Heating Element Control

[FordCustom]

Wander, I was simply letting everyone know there was an affordable unit out there that should be easyto use.
I will post pictures and details on the eBay SCR+ 5500 watt element when it is complete. Right now, I have another couple weeks of waiting for it to get here. I plan on putting it in a nice box with a fan to keep it happy.

[Livetoride]

Champion thanks for your help! Any advice for wiring my ssr? It's not wired right apparently? Or was that referring to the switch?

It is wired right but you have a wrong SSR. You need something like this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/SSR-40VA-AC-24- ... 1058557493" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Thanks so much for all your help it's greatly appreciated!

[jeepkidd]

I have been reading this thread and am thinking of building the Mulekicker controller: viewtopic.php?f=46&t=17383&start=0

I do not mean to sound redundant but I have a few questions,….. do I understand it correctly that the
PSR-25 SSR - Newark # 97K7822 $44.65 http://www.newark.com/united-automation" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow ... tt=97K7822 can operate at 110v or 220v?

Mulekicker added to a later post here that he added a 25A A/C meter, this shows a read out of the output?

I am planning on running a ½ keg (15.5 gallon) so I am looking for 4500watt heating element, since that is what looks to be recommended here for that size.

The PSR should work fine at 120V since you only control 1 leg anyway. If you are running a 4500W element you will need 240V, not 120V.
I also added the 25A Ammeter to mine, it is great to have and I recommend it. I run at 15A to heat up mash, full power(23A) to heat up low wines, 6A for stripping or reflux and 4A for pot still spirit runs. It would be much harder to hit the same power on future runs with just the dial and a tic mark.
I have a 5500W element in my 8gal boiler. It is overkill, but great to heat up my low wines in 12min!

[Antaean]

Thank you Jeepkidd, I am getting closer to understanding what I need.......what controller do you use since you have a 5500w element?

[jeepkidd]

Thank you Jeepkidd, I am getting closer to understanding what I need.......what controller do you use since you have a 5500w element?

PSR25 - At full power my 5500W pulls under 23A

[Antaean]

Thank you Jeepkidd, I am getting closer to understanding what I need.......what controller do you use since you have a 5500w element?

PSR25 - At full power my 5500W pulls under 23A

Jeepkidd, I am confused I thought you said you were using 220v with a PSR25 and a 5500w element....so the PSR25 can be used either 110 or 220v? I would prefer 220v since I want to run a 4500 or a 5500w element.....can you show some pictures of your set up Jeepkidd?

[jeepkidd]

I use 240V, same setup as on the forum link I posted.

[Wander]

Wander, I was simply letting everyone know there was an affordable unit out there that should be easyto use.
I will post pictures and details on the eBay SCR+ 5500 watt element when it is complete. Right now, I have another couple weeks of waiting for it to get here. I plan on putting it in a nice box with a fan to keep it happy.

Ah, excellent. Would be great to hear more feedback and see setups with them. Looking forward to it.

[Antaean]

Wander, I was simply letting everyone know there was an affordable unit out there that should be easyto use.
I will post pictures and details on the eBay SCR+ 5500 watt element when it is complete. Right now, I have another couple weeks of waiting for it to get here. I plan on putting it in a nice box with a fan to keep it happy.

Ah, excellent. Would be great to hear more feedback and see setups with them. Looking forward to it.

Looking forward to it !!

[tvdawgs]

Quick question. Does a baseboard heater thermostat work like an infinite switch or solid state relay? Could you use it for a amperage controller?

[Theo]

Quick question. Does a baseboard heater thermostat work like an infinite switch or solid state relay? Could you use it for a amperage controller?

The word thermostat is the big clue. They go full on/full off.

[Antaean]

I would like to get you guys opinion on this controller and pot

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140553987088?ss ... 1438.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

how do you guys feel about ordering from Taiwan?

[sambedded]

Looks good. Just don't trust the dial. % numbers on it doesn't reflect real power percentage.
Usually it's OK to buy from Taiwan or China however it takes 3-4 weeks to get a parcel.

[maheel]

I would like to get you guys opinion on this controller and pot

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140553987088?ss ... 1438.l2649" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

how do you guys feel about ordering from Taiwan?

seller looks OK
parts look OK

for less than $20 it's a ok deal but you will still need a heat sink and a fan
i have been using 240V computer server fans to avoid the need for a power supply change

i mostly choose HK sellers myself as the postage is quicker to Australia mostly... the china ones take longer on average

[Antaean]

Thank you guys,
Maheel, do you have a company that you prefer, I can buy from? Not sure Home Depot has these items

[FordCustom]

I was at the recycling place the other day and dug through their 55 gallon drum of heat sinks. I found a nice one and the guy gave it to me.. The also have lots of other things to work with..

