Please check my diagram

[choppinlow]

If any of you could please check this diagram and comment before I proceed I would appreciate it. The drawing is a little crude but hopefully you can follow my wiring plan and tell me if I have something wrong. Thanks in advance.

[choppinlow]

I just noticed that I have PSR in the diagram - it is actually a Fotek SSR-40VA with heat sink. Sorry for that mistake.

[bellybuster]

looks good to me. Only addition I would make is soldering a ground to the case on the potentiometer unless its a metal box it's in.

[choppinlow]

looks good to me. Only addition I would make is soldering a ground to the case on the potentiometer unless its a metal box it's in.

Plastic box - OK, I can do that. What gauge wire do I really need for the POT side? Do I still need to use the heavier 10ga? Thanks again.

[bellybuster]

no need for heavy gauge for the pot ground. make sure you have a case ground too.

[Soggy Bottom Boy]

Just make sure that the SSR you have is controlled by resistance(potentiometer), and not one that is controlled by low voltage input. We have seen people make that mistake here a few times, and they wonder why it doesn't work. Also, some have done testing with the output not going through a resistive load and they don't get the expected results in regards to power through-put. The SSR needs a circuit load to work its magic.

[choppinlow]

This is the one I have:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008DF ... UTF8&psc=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

And clear on having resistance for any testing. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Soggy Bottom Boy]

You're good to go then.

One other detail that you probably already know, as it seems that you have put in the research effort, is the volt meter needs to be a True-RMS unit to get accurate readings from the chopped sine wave on the load side of the SSR.

[choppinlow]

OK - you have me there. Been a while since I bought mine but it was a cheapy from China off ebay if I recall. Is there something that should be marked on the meter itself to denote true-RMS I can look for? Pardon my ignorance about this, but what happens if it is not true-RMS? Thanks for mentioning that; I would not have known!

Mine looks identical to this one - same numbers etc.:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fine-Adjustable ... 35c3c516af" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[Soggy Bottom Boy]

I'm no expert on this subject but from what I understand, the amount of error depends on the modified wave form at any particular setting. I have read somewhere that with a regular VM, the error can be up to 35% lower than the same wave form that is measured with a true-RMS meter. Not sure if it makes a huge difference in our application though, as we are simply using these controllers to achieve repeatable results with multiple runs.

If the source voltage is basically the same every time, and the regulating potentiometer is set at the same position, the SSR will output the same voltage through the element circuit. The VM may not be reading an accurate value, but it will be the same erroneous value each time too. Even if you use the VM reading to determine the pot position to repeat a run you sort of accomplish the same thing, ....repeatability.

I think the volt and amp meters are basically eye candy in our application, something to look at while we babysit our rigs. Nice to have, but not really necessary either. I think if there were no cheap Chinese meters to be had, there would be a whole lot less element controllers with any meters on them at all. ...and the world would still spin, and the 'shiners would still make hooch, and all would be as it should anyway.

To me, home/hobby distillation is more about experience and artistry, than it is about empirical data and science.

[Litebread]

Almost all analog meters are reading true RMS, even the cheap china made ones. As soggy said though it's pretty irrelevant as it's less about the actual voltage going to the element and more about consistent repeatability.

-Litebread

[choppinlow]

OK, I understand. It just may not be a true reading. I am OK with that 100%. They aren't necessary but I wanted them to give me some relative gauge of power input. True reading doesn't matter to me as long as they do increase and decease when I crank the POT up and down.

Thanks for your input!

[sambedded]

Almost all analog meters are reading true RMS, even the cheap china made ones.

It's not true. All simple analog meters reading average rectified. They just adjusted to show RMS value in case of sinus waves.
True RMS meaters read real RMS for any signal form but they are much more expensive.
RMS reading required if you want to calculate power pumping to element correctly.

[choppinlow]

RMS reading required if you want to calculate power pumping to element correctly.

No sir, I had no plans to calculate power. I could probably break out the fancy multimeter which I found will read true RMS, but that is probably further than I was planning to go. If I start having problems then I may have to do that but I am hoping the setup will bring liquid to a boil relatively quickly and I can turn it down smoothly. If it will do that then I am happy.

And I am really glad the diagram itself will work more importantly. If the only weakness is the true-ness of the V reading then I am pleased.

Thanks again for all the comments. I like having someone check me on something like this.

[LWTCS]

What are you paying for the 220 volt fan if you don't mind me asking?

[sambedded]

$12-$20
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Metal-Stron ... 1204904909" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[choppinlow]

What are you paying for the 220 volt fan if you don't mind me asking?

sambedded is correct again. I have had these in a box for a while but recall them being around the $10 range. At first I thought sambedded linked the exact fan I have, but I noticed his was SUNOH while the ones I have are SUNON. Looks like the one he linked for you has a better CFM rating if the specs are correct. The standard 110 fans are everywhere for free locally from old PC's, but I didn't mind spending the extra $10 or so just so I can wire it all up as one neat unit.

Here is the model I have:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-AC-220V-240 ... 3a7a981fea" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Again, looks like the one sambedded linked might be superior if it moves 65CFM instead of 35 like mine is rated.