My brew controller box

[Truman42]

Well with lots of help from QldKev (He's doing a build himself so we've been collaborating along the way, sharing ideas, and components etc) I'm half way through my brew controller. Started out with a first aid cabinet from Bunnings, measured and cut out all of my holes and cut outs for the pids etc and then painted it with hammer tone charcoal paint.

Here's the enclosure with the outlet sockets on the side.



And here is the inside with heat sinks, SSRs, fan, 12 volt transformer (to run the fan, the 2 HLT SSR,s and the 12 volt pid lights.) I have two XLR connectors in the rear for my HLT and Herms probes.



And here is the front panel. Just waiting on my pids and some 12 volt lights to arrive on eBay



What was supposed to be a project over several months using my brew budget to buy everything I needed a bit at a time, turned out to be something I've knocked together in just under a month so far. Can't help myself...

And QldKevs help along the way was invaluable.

 

[mxd]

looks good mate, where did you get the sockets from ?

Are you going to have male sockets as well to provide power or just chop an extension lead ?

thanks
Matt

 

[Truman42]

You can buy the sockets from Lawrence and Hanson for about $15 each.

But I found a powder coated metal power board at work that had about 10 outlets so I just cut it down and connected it to the side of my box.

I have two power lines coming in which will be hard wired direct to the RCDs with 5 metres of lead and male sockets to plug into a GPO.

 

[MaltyHops]

Are you going to have male sockets as well to provide power or just chop an extension lead ?

Don't ever do this - don't know if you were asking to check if OP was going to do this
- using male sockets to provide power means two bare conductors are electrically live.

 

[Camo6]

Looks the goods Truman. Hope your keeping an inventory for lazy buggers like me to copy!

@Maltyhops I think MXD was meaning a male plug in the control box to receive a computer type power lead. Or thats how I read it.

 

[Truman42]

I actually read it as having male 240 volt sockets like on a caravan to plug an extension lead into and back to my GPO.

Would work well but I don't have room for them anyway so hard wiring leads on instead.

@Camo6. QldKev is the brains behind it all, I've copied his design with a few changes to suit my system. But yeh do have a bit of an inventory going..

 

[mxd]

that's what I meant

I actually read it as having male 240 volt sockets like on a caravan to plug an extension lead into and back to my GPO.

 

[MaltyHops]

that's what I meant

I actually read it as having male 240 volt sockets like on a caravan to plug an extension lead into and back to my GPO.

Ah, ok ... guess I was thinking "plug" when I read "male sockets" - didn't realised things like caravan power inlet male sockets existed.

 

[Edak]

Looking great Truman! Truly a work of art. I have a few questions though.

What is the power specification for your build? I am guessing based on the wiring and power board that you have 10A elements.


I love the fact that you used a power board but are you going to use all of those sockets?

Which PID controllers are you going to use? Will you have the programmable auberins ones?

 

[QldKev]

At least the lights work on mine :lol:




The top two knobs are different in this pic, but have since been swapped over.

It's been good fun bouncing ideas of each other for the build. Shouldn't be too long and both will be finished.

@Edak, remember that "pid amp" (that's not actually an amp) you designed for me, one is going into Trumans enclosure, and there's two in mine.
I've got 10 power outlets hanging off mine h34r:. 3 x HLT, 3 x Heat Exchanger (although I'll only be using 2 for now), 3 x Kettle, 1 x Pump

I'll let Truman answer the rest of the questions.

 

[Truman42]

Looking great Truman! Truly a work of art. I have a few questions though.

What is the power specification for your build? I am guessing based on the wiring and power board that you have 10A elements.


I love the fact that you used a power board but are you going to use all of those sockets?

Which PID controllers are you going to use? Will you have the programmable auberins ones?

Yes my elements are all 10 amp. HLT1 and HLT2 will come on first to heat up my mash water. Then I will switch HLT2 over to the herms element while leaving HLT1 on to continue heating my sparge water.

All sockets will be used
1.HLT1
2.HLT2
3.Herms
4.Kettle1
5.Kettle2-- (Will be plugging in an imersion element to get up to boil quicker but may swap this over to an installed kettle element into my urn at a later stage.)
6.Pump

My HLT PID is just a Sestos from ebay. But the mash PID is a ramp PID from Auberins. I just have to add a buzzer for the mash PID alarm.

Still waiting on the Pids and a few other bits and pieces to arrive but the way Kev keeps finding other shit on ebay to add on Im going to run out of room in the box before long.

@Kev..At least my switches all match..

 

[QldKev]

<<snip >>
@Kev..At least my switches all match..

Mine do too now

 

[Truman42]

Added some labels. Just waiting on the PIDS to arrive.

 

[GalBrew]

Looks great Truman. Where did you source your switches and lights from?

 

[Truman42]

Looks great Truman. Where did you source your switches and lights from?

Kev gave me all the links from ebay.

12v lights for the PIDS

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/130858480259?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649&clk_rvr_id=487137687540

220v lights for the PID and pump switch

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300553603094?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_951wt_1161

2 position cam switches

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/161010831018?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649&clk_rvr_id=487136094823

5 position cam switches

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/330833511449?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649&clk_rvr_id=487134695719

 

[QldKev]

A few wires are in. Waiting on Mr Posty for delivery of the last 8 sockets. Then I can clean up a lot of the wiring.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

A few wires are in. Waiting on Mr Posty for delivery of the last 8 sockets. Then I can clean up a lot of the wiring.

When do you plan on launching the first QLD satellite ? :lol:

 

[Jono_w]

What sort of load will those SSR's be switching? Power wiring looks pretty light?

 

[jaypes]

Jaysus thats awesome, when are you guys going to build a controller for a meth lab?

 

[QldKev]

What sort of load will those SSR's be switching? Power wiring looks pretty light?

10amp max each. The Active and Neutrals are 1.5mm2 (ok for 15amp), and earths are 2.5mm2 (ok for 20amp). So plenty in reserve. I think it looks strange in the pic, but the box is half a meter tall to give you an idea of perspective. Those orange cables coming into the box are extra heavy duty 15amp cables, so about twice as thick as a cheap 10amp extension cord.

To give you an idea here's a pic with a normal extension cord