf over it so you can use the rest of the space in the bottom container for other stuff.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the front door slides down, so I can't have anything sticking out of the front. What I think I'll do, is add a project box and outlet box to house all the electrical connections. There will be a cable sticking out to power the pump, and the wires to the PID at the very top of the compartment, but that should be well away from the water on the other side of the box, or whatever I toss in the bottom. And I'll need some balast, or the pump will likely tip the thing over.

Grrrr. Now I'm wondering which box is better. The rolling one has square edges, but the pump would have to be mounted out the back with the pipes horizontal, or 9" up. The other box lets me mount the pump low, but the corners are rounded, so it would be hard to enclose the circuitry in a project box, and still get the controls flush-mounted to the outside.

I think my 2 best options are:
Rolling box, with the pump on the bottom, out the back
Other box, and file/mill down the edges of the project box to allow flush-mounting (would, unfortunately, mean the box would not be well sealed).

Any other eyes have better thoughts? Or should I just keep looking for a better box?

Tough Call. I am sure you can make it work. Having the pump on wheels would be a nice feature.

I am doing a similar project now. I looked into that Stanley rolling work center, but didn't like the slide down front. Home Depot has a different model Stanley Work Center, where there are actually two boxes. The top toolbox can come off the lower box with wheels. I first saw it here on a post by ollllo when searching for ideas: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/brewers-rolling-tool-box-march-pump-mount-114977/

I haven't yet decided if I am going to put the pump and the electronics in the top and store all my other stuff in the bottom, or put the pump in the bottom.

I've seen that one. It's about 2x as much as the normal toolbox I was looking at... and, right now, every $15 I can save is a good thing. Also, I just don't need that much space. My MLT and HLT are both rolling coolers, and can easily store hoses, manifolds, etc. I'm just going with the plain toolbox, and a piece of 1x below the outlet box so I can mount it above the rounded bottom. It turns out that the Radio-Shack Project box fits perfectly inside the toolbox, so I just have to bolt that one down.

Construction has started! I have all the cut-outs done, and just need to drill a handful of holes for mounting bolts for the gang-boxes and the C14 receptacle, and grind out a bit of plastic so the PID grip tabs can do their job. Then it's on to wiring... the easiest part. Pictures soon.

Whew. All the rough wiring is done. Just need to mount and hook up the SSR and pump. The project box came with a metal cover, so I'll mount the SSR to that, in case it needs heat-sinking, but since it's rated for 25A, and I won't be putting more than 15A through it (usually less), that should take care of whatever heat-sinking I need.

I need to investigate whether or not I can take the LG 3-MD-HC pump head apart enough to mount the full head outside the toolbox, or if I just need to make a full cutout for it in the side (you can see the pump sitting in the toolbox). All the hard stuff is pretty much done, at this point. Yay!

It lives! The box was powered up for the first time tonight, and (miraculously) all the wiring seems solid. I had to cut out the mounting hole for the pump a bit, as it turned out that the magnetic drive ring was just catching the edge as it revolved, but now the motor is dead silent when running without the pump head assembled, just as it should be. Now, to get a time to brew so that I can use it.

sweet, let's see some pics of the finished product!

Evandy
I've seen some of these toolbox mounted pumps and made one similar to yours but with the RIMS tube attached. I haven't used it on an actual brew session yet but I have done a water test. My only change to mine so far would be having the PID on whenever it's plugged in but the power to the SSR controlled by the switch, in the case that I want to monitor temps, make adjustments, etc without fear of dry firing the element (did that last night, without water flow it got very hot within a few seconds.
thread
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/portable-rims-project-ideas-help-needed-162253/

Adding a RIMS tube is next on my list... Just need to wait to have the $$$ free. I will likely mount it on the box for balance as much as anything else... That pump is heavy!

True. Adding the Rims and electrics evened out the weight of the box some. The pump is heavy on one side. Do you plan to ventilate the box at all?

I'm taking a wait and see approach on ventilation... One of the main points of the box is to keep wet away from the inside of the box. If it gets hot I'll do something then. Can always open the lid if I need to.

You didn't put a separate switch and fuse on Your element?

Here are pictures of the completed box! You can see the power-supply side in a previous post, so I didn't show that. There is 1 more switch/fuse combo on the back of the box that control the pump (same as the PID switch/fuse you can see). The GFCI plugs probably will never be used, but it was much cheaper to add a GFCI outlet than a GFCI cord or breaker. Go figure. The grey outlets are switched by the PID so I can control something external if I want to.

From the outside:


The finished interior:


When I do a wet test I need to see if the output connection leaks at the pump. I wanted the valves to end up on the right, but didn't want to super-tighten. I may need to take the head off and tighten it one more turn... no biggie: wingnuts!

The impeller on the LG pump rattles a little when run dry. But presumably that should settle out when run wet.

Well, I finally got around to using the new controller (It was cold and I have a baby). It worked flawlessly. Here's a picture of it's current duties: fermentation chiller controller: