Fancy Schmancy Dual Fermenter Controller

[RadicalEd]

Modeled loosely on the control panel from theelectricbrewery.com, but simplified for heat/cool using STC-1000's.

Here's the bling:

Cover closed, powered up, ready to go!

Cover open:

Edited for having the wrong dang pic!
The top controller controls a (to-be-built) chiller unit. The yellow LED indicates system power; the white LED indicated that the chiller is running.

The bottom controllers each control one fermenter's temperature via turning on a pump to move glycol through a coil to cool and by powering flexwatt heat tape to warm. Blue LED's indicate cooling, red indicate heating.

The switches can be set to 'ON', 'OFF', and "Auto". OFF is easy to explain; ON turns the cooling pump on constantly (useful for cold crashing/ cooling post boil). Auto lets the controller do it's thing.

On the bottom, the 6 receptacles are for the following:
1. Chiller power
2. Ferm 1 cool
3. Ferm 1 heat
4. Ferm 2 cool
5. Ferm 2 heat
6. Constant on (for a glycol circ pump, should it be needed. Or general convenience if not!)


Let me know if you have any questions! I can share some in-process pics as well .

 

[jleiii]

Looks good, but upper picture it an open view also.
I recently got my ST1000's mounted after sitting loose on top of the 4 compartment cabinet. My heating has been in place for a year, but still working on the cooling part. I was looking at glycol, but it goes slushy well above zero making it harder to pump. Still pondering my options, although I've already got those parts in hand.
I'll be watching for updates on your cooling.

One key difference I have is that I have a switch to enable Heat or Cool plus off if I just want to monitor. I don't plan to heat & cool together, but allow an over/under shoot if it happens.

 

[RadicalEd]

Derp. Foiled again! The correct photo has been inserted.

I don't envision that I'll be using heat and cool all that often together, but I am concerned about the winter months; fermentation will be able to crank out considerably more watts than the heat tape, and the heat tape was sized to the insulation and the surrounding environment of the fermenters. In other words, fermentation will be able to considerably raise fermenter temp above desired levels during active ferment. Allowing the system to decide which to use lets me effortlessly switch from 'cool' during active ferment to 'heat' post active ferment .

 

[RadicalEd]

Tipped by some enigmatic force, here are the build pics:

Panel cover cut out and painted:

Control panel body, primed:

First power up! (sans thermosensor wired):

 

[RadicalEd]

As request from another forum goer, here is the circuit schematic diagram. Dots mean the wires are connected. The glycol cooler (an air conditioner) is controlled by the left STC, the fermenter temp by the right STC. Only one fermenter controller circuit is shown; the other is identical.

 

[pmcint01]

This looks very basic and easy to build. How well does it work?

Are you using it on some plastic conicals?


Thanks

 

[pmcint01]

Could you post a couple pics of the pumps and cooler and the piping please

Thank you

 

[RadicalEd]

Hahahaha...well....the sad truth is that this beast has been gathering dust! I tested all the functions using a light plugged into the sockets, but havent hooked up a chiller unit yet. Life got super busy, and I haven't had a chance to finish up my semi conical SS fermenters; I think I have another thread on them.

 

[RadicalEd]

Ah yes, here we go:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=438548

I have since added the heat trace to both, and copper cooling coils around one of the fermenters. Still need to work on the chiller, too.