Perfect fan for stir plate build - with potentiometer - $5 shipped

[dirkomatic]

I posted this in the equipment forum, too. It should probably be here...

From newegg.com with code SUPSALE033.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200027

Get them now while you can!

I need to build a second stir plate and ran across this deal. I have this same fan without the light in my current build and it works really well. I paid $7 for that one.

This comes with a control potentiometer!

 

[MikeInMKE]

I spent more than that at Robbery Shack just for the DIY adjustable voltage regulator parts.

 

[dirkomatic]

I spent more than that at Robbery Shack just for the DIY adjustable voltage regulator parts.

Exactly... Just went by the Goodwill store to get a box for this build. Got a case and power supply for $3.05. The last thing I needed was a switch. Had to go to RS and pay $3.75... I really felt robbed after that.

Oh well. I have the stainless washer + hard drive magnets + super glue at home already. I guess for <$12 it's not too bad.

 

[danz]

Thanks! Just ordered up one

 

[jflongo]

I just pulled the trigger on this as well, I already have one, but I will make a second now with this. Thanks.

 

[kharper6]

I really need to upload my stir plate design.

You can adjust the fan up and down, with the same idea as a guitar pickup (springs, threaded inserts on the fan).

This is a pretty good fan for the build, I used something similar. Microcenter gave it to me for $2.

 

[dirkomatic]

I really need to upload my stir plate design.

You can adjust the fan up and down, with the same idea as a guitar pickup (springs, threaded inserts on the fan).

This is a pretty good fan for the build, I used something similar. Microcenter gave it to me for $2.

You definitely should show us... That sounds really cool!

Wish I lived somewhere near a place that would sell this for $2...

 

[BBQnBEER]

I tried making a stir plate a while ago with a fan but couldnt get it dialed in the stir bar would just bounce around so I gave up and scrapped the project. I used these magnets. Any ideas what I did wrong?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084UASJQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[dirkomatic]

How long was your stir bar, how big of a flask and how close to the top of the enclosure are the magnets? Was the polarity set up to be opposite on the magnets? All those (and more) could cause issues, but those would be the things I would start with.

The magnets on my current stir plate are REALLY strong. They are 1/2" by 1/4". I'm going to try a hard drive magnet on this build, but I may resort to using two like I had previously...

 

[dtgrdn]

I posted this in the equipment forum, too. It should probably be here...

From newegg.com with code SUPSALE033.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200027

Get them now while you can!

I need to build a second stir plate and ran across this deal. I have this same fan without the light in my current build and it works really well. I paid $7 for that one.

This comes with a control potentiometer!

just got me 2 of them! Thanks for the tip!!!!

 

[jflongo]

I tried making a stir plate a while ago with a fan but couldnt get it dialed in the stir bar would just bounce around so I gave up and scrapped the project. I used these magnets. Any ideas what I did wrong?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0084UASJQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

How close is the magnet to the glass? When I made mine, I ended up stacking 4 on top of each other and that fixed my issues.

 

[hunter306]

Curious if a couple of these would work with a small 1" stir bar.

http://www.homebrewing.org/Keeper-Magnet_p_4019.html

 

[BBQnBEER]

I tried various heights before I even put it in am enclosure I hovered the flask above the fan. Flask I think is 1000ml and stir bar was about 1.5". I'm assuming the polarity was correct as the bar would easily stick to the magnets when not in the flask.

I ordered the fan and will give it another shot.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[dirkomatic]

I tried various heights before I even put it in am enclosure I hovered the flask above the fan. Flask I think is 1000ml and stir bar was about 1.5". I'm assuming the polarity was correct as the bar would easily stick to the magnets when not in the flask.

I ordered the fan and will give it another shot.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

I use 1" stirbars with no issue. Perhaps its a combination of both. Stronger/more magnets and shorter stirbar...

 

[dirkomatic]

Curious if a couple of these would work with a small 1" stir bar.

http://www.homebrewing.org/Keeper-Magnet_p_4019.html

I don't know... There's really not much information... I took two magnets, superglued them to some plastic and duct taped the whole thing for my keeper.

 

[BBQnBEER]

Got my fan and I still can't get the bar to spin. It just wants to jump around. Too long too short? Any suggestions?

 

[G-Hog]

Ordered one on Friday and picked up a wood box, stir bar and magnets on Saturday. I already had an old phone charger so I'm all ready to build my stir plate. I'll have $20 in it. Thanks for posting the link.


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[Thedutchtouch]

Newegg has a message saying email address required for code, if I use my email with the code it doesn't work, so it appears I've missed the boat on this one. That said, the full price of 8 bucks each is still a good deal.

 

[cantrell00]

If you take the screws that were provided, butt the phillips head side against each other and wrap it with heat shrink, it makes a perfect mini stir bar for a 2L flask..

 

[Thedutchtouch]

If you take the screws that were provided, butt the phillips head side against each other and wrap it with heat shrink, it makes a perfect mini stir bar for a 2L flask..

That doesn't sound very sanitary to me...

 

[cantrell00]

That doesn't sound very sanitary to me...

If boiled with the DME, why not?

No less sanitary than anything else.

 

[dirkomatic]

Got my fan and I still can't get the bar to spin. It just wants to jump around. Too long too short? Any suggestions?

