Show us your DIY stir plate!

[pilzner]

Here's mine

 

[Sulli]

Here's mine

This is sweet. Nice work.

 

[FastAndy]

Taking the new flask for a test drive. It throws the bar after a couple minutes unless its on low. Even at the slowest setting it has dimple.

Cheers

 

[Huaco]

Taking the new flask for a test drive. It throws the bar after a couple minutes unless its on low. Even at the slowest setting it has dimple.

Cheers

What voltage converter are you using?

 

[GodsStepBrother]

All of these are great! Mine is at the following thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/temperature-control-stir-plate-294193/

 

[FastAndy]

What voltage converter are you using?

Its a 120v to 9v cell phone charger i had laying the house that i cut the end off of.

 

[Huaco]

Its a 120v to 9v cell phone charger i had laying the house that i cut the end off of.

Try using a 6V charger and I bet you won't have problems with that stir bar being thrown...

 

[two_hearted]

Here's my latest one. I converted an old external HD.

 

[Sulli]

Here's my latest one. I converted an old external HD.

[/IMG]

Geeky cool!

 

[two_hearted]

Another, uglier one made out of an old pelican case.

 

[FastAndy]

Its a 120v to 9v cell phone charger i had laying the house that i cut the end off of.

Good idea. Thank you.

 

[jybingbrew]

Did this one this afternoon. Just an old box that the wife was going to throw away anyway, looked like it would be the perfect size to hold my 3L flask.

Build is just the typical build w/ radio shack parts that many others have done, with hard drive magnets and a fan I got off Newegg on black friday for free with rebate.

I had a few spacers in the basement, so decided to use those to mount just below the top rather than have it sitting on bolts like a lot of others have done. Just happened to have the right screws that would bit into the board w/out going through.

 

[Thumbs71]

I realize this is an older thread, but I wanted to show of my new DIY stir plate.

I picked up this computer case fan with controller for $5.57, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030MHEFY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20.

I also picked up this 2000ml flask for $14.25, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QDP82Q/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20, and this 1 1/2" inch stir bar for $5.35, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VBW5HC/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20. The #9 stopper wasn't with the flask, so I emailed Amazon and asked if they would just ship the stopper. Instead they refunded me the $14.25 and told me to keep the flask.

For my power, I used a 5v AC cell phone charger.
I used magnets out of a few different kinds of hard drives. It's great to be corporate computer geek.

Right now I'm taking the minimalist approach and not using a case. Maybe someday I'll put it in something. The controller was about the smae size as the fan itself, so I was able to just zip-tie the controll to the fan. I put rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from walking and so the fan doesn't burnout, and I also put rubber feet on top to keep the flask stable.

Once I got the magents in the correct configuration, it worked great. I tested both 2000ml and 1500ml. I'm not sure when I would have to make a 2000ml starter, but it was worth the test. I can turn the controller to about 50% before it throws the bar.

Check out the pics below.

 

[OofC_Zer0]

Just finished mine today

 

[stixobutta]

My stir plate goes to 11!

Seriously though, had this old external cd burner (whopping 1x speed!) sitting in the closet for years. Figured ah why not tear it apart... Used the LM317 voltage regulator method seen here...

http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm317.pdf
Figure 2

 

[Slyko]

I like Cigar Boxes!

Took a trip to my local Radio Shack & spent $15 on parts. EBay for a 1" stir bar $5.75 delivered.

Computer Fan = 0

Power Supply = 0

Magnet = 0

Cigar Box = 0

DIY Project = Priceless!

1 thing I hope to make sure you are aware of................. the completed project WAS NOT a simple assembly of parts. After all was said & done, it didn't work completely. Sure it spun, but it just threw the stir bar.

I had to tweak some things to get the correct vortex. Don't get discouraged. Relax, don't worry. You're almost there.

I was all bummed out that after following all the directions it didn't create the cone, it just threw the stir bar. ! I was thinking, "I was going to have to spend some serious $$$$$ after all!" I let it rest a day, tried a few different things, then a few more, then by chance I simply tried a few more washers in the center.............................................. HOLY SMOKES! It worked!!!!!! Try a few different things, washers, magnets, distance of the fan to the stir bar..............................

It'll work, just tweak it. Have a home brew!

I'm a cheap bastard & will not fork over $35 bucks for an Erlenmeyer flask on EBay. But $20 on Amazon I will do! Thank you Mr. Thumbs! :fro:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-stirplate-cheap-easy-build-86252/

I did the Lauter Tun already from parts left over and my next project is a Keezer with help from YOU BOYZ & HBT!

