Question about element firing lamp

[RedRyderr]

@doug293cz - In this wiring diagram (using a DSPR120 instead of 320), does the element firing lamp flicker on and off rapidly as the Aubur is sending the signal? (In mash and/or boil mode) Or is it more of a steady illumination?

 

[BBBF]

It will flicker when the SSR is sending power to the element. If you wanted it to light up 100% of the time when you use the Element Power On switch, the 240V lamp should be tied into the line going into the #1 on the SSR.

 

[doug293cz]

Sorry, don't have an answer for that. If the on/off switching time of the lamp is fast enough it should flicker. If there is any delay in the on/off response of the lamp, then it will be more steady.

One thing I do know is that if the element is unplugged then the lamp will light no matter what the Auber/SSR are doing - if the element enable switch is on.

Edit: If you used a typical PID with pulse width modulated output at a 1 or 2 second cycle time. The lamp would difinitely pulse with the PID/SSR switching. The DSPR's use a different power modulation scheme, which I like to call pulse count modulation. Each pulse is 16.7 msec long, and you get between 0 and 100 pulses every 1.67 seconds. The pulses are spread out over the 1.67 seconds as well as the algorithm can do it. At low power, you will probably get significant flickering, but at higher powers I would expect it to be less. And, in either case it will depend on the delay characteristics of the lamp.

Brew on

 

[doug293cz]

It will flicker when the SSR is sending power to the element. If you wanted it to light up 100% of the time when you use the Element Power On switch, the 240V lamp should be tied into the line going into the #1 on the SSR.

View attachment 709551

That's what the lamp in the Element Power On (element enable) switch is for. The two lamps provide different information. The element firing light (as wired in the original design) will tell you if you have a latched SSR (stuck in "ON" mode - the most common SSR failure mode.) This lamp tells you what is actually happening at the SSR outputs, whereas the light on the front of the DSPR is only telling you what the DSPR thinks it is telling the SSR. In failure scenarios, they may not be the same.

Brew on

 

[Wagon_6]

I used a different wiring diagram but I have the Auber “element firing” red lights and DSPR310s. The red lights indeed flicker at varying speeds, slower to faster, depending on percent power. The 310s also have a lot smaller yellow light notifying the same.

 

[BBBF]

That's what the lamp in the Element Power On (element enable) switch is for. The two lamps provide different information.

I didn't realize there was a light on the switch. No point in having a duplicate indicator then. OP - Let it flicker.

 

[RedRyderr]

Good info, thanks much!