# DIY Control Panel



## elmondo

Dear fellow beer lovers,
I have come the point in my life where I long to control my HLT with the flick of a switch.
I have read many online sites which explain DIY control panels etc. Most are american or english.
I am hoping to get some help with building an Australian 240V version.
My aim:
To use a PID to control my HLT temperature for a HERMs system.
I currently have a 2200W and a 1500W heating elements in the HLT.
I also want to control 2 water pumps from my control panel.
I have a 20amp power point at the ready.

theelectricbrewery.com system is beautiful but too complex. I dont need 3 PIDs.
Has anyone in Oz built a controller that can run one/two heating elements and 2 pumps?
Cheers!


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## NewtownClown

Yes.
Many have been built and discussed here.
I am sure you will find what you want amongst these builds.
http://aussiehomebrewer.com/index.php?s=384052e149eee28293b9a022b1849ab2&app=googlecse#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=Control Panel


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## mofox1

elmondo said:


> Dear fellow beer lovers,
> I have come the point in my life where I long to control my HLT with the flick of a switch.
> I have read many online sites which explain DIY control panels etc. Most are american or english.
> I am hoping to get some help with building an Australian 240V version.
> My aim:
> To use a PID to control my HLT temperature for a HERMs system.
> I currently have a 2200W and a 1500W heating elements in the HLT.
> I also want to control 2 water pumps from my control panel.
> I have a 20amp power point at the ready.
> 
> theelectricbrewery.com system is beautiful but too complex. I dont need 3 PIDs.
> Has anyone in Oz built a controller that can run one/two heating elements and 2 pumps?
> Cheers!


If want to control two elements and two pumps... the electric brewery design is a good start (they have a 240V country addendum). Just omit the bits you don't need. A fair number of us here have done EB clones or variants thereof (myself included - see sig) and it would be very easy to simplify down to what you want.

Removing the mash pid is trivial (it doesn't control anything) and likewise for the alarming bits and the volt/amp monitoring if you don't care for those. Removing the boil pid (and SSR) is as easy as wiring the boil switch directly to the relay coil.

Try and mock up what the panel would look like and go from there.

Good luck - ask plenty of questions


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## elmondo

Thank you for the comments so far.
As I have no idea about electrics, it would be great if someone who has created one of these Panels could show us their wiring diagrams or photos of their setups.
I have followed many of the discussions. There are some guys out there that really know their stuff. Are you happy to share your setup?

Is this diagram suitable for us Aussies?
http://cdn.instructables.com/F6E/9WHH/GX8SHK3T/F6E9WHHGX8SHK3T.LARGE.gif


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## elmondo

How would you modify this setup for Australia?
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ebrewsupply/schematics/30a+BIAB+DIY+Panel.pdf


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## Ducatiboy stu

Raspi ....

Cause switches and stuff is so 2015

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi


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## husky

Sounds very similar to a panel I recently built for my 3V brewery. I generated a full set of wiring drawings and diagrams, I'll update them tomorrow to as built and put them up if you like. I spent a good 6 months studying electrical wiring drawings and reading through the electric brewery and other similar builds. It's quite simple once you get your head around it. I gave my sketches to an electrical engineer who tidied them up for me and applied some "best practice" type changes. Ill try get them up tomorrow for you.


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## elmondo

Thanks Husky.
That sounds brilliant. Looking forward to them!


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## elmondo

Accumulating some components...


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## elmondo

Another eBay order I look forward to..


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## dropbear85

I got one of these a couple of weeks ago except I went for the 300x400. 
good quality but bloody heavy, I'm not looking forward to cutting the holes for my pid and ammeter. 

what pid did you go with?


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## elmondo

went with a REX-C100 off ebay.
cant vouch for it yet as I havent tested it.
some mixed reviews on the forum. seems to do the job for most people as far as i've seen.


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## husky

I have just updated my build thread with some diagrams. See if they help you.

http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/78808-huskys-new-3v-brewery/?p=1287303

Some pics of the almost finished product


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## elmondo

Hi Husky,
what do you recon to these modifications? would that work?
cheers


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## husky

The 24VDC power supply is only needed if you have equipment that requires it. In my case I use it as a signal to my contactors as well as power to my temperature transmitters. You can defiantly do without it. The?? item is a contactor, because I am switching 20ish amps and I don't want 240V on the panel door it was required(the aim was to have low voltage on the door and this low voltage is used to switch on the high voltage items via contactor). You could get away with a manual switch if you don't want to put a contactor in. The electric brewery guys use a relay which is similar.


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## Moad

Get a sparkie to help if you can. I told a mate what I wanted to do and he sorted it.

The auberins pid has a 12v output with built in ssr to control an element. You can wire it so mash uses the pid and then you switch to boil which overrides the pid to turn both elements on etc etc 

have fun!


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## elmondo

Good stuff. Will definately get a sparky to check this setup. Don't feel like frying myself over this. My father in law in the UK is an electrical engineering lecturer so will run final designs past him. So far his feed back has been all good. Thanks for the posts.
Out of interest, all components so far have set me back $373.33.
Not a single wire is yet connected. LOL. At least our wives know where we are at night. Nerding it out in the brewery!


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## elmondo

Thanks Husky.
Will use relays where you used contactors.


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## elmondo

How do you equate the relays?
How do you connect the wiring for the 8 pin relay so that it is the same as in the EB setup?
ie: which pins get the power input, connctions to the panel and connections to the key starter?
Cheers all!
(it is a DPDT 240V 30 A relay)


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## sponge

Coil is 7/8, Active in/out 5/3, neutral in/out 6/4.

If you're asking you really need to get someone licensed to do it.


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## Pokey

It may not be helpful at the moment but I would take the majority of what the Americans do and throw it in the bin.


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## elmondo

Design mostly finalised. 
Guy at Jaycar was good at explaining relays etc. That was the most confusing. Will get my electrician to check it before use. Now just waiting for ll those goodies from eBay to arrive...


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## elmondo

Will be using these contactors as relays.
One per heating element and one for mains input.


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## husky

They will work fine. Contactors operate the same as a relay only more heavy duty as far as I can tell. I use relays for my pumps as they are not switched often and are very low current draw. I use contactors for heaters where they are high current draw. Much of a muchness, hey both operate in the same way.


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## elmondo

So far...


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## dropbear85

looking good mate. 

how did you go with cutting your holes


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## elmondo

I used a 23 mm Sutton metal drill bit for the holes and a Dremel cutting disc for the PID holes. Smoothed off the filings with a stone dremel filing bit. Two coats of primer, 2 coats of black paint and two coats of clear varnish. The clear varnish is excellent as it lets me wipe down the panel really easily.


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## megabyte

That's an amazing achievement for someone who didn't know much about electrics just a month ago. Kudos and good luck with it. :super:


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## elmondo

Panel on its first run. 
I got an electrician to check it prior to using it. After he checked it he asked me if he could take a photo of it to show his wife. LOL.
It sure makes brew day alot easier and fun.


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