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but you answered my question.You can add a snubber circuit to any triac based controller as well as an inductor... I'd go with the snubber circuit first, which only requires an additional resistor and capacitor... Refer to your triacs spec sheet for proper values of those components... The values are usually a 100 Ohm resistor and a 0.1uF capacitor of proper voltage rating...winestill wrote:What about the EMI, the ripple or what you call it, the interference? Does it happen with this controller?
Doesnt that model fire at zero cross? If so (and im not mistaken) you wont have interference/ripple, as this will function as a burstfire controller.What about the EMI, the ripple or what you call it, the interference? Does it happen with this controller?
"That model" being a phase angle controller, the answer is no. It's either-or: phase angle or zero cross, you can't have both. The former creates a heluva lot interference, the latter none at all. Heck, the picture on my TV jumps when my fridge compressor kicks in! I would use a snubber with phase angle. Doesn't have to be big, only rated for a big current. If your heating element is a coil, it may even act as one.MuleKicker wrote:Doesnt that model fire at zero cross?
You may need to experiment with values but any 240V circuit should work with that Triac...Ben Stillin wrote:Can I simply slip in any triac? I have 4 oddball Q5040P Teccor triacs, 500V 40A in a fastpak (to-3) package. Will the discrete components in the design still work or would the values need to be changed?
Whether the MK5500 is better or not is not the issue... Finding a versatile controller within the skill set and budget of each individual is... There are other topics which are dedicated to specific controllers... This one just happens to have just about everything lumped together... It is a good place for folks to come and see a little bit of everything... Pintoshines controller is not the be-all end-all of controllers by any means... Much of what he posted was copied from manufacturer specification sheets... In fact many of the designs I have tested are also variations of designs which can be found in manufacturer specification sheets... Single Time Constant, Double Time Constant, Full Range using a diode bride rectifier, and 555 timer based are all referenced within manufacturer product documentation... I have PDF's for just about every brand and type of triac commonly available and have read them and deciphered the the calculations, yet the component values provided by the manufacturers still seem to work best...Centimeter wrote:Please forgive me but I must ask a lazy question. These threads have simply gotten WAY too long to sift through. I don't know what happened in the past couple years but god damn.
Is there something wrong with Pint's old control? I guess I'm just thrown off by the fact that he posted a control that seemed to work splendidly on page two, yet here we are at page 40. Is it not safe or something? What makes the MK5500 >$200 better than pint's control?
Like I said, I'm sorry for the lazy question. I hope my thoughtful responses of the past will grant me clemency!
Wrong... You control the amount of heat applied to a reflux column in conjunction with proper cooling... How that combination is handled depends on the type of reflux column, whether Vapor Management, Liquid Management, Cooling Management, or Power Management... Reflux columns definitely need fine grained power input adjustment capabilities...the_bard wrote:is this thread applicable to pot stilling only ?
I cant see the point of controlling heat when using a reflux - just control the water temp right ?
Bard
What still design are you using...???the_bard wrote:my still must be different i guess.
The power is just on and as long i as i keep the right coolent exit temp to an exactish (55-60) it makes 93-5%. Seems a nice easy method.
BArd
That unit has a built in heat source and control which was engineered for that specific application... When a member builds a still he may want more power for initially brining the rig up to temperature and then backing down for optimal performance by adjusting heat, cooling, and spirit take off rate...the_bard wrote:oh sorry i didnt mention!
Its a T500 and I'm really pleased with it I have to say. Very easy to operate.
Bard
Me too. I have and offset head reflux design and as long as I don't flood the 2 inch column its fine.the_bard wrote:my still must be different i guess.
The power is just on and as long i as i keep the right coolent exit temp to an exactish (55-60) it makes 93-5%. Seems a nice easy method.
BArd
Minimum components are:pumpman wrote:If one were to use a pot instead of a dimmer on a 120v triac controler are there any other parts you wold need to add besides the pot?