MY SUPER SIMPLE CONTROLLER

[still_stirrin]

You are correct dirtybird. A lower resistance element would conduct more current for the same applied voltage. I know that, but that is not what I typed. My mistake.

For the 3.8kW element, R in ohms = V x V / P in watts => R1 = 240 x 240 / 3800 = 15.158 ohm.
For the 5.4kW element, R2 = 240 x 240 / 5400 = 10.167 ohm.

Since power is equal, P1 = P2 => I1 x I1 x R 1 = I2 x I2 x R2 => I2 = I1 x sq.rt(R1 / R2)
note: sq.rt(R1 / R2) = sq.rt(15.158 / 10.167) = 1.192

So, for the same power: I2 = I1 x 1.192 = 9 amps x 1.192 = 10.728 amps

Again, I apologize for the misdirection. dirtybird, thanks for the catch.
ss

[rad14701]

frodo, what are you using for a SCR/SSR...??? That can make a difference...

Also, some of the Volt/Amp meters don't play well at low input settings... It's the nature of some digital meters... Hence my reason for not running meters... However, if I did I would run analog meters if I wanted full range accuracy...

Your potentiometer could also be part of the issue... It may not have fine-grain adjustment at the lower end of the sweep...

[frodo]

this was my shopping list

see how it will not settle out under 11 amps


before i switch out elements it would settle out down to 5

any amp inbetween, i really dont need it, I was just using it to know my sweet spot

[cranky]

I really don't use the meter to do anything but tell me I have power and good connection. I use the marks on the dial to duplicate settings but my meter only moves slightly when it's dialed in. I just checked it at full power it bounces between 20.7 and 21.0 and at it's lowest setting it reads between 1.5 - 1.7. Anywhere in between it still has a .3-.4 variation which doesn't bother me. I think once it heats up the variation only jumps a point or two. Sorry I don't have a solution for you Frodo.

[frodo]

i am going to change out the pot.

see if that will help

thanks everyone for looking !!!!

[rad14701]

this was my shopping list

3d78ddcc89ef683226ccea312e96ed94.jpg

see how it will not settle out under 11 amps


before i switch out elements it would settle out down to 5

any amp inbetween, i really dont need it, I was just using it to know my sweet spot

Check those specs and you will see that the SSR has a low end range of 24V AC... That means things may get unstable as you reduce power settings into the lower end of the range... Some circuits even have extra components so the minimum voltage is always above that low end spec... Dropping below can cause premature failure...

[cranky]

I do recall somebody having a failure from turning their controller too low. After warmup I seldom set mine below 4 on the dial which is 11.9-12.1 Amps. I've been running this thing for 2 years now and haven't had any problems whatsoever. I do have a spare SSR, meter and potentiometer, and a switch if I can figure out where I put it, just in case I should need them.

[pfshine]

Skip the problems and get a $15 scr. It comes with its own potentiometer. You can dial it anyway anywhere you want. It won't fail by going low. It's plug and play. Why all the headache when it's so cheap and easy.

[cranky]

Skip the problems and get a $15 scr. It comes with its own potentiometer. You can dial it anyway anywhere you want. It won't fail by going low. It's plug and play. Why all the headache when it's so cheap and easy.

I'm not knocking the all in ones but I have read of various failures of those units and when they do you have to buy a new one not just one much less expensive part. I'm very happy with mine the way it is.

[pfshine]

Not trying to knock yours cranky. Not at all. Just saw frodo having some problems and threw in my 2 cents worth. I did have 1 problem with an scr after much use. It was the middle of August here which means 120+ outside and 90+ at least in the garage. I left the back of my box open with a tiny fan on the older style unit. Unfortunately I made a bad design flaw and had the fan battery operated, battery died and heat took over. The power supply on the unit over heated and blew out. After seeing the magic smoke release turned everything off and soldered the lines straight to the board. After that every teas kosher. I built another one with the upgraded model and real fan which works awesome. Both ways work so pick your poison.

[cranky]

Not trying to knock yours cranky.

I know, Just like stills everybody needs to decide for themselves what they want and pretty much when I built mine the only advantage to the all in ones was the built in pot. You still needed a fan and everything else but then when people started using the new ones with the built in fans there was a rash of failures leading me and several others to favor this route. Controllers seem to be one of those things that are always evolving and I tend to lag behind when it comes to technology since what I have is working fine for me. I would really hate to try to run anything in Vegas in the summer, that's one of the reasons I live where I live.

[MX450248]

I'm not an electrician by any stretch...I have a question. With running 220v wouldn't I need 2 SSVR to regulate the current in each of the hot wires going to the element? I've been looking all over and I can't find the answer.

[cranky]

I'm not an electrician by any stretch...I have a question. With running 220v wouldn't I need 2 SSVR to regulate the current in each of the hot wires going to the element? I've been looking all over and I can't find the answer.

No, If you are making what I made you only need one leg regulated, I run 220 with mine and it works just fine, but because I only regulate one leg and my controller does not go down to 0 I added an ON/Off switch so the hot leg is only hot when I need it to be.

[MX450248]

I'm not an electrician by any stretch...I have a question. With running 220v wouldn't I need 2 SSVR to regulate the current in each of the hot wires going to the element? I've been looking all over and I can't find the answer.

No, If you are making what I made you only need one leg regulated, I run 220 with mine and it works just fine, but because I only regulate one leg and my controller does not go down to 0 I added an ON/Off switch so the hot leg is only hot when I need it to be.

Ok thanks cranky...yes I'm modeling mine after yours. I posted some pictures of my progress on my controller in my build thread...Newbie column build. Take a look and tell me what you think

[gungatim]

Question for you guys running these:
I finally got around to building one of these, I had made one with an old analog scale but wanted digital. But I have a problem. for those of you running the digital readouts, how hot do they get? mine smells like it is burning up. I finally pulled the power wires but the capacitor next to the white plug is black and melted.. it still works as you can see on the display, but I don't want it to burn up. the SCR by the way barely gets warm after running for an hour (did 2 batches yesterday).

do I just have a defective LED or do they all get that hot?

[Hound Dog]

Question for you guys running these:
I finally got around to building one of these, I had made one with an old analog scale but wanted digital. But I have a problem. for those of you running the digital readouts, how hot do they get? mine smells like it is burning up. I finally pulled the power wires but the capacitor next to the white plug is black and melted.. it still works as you can see on the display, but I don't want it to burn up. the SCR by the way barely gets warm after running for an hour (did 2 batches yesterday).

do I just have a defective LED or do they all get that hot?

I have the same meter. Do you have it hooked to the voltage output side or input side. I first used mine to measure the volts going to the element thinking it made sense to know how much power was there. I then found from them burning up and others explaining why that you can't do that. Check out this thread.. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 85&t=56032

[cranky]

That looks like the same one I use too. I haven't had any problem with mine even when I had it hooked up to measure output voltage but lots of other people did so before it happened to me I switched mine to the input side. I think somewhere in this thread we talked about it but the thread Houndog gave explains it very well.

[gungatim]

Question for you guys running these:
I finally got around to building one of these, I had made one with an old analog scale but wanted digital. But I have a problem. for those of you running the digital readouts, how hot do they get? mine smells like it is burning up. I finally pulled the power wires but the capacitor next to the white plug is black and melted.. it still works as you can see on the display, but I don't want it to burn up. the SCR by the way barely gets warm after running for an hour (did 2 batches yesterday).

do I just have a defective LED or do they all get that hot?

I have the same meter. Do you have it hooked to the voltage output side or input side. I first used mine to measure the volts going to the element thinking it made sense to know how much power was there. I then found from them burning up and others explaining why that you can't do that. Check out this thread.. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 85&t=56032

yes I had it hooked up to output voltage after the SCR. will read that thread, hopefully I can save it. it was still working when I pulled the power wires (plug was melting so it wouldn't come off so wires pulled out of the female part). it did a nice job measuring the voltage and amps before I decided it was too hot...

[gungatim]

well reading that thread his pic looks exactly like mine, burnt in same spot...should have did some more reading before I hooked it up to the wrong side...I may have to go with analog meters instead...even though they are just for looks on a pot still, thought it would be cool to see the power it was using. not sure what the box was originally for, was free at a yard sale. the face plate is weather sealed and unbolts from the inside of the door, in the box is another plate on a stand off that had a couple terminal blocks. maybe it was an alarm box?

[Hound Dog]

Yea, the input voltage reading is kind of useless but I just run by the amps to get repeatable results. That's the important thing.

[saltminer]

Cranky,Back in your rebuild pictures you have 2 Pots.I swear I have read this thread twice and I still dont understand the second Pot.

[cranky]

Cranky,Back in your rebuild pictures you have 2 Pots.I swear I have read this thread twice and I still dont understand the second Pot.

Hot spare.
The pots came in a 2 pack and I didn't want to lose it so I soldered the wires to it and mounted it without connecting the wires. If for some reason I need it I have it all set to go.
They were both on the original too, if you look below the dial you can see it mounted with no knob.

[saltminer]

Cool.Thanks

[frodo]

I am back on this problem again, still kicking the dead horse

here is a video of the controller last night. i as trying to turn it down..instead of stripping

I wanted to run a slow spirit run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iigb1YNWe08

[woodnwine]

Cranky,
I gotta say thank you so much for fantastic information on this thread. Finished my controller Friday night and tested it with 5500 watt camco in my new 15 gallon brewhaus combo still. Heated 12 gallons of tap water from 70f to hard boil in exactly 50 minutes. Probably would have been a few minutes faster but I was playing with the control knob for the first few minutes. It was fun watching the water shimmering around the element as soon as I applied full power! Always a great moment when your efforts actually work! I got my water steam run and 50/50 vinegar cleaning run done yesterday and plan on running a sacrificial batch tonight. Again, thank you Cranky as well as everyone else who has shared success and failure alike as that is how we learn and grow. Cheers all.
WW

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

[Hound Dog]

I am back on this problem again, still kicking the dead horse

here is a video of the controller last night. i as trying to turn it down..instead of stripping

I wanted to run a slow spirit run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iigb1YNWe08

WTF Frodo? I straight up fried mine before but nothing like that happened. Perhaps the element is bad? I would try switching out the pot first. It is the right ohm pot?

[cranky]

Cranky,
I gotta say thank you so much for fantastic information on this thread. Finished my controller Friday night and tested it with 5500 watt camco in my new 15 gallon brewhaus combo still. Heated 12 gallons of tap water from 70f to hard boil in exactly 50 minutes. Probably would have been a few minutes faster but I was playing with the control knob for the first few minutes. It was fun watching the water shimmering around the element as soon as I applied full power! Always a great moment when your efforts actually work! I got my water steam run and 50/50 vinegar cleaning run done yesterday and plan on running a sacrificial batch tonight. Again, thank you Cranky as well as everyone else who has shared success and failure alike as that is how we learn and grow. Cheers all.
WW

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

Your welcome Woodinwine, I'm always glad when someone succeeds.

[cranky]

I am back on this problem again, still kicking the dead horse

here is a video of the controller last night. i as trying to turn it down..instead of stripping

I wanted to run a slow spirit run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iigb1YNWe08

WTF Frodo? I straight up fried mine before but nothing like that happened. Perhaps the element is bad? I would try switching out the pot first. It is the right ohm pot?

I was hoping someone had some input for Frodo. I have been at a total loss on that one. I've been running mine a lot over the past week with full cleaning runs followed by 3 flute runs and everything has worked perfectly with little fluctuation.

Frodo, didn't you say you changed the Pot already? If shipping weren't so damn much to your part of the world from mine, I'd send you my spare pot and a spare element so you could see if either fixed it. Not like I need all those elements anyway, but when I shipped a couple to MCH it cost almost as much as buying the element on Amazon.

I'm also starting to wonder if the meter has some sort of issue, rather than the controller.

[bronctoad]

a great big thank you Cranky. I got my controller built with yours and other threads(mostly yours+ parts lists) got half of my keggle made enough to immerse the element. wired'er up, turn the pot to zero, plugged it all in. walked over to my breaker box threw the breaker ..... No magic smoke works like a charm. full on boiled 5 gallons in 13 mins should say 4500w element. Once again I want to thank you and all the members that contribute to the education of newbs mostly me for all the information and discussions that lead to having things done right the first time.
bronctoad

[cranky]

I'm glad it worked for you bronctoad, I'm always happy to hear when one of my threads helps someone. It's actually kind of funny how simple a controller can be once you build one.