building a pid controller

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2010ultra

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Aug 18, 2013
129
14
im building an automatic pid controller for my double drum smoker. I have a mypin ta4 controller. my question is do I have to use an ssr to power a 24 volt dc 10 cfm fan or can I just wire it to the controller
 
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   Please give me more info.

I want a controller for my uds.
 
ill let you know tomorrow farmer. im building it tomorrow. and testing tomorrow, its only cost about 40 bucks so far.
 
so if I go through the output on the controller ill be fine on the fan?
 
Over on TVWBB there are a BUNCH of guys who build a heatermeter using a Raspberry Pi, a circuit card, and some elec gizmos. A bit beyond my skill level but there's a huge following and a lot of peer support.
 
Depends on what variation of the TA4 you have.  The most common model has a SSR DC triggering signal. This is made to signal a SSR to switch on and not drive the load. The SSR actually controls the load.  The SSR output from the TA4 is 20ma max which is not enough for a fan.

What is the full model number on the PID?  Here is a configuration chart to help you figure out what type of output your model has.  Then you will know more about what options for your power draft controller you have to choose from.

 
A 24V fan sounds like a brushless DC fan. Make sure you connect the polarity correctly, some brushless fans can be burnt out if not.

A 10 CFM fan is a very small fan, any relay can probably handle the current with no problem. Are you sure about 10 CFM is good enough air flow?

dcarch
 
well im gonna have to use an ssr and power an a/c fan. I fried the dc fan lmao. ssr is ordered so ill keep you guys up to date. controller is working perfectly. have temp set to 225 degrees, fan kicks in at 5 degrees below and shuts off 5 degrees above temp.
 
well I cant find the right a/c fan I want to use so im gonna use the blower fan out of a hair dryer. its the perfect size to plumb into the 2 in bung in the firebox. once I get it built ill set the controller to autotune and let the controller do all the work. ill keep you up to date cfarmer. heres a pic of the pid with the thermocouple hooked up. I had to figure out the wiring myself on the thermocouple.



 
Holy CR@P....... another genius finds his way to SMF.......   Good thinking..... talk about outside the box......   We are all learning something valuable here......      
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Dave (HWLOTBT)   (he who love outside the box thinking)
 
A hair dryer blower typically is wired in series with a resistance (heating) coil and a full wave bridge rectifier to convert AC to DC. It is a very noisy blower, and not a long lasting blower. At full power, it may be blowing too much air for your system.

dcarch
 
I thought about that but im not out anything its a 20 year old hair dryer. cheaper than buying one.
 
 
A hair dryer blower typically is wired in series with a resistance (heating) coil and a full wave bridge rectifier to convert AC to DC. It is a very noisy blower, and not a long lasting blower. At full power, it may be blowing too much air for your system.

dcarch
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............  I wish I understood what was just, said so I could learn what was going on.... 
 
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