Combined Volt/Amp meter in e-build

EDIT: Disregard. This is the thread I was looking for. http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/voltmeter-ammeter-481979/


Awhile back I built a Kal e-brewery control panel. The volt meter never worked and when my friend (with a Doctorate degree in space robotics) tried to help me fix it, we fried the power supply for the amp meter. *sigh*

Though these aren't necessary for the brewery to function, I would like to have the info.

Somewhere on the forums I found a link to a combined volt/amp meter that doesn't require an external power supply and I ordered one....but then waited about 3 months before installing it. Now I'm not sure where the thread is so I can ask how best to wire this into my Kal panel.

Anyone recognize it? Anyone used it? Anyone have suggestions?

Thanks!

 

the screw terminals are the volt/amp meter board power (Line and Neutral OR L1 and L2).. there's no right or wrong way to supply power,
Then thread your main Line power through the hole in the donut thingy. BEFORE it gets split and broken out for individual components

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/voltmeter-ammeter-481979/

Sorry this was the thread i was looking for.

 

I second this... its almost the same model as the $6 one I bought for my panel on ebay a year ago... no special power supply needed for this one...

 

The one I used on my build also likely same as yours... with the remote torroid (makes wiring much cleaner being able to put the coil basically at the power in socket rather than having to run 10ga wire up and around everywhere).

 

Any guesses which way is up? I don't have power yet to test it but I would like to go ahead and install the meter. Its not marked so is there a standard (Label up)?

 

The remote torroid would have been cool but I had already bought the one that has it mounted.

I decided to replace the very short black 10ga line from my twist lock power in to the main power relay. It was about 2" long but now it comes in, gets fed around to the door, through the torroid, and back down to the relay. Hope that's right.

On a side note, I can't believe everyone doesn't do this.....sooooo much easier than 5 extra components and all the required wiring (2x doorbell transformers, 2x step down variable transformers, and an extra meter....not to mention one less hole in the panel). If I had understood this, my Kal build would have been MUCH easier/faster to build and about $50 cheaper.

 

yup... thats what I got,

the thing is kal states many times that there are cheaper alternatives that work just as well to do the same job and make just as good of a product... he just shared what he decided to use and what he thought was the best choice at the time...

My entire control panel with three pids ( with manual mode), alarms, an sestos timer with three RTD sensors and wiring for three elements (two 4500w and one 1000w element) along with pwm speed controlled pump outputs with disconnects for everything was under $350 to build. total brewery is up around $800 now with recent additions) I made upgrades and actually just bought some cosmetically more appealing led push buttons and led lights as well as a smaller matching 1/16 din hlt pid which was larger than my other ones before... I am replacing the front panel on mine and reorganizing it since I have learned a bit since I built it and decided to add three way valves and a third pump so I can now go through the whole brewing process without disconnecting any hoses or moving anything around.. I also added a $35 herms tube which has worked awesome so far for three brew sessions.

I wouldnt have needed the doorbell transformers since I use a 12/24v dc powersupply to power my pumps, cooling fan and 25a relays which replace larger contractors for my elements (extra safety and to cut both phases of power when off)

I have enough spare parts laying around to actually build another smaller two pid system which I may build just to lone out or give to my brother in law.

 

sounds right

 

diagram please

 

FWIW, all the other things were available at the time, I just didn't like the look of them. I wanted something LED (not LCD) that matched the rest of the panel. I suggest people use whatever works best for them and their needs.

Kal

 

True but most of us don't know anything about electricity or electrical components....just sheep that want to make beer the cool way!

 

If that was the case then why not go with the $6 or many red /green LCD amp / volt meter that actually does match the pid displays instead of the non matching blue ones?

 

If that was the case then why not go with the $6 red /green LCD amp / volt meter that actually does match the pid displays instead of the non matching blue ones?
If you liked them better that's perfectly reasonable but to say the blue ones match vs red and green when the rest of the digital displays are red and green LCD just doesn't make sense to me?

 

When I have all the components assembled I will post something.... I'm adding as it arrives in the mail at the moment.

 

I went with blue LED because it matched the blue LED power light on the same line. Both are blue LED.

Most of the others I found were LCD (as you mentioned) which looks different to me. The PIDs are LED, not LCD. You can get some green, red, or blue backlit LCD displays but again to me (just my opinion) they look completely different. Only the colour is the same.

I didn't want to mix and match LED with LCD on my panel. Just my opinion of course, but I find LED looks a lot more rugged (almost retro), and easier to read than LCD.

I didn't want something like this:



Not only is the style different, but you'll never get the exact same colour of green, red, or blue if you mix/match LED with LCD.

I prefer this:



Again, no right or wrong answer here. Just a personal preference.

Kal

 

OK I see your point. Both my pids and volt amp meter are actually led and not LCD... while the sizes vary they actually match pretty well
Anyway it goes back to what I was trying to say in the beginning ... That you used the components that you felt were best for YOUR build and they are not the only options or the best options for everyone..
There are newer and improved versions of these pids and meters popping up all the time.. and the prices keep changing. I just ordered a third my pin TD4 with the manual mode and found them for sale from a seller in my state (NY) for under $20 shipped....

 

Yup. I only chimed in as you mentioned that I chose what I did because there were no other options such as the LCD or other types of meter (which wasn't true - they were all available). I just didn't like them. YMMV.

FWIW, I'd still use the exact same PIDs and meters myself if I had to rebuild from scratch today. I don't know of any newer or improved versions of either, just different makes/models available. myPIN PIDs (for example) have been available for a long time. So it's a personal choice.

Kal

 

I never said anything about there being "no other options" you might want to reread my original post... I said the opposite actually.... and that you just went with what you decided was best for you.
A year ago the my pin td4 model pids where all $30+ now the same seller has them for less than $20.
I have been using three my pin pids for a year now and they have been working flawlessly and I am used to how the menus work so for me spending over twice as much for the same functionality does not make sense but as you pointed out its just my opinion and everyone's entitled to their own. It is a plus that auber is a US based company and I can respect someone buying for that reason but for me its not worth almost three times the price for that alone especially since the actual components are almost certainly from china anyway.

As for new products I saw a new one recently and while its not really a pid auber just released a manual ssr controller complete with a knob for all the older guys that don't like buttons..
I recently converted my camper to solar power and when building the control panel I noticed there were multiply versions of amp and volt meters that in many cases seemed to be different revisions of the same product....

 

Sorry - I misunderstood.

There are certainly many more options available now for people to choose from.

Kal