# PID Programming Problem



## boybrewer (28/5/17)

I am technologically dyslexic when it comes to computers and PIDs . It all started when I decided to clean the mash tun after a few years of just running hot water through it after brewing . I set the SV to 100*C and ran oxyper through it after an hour I turned the PID off for maybe 10 or so seconds turned it back on and the screen read 000000 flashing so I turned it off and put it away , thinking I broke my toy . Today I turned it on and it worked well sort off it kept running over set temp and the alarm 1 light is always on . Yes it does come on when it reaches set temp but it just stays on . Sorry about the long intro but how do I turn off alarm 1 or disable it or fix the problem.............


----------



## barls (28/5/17)

congrat. im in the same boat.
some how i stuffed up the programming or settings and it won't step through the program.


----------



## Adr_0 (28/5/17)

Do you have a manual for it or know the model? It's possible that it was reset.


----------



## barls (28/5/17)

mines a aubins syl 2352p. fairly sure its a setting some where. i ran the auto tune and it went beautiful. now it just tells me its holding on the step but won't step to the next one.
I've only got three steps programmed. that could be my other problem.


----------



## boybrewer (28/5/17)

Mine is an RKC CD101


----------



## GrumpyPaul (28/5/17)

Maybe your control box needs to be earthed....nah that's not it.


----------



## boybrewer (28/5/17)

At least I don't try to put 15amps through a 10 amp control unit


----------



## Glomp (28/5/17)

BARLS Its a bit hard to troubleshoot without knowing your steps. It may be a simple programming problem. I have an auber and it took a little while for me to understand it.


----------



## barls (28/5/17)

Glomp said:


> BARLS Its a bit hard to troubleshoot without knowing your steps. It may be a simple programming problem. I have an auber and it took a little while for me to understand it.


so i have a 50 degree for 15 minutes then to 60 for 60 then to 78 and hold.
so 
step TEMP time
1 50 15
2 66 60
3 78 0

is this right


----------



## Glomp (28/5/17)

Step 1 50 15
66 60

Says ramp from 50 to 66 taking 15 mins

Step 2

66 60
78 0

Says ramp from 66 to 78 taking 60 mins

Step 3 

78 0
Is meaningless


You probably want something like this. I changed step times for clarity. You need to look at 2 lines at a time.

48 15
50 16
50 17
60 60
60 18
78 -121

This means move from your starting temp 48 to 50 over 15 mins
Then keep this temp at 50 for 16 mins
Next ramp from 50 to 60 over 17 mins
Then maintain 60 for 60 mins
Next ramp from 60 to 78 over 18 mins
Once 78 is reached stop


----------



## evoo4u (28/5/17)

I think you need to add the intervening steps:

1 50 15
2 50 1
3 66 60
4 66 1
5 78 0

This is directing it to heat to 50, then over 15 minutes, raise the temp to the next line (which is also 50 - starting point, therefore, hold this temp for 15 minutes). In other words, a step temp command requires a starting line (Line 1) then a finishing line (Line 2), where the "1" tells it to proceed to the next step. The "60" is the time to remain at that step, and so on.

"1" is the step change signal, and a "0" puts the program into HOLD mode.

If you had:
1 50 15
2 66 60
3 78 20

that would be telling it to get to 50, then over 15 minutes raise the temp to 66, then once reaching 66, over the next 60 minutes, raise the temp to 78. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure what the controller would do with the 20, if there were no more lines programmed.

The above is for the Auberins.

EDIT - If you tell it to heat faster than your system is capable of, it'll just do what it can, and resume once it reaches the temp you've programmed.


----------



## barls (28/5/17)

evoo4u said:


> I think you need to add the intervening steps:
> 
> 1 50 15
> 2 50 1
> ...


right i knew i was missing something.
tried reading the manual but that just confused me.
ill try reprogramming it when i get a chance


----------



## Camo6 (29/5/17)

Just to clarify, 0 is not meaningless. It will pause and maintain the programmed step. Perfect for holding mash out temps until you finish mowing the lawn.


----------



## Adr_0 (29/5/17)

beer belly said:


> Mine is an RKC CD101


Does this look like the one?


http://www.thermomart.com/download/PID-CD-101.pdf

If it has reset you may need to change the alarm values, P/I/D values and heat reset proportional time.


----------



## boybrewer (29/5/17)

Yes that is the one thanks .


----------



## Adr_0 (29/5/17)

By the way it looks like your alarm has a 2°C deadband, so needs to drop 2°C below the setpoint before it turns off.. Unless a button press will do it?

The 0000 display seems to beaches if there's a wire disconnected.


