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Maker
Most folk just call me; Orange Joe
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Yeah, the plan is to use relays/contactors to supply power to either the pid controller which has its own SSR, or to the phase angle controller which will run the other element. Is that not how you'd do it then?
The two relays in the last picture aren't wired in, I put them there before I found out they don't work, but the SSR on the right is hooked up to the PID.
The two relays in the last picture aren't wired in, I put them there before I found out they don't work, but the SSR on the right is hooked up to the PID.
mike os
just a little insane.....
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Plumbers solder won't stick to stainless afaik? So possibly just filling the gap might be OK but I would hot cycle it a few times to see if it plays
Silver is fine with the right flux
Maker
Most folk just call me; Orange Joe
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That's what I thought but when I made the coil I accidently stuck it to the stainless sheet I was using as a backer. Maybe I've got a really good flux or something?
I'll boil some water with it before I commit to running beer through it, that way if it fails I'll scold my legs but won't waste any beer.
mike os
just a little insane.....
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My plan exactly… sometimes it kind of sticks, but I wouldn’t want to be reliant until testedThat's what I thought but when I made the coil I accidently stuck it to the stainless sheet I was using as a backer. Maybe I've got a really good flux or something?
I'll boil some water with it before I commit to running beer through it, that way if it fails I'll scold my legs but won't waste any beer.
Maker
Most folk just call me; Orange Joe
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I've fitted an element into the HLT, gave it a little test and it's water tight up to 70 degrees. I need try to come up with a simple wiring cover.
I've also drilled a very deep hole in some 6mm round to make a thermowell, I can't make my mind up where to put it though, too far from the element and (Without stirring) it will read below the average temperature, but too close and it will read too high. It's a shame I didn't do all this last year when I still had an Ansys licence, I could have wasted hours trying to simulate it.
I've also drilled a very deep hole in some 6mm round to make a thermowell, I can't make my mind up where to put it though, too far from the element and (Without stirring) it will read below the average temperature, but too close and it will read too high. It's a shame I didn't do all this last year when I still had an Ansys licence, I could have wasted hours trying to simulate it.
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Maker
Most folk just call me; Orange Joe
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Dale's contactors arrived this morning, very happy with those, nice satisfying clunk, thanks a lot. 
Where I'd left space to put them they'd hit the light in the middle of the lid, so rather than just take the light out, or move one slightly to the right I thought I'd rearrange everything, tidy and simplify some wiring, use precisely bent solid core where possible, all looked good. Somehow I didn't notice I've put the contactors right where the temp controller is, so it still doesn't fit.
Also got my BNC connectors.
Looks like an LCR meter.
The plugs are of course supposed to be crimped onto coax, I need to figure out how to use cat5 instead, simply because I've got about a gillion miles of it. That's why there's a lot of twisted pairs inside too.
Where I'd left space to put them they'd hit the light in the middle of the lid, so rather than just take the light out, or move one slightly to the right I thought I'd rearrange everything, tidy and simplify some wiring, use precisely bent solid core where possible, all looked good. Somehow I didn't notice I've put the contactors right where the temp controller is, so it still doesn't fit.
Also got my BNC connectors.
Looks like an LCR meter.
The plugs are of course supposed to be crimped onto coax, I need to figure out how to use cat5 instead, simply because I've got about a gillion miles of it. That's why there's a lot of twisted pairs inside too. 
Bullet2012
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Hurry up , I am getting thirsty.
Cuthy246
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You plonker Rodney!Somehow I didn't notice I've put the contactors right where the temp controller is, so it still doesn't fit.
happens to us all.
brewdexta
The biggest tool in the box
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Yesterday, 80 litres of London Porter. Vaguely styled on a Fullers London Porter clone, adapted to what I had in stock.
Fermentables (15.2 kg) - 1.049 OG should end up around 5%
12.65 kg - Maris Otter 5 EBC
1.5 kg - Crystal 400 400 EBC
750 g - Brown Malt 105 EBC
300 g - Low Coloured Chocolate (Pale) 500 EBC.
