Controller box

If it plugs in, post it here.

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BrewinBrian44
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Controller box

Post by BrewinBrian44 »

Pretty excited!

Finally upgrading my controller module to something more legit. Currently, I’ve just been running an SCR zip tied to a piece of 2x4. No readout showing wattage usage or power switch.

Turning out pretty slick. I even had a little bit of left over carbon fiber vinyl wrap from another project. Adds to the aesthetic!

Just need to finish the wiring. I bought a computer fan on Amazon that can handle 240V, only thing is, the wires seem pretty tiny. Not sure if this will matter. I’m going to have the in and out lines coming out the back next to the fan.

I’ll keep posting more pics along the way.
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zach
Swill Maker
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Re: Controller box

Post by zach »

Nice Box!
cob
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Re: Controller box

Post by cob »

Hey Les Paul started out with a 4x4 and a modified phono/radio.

Nice box.
be water my friend
Richie
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Re: Controller box

Post by Richie »

Don't worry about the wire size. The voltage isn't really what effects them, it's the amperage. The fan won't draw much current. Looks great!
BrewinBrian44
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Re: Controller box

Post by BrewinBrian44 »

All wired up and running a vinegar cleaning run with it! Seems to be working well and looks great! Using two fans is also keeping it very cool, even running flat out.

Seeing how much the wattage changes with very minor adjustments to the knob is pretty eye opening. Confirms why I needed to barely touch the thing when I was doing runs before without any kind of power readout. It’s also a very non linear adjustment as you turn the knob. Makes me really interested in modifying this thing in the future to use one of those SCR’s with up down arrows and a percentage readout for voltage.

The wiring was very straight forward, just followed another thread on here from rgreen2002 and did an exact copy. Pretty happy with the results!

One thing I’m noticing is the voltage changes as I adjust the SCR up or down. Not sure if this is normal, but I did wire the power display straight from the line power after the on/off switch. The only input I’m getting after the SCR is from the little amperage ring around the hot line running to to the heating element.

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Yummyrum
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Re: Controller box

Post by Yummyrum »

Even though your Voltmeter is before the Controller , You will see the voltage change as you adjust it . This is the voltage drop that is happenning on the way from the Line transformer in your street , the cables to your house aand all the way to your controller . It may be about 5 volts if you are lucky but could be as high as 15volts if you ae a long way and /or have thin wiring such as an extension cord . The higher wattage element you have , the worse it will be .

Regarding non linearity of power . Well that is due to a few things . One is that the Power does infact quadriple if you double the Voltage . So yes you are ansolutely right there.

The other is due to the way those phase controllers work . They use a Pot that is “meant” to have a Linear increase in resistance per degree of rotation , but due to manufacturing tolerances , that can vary quite a bit . Then , that Pot is used to charge a capacitor to crate a time delay . The charging curve is not linear but exponential . Then that voltage curve is used to trigger the TRIAC which is switching a Sinewave shaped Voltage.
Concidering the whole curcuit consists of about 1/2 dozen components , it’s supprising it works as well as it does .


If you are looking at upgrading , I would strongly suggest you look at Auberins DSPR1 Power controller instead of the cheap one with the up/down arrows .

https://www.auberins.com/images/Manual/ ... ual_V1.pdf

The Auberins one actually controls % of power not % of Voltage , which as I mentioned earlier will result in an exponential increase in Power when adjusted .

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/25307135717 ... gKll_D_BwE
BrewinBrian44
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Re: Controller box

Post by BrewinBrian44 »

Yummyrum wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:26 pm Even though your Voltmeter is before the Controller , You will see the voltage change as you adjust it . This is the voltage drop that is happenning on the way from the Line transformer in your street , the cables to your house aand all the way to your controller . It may be about 5 volts if you are lucky but could be as high as 15volts if you ae a long way and /or have thin wiring such as an extension cord . The higher wattage element you have , the worse it will be .

Regarding non linearity of power . Well that is due to a few things . One is that the Power does infact quadriple if you double the Voltage . So yes you are ansolutely right there.

The other is due to the way those phase controllers work . They use a Pot that is “meant” to have a Linear increase in resistance per degree of rotation , but due to manufacturing tolerances , that can vary quite a bit . Then , that Pot is used to charge a capacitor to crate a time delay . The charging curve is not linear but exponential . Then that voltage curve is used to trigger the TRIAC which is switching a Sinewave shaped Voltage.
Concidering the whole curcuit consists of about 1/2 dozen components , it’s supprising it works as well as it does .


If you are looking at upgrading , I would strongly suggest you look at Auberins DSPR1 Power controller instead of the cheap one with the up/down arrows .

https://www.auberins.com/images/Manual/ ... ual_V1.pdf

The Auberins one actually controls % of power not % of Voltage , which as I mentioned earlier will result in an exponential increase in Power when adjusted .

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/25307135717 ... gKll_D_BwE
Thanks for the link to that Auberins unit! Looks like a solid option moving forward. Much higher quality piece. I’ll use this little SCR for a while as I’m getting my feet wet with the new rig I’m running.
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