Check out this link to my YouTube video:
It is still in the prototype phase, but it works!
I am using a custom PCB that I designed and purchased through expressPCB. The board is using an Arduino Pro Mini 16MHz microcontroller. The H-Bridges are SN754410NE units from TI. I have suppressor diodes installed on each output channel to suppress the flyback voltage spikes from the electromagnets.
The electromagnets are actually coils that I salvaged from old pneumatic valves, they are rated for 12Vdc/8.5 Watts.
Right now the system works best with the small 1" stir bar. Approximate RPM is 1500-1800 (which I'm working on increasing through a different control method in software).
The only major concern I have right now is heat. The coils do warm up, and I think I can sink a lot of this heat with an aluminum plate that is mounted on the bottom of the coils (opposite the side that the flask sits on to keep heat away from the yeast).
I will admit, this is totally overboard for a stir plate, but brewing is all about learning and having fun anyways, right?
I'll post more once I get it finished.
It is still in the prototype phase, but it works!
I am using a custom PCB that I designed and purchased through expressPCB. The board is using an Arduino Pro Mini 16MHz microcontroller. The H-Bridges are SN754410NE units from TI. I have suppressor diodes installed on each output channel to suppress the flyback voltage spikes from the electromagnets.
The electromagnets are actually coils that I salvaged from old pneumatic valves, they are rated for 12Vdc/8.5 Watts.
Right now the system works best with the small 1" stir bar. Approximate RPM is 1500-1800 (which I'm working on increasing through a different control method in software).
The only major concern I have right now is heat. The coils do warm up, and I think I can sink a lot of this heat with an aluminum plate that is mounted on the bottom of the coils (opposite the side that the flask sits on to keep heat away from the yeast).
I will admit, this is totally overboard for a stir plate, but brewing is all about learning and having fun anyways, right?
I'll post more once I get it finished.
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