Tight Arse Stir Plate

[Bizier]

Bizier, in that diagram does the red and white denote polarity?
If so that would disrupt the stir bar stability, as to the other question having them outside of the existing would enable you to use a longer bar.

No, diagram is assuming grouped magnets are of same polarity. Sorry, I meant to put it there but I did it very quickly.

 

[captaincleanoff]

can anyone tell me if the stir bars without the pivot in the middle are quieter?

I got a stir bar with a pivot in the middle, but it is really noisy when using the stir plate. I borrowed professional stir plate from work, so its not because I have a dodge plate design.

i think I read somewhere in this thread that the stir bars without the pivot are quieter.. Can anyone confirm before I go out and buy one?

 

[porky]

can anyone tell me if the stir bars without the pivot in the middle are quieter?

I got a stir bar with a pivot in the middle, but it is really noisy when using the stir plate. I borrowed professional stir plate from work, so its not because I have a dodge plate design.

i think I read somewhere in this thread that the stir bars without the pivot are quieter.. Can anyone confirm before I go out and buy one?

Yes they are, as it has been pointed out many times before.
A flat bottomed flask is the most important part for a quite operation, along with a stir bar without the middle pivot.

 

[captaincleanoff]

Yes they are, as it has been pointed out many times before.

thanks for the smartass response.. I didnt particularly want to look through 26 pages.

edit: shitty label by the way

 

[wakkatoo]

thanks for the smartass response.

I agree, was a pretty simple question really. I've read all 26 pages at various times and no doubt it is in there somewhere but I've managed to miss it. Now I've learnt something new as well, so thanks for asking (despite the tone of the answer).

 

[Batz]

I buy a few things from this Kiwi site,this looks like it would make building a stir plate a snap if you don't already have one

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=212232576

I haven't seen them in Australia.

Batz

 

[pdilley]

I buy a few things from this Kiwi site,this looks like it would make building a stir plate a snap if you don't already have one

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=212232576

I haven't seen them in Australia.

Batz

Sorry Batz, wrong Triac design in that. Its a light dimmer not a Fan Controller. I already checked it out

I ended up with a proper Fan Controller AC Triac circuit from the local Bunnings for my AC fan stir plate design.

 

[Batz]

I ended up with a proper Fan Controller AC Triac circuit from the local Bunnings for my AC fan stir plate design.

That's what I have had for years as well,just found this thing and it sounded good by the dudes rave. (Will control most small AC motors like engravers and fans, exhaust fans etc, up to 300Watts)

Batz

 

[Sammus]

I disagree, I went on the advice to get ones without pivot rings and they just rattle and roll around on the glass. If you tune the speed right and use the right size bar, the pivot ring is the only thing that touches and its dead silent except for the swooshing of the liquid. I couldn't get this to happen without a pivot ring.

 

[pdilley]

That's what I have had for years as well,just found this thing and it sounded good by the dudes rave. (Will control most small AC motors like engravers and fans, exhaust fans etc, up to 300Watts)

Batz

It will work, but not as well as a Fan Controlling Triac circuit and some stress out fan motors more than a Shaded Pole Fan Controller Triac circuit would.... That said I ran my original AC fan glove box design on a light dimmer for a while, though it did get pretty toasty

Light Dimmer (Solid state phase angle firing of a triac) usually will not come with a minimum level adjustment control (this is important for fan motors). Solid state controls are real sensitive to line voltage and differences in load variations. If the voltage jumps around because of the air conditioner kicking on, etc. or flipping on or off a lamp on the same branch circuit that you are running your FAN controlled by a Light Dimmer triac controller, it may cause the dimmer to kick off, or worse, half cycle which sends half wave rectified DC to your AC motor....Not Good...Toast. (Ever notice how they say on the package "for incandescent use only"?) (Light bulbs don't care what you feed them they just average the power).

When you start a dimmer on high, then reduce the speed, you can go to a lower setting, than if you started the dimmer at the lowest setting and increased it slowly, it would start running abruptly at a higher speed. It's kind of like the flywheel effect in that the motor windings kick some voltage back to the dimmer that helps to keep "triggering" it. (If that makes any sense.) If the motor is not running initially, it takes more to trigger it. This is probably why you will notice, like I did when I used light dimmers you have to gun the buggary out of the control to kick start the AC Fan going before you can back it off. Its not a linear control either, so your adjustment ability is hampered if that ever is a concern (wasn't at the time when I first needed a control capability for my first AC fan project.)

The price for a Light Dimmer circuit is usually 1/2 of the price of a Fan Controller circuit when it comes to retail checkout time.