----------



## boybrewer (29/5/17)

No wires disconnected I opened the box after the PID was playing up and it was working 100% until I turned it off to change hoses when cleaning the brewery and then turned it back on and that is when I got the 0000 display . I will check the deadband and see if it is that and report back thanks.It won't be today as I am at work .


----------



## barls (31/5/17)

evoo4u said:


> I think you need to add the intervening steps:
> 
> 1 50 15
> 2 50 1
> ...


so if i wanted to get to 50, hold for 15 minutes, raise to and hold at 66 then to mash out it would be more like
1 50 10
2 50 15
3 50 1
4 66 10
5 66 60
6 66 1
7 78 10
8 78 0


----------



## evoo4u (31/5/17)

barls said:


> so if i wanted to get to 50, hold for 15 minutes, raise to and hold at 66 then to mash out...


1 50 15 - Heat up to 50C, and over the next 15'
2 50 1 - stay at 50C. Now go to next step.
3 66 0 - Heat up to 66C and then hold that temp indefinitely. (If that's what you want, as the "0" means "hold")
4 75 0 - When commanded to "resume" (press and hold the down arrow for 2 seconds), heat to 75C and hold that temp indefinitely.

_(I "think" when manually commanding a resume from hold, the device will proceed to the next step, but I've never tried it. I only ever command a "hold" at the mashout step, so I can mashout at my convenience. As said earlier, so you can finish mowing the lawn...)_

If you know how long you want the 66C step (say 60 minutes), then:

1 50 15 - Heat up to 50C, and once you've reached it, _then _over the next 15'
2 50 1 - stay at 50C. Now go to next step.
3 66 60 - Heat up to 66C and once you've reached it, _then _over the next 60'
4 66 1 - stay at 66C. Now go to next step.
4 75 0 - Heat to 75C and hold that temp indefinitely.

Here's my "cheat sheet" which tells me all I need when the sozzled brain forgets  :






Also, if for whatever reason, you wanted to slow the ramp rate (getting from 50C to 66C), so it took, say, 45 minutes, then the first steps would be:
1 50 15
2 50 45
3 66 60 
4 66 1
and so on... (But we normally want the ramp to be as fast as our systems will allow, but this just illustrates that you can dictate the time to get from one temp to another, and the unit will change the temp gradually, and in a linear fashion)


----------



## barls (31/5/17)

thats the info that will get me there easily.
now just to change the program slightly and do another auto tune and ill go from there.


----------



## Adr_0 (31/5/17)

barls said:


> thats the info that will get me there easily.
> now just to change the program slightly and do another auto tune and ill go from there.


How long does an auto tune take?


----------



## evoo4u (31/5/17)

I tried auto-tuning, but in my setup, it just screwed things up, so I took Adr_0's advice, and manually tuned. Pretty good now, with temp being held within a 0.3C band at the probe. So in the mash-tun, it evens out beautifully.


----------



## barls (31/5/17)

an hour or so but i set then walk away.
its more about getting a base line to then tweak from.


----------



## Hermies (13/6/17)

Thanks Adr_0 I am greatfull that we have an electronics wizard like yourself on this site . I have approx 5mt of copper coil in my 7.5lt pot and am heating it with a 2400W immersion heater . The question is ,I have a difference between the liquid out into the mash tun @ 67.7* it is 1* under the SV and the difference increases as I raise the temp higher at 87.7* it reads 84.6* . Is there a way of decreasing that difference ? I have an rkc CD101 .


----------



## Hermies (4/12/17)

Just recently purchased a new PID from Inkbird thought my old PID was going haywire , set up the new PID and it was doing a similar thing to my old PID turned out it was the temp sensor was playing up .Slaps hand on forehead .


----------



## davidanunn (11/10/18)

Hermies said:


> Just recently purchased a new PID from Inkbird thought my old PID was going haywire , set up the new PID and it was doing a similar thing to my old PID turned out it was the temp sensor was playing up .Slaps hand on forehead .



Hey Hermies, wondering if I have the same issue. The SYL-2352 PID on my boil kettle shows temp sensor dropping in and out, and eventually goes loopy, flashing all sorts of numbers before freezing. Comes back after being powered down a while. Is that anything like you saw?

Cheers,

David


----------



## Hermies (12/10/18)

davidanunn said:


> Hey Hermies, wondering if I have the same issue. The SYL-2352 PID on my boil kettle shows temp sensor dropping in and out, and eventually goes loopy, flashing all sorts of numbers before freezing. Comes back after being powered down a while. Is that anything like you saw?
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> David


Same problem


----------



## davidanunn (19/10/18)

Hermies said:


> Same problem



Bewdy, thanks!


----------

