Lmiller1708
Member
I have been able to get the Avantco IC3500 Induction Burner working with an Arduino using a PID loop!
Let me first give credit to the folks over at Openschemes for initiating this hack: http://openschemes.com/2011/04/28/manual-control-of-the-1-8kw-induction-cooktop/
Without them I wouldn’t have been able to get this started!
Back story… This can be considered my second attempt at hacking this burner, my first attempt I was really unable to fully try out as I shorted the switches to the ground during a brew day and it fried the main IC on the burner and possibly the bit shifter IC controlling the 7 segment display. I would still prefer this method and would encourage others who want to hack the burner to try that out first! Details on what I planned to do can be found here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...ction-burner-work.301722/page-23#post-7907790
My second attempt only happened after another member on HBT referenced the Openschemes site (thanks Foamenter) and after some research I felt I had nothing to lose (minus being Zapped by the floating 100+ VDC on the control board (which does tingle a bit by the way) or letting out massive amounts of smoke). So following the guide of the Openschemes site I unsoldered the ribbon cable and hooked up it to a bread board with a 10k pot and it worked with no problems! Let me tell you, striking it for the first time is very nerve racking! Here’s a picture of the mess/setup.
Safety Note: When the PC is hooked up to the scope or Arduino it is also elevated at 100+ VDC, please be careful and do not have your PC plugged in.
Moving on… Now that I know the burner still working I knew that using an Arduino to control it would be possible! I chose to use the Arduino Nano board do to its size and simplicity. I also wanted to keep the Arduino inside the case and use the original control board to keep things neat and safe (remember the burner is floating at 100+ VDC), so the smaller the better. I also wanted to use the original control board with for the switches, leds and the 7 segment display. And for fun I decided to add Bluetooth connectivity with an android app! The android app was created using MIT app inventor which is super simple to use. It will also allow me to fine tune the PID settings on the fly. I then was able to get the Arduino working in place of the 10k Pot by outputting a 1 to 3.5 volt signal to the PWM input of the burner! Success!
Putting the Pieces together… Now that all the pieces were in place it was time to start putting everything together. After spending a few late nights with the original control board I came to the conclusion that the Bit sifter and 7 segment display were also damaged or I just wasn’t smart enough to figure them out! So I decided to use a small OLED display instead, which turned out to be a really good choice! The bad part is I had to use two of them to fit the original 7 segment display window and there is a bit of a gap between them… Once I had the control boards buttons, leds and display boards working I installed everything on a prototype circuit board and created a beautiful rat’s nest!
It’s Alive… Finally after many more late nights of programming and debugging I had a finished product (minus mounting it inside the burner)! I’m now able to easily control it within 1 degree or better without really fine tuning the PID yet!
A few Concerns… All though this seems to be working well there are a few concerns that I have. 1. Temp limits on the burner top and IGBT’s, there is an input for them on the ribbon cable but I have no way of knowing what they are actually reading. I do figure that I’m not using the burner at it’s full capacity and therefore it shouldn’t be a problem (cross fingers). Dedication of the Pan, don’t work… Not sure if I would ever have a reason to remove the pot from the burner at any time, but it is something to be aware of. I’m open to idea’s…
Next Steps… Well… A DIY project is never done right? But for now here is what I have on my list… 1. Fine Tune the PID’s and other misc. settings/features that can be dreamed up. 2. Mounting the controller inside the burner housing. 3. Improve the striking method!!! Currently a not working well at all… 4. Brew some Beer!!!
I will be sharing my code once I get it cleaned up a bit…
Let me first give credit to the folks over at Openschemes for initiating this hack: http://openschemes.com/2011/04/28/manual-control-of-the-1-8kw-induction-cooktop/
Without them I wouldn’t have been able to get this started!
Back story… This can be considered my second attempt at hacking this burner, my first attempt I was really unable to fully try out as I shorted the switches to the ground during a brew day and it fried the main IC on the burner and possibly the bit shifter IC controlling the 7 segment display. I would still prefer this method and would encourage others who want to hack the burner to try that out first! Details on what I planned to do can be found here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...ction-burner-work.301722/page-23#post-7907790
My second attempt only happened after another member on HBT referenced the Openschemes site (thanks Foamenter) and after some research I felt I had nothing to lose (minus being Zapped by the floating 100+ VDC on the control board (which does tingle a bit by the way) or letting out massive amounts of smoke). So following the guide of the Openschemes site I unsoldered the ribbon cable and hooked up it to a bread board with a 10k pot and it worked with no problems! Let me tell you, striking it for the first time is very nerve racking! Here’s a picture of the mess/setup.
Safety Note: When the PC is hooked up to the scope or Arduino it is also elevated at 100+ VDC, please be careful and do not have your PC plugged in.
Moving on… Now that I know the burner still working I knew that using an Arduino to control it would be possible! I chose to use the Arduino Nano board do to its size and simplicity. I also wanted to keep the Arduino inside the case and use the original control board to keep things neat and safe (remember the burner is floating at 100+ VDC), so the smaller the better. I also wanted to use the original control board with for the switches, leds and the 7 segment display. And for fun I decided to add Bluetooth connectivity with an android app! The android app was created using MIT app inventor which is super simple to use. It will also allow me to fine tune the PID settings on the fly. I then was able to get the Arduino working in place of the 10k Pot by outputting a 1 to 3.5 volt signal to the PWM input of the burner! Success!
Putting the Pieces together… Now that all the pieces were in place it was time to start putting everything together. After spending a few late nights with the original control board I came to the conclusion that the Bit sifter and 7 segment display were also damaged or I just wasn’t smart enough to figure them out! So I decided to use a small OLED display instead, which turned out to be a really good choice! The bad part is I had to use two of them to fit the original 7 segment display window and there is a bit of a gap between them… Once I had the control boards buttons, leds and display boards working I installed everything on a prototype circuit board and created a beautiful rat’s nest!
It’s Alive… Finally after many more late nights of programming and debugging I had a finished product (minus mounting it inside the burner)! I’m now able to easily control it within 1 degree or better without really fine tuning the PID yet!
A few Concerns… All though this seems to be working well there are a few concerns that I have. 1. Temp limits on the burner top and IGBT’s, there is an input for them on the ribbon cable but I have no way of knowing what they are actually reading. I do figure that I’m not using the burner at it’s full capacity and therefore it shouldn’t be a problem (cross fingers). Dedication of the Pan, don’t work… Not sure if I would ever have a reason to remove the pot from the burner at any time, but it is something to be aware of. I’m open to idea’s…
Next Steps… Well… A DIY project is never done right? But for now here is what I have on my list… 1. Fine Tune the PID’s and other misc. settings/features that can be dreamed up. 2. Mounting the controller inside the burner housing. 3. Improve the striking method!!! Currently a not working well at all… 4. Brew some Beer!!!
I will be sharing my code once I get it cleaned up a bit…
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