Hops (350 g) - 38 IBU, very slightly above porter style
60 min - 100 g - Fuggle (Whole) - 4.82% (16 IBU)
60 min - 100 g - Worcester Goldings (Whole) 4.9% (15.9 IBU)
15 min - 50 g - Worcester Goldings (Whole) 4.9% (3.9 IBU)
Hop rocket
100 g - Whitbread Golding Variety (whole) 6.0% (2BU)
Water treatment - the surface spring is almost without salts
Mash - 5 g - Calcium Chloride (CaCl2)
Mash - 3 g - Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
Mash - 25 g - Gypsum (CaSO4)
Sparge - 4 g - Calcium Chloride (CaCl2)
Sparge - 2 g - Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
Sparge - 20 g - Gypsum (CaSO4)
Misc
Copper Finings - Irish moss
Yeast
Nottingham Yeast
For a change no major screw ups in the brew, but when cleaning up I pulled the pipe off the bottom of the hop rocket without emptying it first and filled the cargo pocket of my work pants with hot wort.
Here's the HERMS wort circulation in action
and setting up for the sparge
Fermentation seems to be going strong so should be ready for the festive season.
Fermentables (15.2 kg) - 1.049 OG should end up around 5%
12.65 kg - Maris Otter 5 EBC
1.5 kg - Crystal 400 400 EBC
750 g - Brown Malt 105 EBC
300 g - Low Coloured Chocolate (Pale) 500 EBC.
Hops (350 g) - 38 IBU, very slightly above porter style
60 min - 100 g - Fuggle (Whole) - 4.82% (16 IBU)
60 min - 100 g - Worcester Goldings (Whole) 4.9% (15.9 IBU)
15 min - 50 g - Worcester Goldings (Whole) 4.9% (3.9 IBU)
Hop rocket
100 g - Whitbread Golding Variety (whole) 6.0% (2BU)
Water treatment - the surface spring is almost without salts
Mash - 5 g - Calcium Chloride (CaCl2)
Mash - 3 g - Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
Mash - 25 g - Gypsum (CaSO4)
Sparge - 4 g - Calcium Chloride (CaCl2)
Sparge - 2 g - Epsom Salt (MgSO4)
Sparge - 20 g - Gypsum (CaSO4)
Misc
Copper Finings - Irish moss
Yeast
Nottingham Yeast
For a change no major screw ups in the brew, but when cleaning up I pulled the pipe off the bottom of the hop rocket without emptying it first and filled the cargo pocket of my work pants with hot wort.
Here's the HERMS wort circulation in action
and setting up for the sparge
Fermentation seems to be going strong so should be ready for the festive season.
Maker
Most folk just call me; Orange Joe
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The power controller is here, I can see why they're so cheap...
Firstly, the parcel rattled. There's no fasteners holding the case together, I slid it apart and a tiny screw fell out, doesn't fit either of the tapped holes in the enclosure. The soldering is about as bad as my welding, I reflowed it before putting it back together. Nice big pot and triac (Though no thermal compound behind it), not impressed with the "10 amp" fuse (The listing claims 220V, 4KW, so that fuse should more more like 20A) , also not impressed with it being glass and not sand-filled.
Got to consult the listing to see how it should be wired, I guess that's cheaper than a sticker. I found replacements for the screws but it turns out with the enclosure fitted, you can't get to the screw terminals.
With no load, it always outputs full mains voltage (236V at the moment). With a 20 ohm load, full whack is 226V and (Stone cold...) it will reduce it to 27V (I thought I'd read 10V in the listing but I can't find it now). I doubt I'll use it anywhere near the low end so that's not a problem but it's a shame it won't output full mains.
Waving the IR thermometer around (Poor man's thermal imager), it seems the triac gets bloody hot, notice the max value in the bottom right, 88 degrees! That was only after two minutes, with no enclosure, in freezing cold open air.
