Pid For Herms Coil

[Crusty]

Hi guys,
Trying to automate the brewery this year & am looking at a Herms system. Looking at a 2400w element for the Herms coil & am after what I should order from Auberims. I guess I need the ram/soak PID but what else do I need to get. Can anyone give me links to exactly what I should order to run the herms. It's all new to me.

Crusty

 

[cdbrown]

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_pag...e4847f0e106ff3f - PID
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_pag...e4847f0e106ff3f - relay
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_pag...e4847f0e106ff3f - heat sink
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_pag...e4847f0e106ff3f - probe

 

[Crusty]

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_pag...e4847f0e106ff3f - PID
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_pag...e4847f0e106ff3f - relay
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_pag...e4847f0e106ff3f - heat sink
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_pag...e4847f0e106ff3f - probe

Thanks heaps,
Exactly what I was after.

Cheers.

 

[roger mellie]

and if you would rather buy from a local company and bypass international postage

http://www.oceancontrols.com.au/search.php...arch&page=1

no affiliation - I have purchased from both ocean and auberins before and IIRC they wont post heatsinks anyway.

RM

 

[kevin_smevin]

Thanks heaps,
Exactly what I was after.

Cheers.

You'd probably be ok with the 25A SSR and Heat sink if your only planning on using a 2400W element. I think anyway

 

[cdbrown]

and if you would rather buy from a local company and bypass international postage

http://www.oceancontrols.com.au/search.php...arch&page=1

no affiliation - I have purchased from both ocean and auberins before and IIRC they wont post heatsinks anyway.

RM

Who won't post heatsinks? Auberin posted 2 of the large heat sinks to go with the 40A SSRs I got from them. Came in two packages to save on shipping.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Thread hyjack to ask why everyone goes with auberins PIDs rather than the ebay units?

I'm forking out for one soon......

 

[absinthe]

Thread hyjack to ask why everyone goes with auberins PIDs rather than the ebay units?

I'm forking out for one soon......

i have an ebay one and she works just fine and my ssr is from ebay also

 

[Crusty]

Thread hyjack to ask why everyone goes with auberins PIDs rather than the ebay units?

I'm forking out for one soon......

I don't like ebay at the best of times so I'm just following the herd.
I really appreciate advice from more experienced guys than me that are using the exact equipment that i am after. Makes life so much easier. If I had to work this stuff out for myself, I wouldn't be upgrading or automating anything. I'm bloody hopeless.

Crusty

 

[roger mellie]

Who won't post heatsinks? Auberin posted 2 of the large heat sinks to go with the 40A SSRs I got from them. Came in two packages to save on shipping.

Hmm - I could have sworn when I brought my PID controllers from Auberins that I read that they wouldn't post heatsinks internationally - cant seem to find that now.

Obviously mistaken.

RM

 

[mxd]

Thread hyjack to ask why everyone goes with auberins PIDs rather than the ebay units?

I'm forking out for one soon......

Same of the ebay PIDs won't let you use "better" (temp monitoring/resolution I think RTD's a better ?) temp probes.

 

[shmick]

Same of the ebay PIDs won't let you use "better" (temp monitoring/resolution I think RTD's a better ?) temp probes.

Some pieces of string are different lengths too....

Buy what ever quality/accuracy/size/shape/threaded/type probe you want/can afford.
Without stepping up to major industrial $$$$, the PID itself has little effect on accuracy. 1 C is usually achievable with even the cheapest digital ones these days.

Nearly all of them (including the ebay ones myself and many many others on here have been using successfully for quite a while now) take multiple probe types with PT100 RTD's being the most popular for our temperature ranges.

Some people see these as major investments and need the warm fuzzy feeling they think a 'recognised' company's warranty gives them.
Others see the cheap deal as almost disposable and just get on and brew with it.
Each to his own - baaaaaaa

 

[schooey]

Agree with most of what Mick has written above but also to add... A lot of people buy the Auberins models that have the ramp/soak feature (If you don't know what this is you may not even want it, have a google) and not all the ebay units have that capability. My advice would be to not spend a lot of money on your PID, it is basically only a juiced up calculator that runs a series of algorithms to get its job done. Of all the brands, I'm pretty sure they all run very similar algorithm software.

