AkTom
Well-Known Member
One of these days when I grow up... I’d like to get an electric setup. For now I’ll read along and pick up what I can.
Thanks for all the info.
Cheers
Thanks for all the info.
Cheers
Can you do away with a rims tube and just use the bk element for both recirculating and boil in 2 vessel? I know you have both and get it is better, but could i get away with 1 1650 element? Right now my kettles are 11 gal (44qt).The single puck units typically handle high current. 5500W elements require ~25A. They are single because switching that much current generates a lot of heat. These SSRs entire baseplate has a large surface area to pull that heat out. The modular SSR board I listed above can only switch 2A per channel. They don’t require cooling so are very small.
Can you do away with a rims tube and just use the bk element for both recirculating and boil in 2 vessel? I know you have both and get it is better, but could i get away with 1 1650 element? Right now my kettles are 11 gal (44qt).
After reviewing the schematics, what guides a decision on a relay/contactor v. a SSR? Specifically, I can see that your pump circuits are powered by 2A SSRs (1 and 2) where other accessory circuits are triggered via switches. Would a chugger pump on an SSR effectively throttle the pump flow? The follow-up question is how that effects the motor, since it seems the start/stop flow might be detrimental, but now that I think about it, since the motor already runs on 60hz (60 electrical cycles per second), letting the SSR drop is probably no different. I presume then that the relay-switched circuits are for things that do not tolerate variable elctric load (like electronics or valves?).
Can you do away with a rims tube and just use the bk element for both recirculating and boil in 2 vessel? I know you have both and get it is better, but could i get away with 1 1650 element? Right now my kettles are 11 gal (44qt).
Ok.... makes sense. Missing piece filled[emoji3] Thanks. I think my initial plan was not to sparge but now I definitely want the option. It seems the more I try to change my plan from your system, the more I actually want to model mine after yours.You mean like a BrewEasy (vertical) combination or a Brutus (horizontal)?
These are definitely possible but if you want to sparge, the only way to do it is with cold water.
That would work too. Now that I understand why you have the rims I would want that. I could always begin with your suggestion.If you were looking for a single element, step-up from BIAB, I think a cool single element design would be a Brutus type that is not full volume in the BK during mashing. Need just enough to cover the element and run it on capped power. Then manually sparge with cold or pre-warmed water while slowly draining to the BK. Two vessel, one element, one pump.
And at the end of the day, the most industrial PLC will not fix poor control panel design or build quality!
Thanks Brun. Totally understand. It is part of the reason we use not just the right components, but use certified cabinet assembles for our machinery. I have had the unfortunate circumstance of having to sift through UL 508a. Does that make me an expert? no way.
I was actually looking at the CLICK series from automation direct. The software is free and uses PLC ladder logic, but you need to buy a lot of parts, HMIs, I/O expansion slots, routers, power supplies etc. I look to the raspberryPIs and the ardruino solutions as simplifications to this (and hard wired systems like the electricbrewery system).
I think I am slowly moving toward the idea of using non-industrial level equipment, but will need to play with designs some more.
I have a free enclosure I can use, but the backplate is only 14"x 9", so relatively small to fit a lot of what I am seeing in this thread.
please dont take this the wrong way but if you were really completely content with what you have then why are you reading this thread in the automated brewing section?... just saying..I vote #4.
I was in a similar position last month. I wanted to go electric, I wanted simplicity in design without sacrificing functionality, and I wanted to end the upgrade cycle. I enjoyed the DIY aspect of the hobby, but I felt like I reached a point where I wanted to focus on the beer, not the equipment. So I needed a system that was solid, repeatable, and complete.
I planned out a kal clone. After pricing everything out it looked like it would cost me about $1k. I was excited to build it.
Then I started looking at the grainfather again. It heats the water, keeps the mash temp, recirculates, boils, cools and seemed to do it all well. NB had a 20% off sale and I jumped on it. $799 delivered to my door. In one piece. I've done 3 brews and love it so far.
The think what really impresses me the most is its simplicity. Its more or less self-contained in one pot. There are other parts of course--the mash pipe, the recirculation arm, and the CFC--but they're all so well designed and quick and easy to connect. It eliminates so much equipment. Its easy to clean. I don't need 3 enormous pots. I don't need hoses or worm clamps. I don't need to lug out garden hoses, cords, pumps, etc. I don't need ventilation. I find myself standing around on brew day feeling like I should be doing something but nothing needs to be done.
I do think 110v is enough. I don't get the raging boil that I could get on my propane setup, but I've read a lot lately--mostly from Martin Brungard--that its better to boil with less vigor and target 7-8% boil off, which is what I get with the GF. I've done a step mash too and that worked great. I would still describe my boil as "rolling". The downside is that it takes me over an hour to heat up my water (I heat strike and sparge together, so about 9 gallons), but that's not much of a concern because with the connect I can do that before I wake up.
The question is whether it holds up long term. It comes with a 2 year warranty and the feedback I've seen suggests the company is quick to replace anything that breaks. But of course, I'd change my tune if it crapped out in year 3.
We shall soon find out how my local electrical inspector feels about me using an arduino based controller for my "commercial" 3bbl panel build...Understood on the safety concerns. While an Arduino hardware solution does not have safety certifications, we are failrly confident in the practical safety of its utilization so long as appropriate design, component selection, and wiring/building standards are implemented. At the end of the day, every PLC runs its logic on an integrated circuit. How that circuit ultimately connects to high power devices is what matters. Assuming you are integrating and isolating appropriately, for example to dry contact relay board or SSR’s with opto-isolated front ends, incorporating proper grounding and overload protection, physically separating HV and LV components and wiring, etc. your control panel should be very safe in practical application.
No rig should ever be used unmonitored, but there are many users who have used Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc. non-industrial level controllers with great success, despite often questionable build and component quality. And at the end of the day, the most industrial PLC will not fix poor control panel design or build quality!
If you wanted a more assured level of protection, you might like the reasonable PLCs offered by www.industrialshields.com.
We shall soon find out how my local electrical inspector feels about me using an arduino based controller for my "commercial" 3bbl panel build...
This has been a real concern of mine even though the arduino is only doing the low voltage control aspect and really shouldnt be a concern... its really no different than the microprocessor and guts of a pid (which are often running on dc voltages internally). I designed my panel so that the arduino controls small relays which actually control the coils of the full sized relays. and there are float and flow switches for safety.. I just dont see myself how a plc could be any safer? theres nothing but 5 and 12v dc on the logic/ control side.. and using mechanical relays in a configuration where multiple things cannot be active at the same time for power requirement reasons makes it pretty foolproof as I see it.
please dont take this the wrong way but if you were really completely content with what you have then why are you reading this thread in the automated brewing section?... just saying..
With hobbies its often normal for people to want "better equipment" to interact with or mix it up... Its part of what makes the Hobby enjoyable for many.. and for a good portion of people the equipment is more fun than the actual brewing aspect.
If people tailor their systems to their own needs, I think they will be much happier than using a carbon copy of someone else's design or doing something that a pro brewer is doing.
If people tailor their systems to their own needs, I think they will be much happier than using a carbon copy of someone else's design or doing something that a pro brewer is doing.
but then whats the point of all that shiny bling if not to stare at it while brewingI just want to automate so I don't stand there looking at my kettles all day
... Are people building systems that just require the grain added and come back later to it in the fermenter without supervision? Cheers
I get it. The more I dig in, the more it seems the barriers are perceived rather than actual, and more due to jargon and a lack of knowledge base on my part than any actual difficulty. It is just a matter of me taking the time to unpack it all, draw out some plans/schematics, and go from there. Another future project.
Enter your email address to join: