starting to source parts for control box

[bucfanmike]

If someone could check this ebay store

http://stores.ebay.com/electricalreplacementparts

Im buying my box from them and will also throw everything that can fit in the box for free shipping. System is going to be pid/honeywell low pressure herms.

Im looking specifically at their lights and switches to include with the box.
For Switches:
I want a main power switch. 2 on/off switches for pumps (prefer the rotary style over the up/down toggle). 3 H/O/A switches for the honeywell to switch between pid/off/manual on.

I want 22mm lights.
1 for each burner to indicate when it lights. I assume the 24v ones since there will be a transormer to provide 24v to the honeywells.

Tell me if you see anything else that I could get from them, help me spend my money . Terminal strips?

Anyway thanks for any input.

 

[bucfanmike]

so thinking this for the burner on indicator lights, they are 24v, so i am hoping i can wire them in with the output of the pid sending 24v to the honeywells. (outputting 24v from the transformer)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/COMBINED-SH...099?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e6a382073


and this for the switches. the 2 position ones to run the pumps. the three position ones will allow the burner either pid-off-manual control
http://www.ebay.com/itm/COMBINED-SH...489?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cca55c21
http://www.ebay.com/itm/COMBINED-SH...404?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d31cede2c

if I buy from this vendor I can get all free shipping.

 

[jfrizzell]

Will you have lights for the pumps or have you thought about lighted switches?

I get the hand/off/auto switch for the HLT and Mash Burner, but will there really be a PID controller on the boil burner? Isn't that burner just going to be on or off?

Have you thought about a timer? Maybe an alarm buzzer that could be tied into the timer?

 

[bucfanmike]

i guess i hadnt thought much about the best way to control the BK. Id like to be able to monitor temp while chilling (immersion chiller/whirlpool). So I just thought it would be better to run the pid and have everything look uniform. I wasnt going to worry about lights for the pump switches, pretty easy to tell when they are running, but i guess lights or lighted switches might be cool. I will have a timer but I didnt see any from this seller. He does have buzzers though.

 

[jfrizzell]

Just wondering if there was some thought behind having a PID controller on the BK. I'm planning my stand / control panel as well and will probably use a controller to display the temp in the BK but will likely just have the burner on / off since I'm not sure there's any value in PID controlling the BK.

I'm thinking of having an alarm on/off switch on each of my three controllers as well so I can have the buzzer sound based on a programmable alarm on the PID controller. For example, sound the buzzer when the HLT gets to temperature or sound the buzzer when the BK reaches 212 degrees so I can throw in my first hop addition and start the boil timer. I would have the alarm outputs from the three controllers and the timer wired in parallel with a latching relay that will sound the buzzer. I'd then have a reset push button to silence the buzzer.

 

[bucfanmike]

Well even on the hlt and mt I will be running the pids in on/off mode. From what I've read you really only use the 'p' in the p-i-d when using then to run gas valves

 

[jfrizzell]

Well even on the hlt and mt I will be running the pids in on/off mode. From what I've read you really only use the 'p' in the p-i-d when using then to run gas valves

Yep, since the Honeywell valves are on / off valves, not modulating, it's really just on / off control. I'm just thinking for the BK, your set point is "boiling" so the burner is always on.

 

[bucfanmike]

after lots of thought, i think i may take the bk out of the automated system altogether. It would be cool to just flip the switch and have it light, but it wont benefit from the pid, so it would save me a honeywell valve. I would probably still put an auber timer/thermometer in the control box for uniformity. Is there a way to add a standing pilot without spending the money on a honeywell valve?

 

[jfrizzell]

You can just get one on the pilot burners that you would use with the Honeywell valve and eliminate the thermocouple.

Put in a tee with two gas ball valves, one feeding the pilot and one feeding the burner.

Open the valve for the pilot and light that manually when you're lighting the pilots for the other two burners. Then you just open the burner valve when you're ready to boil. The only downside is you won't have the safety features of the Honeywell valve so if the pilot goes out...there's nothing to shut off the gas.