A few things I noticed when I bought mine were that there are a few controllers on the market that don't supply an output current to switch an SSR, you have to provide the output current externally and the PID will switch it. A bit of a PITA if you have an SSR that requires 3VDC to switch...

Also, I found that most of the controllers in the average Home Brewers price range <$500 had similar accuracy specs, but the probes don't. My advice would be to save your dollars on the controller (sure, get what you need to do the job you want) and spend your shackles on a quality probe.

 

[mxd]

Some pieces of string are different lengths too....
...
Others see the cheap deal as almost disposable and just get on and brew with it.
Each to his own - baaaaaaa

I certainly wasn't saying they wern't good/usable, a question was asked and I provided what I believe was a answer to his question.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

great info guys.

I'm fairly sure I'll go with a cheaper ebay option - I still need to track down an element, SSR, probe, housing, and all the other bits and pieces yet.

 

[absinthe]

Agree with most of what Mick has written above but also to add... A lot of people buy the Auberins models that have the ramp/soak feature (If you don't know what this is you may not even want it, have a google) and not all the ebay units have that capability. My advice would be to not spend a lot of money on your PID, it is basically only a juiced up calculator that runs a series of algorithms to get its job done. Of all the brands, I'm pretty sure they all run very similar algorithm software.

A few things I noticed when I bought mine were that there are a few controllers on the market that don't supply an output current to switch an SSR, you have to provide the output current externally and the PID will switch it. A bit of a PITA if you have an SSR that requires 3VDC to switch...

Also, I found that most of the controllers in the average Home Brewers price range <$500 had similar accuracy specs, but the probes don't. My advice would be to save your dollars on the controller (sure, get what you need to do the job you want) and spend your shackles on a quality probe.

my pid didn't have an output voltage to switch the SSR but an old phone charger (plug pack) is a good place to get the supply from, i think mine was AC input into the SSR? i cant remember but you just remove the rectifier in the plug pack, i know my SSR had a large input range from like 4V to 36V or something.





and just about all PIDs with take a PT100 and then give you a 0.1C just ask the seller if they can supply you with the different probe instead of the K type they normally come with (although i got mine from the USA it was about 1/2 the price including shipping)

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Agree with most of what Mick has written above but also to add... A lot of people buy the Auberins models that have the ramp/soak feature ....

Do people find themselves using the ramp/soak functions often? What situations would you use these in? I'm completely new to the wonderful world of PIDs, and would have thought that they all ramp temperatures between each step automatically......

 

[razz]

I'm not really up with the whole PID thing myself but the one I purchased has auto tune function. It makes the whole process pretty easy, when the temp gets to with in 1 degree of the set point I activate the auto tune function and the PID tunes it's self into the set point. It stays steady, with in .5 degrees, for the remainder of the mash. Sorry if I'm stating the obvious.

 

[raven19]

Thread hyjack to ask why everyone goes with auberins PIDs rather than the ebay units?

I'm forking out for one soon......

I don't like ebay at the best of times so I'm just following the herd.
I really appreciate advice from more experienced guys than me that are using the exact equipment that i am after. Makes life so much easier. If I had to work this stuff out for myself, I wouldn't be upgrading or automating anything. I'm bloody hopeless.

Crusty

Check out the RIMS build (with cheaper ebay PID unit discussions) in my sig.

The PID I went with required an offset to be input into the unit - not an issue as such, but if I had my time again, for a few dollars more, I would have bought the Auberins unit.

 

[JonnyAnchovy]

Check out the RIMS build (with cheaper ebay PID unit discussions) in my sig.

The PID I went with required an offset to be input into the unit - not an issue as such, but if I had my time again, for a few dollars more, I would have bought the Auberins unit.

No idea how I missed this thread. Cheers!