Need help with Omega Micromega PID

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cank

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In my first foray into electric I have acquired an Omega Micromega PID Model #CN77323. :ban:

Does anyone have experience with these? I am also trying to find out if it has a manual mode to adjust for boil but I can't seem to find it in the literature (not sure what term to look for).

On another note, if I have 3 12-3 wires that do not connect to anything in my panel, can I convert that to a 40amp 240v circuit or do I need to run new wires?
And would you recommend a GFCI breaker in my main breaker panel or in a spa-type panel close to the Brew Rig?

Thanks
 
Well, I can't speak directly to the operation of the Omega PID, but I can tell you this:

The 12guage wires in your panel are only rated for 20A service. To run a circuit for 240V, 40A, you will need a minimum of 8 gauge wire for that circuit.

As for the GFCI breaker, it can either be in your main service panel or in a spa panel. Whatever is easiest for you.

As a final note, if you are unfamiliar with proper wiring practices and electrical code, you should have a professional electrician perform the work for you. (I'm not making any judgements of your abilities, simply a disclaimer type statement)
 
House wire rating and panel wire ratings are two different standards. The 20 Amp rating is for NEC code house wiring.

#12 THHN wire is rated for 30 Amps in panel wiring.

http://www.wiktel.com/standards/ampacit.htm

http://www.armstrongssupply.com/wire_chart.htm

http://www.usawire-cable.com/pdfs/THHN_THWN.pdf

10 Gauge is good for 40 Amps based on panel wiring standards.

Those are great links with good information! Thanks for sharing.

It sounds to me like the OP was referring to his house service panel and not an industrial panel where the wires are single wire in open air. I think I was hedging on the safer side by specifying the 8 ga. I may be misunderstanding the original post, if so, then certainly use the proper code practices!
 
Thanks for the replies. I think I'll just run some thicker wire. I also need to run some underground and the total run will be about 50'

So no one uses an omega controller?
 
There is nothing wrong with Omega controller but it's just a fancy thermostat and can only react to your set temperature.

For example, set the Omega controller to 145F for mash and it will turn on whenever the temperature drops a preprogrammed amount below 145F. So, depending on how much over-run you have, you may find that the average temperature may only be 143F or 144F. In other words, a Omega controller is always working to catch up with your set temperature. Overrun is the amount you over heat before the controller turns off.

But a PID uses the time between heat cycles, the amount of time the heat was on and the amount of over-run to re-calculate when & for how long the heat needs to be applied next cycle & it does this with every heat cycle. In other words, a PID is working to maintain your set temperature.

Neither box works well as a boil controller. With boil you aren't maintaining a set temperature, it's set at 212F. You need something else to manage your rate of boil.
 
Reading this discouraged me so I started going through the manual:
http://www.omega.com/Manuals/manualpdf/M2491.pdf

and found this on page 43:
START AUTO TUNE PID:
28) Display flashes "enbl" or "dsbl".
29) Scroll through the available selections: Enable or Disable.If "Enabled", the controller is ready to calculate P, PI or PID parameters. The setpoints must be at least 20°F or 11°C above the (PV) Process Value in order to perform autotune, otherwise an error message will be displayed.
30) Display flashes "strd" message and advances to the “Cycle Time” submenu.

To start Auto Tune PlD select PID, enable Auto PID and enable Start PID. Sometimes Auto PID parameter needs fine tuning i.e. for each 5°F over shoot increase the Proportional Band (PB) by 15% and for each ±1°F fluctuation at the Setpoint (SP) increase reset by 20%. Once started, display shows “A.tun” with the letters blinking in the rotating pattern. Do not perform any operations or settings before first stopping Auto Tune. Any alarms or other output is disabled during Auto Tune.
This sounded like what you were describing for other PID's??? I don't want to have to sell this and buy something new. Can someone let me know if I am incorrect and this Micromega PID will not work?

I also found this on page 42 that I might be able to use for the boil rate. And I will do a search for this later but If a PID is not suitable for the Boil Kettle, what is?
SELF SUBMENU
The Self Option allows the output of the controller to be controlled manually from the front panel.
3) Display flashes the current setting of Self, enabled or disabled.
4) Press the MAX button to select between Enable and Disable.
5) If Self enable was selected, Output 1 setting is completed and the display advances to the next menu.

The output is now under the direct control of the operator and can be adjusted in the run mode, by pressing the MAX and|
MIN buttons. The control value (0 - 99), now displayed in the SV window indicate, approximately in percent, the output. For
example, a setting of 0050 of an analog output of 0~10 Vdc would produce roughly 5 Vdc at the output. Also, to insure
smooth transition when switching to self mode, the proportional control output is left in its last value, when Self Mode is
activated for the first time.

This sounded like the Manual Mode but just want to verify??
Sorry for the ignorance but I am just learning, plus I'm an Art teacher and you know how goofy those people are:cool:
 
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