Fan Controller (Solid state phase angle firing of a triac with additional needed components for inductive load (motor) operation) I've seen them with a rotary switch or a slider control. They always turn on at high speed and then adjust to slow. Good ones have a minimum speed adjustment. (If they don't have a min. speed adjustment they don't go very slow.) (Get one with a user settable minimum speed adjustment) No solid state dimmer operates real well at real low speeds. These controls are quite efficient for AC Fan Motor operation.

The price for a Fan Controller circuit is usually double the price of a Light Dimmer circuit when it comes to retail checkout time.

Other options are: Rheostats which are the least efficient control. Variac, Powerstat which are very efficient its just that they cost the most and are huge and heavy and bulky.

Variac -> Fan Controller -> Capacitive De-Hummer (worst for variable speed, you usually get only 3).

Thats all that is best for Shaded Pole AC Motor control. Out for potential damage, and inefficiency would be Rheostat -> Light Dimmer.

 

[Uncle Fester]

is it really necessary to have the switch and pot when constructing a stir plate?

Could I just wire the fan directly to a 12V power supply, and not worry about the switch and pot?

I used a variable power supply. 6v gives slow revs, 7.5 / 9 / 12V gives increasing vortex.

The switchable power supply I got from Tricky Dicky many years ago. Probably still available.

Festa Out.

 

[gava]

I used http://www.users.on.net/~pfitzsimons/MagSt...eticStirrer.htm as a guide.

differnce I did was holding the fan to the box and the magnets on the fan but all in all was pretty simple..

I used the following earth magnets (small) , and used what they came in to mount my fan on using strong glue..

 

[Kleiny]

I finally made a stir plate

Thanks to Lethacorpse for the diagram

Found a nice box

Printed the circuit board and soldered as per the diagram

just need to get the magnets and a flask and a little bar

All up $60

:icon_cheers:
Kleiny

 

[Bizier]

I am using my stirplate for the first time right now just rehydrating some US05 into a weak wort.

Man, I have to get a smooth stir bar... it sounds like I have that mouse from the Jarlsberg packet jackhammering a xylophone.

 

[KHB]

I put one of these together the other day i put a pot in and it controlled the fan speed fine but has now gone to either being on or off. I think i killed the pot but not sure how. Any ideas??

Cheers Scotsman06

 

[gava]

Has anyone made a heat function on one of theses?

 

[Josh]

I had spent ages trying to get mine to work. After some poor advice at Jaycar and buying a kit I couldn't use, I wound up just with a simple pot and 12V fan. The pot doesn't really work as the fan will only spin when it's just about turned right up.

But that doesn't appear to be a problem. turned right up, I have about 1.5L stirring silently. Has been since last night. I bought the magnetic stirrer bars from Livingstone. I got 50mm and 60mm. The 50mm is stirring my starter at the moment.

Haven't tried my stir plate with the 3L Erlenmeyer flask yet. I'm hoping the magnets are strong enough to keep a hold through that glass. Currently I'm using a round lolly jar which is a bit thinner.

I also had trouble originally with the small rare earth magnets. In the end I used the medium size ones in the picture just above. 25mmx5mm.

I originally bought a box from Jaycar but it wound up being too small. Now I am using an old drinks tray like you see in clubs and pubs. The power connection is attached through the wall as is the pot switch.

I'll work on some pics and maybe video today.

 

[KHB]

I had spent ages trying to get mine to work. After some poor advice at Jaycar and buying a kit I couldn't use, I wound up just with a simple pot and 12V fan. The pot doesn't really work as the fan will only spin when it's just about turned right up.

But that doesn't appear to be a problem. turned right up, I have about 1.5L stirring silently. Has been since last night. I bought the magnetic stirrer bars from Livingstone. I got 50mm and 60mm. The 50mm is stirring my starter at the moment.

Haven't tried my stir plate with the 3L Erlenmeyer flask yet. I'm hoping the magnets are strong enough to keep a hold through that glass. Currently I'm using a round lolly jar which is a bit thinner.

I also had trouble originally with the small rare earth magnets. In the end I used the medium size ones in the picture just above. 25mmx5mm.

I originally bought a box from Jaycar but it wound up being too small. Now I am using an old drinks tray like you see in clubs and pubs. The power connection is attached through the wall as is the pot switch.

I'll work on some pics and maybe video today.

I start mine on 500ml so it will prob spin to fast will test today

 

[KHB]

Just hard wired a 4.6V output charger to the fan and it spins well at 500ml upto 3lt. Works well for me, easy fixed!!

 

[haysie]

Has anyone made a heat function on one of theses?

Sometimes in the fermenting fridge, due too cold cold in mellyburn atm, its now come inside too live with the 20deg climate control.



Where there`s a will