[winestill]

I recently bought KYOTTO AC Solid State Relay and tried it.
It works great but it seems to be giving an audible noise from it into the mains.
My heating element sings, the ssr and in the box where the mains come into the house.

Do you also hear an audible noise from your ssr? I've searched this posting but no one seems to mention it.

[jeepkidd]

no noise comes from my controller, the heating element is pretty loud until it gets up to a boil though.

[NCDS2000]

how would i add one of those cpu cooling fans to this setup. I have a nice heat sink but i want to add a cooling fan to it also, but i do not know how i would go about doing that wiring wise. Those fans only take small amounts of voltage plus i think they are dc current anyway.

fan.jpg (6.84 KiB) Viewed 3832 times

[mystakilla]

I just hook mine up to a motorcycle battery when I make runs. Works great and never have to worry about SSR overheating.

[bellybuster]

my fan runs off a wall wort that puts out 12v. Yes I have to plug into 110 for that but it works

[NCDS2000]

i was thinking of using a wall wart and soldering two wires to the ends of the prongs and connecting one to the green ground and 1 to one of the hot wires i have enough room in the box to leave the wart inside the box that way i do not need a separate plug in for anything

[ufo8mycow]

I used a fotek ssr-40va from ebay and wired it just like the drawing that is for the psr-25 but when i tried it to boil water i was not able to get it to less than 4.5 amps. Am useing a b500k pot like it says but when i ohm it out it only shows 450k. Do i need to find a pot that is closer to 500k or can i add a resistor in series with it?

[sambedded]

I used a fotek ssr-40va from ebay and wired it just like the drawing that is for the psr-25 but when i tried it to boil water i was not able to get it to less than 4.5 amps. Am useing a b500k pot like it says but when i ohm it out it only shows 450k. Do i need to find a pot that is closer to 500k or can i add a resistor in series with it?

You can hook 30K-50KOhm resistotr in series with the potentiometer. It should allows you to have less than 4.5Amps, but you will not be able to get full power/

[rad14701]

The SSR-40DA Fotek SSR Fotek Solid State Relay requires a 1M Ohm potentiometer, not a 500K Ohm... That, most likely, is your problem...

[Distilaholic]

The SSR-40DA Fotek SSR Fotek Solid State Relay requires a 1M Ohm potentiometer, not a 500K Ohm... That, most likely, is your problem...

I guess you meant to say va

[Centar]

FYI: It seems as though the market has become saturated with super cheap electronics these days and now you can commonly get PID (proportional-integral-derivative) controllers with SSR and temp probe for like 40 bucks including shipping from ebay.

Here is an example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-Digital-PI ... 231b03fdfb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

These should be the perfect solution for stills of all designs as they are fully programmable and multimode operation.....

[sambedded]

The SSR-40DA Fotek SSR Fotek Solid State Relay requires a 1M Ohm potentiometer, not a 500K Ohm... That, most likely, is your problem...

DA- series SSR are control by voltage. if you are talking about SSR-40VA - it requires the same pot as SSR25VA. 250K for 110V, 500K for 240 and 1M for 380V

[ufo8mycow]

The SSR-40DA Fotek SSR Fotek Solid State Relay requires a 1M Ohm potentiometer, not a 500K Ohm... That, most likely, is your problem...

DA- series SSR are control by voltage. if you are talking about SSR-40VA - it requires the same pot as SSR25VA. 250K for 110V, 500K for 240 and 1M for 380V

Yup. Mine is listed as needing a 500k. Would a 1m still work on 240?

[bellybuster]

FYI: It seems as though the market has become saturated with super cheap electronics these days and now you can commonly get PID (proportional-integral-derivative) controllers with SSR and temp probe for like 40 bucks including shipping from ebay.

Here is an example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-Digital-PI ... 231b03fdfb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

These should be the perfect solution for stills of all designs as they are fully programmable and multimode operation.....

PIDs are not a great choice for still control simply due to stills requiring "power" control, not "temperature" control. They can still be used but the resistance input SSR route is easier and more forgiving for the average Joe