PID Temp Controller

Cet: I would have fun in your play room. I am an electronics engineer and then went for my instrumentation ticket. I am currently working for a utility company but I still love to tinker.
I was also thinking of using my pid controller to run a fan to keep the temperature of my weber smokey mountain smoker consistent. I also use the controller to keep my rcbs luber temp constant, lots of possibilities.
 
It maybe just me but I still prefer to ladle cast out of a high volume open pot with a old fashioned thermometer. Temperature gets to high, throw in another ingot.If the temp gets way to high,turn down the burner a bit.Alloy consistency has more to do with consistent bullets than a 50 degree of alloy temp.
 
So can anyone point me to a decent "all inclusive" solution?
I do not have time to play with electronics. I want to plug it in and use it.
Way too busy at work.

Or just keep the rcbs thermometer?
 
The simplest solution is an ingot melting pot with a handle on it to dump into your bottom-pour pot. The small pots are really cheap and double your output and greatly improve quality. No more stuck or leaky valve - very few rejects.
 
Kryogen said:
So can anyone point me to a decent "all inclusive" solution?
I do not have time to play with electronics. I want to plug it in and use it.
Way too busy at work.

Or just keep the rcbs thermometer?
Click to expand...

If you can find it, Lyman makes a 25lb pot for over $300 with a pid system and I believe rcbs has one now, again $300 or so if you can find it. But that was a few months ago, so things may have changed.
 
hunter64 said:
Cet: I would have fun in your play room. I am an electronics engineer and then went for my instrumentation ticket. I am currently working for a utility company but I still love to tinker.
I was also thinking of using my pid controller to run a fan to keep the temperature of my weber smokey mountain smoker consistent. I also use the controller to keep my rcbs luber temp constant, lots of possibilities.
Click to expand...

Built a slow cooker/smoker temp controller with eBay parts (pid controller, probe, ssr) for $30, use a princess auto $10 heatgun for the fan. Worked so good (easily runs unattended for hours and controls pit temp within 1deg of set), I built another for the little lee pot. Significantly improved the quality of the cast boolits. Everybody who casts or bbq's should build one of these units.
 
Kryogen said:
So can anyone point me to a decent "all inclusive" solution?
I do not have time to play with electronics. I want to plug it in and use it.
Way too busy at work.

Or just keep the rcbs thermometer?
Click to expand...

I would be more than happy to assemble one and set up the parameters for you
but it would probably cost as much in parts as the new RCBS as described by other members above.
Unfortunatelly, I just dont have the time it would take to scrounge for used/cheaper parts.

Maybe contact some of the other members on this thread.
 
hunter64 said:
Cet: I would have fun in your play room. I am an electronics engineer and then went for my instrumentation ticket. I am currently working for a utility company but I still love to tinker.
I was also thinking of using my pid controller to run a fan to keep the temperature of my weber smokey mountain smoker consistent. I also use the controller to keep my rcbs luber temp constant, lots of possibilities.
Click to expand...

How about the wood stove ? Install one on the air inlet to keep the stack temp. above creosote point, but not allow the stove to swing temp. wildly every time you load it.
I use a bimetal spring on mine and it works, but not as well as I would like, I like to keep my stack temp. at 600F and I dont wan it
to climb sky high when I load it to the hilt before going to bed.
Nice, even, slow, but safe burn.
 
cet said:
How about the wood stove ? Install one on the air inlet to keep the stack temp. above creosote point, but not allow the stove to swing temp. wildly every time you load it.
I use a bimetal spring on mine and it works, but not as well as I would like, I like to keep my stack temp. at 600F and I dont wan it
to climb sky high when I load it to the hilt before going to bed.
Nice, even, slow, but safe burn.
Click to expand...


Great minds think alike...in my shed I made a heat exchanger for my wood stove to heat water for my in-floor heating. I use a stepper motor to adjust the draft control
 
yomomma said:
Great minds think alike...in my shed I made a heat exchanger for my wood stove to heat water for my in-floor heating. I use a stepper motor to adjust the draft control
Click to expand...

Wow, never thought of that one, simple and effective.
Which transmitter did you use for the darft ? Or are you controlling the volume of primary air to the fire like I do on mine?
The draft would be pretty low delta P. in the "inches/MM of water" territory.
BTW: if you ever need steppers give me a shout. I probably have 20-30 used smaller ones, mostly Vexta (Oriental Motors)
Yours for the cost of shipping (no, not all of them) and I think I have some used drivers as well, some place.

Cheers
 
hunter64 said:
Cet: I would have fun in your play room. I am an electronics engineer and then went for my instrumentation ticket. I am currently working for a utility company but I still love to tinker.
I was also thinking of using my pid controller to run a fan to keep the temperature of my weber smokey mountain smoker consistent. I also use the controller to keep my rcbs luber temp constant, lots of possibilities.
Click to expand...

We should start a "tinkering" forum, lots of great ideas out there, and it seems to me like we have the
combined knowledge needed to actually make some of these ideas come to fruit.
 
Kryogen said:
So can anyone point me to a decent "all inclusive" solution?
I do not have time to play with electronics. I want to plug it in and use it.
Way too busy at work.

Or just keep the rcbs thermometer?
Click to expand...

There is a guy over on the castboolits site that has been selling ready to go units in the group buy section. I think they were in the $120 range.
 
cet said:
We should start a "tinkering" forum, lots of great ideas out there, and it seems to me like we have the
combined knowledge needed to actually make some of these ideas come to fruit.
Click to expand...

CET that is a great idea. On the castboolits website they have a homemade forum and you can get a lot of info from there. I put complete plans on how to make a homemade brass tumbler about 2 years ago on this forum and had lots of people ask questions. I also posted on castboolits and they made it a sticky as so many people were asking me questions about it.

Junkdude: That is a great idea with the heat gun from princess auto, you would have to deal with the plastic case but I am sure you could whip up a metal fan en-closer of some kind to feed the fan into one of the holes in the vent on the bottom.
 
I bought from frozone on castboolit. It looks simple, reliable, "plug it in and it works".
Exactly what I am looking for. Pre-programmed for the lee 4-20 pot also.

Looks decent. Will report when I get it.

h ttp://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?218211-PID-controller-for-your-pot
 
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