That feeling when you power on your panel for the first time and nothing blows up... | HomeBrewTalk.com - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Community.

Homebrew Talk

Help Support Homebrew Talk by donating:

  1. Dismiss Notice
  2. We have a new forum and it needs your help! Homebrewing Deals is a forum to post whatever deals and specials you find that other homebrewers might value! Includes coupon layering, Craigslist finds, eBay finds, Amazon specials, etc.
    Dismiss Notice

That feeling when you power on your panel for the first time and nothing blows up...

Discussion in 'Electric Brewing' started by ryanj, Apr 27, 2018.

 

  1. #1
    ryanj

    Supporting Member  

    Posted Apr 27, 2018
    I knew better than to wait until my panel was 90% complete to test it. I'm software engineer, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you build, test, build more, test again, etc. I've been dragging my feet on building my panel for the past 4-5 months and until yesterday...never tested any of the work.

    But finally, yesterday afternoon I was at a point where most of my wiring was loosely laid out and hooked up and it was time to test.

    With a fire extinguisher at the ready, I plugged it in and powered it up and everything worked flawlessly. What a satisfying feeling!

    [​IMG]

    Now I just need to bundle some wires together, run the final power lines, and I'll be ready to start testing my vessels.
     
  2. #2
    doug293cz

    BIABer, Beer Math Nerd, ePanel Designer, Pilot Staff Member  

    Posted Apr 28, 2018
    Looking good.

    Brew on :mug:
     
  3. #3
    flars

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 28, 2018
    And it looks good too.
     
  4. #4
    SEndorf

    Supporting Member  

    Posted Apr 28, 2018
    Nice looking panel !! OrAL doesn't count! LOL ...Post back after you've attached your temp sensors and calibrated!
     
  5. #5
    Sparkncode

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 29, 2018
    I've never worried about first power up at the power range of our panels much as I have an electronics and electrical background. I do power ups part way through if possible to test major sections. I do use caution and saftey glasses etc on first power up. For my brew panel I connected it into an ordinary 230V 10A outlet with lower circuit breaker current ratings for the initial tests before I connected it to a 32A outlet. If you are really worried you can easially put a high wattage incandescent lightbulb in series to protect shorts as the panel should not draw much current with no elements connected.

    I work in the power electronics industry as an embedded software engineer and that combines both software testing and high power equipment.

    Got to love a glitch that draws 2MW of power when intending to test at 200KW... Turned out to be an incorrect parameter set by a control engineer and not my software but with the project manager watching and panicking at the current drawn the Emergency Stop got hit pretty quick.

    The equipment was rated for it but generally a good idea to ramp it up slowly as we are not just testing software but hardware integration.

    Its always a good feeling when whatever you are working on powers up and doesn't let smoke out :)
     
  6. #6
    jcav

    Still Believing In God, Family&This Great Country  

    Posted Apr 29, 2018
    Nice job, congrats! Have a brew and celebrate and toast your new panel!

    John
     
  7. #7
    JDXX1971

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 29, 2018
    No,no,no don't toast your new panel.:confused:
     
    Gadjobrinus and Sparkncode like this.
  8. #8
    jcav

    Still Believing In God, Family&This Great Country  

    Posted Apr 29, 2018
    Haha that is a good one! I hope he got my meaning, to hold up his beer, stand there proud, and say a few words!

    John
     
    JDXX1971 likes this.
  9. #9
    BrunDog

    Sponsor  

    Posted Apr 29, 2018
    Congrats. Not to be a A-hole, but the expectation should be that everything works exactly as planned. You should be surprised only if there is a problem. If the schematic and build quality are where they ought to be, it will be automatic. We are dealing with insane amounts of power - chances of a mis-wire can have bad implications!

    Ok... soap box back under the bed.
     
  10. #10
    Toejam792

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Apr 30, 2018
    Nice panel. I know the feeling you have when you turn on the power and there are no pops and two weeks later your house hasen't started on fire. I bought a house when I was 19 and gutted it with all new electrical, plumbing and heating, doing it all except the main service to house. There's always that feeling something is going to pop and smoke that makes flicking the switch for the first time so exciting.
     
    stevehaun likes this.
  11. #11
    ale_man

    Supporting Member  

    Posted May 2, 2018
    Gorgeous panel. Well done.
     
  12. #12
    Gadjobrinus

    Supporting Member  

    Posted May 2, 2018
    From a guy who understands this like a native language from a foreign planet on Star Trek, from one brewer to another, a simple way to go. I hope the rest just rocks easily for you and you kick out brews you love.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page

Group Builder