 

[Black Island Brewer]

I build my first stirplate using the radioshack parts so many have used, and find I can make it work with my erlenmeyer flasks, but sometimes getting it started is a pain because the rheostat doesn't control the speed very well. I found this:

http://www.suntekstore.com/goods-14002447-dc_12v-24v_32_a_motor_speed_control_pwm_controller.html

and while I haven't built the stirplate yet, I hooked it up to a 12v power supply and a 12v fan and was able to go from a dead stop to full speed and back again with no problems. I'll post after I test and let you know how it works.

 

[Snafu]

Mine, works great.

 

[loomis02]

One I just built.

 

[MeadLover]

Here's the one I just finished building. I used this fan that has a speed control knob already attached.

 

[BK_856er]

Do I get bonus points for showing an actual starter currently underway?

Built with a Brewers Hardware pcb, plastic project box and various parts harvested from around the house.

BK

 

[Overpanic]

I got excited about this project and decided to build my own as well. Here's what I came up with:

The case is something I had lying around, it looks like a cigar box but is actually a cake box (for Sacher Tortes, from Vienna). For the parts, I took apart an old Targus USB powered external laptop fan. I broke the fins off the fan, and used the USB power supply (5V) plugged into a spare iphone USB charger. A CD case provides the correct height. The magnets were something I found on our fridge, which I suspect are rare earth magnetic cubes.

It makes for a low-powered, but effective stir plate. The vortex only gets about an inch down at the highest speed, but if I really wanted to get more than that I could probably achieve it by using a higher voltage power supply.

I also made this video to show people who are interested in building their own stirplate how the distance of the magnets from the top of the box makes a big difference, and that it's not the goal to get them as close to the top of the box as possible. Also, if you're using two magnets like I am, you want them to have the opposite polarity facing up (in the video, I'm using round disc fridge magnets).

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1---s-dOKu4"][YOUTUBE]1---s-dOKu4[/YOUTUBE][/ame]

 

[isukendall]

Put one together tonight out of a cigar box, some cheap parts from Radio Shack, a magnet, and a PC fan. Have it hooked up to a 9V battery for now, but will hardwire it later. Not the prettiest (on the inside), but it works. Wonder if anyone has done this with 9V batteries, wonder how long it will last?

 

[Jester]

Put one together tonight out of a cigar box, some cheap parts from Radio Shack, a magnet, and a PC fan. Have it hooked up to a 9V battery for now, but will hardwire it later. Not the prettiest (on the inside), but it works. Wonder if anyone has done this with 9V batteries, wonder how long it will last?

Looks good!!! Plus I love the note to "spin if you see me"... Hahahaa

 

[isukendall]

Looks good!!! Plus I love the note to "spin if you see me"... Hahahaa

Yeah, that was left from the last time I made a starter. We hosted the afterparty for our city league kickball team, and had a lot of people running through the house. Figured it couldn't hurt to keep the yeast going!

 

[seafra]

6 liter yeast starter on the magnetic stir plate I made from stuff laying around and an $11 junction box from Lowes. It will pull a vortex to within an inch of the stir bar.

Fan speed controller to adjust RPM. The aluminum lip serves as a drip edge to keep liquid off the speed control knob. The feet are 1 inch thick strips of neoprene so it doesn't rattle. The lid is covered in sheet rubber for a non-slip surface.

120v, 4 inch fan with two stacks of rare earth magnets super glued to the fan hub. Put a couple vents on the back and the bottom for air circulation. Glued PVC elbows to the vents so fluids can't drip inside the box.

 

[Coastie]

Here's what I came up with.

 

[BareKnuckleBrew]

Here is mine. Pretty simple- normal cpu fan, hard drive magnet, cheap plastic box and control knob from radio shack. The only thing that sets mine aside is the funky sticker I pinched out of my sons video game

 

[TaylorInOK]

Gears of War is one of my favorites simply because the designers made it impossible to bunny-hop around while getting shot at.

My stir plate is Norse mythology themed centered around the mead of poetry story.

 

[PaintedRat]

Hard drive magnets and 1" stir bars. The two fans have separate speed controls but are currently sharing one power switch. I have a variable voltage DC project cord that is shared between several devices. I've been running at 4.5V for smaller starters, but I'd go 6V+ if not doing smaller than 1L.