The datasheet for the triac lists the max operating temperature as 125 degrees C so I suppose it's fine. I'm still reluctant to fit it though, if it does decide to catch fire it'll ruin my power supplies and contactors.
Now it's hot, turning the knob back to the low end it will get to 10V, which slowly climbs back up to 28ish as it cools down. A couple of times while I was testing that, quickly turning the knob from full power down to minimum power, I got this weird behaviour where it dropped the voltage to around 230mV and it would just stay there until the power was turned back up a bit. God knows what that's about.
Firstly, the parcel rattled. There's no fasteners holding the case together, I slid it apart and a tiny screw fell out, doesn't fit either of the tapped holes in the enclosure. The soldering is about as bad as my welding, I reflowed it before putting it back together. Nice big pot and triac (Though no thermal compound behind it), not impressed with the "10 amp" fuse (The listing claims 220V, 4KW, so that fuse should more more like 20A) , also not impressed with it being glass and not sand-filled.
Got to consult the listing to see how it should be wired, I guess that's cheaper than a sticker. I found replacements for the screws but it turns out with the enclosure fitted, you can't get to the screw terminals.
With no load, it always outputs full mains voltage (236V at the moment). With a 20 ohm load, full whack is 226V and (Stone cold...) it will reduce it to 27V (I thought I'd read 10V in the listing but I can't find it now). I doubt I'll use it anywhere near the low end so that's not a problem but it's a shame it won't output full mains.
Waving the IR thermometer around (Poor man's thermal imager), it seems the triac gets bloody hot, notice the max value in the bottom right, 88 degrees! That was only after two minutes, with no enclosure, in freezing cold open air.
The datasheet for the triac lists the max operating temperature as 125 degrees C so I suppose it's fine. I'm still reluctant to fit it though, if it does decide to catch fire it'll ruin my power supplies and contactors.Now it's hot, turning the knob back to the low end it will get to 10V, which slowly climbs back up to 28ish as it cools down. A couple of times while I was testing that, quickly turning the knob from full power down to minimum power, I got this weird behaviour where it dropped the voltage to around 230mV and it would just stay there until the power was turned back up a bit. God knows what that's about.
London porter sounds good, will you be bottling or is it in a pin for hand pump?
I've just finished a castle eden clone, did as pressure ferment and it's now in a 50L sanky keg, also got about 40L of my Boddies style bitter so Christmas is sorted even without the 36 bottles simcoe smash and 40 or so of a porter style done with loads of oak chips. Also made some more stout and a batch of turbo cider.
Then there's the lager!
I've just finished a castle eden clone, did as pressure ferment and it's now in a 50L sanky keg, also got about 40L of my Boddies style bitter so Christmas is sorted even without the 36 bottles simcoe smash and 40 or so of a porter style done with loads of oak chips. Also made some more stout and a batch of turbo cider.
Then there's the lager!
brewdexta
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Probably bottle the lot, too cold for walking down to the barn for beer from the cornie keg.
Sounds like you're sorted for Christmas. I've still got a couple of crates of citra APA and brown ale plus some lager in keg and bottles so could probably drink and sleep through Christmas and new year with only the occasional need to relinquish the remote control.
Bullet2012
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Should last until the weekend
Maker
Most folk just call me; Orange Joe
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My back purge hose came so I stuck my thermowell on. Pretty poor welding but it's water tight so I don't care.
Spurred on my that success I tried the outlet nipple. Again pretty poor welding but serviceable, aside from a little hole, which became a bigger hole when I tried to patch it up, and then an even bigger hole.
I think I'll try backing it up with copper tomorrow and have another go
Spurred on my that success I tried the outlet nipple. Again pretty poor welding but serviceable, aside from a little hole, which became a bigger hole when I tried to patch it up, and then an even bigger hole.
I think I'll try backing it up with copper tomorrow and have another go
