stirplate problems

[sashurlow]

I finally got my DIY stirplate to work but it took quite a bit of fiddling with. I had to try two different fans, three different voltage of plugs and then fine tune the distance. I ended up with a 12v fan, a 5v plug and 3/16 distance from the magnet to the surface of the plate. I have a rheostat that must be turned all the way down.
Is this normal to have to fiddle this much?

 

[two_hearted]

Some people have to fiddle with them quite a bit. I built 2 and they were fine after a little bit of magnet fiddling. I think some people are going for a huge vortex and won't stop until the pull it all the way down to the stirbar, which is completely unnecessary.

I think the most important thing is to start with the rheostat at the lowest and wait a minute for the solution to start moving, then you can dial it up to your desired vortex.

 

[sashurlow]

My initial problem was to get it to stir more than 1 second. I fixed that by fiddling with fans and plugs. Then I had to fiddle because it would break loose after 5 minutes (I took out one washer/spacer from between the fan and platform).
What is your spacing between the magnet and the base?

 

[two_hearted]

Here's what I've got right now.

To give you a reference point, those magnets are 5/8 inch diameter.

Edit: that picture is old and the magnets look off center. I'll check again when I get home from work.

 

[passedpawn]

Here's what I've got right now.

To give you a reference point, those magnets are 5/8 inch diameter.

Edit: that picture is old and the magnets look off center. I'll check again when I get home from work.

Put a dot on the exact center of each magnet and turn it on. The dots should for a single circle when spinning. If not, they are not equidistant from the center of the fan. Looks like they are not just from the pic

 

[sashurlow]

maxam... What does your glass sit on? Is there a platform that sits on top?

 

[two_hearted]

Put a dot on the exact center of each magnet and turn it on. The dots should for a single circle when spinning. If not, they are not equidistant from the center of the fan. Looks like they are not just from the pic

Thanks, but mine's fine. I think I just took this pic from when I was building it before I lined it all up.

 

[two_hearted]

maxam... What does your glass sit on? Is there a platform that sits on top?

This one is made from an old external hard drive that I had laying around. What you see above slides into a case. I punched a hole through it for the pot and was able to use the original power button and internal wiring to rig up the fan.

Here's a few pics:

 

[Taliesin]

This one is made from an old external hard drive that I had laying around. What you see above slides into a case. I punched a hole through it for the pot and was able to use the original power button and internal wiring to rig up the fan.

Here's a few pics:

That has got to be one of the most awesome things I've ever seen. As an IT guy AND homebrewer, that hits the spot on both levels. Lol

 

[two_hearted]

That has got to be one of the most awesome things I've ever seen. As an IT guy AND homebrewer, that hits the spot on both levels. Lol

Thanks! It was a blast figuring it all out and realizing that I could use the LED power button and power supply innards that were already there. My other one is made out of a pelican case which satisfies the outdoorsmen in me.