Possible stir plate case?

[jessebymail]

Been thinking of making a stir plate. Was sitting here drinking some barleywine and theres a heatsink/fan, and theres a empty cd case. Looks perfect what do you all think? Im worried about the gap between the magnet and flask I plan on using the heat sink as the spacer so there will be about a little more than a 1" gap between the magnet and stir bar. Im also worried about the diameter of a 2 liter flask and if a cd is wide enough to hold it. Other than that I think I have a match. I will try to attach a pic I believe the fan is 80mm also.

 

[camiller]

I think that is an excellent idea. Cut the middle of the spindle just short enough to keep the fan near the top. Stack some old AOL cds, or bad cds on whats left to help support the fan. Cut a circle out of that foam non-slip shelf liner to fit the top and put the 2L flask on.

I think I have an old spindle from a 10pack of blank DVDs that might hold a fan sans heatsink...

 

[jessebymail]

Well I'm about done and I got it wired to a power source but it's only 5 volts. The fan is 12V, it spins but not much. I have a 12V suppy I can use and it has a switch built in! but I heard 6V is just right. Should I try to find a 6V or use a 12V and a rheostat

 

[camiller]

Well I'm about done and I got it wired to a power source but it's only 5 volts. The fan is 12V, it spins but not much. I have a 12V suppy I can use and it has a switch built in! but I heard 6V is just right. Should I try to find a 6V or use a 12V and a rheostat

There is no one voltage that is "just right". These 12v muffin fans can have an RPM rating anywhere from 1200 to 2500 so what is right for one fan may not be for another. I use a variable wall wort that can give me 1.5v, 3v, 4.5v, 6v, 7.5v, 9v, or 12v. For my fan 3v produces an acceptable dimple and keeps the yeast moving, I can run it as high as 9v without throwing the stir bar. 9v pulls a vortex all the way to the bottom.

 

[jessebymail]

All done! I used a 12v power supply and 25 ohm rheostat. It doesnt work too well with a plain glass and bolt but my flask and stir bar are otw. The leds change color too.

 

[hs0656]

I think it should work fine. But if you have issues with the flask and the stirbar, just be patient. Magnet placement and voltage are the key.

 

[beertastic]

Nice! Yeah wait till you see the difference a real stir bar makes.