1) The bar looks a little small, but I don't think it would affect it that much...
2) What size is your power supply and how much do you have the potentiometer turned before it is thrown?
3) Get the magnets as close to the bottom of the flask as you can. Do not test by holding the flask... I imagine it would be difficult to hold it straight enough at the proper height.

 

[danz]

Anybody have some wiring diagrams for how they hooked all this up? I see 2 connectors a molex pass through and a motherboard connection. Also what size adapters are you using to power this up?

The more I think about this :

Power in via molex to con1 > regulated with potentiometer > voltage to con2 > fan > mobo for voltage reporting?

 

[dirkomatic]

I'll have to look at mine when I get home. Not sure if I'll be able to get to it this evening, but I'll try.

 

[dirkomatic]

Got my fan and I still can't get the bar to spin. It just wants to jump around. Too long too short? Any suggestions?

Looking more at this picture... I don't think the poles of your hard drive magnet are centered. You want the poles centered, not the center of the curved magnet. The way you have it, the poles are to one side of the center and will not cause an even spin. That would cause your bar to be thrown.

 

[dirkomatic]

Newegg has a message saying email address required for code, if I use my email with the code it doesn't work, so it appears I've missed the boat on this one. That said, the full price of 8 bucks each is still a good deal.

If you haven't purchased the original one yet, this is the one in my current stir plate for $6 shipped and no code:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200020

Of course, there's no fancy light

 

[solbes]

I just purchased the original one for $8, which seems like a really good deal with the attached pot. The blue light will make my yeasties happy!

I am assuming this is a 12V fan? I have 3 or 4 chargers laying around, what supplied current should I be looking for?

Thanks!!

 

[danz]

OK mocked it up on my lunch break and here is what I did, will add a power switch and do proper isolated connections with shrink tube. Dont want any fire works

1) CON1 - cut the black/yellow lead from the molex adapter.
2) CON1 - connect black (-) and yellow (+) to your power source
3) CON2 - connect fan directly,Toss the mobo & fan Y

 

[dirkomatic]

danz, that will help anyone interested in using this setup. Thanks!

If anyone is interested, I posted this in the "Show us your DIY stir plate" thread. This is my current stir plate with the $6 unlighted version of this fan...

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/show-us-your-diy-stir-plate-228400/index31.html#post5622414

 

[BBQnBEER]

Looking more at this picture... I don't think the poles of your hard drive magnet are centered. You want the poles centered, not the center of the curved magnet. The way you have it, the poles are to one side of the center and will not cause an even spin. That would cause your bar to be thrown.

Oh that could totally be it they're not spinning in a perfect circle. I'll re position it.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[purplehaze]

The two I ordered came in today, thanks for the link dirkomatic.

 

[dirkomatic]

Glad I could help everyone out. I got mine mostly together tonight. The case I got wasn't as easy to use as I wanted it to be. I'll get a video of it up tomorrow evening.

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[G-Hog]

Got my fan today. I have to stop and pick up some screws and nuts on the way home tomorrow and then I can get it set up.


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[worthogg]

This thread inspired me to finally build a stir plate. Got my fan today and hooked it up according to danz photos(thanks, wouldn't have been able to do it without them!). Thanks to dirkomatic for posting the thread. I was wondering, do you think this fan would spin a 5L starter? I'm still getting my magnet setup configured so the bar doesn't get thrown, but I'd like to start making some bigger starters and harvesting yeast from them for future use. Do you guys think this fan would be fine for that?

 

[G-Hog]

Got my stir plate built today. It works pretty good.


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[BBQnBEER]

After almost scrapping the whole project I decided to try it with some resistance....... Can't believe I spent so much time on this when all I needed was some water.

 

[microbusbrewery]

I built mine this weekend. I already had a stir plate but I figured I'd build a backup. The speed adjustment on this one works a lot better than my old one. I'm guessing the circuitry on this one is better than my old one.

Same as my first build, I used a 6x8x3 Radio Shack project box. I also made a lid out of a piece of plexiglass I had lying around. I figured that way I can show other brewers how I built it without taking it apart; plus it looks cool with the blue light.

The power connector is also from RS (274-1576). The toggle switch I had in my spare parts bin. The rare earth magnets are from magnetic rings I picked up at Harbor Freight (item 65535).

The fan is mounted through the bottom of the box with 10-24x2" screws. The spacers between the fan and box are cut from a pex water supply line.

I trimmed the PC Card slot mount down to size then epoxied it into the box.

Looks pretty clean and works great so far. Here are some pics.





http://microbusbrewery.org

 

[hunter306]

Here's the absolute cheapest implementation of this I could come up with. Used a left over wall wart from a defunct game system, two hard disk magnets laminated, a fender washer, and some glue to put it together. Spins a great vortex all the way up to 100% speed (which is complete overkill for yeast stirring).

Total Cost, 10 bucks including the fan and stir bar.

Running at slow speed:

 

[dirkomatic]

Here's the absolute cheapest implementation of this I could come up with. Used a left over wall wart from a defunct game system, two hard disk magnets laminated, a fender washer, and some glue to put it together. Spins a great vortex all the way up to 100% speed (which is complete overkill for yeast stirring).

Total Cost, 10 bucks including the fan and stir bar.

Running at slow speed:

This is awesome! I knew someone would be creative with this!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[purplehaze]

Thanks again, here is a pic of my dual stir plate. Big enough for my 2L and 5L.