Pid - Improving Ramp Time

[porky]

Actually, while i've got you budwiser,

in theory, would i only be limited to the total dc low output as to how many SSR's and ultimately elements, that i could install running them in this way?

so for example, if each SSR required 12vdc to switch, and the pid could output 36vdc.....could i add a third ssr and element? Hypothetically of course...

Has nothing to do with the voltage. If you have three ssr's rated at 12 volts, you only need 12 volts to run them all. It is the amperage that matters. Now, ssr's will work on a large variation of voltage, but each one will take what ever it is given. So if you use 24 volts it requires less amps. If you use 12 volts it will need twice the amps. You need to read the spec on the PID as to how much it puts out. I use a seperate power supply and use the PID as a switch so I don't care how much it puts out. I have a 12 volt and a 24 volt power supply in my set up. Different motors on the brew stand require different voltages. So I get the power for the ssr's from there and not from the PID.

 

[bignath]

Mate, You do great drawings....I can wire anything, build most anything, but don't draw any of it. I just can't.

cheers mate. When i was growing up i wanted to be a Graphic Designer, so i used to noodle around on "paint" on the old computer.

Hadn't used it in years (ended up becoming a Pro Musician and Private Music Tutor for a living), and then recently had our little girl in hospital for a day or two with Type 1 diabetes complications, so i took in my computer and spent the time while she was asleep knocking out schematics for my enclosure using "paint" and liberal doses of advise from this forum.

It needs to be clear on the page in front of me before i really feel like i understand something. Even in school i had to actually "do it" before it sunk in. Had a hard time just going from the teachers words alone.

Thanks again fella.

 

[porky]

Well, I can't read music either, so there you go.

Glad to be of help mate.

 

[geneabovill]

Will fire up the PID this arvo if its convenient and report.

 

[bignath]

doing another wet run as i type...

have changed the A/M setting to "automatic". It was on "2" which i think is 'manual suppressing automatic' - whatever that means...
have also stretched out the mashout ramp time to 22mins to see what happens.

So far element is keeping up.
This is using 35lt's. A typical strike volume for me is 30.5lt so i just added some extra water to generate more thermal mass to account for the grain.

So far so good...

 

[Thirsty Boy]

the way i mental out step mashes is to sort of integrate it. My system gets around about 1degree per minute, so when Ai am designing a mash i mentally incorporate a "rest" at halfway between the two steps

So in my mind when I am designing a mash i might actually get

mash in and rest at 50 - 50min ramp to 65 - rest at 65 - 12 min ramp to 78 - rest at 78

but how I think anout it is

mash in and rest at 50 - instant step to 58 rest for 15mins - instant step to 65 rest - instant step 73 rest for 12 mins - instant step to 78 rest.

So a three step mash with ramps, is for working out purposes, a five step mash with instant changes. If i were actually doing a 5 step mash the time at teh intermediate steps would "count" and my other rests would be shorter, so thats what I do with ramps as well. An hour rest at 65 is shortened by approximately half the ramp time at either end and that extends to my other rests and ramps too.

Basically - for a normal sort of a beer - i try to keep my total mash length including ramp times to 90mins or so.... longer ramps just mean shorter rests. Its not like the enzymes stop working just because your heat is turned on.

TB