My homebrew stirplate

[MrSaLTy]

How many magnets can you get out of an old hard drive?

The ones in the pic I have there all came from one harddrive. There were 2 on each side of the r/w arm. Some may just have one on each side. They have always had at least two in eveyone I have seen.

 

[subwyking]

very nice!! it seems you have outdone my stir plate. i bow to the electronics master!

 

[MrSaLTy]

very nice!! it seems you have outdone my stir plate. i bow to the electronics master!

Ha! I am no rocket scientist either but I know how to follow directions and do know enough about electonics to be dangerous. But hey.... I think it was your post a month or so ago that introduced me to the idea in the first place so CHEERS!

 

[subwyking]

Ha! I am no rocket scientist either but I know how to follow directions and do know enough about electonics to be dangerous. But hey.... I think it was your post a month or so ago that introduced me to the idea in the first place so CHEERS!

haha. i wondered, but i wasnt going to be egotistical and ask. did you see the grain mill?..... maybe now you have a new project.

 

[frothy]

Ingenious guys - loving it. I was looking for stir plates on Ebay the other day and they cost a fortune (and are mostly older than I am.) Boy is my old PC in for a rough night.

 

[l3lackEyedAngels]

Is there a risk in making the fan unbalanced? Wouldn't that destroy it over time?

 

[Jester4176]

Eventually, but it will take a while. If you're that concerned with it, don't solder the fan to the board. Rather, make a quick disconect for it so it can be replaced if/when it dies. The fan's can be had for less than $5, so not a big worry.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

MrSaLTy, thanks a ton for this post - I made a stirplate nearly identical, and it works quite well! It'll spin a one pint starter with ease using stir bars ranging from half an inch to 2 inches. I got most of the parts from www.jameco.com.

I'd be willing to use the leftover parts to make another 5 or 6 stirplates and sell them at my eBay store for around $30 or $40 (shipping included - that's only about $5 for my time). Additions would include an LED indicator and a power connector rather than the soldered/taped wires sticking out. I'm not looking to make a profit from fellow homebrewers - I just had a lot of fun with this project, and I'd like to share the results. Is anyone interested?

 

[MrSaLTy]

Looks like you did a nice job Yuri. Fun little project isn't it? Now hope it actually helps your brewing

 

[Jaybird]

Yuri
I'll Take one just PM me so we can work out the details
cheers
JJ

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Alright folks, I've gotten a few messages showing interest in the stirplates I was thinking of whipping up. Gimme a week or so to order some of the parts I don't have in excess and another few days build a few. I'll be in touch with those interested!

 

[Desert_Sky]

Alright folks, I've gotten a few messages showing interest in the stirplates I was thinking of whipping up. Gimme a week or so to order some of the parts I don't have in excess and another few days build a few. I'll be in touch with those interested!

got a ballpark price for them?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Just a guess...$35. I'll let you know a better estimate after I place the parts order.

 

[Jaybird]

Keep me posted

JJ

 

[D*Bo]

Try going to a computer repair shop (small private business run out of the basement type, not chain store) ask them if they have any hard drives you can strip for parts. If they give you one ask if they have any old case fans you could get too.
Worked for me. You can save a few bucks on the project. Might not get your choice on size for the fan, but you might luck out.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Ok folks, here's the breakdown:

$1.50 Perf Board
$0.23 Heat Sink Compound
$4.46 Fan
$2.19 Transformer
$2.77 Power Jack
$0.01 1K ohm Resistor
$0.12 1 microF Cap
$0.15 .1 microF Cap
$0.39 LM317
$0.35 Heat Sink
$0.91 Linear Pot
$0.73 Knob
$7.10 Enclosure
$0.86 Switch
$1.05 LED
$0.15 LED Mount
$1.00 Magnets
$1.00 Misc Hardware (nuts/bolts/glue/etc)
$1.20 Shipping (parts to me)
$5.00 My time
$8.25 Priority Shipping
$39.42 Total

I ordered everything I didn't already have from Jameco today, and it was all in stock. I'll wind up with enough supplies to make 9 stirplates, and there are already 6 people who showed interest. I'll start soldering away as soon as I have the rest of the parts!

 

[D*Bo]

The only magnetss I could find without busting up hard drives were way to small.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Try this eBay link. I used magnets very similar to the 1/2" disc type for sale there.

 

[Blender]

I ordered everything I didn't already have from Jameco today, and it was all in stock. I'll wind up with enough supplies to make 9 stirplates, and there are already 6 people who showed interest. I'll start soldering away as soon as I have the rest of the parts!

I would be interested in one of those when you get them assembled. Let Me Know

 

[Desert_Sky]

Ok folks, here's the breakdown:


$39.42 Total

You take paypal?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

You take paypal?

Absolutely. I'll probably skip listing these on eBay and contact each of you directly.

UPS says I should have the parts tomorrow. Guess it'll be a busy weekend!

 

[Jester4176]

Hey Yuri, If I sent you the parts, would you mind soldering it together properly? I followed the diagram and can't get it to work for $#%^. What pisses me off more is the fact I work at HP with engineers and they can't help because they never work with through hole components and don't understand how it should be assembled. We're talking EE's here. Useless.
I have already partially assembled it in the box, just don't have something wired right. When I plug it in, the Voltage reg heats up, but the fan doesn't spin.

 

[Desert_Sky]

We're talking EE's here. Useless.

Screw the EEs, give it to a tech

 

[Yuri_Rage]

UPDATE!

I made the first of the stirplates I've offered to put together for anyone who can scrape up about $40. I may not get to all of them this weekend, but I have a few days off next week. I'll be in touch!

Here's a couple of pics:

 

[edost]

Yuri,

Those look great. Thanks for your time & effort on this.

 

[edost]

Yuri,

What size stir bar do you think this could use? Would a 50mm stir bar work or should we stick with the 25mm?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Yuri,

What size stir bar do you think this could use? Would a 50mm stir bar work or should we stick with the 25mm?

The pictures were taken with a 2" stir bar (50mm). I successfully tested it with several sizes, ranging from 1/2" (12mm) to 2" (50mm).

Cheers!

 

[MrSaLTy]

Mine spins fine with the 2" stirbar in water however, in wort it tends to throw the 2" bar a lot. Because of this, I usually use a 1 3/8" bar. This is in a 2000 ml flask.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

The last starter I made was with the 2" bar. Worked quite well. See pics in my gallery. Perhaps I used stronger magnets than MrSalty (to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for posting the detailed plans!).

 

[Yuri_Rage]

For those who thought I forgot about the stirplate project...I haven't! Just got a little busy around the house. Taking some much needed vacation from work for the next couple of weeks, so I'm slowly but surely getting these things done. Here's a couple of pictures of the progress: