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figured id start a thread for my controller build.
I will put this together to make it simple for noobs like me to understand and be able to build their own.

parts list so far
Item ID Title Quantity
a11110700ux0045 2 Pcs B500K 500K ohm Single Linear Taper Ratory Potentiometers 1
a11121400ux0263 Replacement 0.236" Round Shaft Digital Potentiometer Volume Knob 1
a11121900ux0363 Solid State Relay Voltage Resistance Regulator 40A 24-380V AC w Heat Sink 1

all ordered from Uxcell.com super fast shipping



will continue collecting needed parts and start the build with explanations then

Can't wait to see how this turns out

little more work done on my controller. Found a suitable box at a surplus store ($6.99) and a fan for it as well for a couple bucks.
I found a package of resistors at the same store that has over 600 resistors and listed a 470ohm as part of the package, of course thare are only a couple in the whole package and finding them was a chore. My eyes aren't what they used to be.







Was going to paint th box then decided I'm just going to beat the crap out of it anyway so why bother. The fan is run with a wall wort from some other thing I had over the years. You can see the wires for the fan go to an actual 12v jack for the wall wort.

now I need to find a proper latch for the box door, it has punch outs for a latch.

Looking good so far. Can't wait to see how it finishes, and hear how she works (so I can selfishly copy it for my own)...

Fan blowing directly across the heat sink might be more advantageous.

What are the resistors for???

sorry, didn't see the question. The specs for the resistance input for the SSR are 470 ohms to 56o Kohms. when dialed all the way it goes to a very low resistance so the 470 ohm resistor matches it up to the minimum

I took these specs off the web page where I bought it although now I see right on the SSR it says 500K for resistance input so I may not need the resistor, we shall see.


I build electric guitars and these cheap pots are excellent. For guitars I use quality pots and the resistance as you dial up changes eratically. These cheapies are very smooth

Ya beat me to it! I was going to do a build up of my phase angle controller too.

Knowing how rude and crude my stuff comes out, I think I'll defer to you.

kinda neglected this tutorial, sorry
My controller is now built and works fantastic. I had read about issues with the volt/amp meter with phase angle control but decided to try anyway. I seem to have no issues and the meter reads within a couple volts, good enough for me. The currant reading seems to be fairly accurate as well. I get 18.3 amps at 239 volts. With a 4500 watt element that's pretty close. I have not measured the resistance of my element to find out for sure but don't see the need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGnavOrd ... e=youtu.be

Only issue is that I cannot get to zero/off but I think that's due to the resitor I added to the potentiometer. When I bought the SSR it said 470 ohm to 500k but when I received it it just said 500k, Think I'll remove the 470 ohm resistor and try it to see if I can get zero

bellybuster wrote:volt/amp meter with phase angle control but decided to try anyway. I seem to have no issues and the meter reads within a couple

uxcell for the volt/amp meter?

aknewb1s wrote:

bellybuster wrote:volt/amp meter with phase angle control but decided to try anyway. I seem to have no issues and the meter reads within a couple

uxcell for the volt/amp meter?

He never said where he got it.

sorry.... Fleabay for the meter

I have purchased said components would you be as kind as to share your wiring diagram please?

Do you have any pictures of the finished box? I am trying to figure how to connect it all together.
Thanks

SideJob wrote:Do you have any pictures of the finished box? I am trying to figure how to connect it all together.
Thanks

What's exactly puzzling you?

When the wire comes in from the wall there will be 2 pos wires one neg and one ground. Where do they go? Do both pos run to the potentiometer switch then to the resistor then to the led meter then to the element? If i could see a photo of the finished inside box i would have the basic schematic to copy. Any advice would be helpfull. Thanks.

Here is the wiring diagram your looking for. shows 110 and 220 wiring.

SOme would say that you should not run the voltmeter continusly when hooked up AFTER the controller. Something about them burning out. You can however throw a swtich in there and only turn it on for a min or two at a time. I have no experience with this yet as im yet to build one. This diagram I did up tho and will be following it for my build

bellybuster wrote:I build electric guitars and these cheap pots are excellent. For guitars I use quality pots and the resistance as you dial up changes eratically. These cheapies are very smooth

Audio taper versus Linear taper...???

Thanks, this will help. I have 2 electrician friends viewing for the chanc to do it up. I wi. Keep everyone abreast of what gets done and how. Try to do a prelim in the am.
Also want to figure how to do 2 elements to save time.
Found another link on this site through Google that his
As helped a lot. On google the 3rd dome. On phase angle controller.
Side job

SideJob wrote: Also want to figure how to do 2 elements to save time.

Just connect second element through regular On/Off switch like this one http://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-30-A ... /100356941" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Sorry guys, didn't see these.
Rad, I use linear taper for my controller. Makes for nice smooth increase as you turn the pot.

bellybuster wrote:Sorry guys, didn't see these.
Rad, I use linear taper for my controller. Makes for nice smooth increase as you turn the pot.

Yes, power doesnt increase logarithmicaly like your ears hear.

Has anyone had trouble with the mypin controller? The element is either fully on or off. I am trying how to get it to go partial power. The way it is now it is too hot or cold. Per the thermocoupler if it is 194 F and element is on it runs too hot the minute the element shuts off it quits running.
Found one good video on youtube ( 14 min long), but the guy was not sure of what all the acronyms were and how to set them. Using it i figured how to set the goal temp.
Any thoughts?

What exactly model name? Is it TA-4, TD-4 or something else?

Mypin TD6-SNR

Sent you a PM side job but will post here as we'll for others.
PIDs can only work if they have a manual mode that sets the duty cycle. You cannot run by setting a certain temp, it will not work without other supporting temps and a central brain to correlate them all.
The "D" in the TD6 tends to indicate it has a manual mode from what I can find. You'll need to dig into the manual and find how to switch it over to manual.
All this to be able to use a PID and not even use it as intended. Unless you are already using it for brewing its kind of a waste when a simple potentiometer could have been used.

SideJob wrote:Has anyone had trouble with the mypin controller? The element is either fully on or off. I am trying how to get it to go partial power. The way it is now it is too hot or cold. Per the thermocoupler if it is 194 F and element is on it runs too hot the minute the element shuts off it quits running.
Found one good video on youtube ( 14 min long), but the guy was not sure of what all the acronyms were and how to set them. Using it i figured how to set the goal temp.
Any thoughts?

We have several topics, several somewhat long, which explain WHY you can't use a PID unless in manual mode... Fancy whiz-bang components don't always help when it comes to simple theories like supplying a constant level of power input rather than On - Off to control temperature... Have a good read through them and you'll understand better...

I must apologize, all my images were hosted off site and don't work worth a crap. Sadly I cannot make edits to remedy this. The edit button is no longer available.
Good example of why images should be uploaded here. I hang my head in shame.

SideJob wrote:Mypin TD6-SNR

TD series support manual mode.

To switch to manual mode
- Press and hold the "<</M" button for ~3 seconds till the "AT/M" indicator lighted.

To adjust power

- make a short press of the "Set" button. "S/MV" indicator shout be lit. Now the "SV" indicator shows power in percents (0-100) instead of temperature
- press the "<</M" button and adjust the desired power by "UP" and "DOWN" buttons.