PID controller

[jwhite]

finally decided to jump on the PC band wagon, been reading a lot here and having a hard time deciding on a PID controller. The choices are endless it seems and wondering if there is one particular unit people have had good luck with?

Thanks,
JW

[HATCH]

PM sent

[mattw]

I built my own, very simple parts list. 1)switch 2)pid w/ssr output 3)cheap 25 amp ssr 4)a thermocouple. I built mine in a mid size aluminum and steel project box, mounted the ssr to the bottom with heat sink compound for heat dissipation although it never gets very warm. I used a cheap MyPin PID controller and I went so far as to include a socket for the thermocouple so I could move it from my casting pot to my sizers and not have to remove the probe from my lead pot. I have been using it for about 5 years now with zero issues and have $62.30 in it. I went with a project box that I could put 2 pids and 2 ssr's in if I wanted to at some point and I panel mounted to ac outlets in the back and the pid and power switch on the front. I will never run a lead pot without one again!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

If you are gonna build your own...
Most use the Mypin PID, they are really cheap if you order from a Overseas ebay vendor. But, if you really want to understand the PID capabilities, the transliterated manual from MyPin is challenging.

I choose to buy a JLD612 from a USA source (yeah, it's still made in China), it came with a easy to understand manual, that has a "Application example" that is exactly what we are using it for, a high temp Alloy furnace.
http://fhupiora.fhupiora.home.pl/JLD612Manual.pdf

[NikA]

I've built two, both with Inkbird branded electronics from eBay (Chinese manufacture, US stock) and surplussed Omron industrial SSDs with built-in heat sinks. Most expensive part of either unit was the metal enclosure I put them in. I use standard wall outlets as the output, with one wired as constant power to run a fan, hot plate, etc.

[Beagle333]

I got 3 mypins. Love em. I started with two 4s and then got a 7 because I liked the bigger numbers and buttons.

[jwhite]

thanks for all the info, got all the PID parts and pieces ordered this morning, now onto an oven and i should be ready to go.

Thanks again,

JW

[mattw]

I will be using a pid on my oven as well. I plan to convert the heat coils to a NEMA 5-20 plug input and I plan to install a timer in the pid chassis as well so I have very direct control over the oven and baking process. I am going to try to take PC seriously this winter, have decide that HF red stinks and have order some supplies from Smoke. Not all bullets will get coated, but some will this winter. For me it will not be an all or nothing approach as I think some guns will benefit from conventional lube. I have finally shot a fair number of coated bullets and can see some advantages in some guns.

[Walter Laich]

PID on lead pot, PC oven and used aquarium heater control for lube sizer.

built my own and enjoyed doing it

still looking for the perfect sized box--not too big or little

[Advil]

If you want to spend extra and get at least something resembling a manual the Auber Instruments PIDs are the next step up from the Chinese super cheaps. Both are good. One is just a little more English oriented and probably built a little better for serious use. I use them on my lead pots and they have been utterly reliable in some pretty harsh temp conditions. But the Auber PID will cost as much as the whole kit with SSR and Thermocouple with a MyPin PID.

[Dragonheart]

I have used the Inkbird's. I would suggest you look on Amazon for a kit, which includes the PID, thermocouple, heatsink & relay. A kit typically kit runs under $40. Just make sure your PID has the temperature range you need. I would also suggest looking at terminal blocks & connectors, as it makes the wiring so much easier, not to mention a neat installation. Adding a fan to provide extra cooling for the relay is also a good idea. A salvaged computer fan or appliance fan works well for this.

[jwhite]

got my PID controller, SSR and thermocouple rigged up this weekend, went well and fairly straight forward. Simply removed the leads to each of the elements from the ovens selector switch and connected them to load side of SSR, left the factory wiring in place for the fan and powered it up. Did a quick temp check with boiling water and ice slurry to confirm correct calibration and fired everything up, had a pretty major over shoot on initial ramp up but seemed to settle down a bit over the next few runs. I then ran the auto tune function and made a small adjustment to the over shoot suppression setting and it is running like a champ. Maintains with 1 or two degrees and was fun to watch with a clamp on amp meter monitoring current, the second the oven door opened and the the controller noticed a quick drop it quickly went full on with the SSR, the reaction time was impressive.

[mattw]

This is what mine looks like. I left room for a second PID unit in mine, incase I decide to add my hot plate to a control.

[Willbird]

got my PID controller, SSR and thermocouple rigged up this weekend, went well and fairly straight forward. Simply removed the leads to each of the elements from the ovens selector switch and connected them to load side of SSR, left the factory wiring in place for the fan and powered it up. Did a quick temp check with boiling water and ice slurry to confirm correct calibration and fired everything up, had a pretty major over shoot on initial ramp up but seemed to settle down a bit over the next few runs. I then ran the auto tune function and made a small adjustment to the over shoot suppression setting and it is running like a champ. Maintains with 1 or two degrees and was fun to watch with a clamp on amp meter monitoring current, the second the oven door opened and the the controller noticed a quick drop it quickly went full on with the SSR, the reaction time was impressive.

I have a PID controller for my smoker...charcoal smoker. There are all kinds of profiles that some mfg use to deal with something like an open oven door..they call it "open pit" detection. Some use a suspend button too that you can push before you take the lid off your drum smoker . The auto learn features are good too but they will never let the PID "learn" how to cope with the oven door being yanked open .

Bill

[Willbird]

We use a lot of "Red Lion" systems at work, and the initial overshoot is almost universal for all kinds of PID control.

http://www.redlion.net/products/indu...ar-controllers

We use way more RTD than thermocouple. A thermocouple generates a voltage in response to temperature, an RTD ( resistance temperature detector ) is a varister that changes resistance in response to temperature change. Could be that it is easier to compensate for long wire leads between the RTD and controller, and the RTD works using current which is also typically more friendly to longer wire leads. I'm not an EE and some of you are so pardon my Maintenance guy understanding of how it works . I know I can easily check an RTD with an ohm meter, they measure around 110 Ohms at room temperature.

Bill

[jwhite]

just discovered another bonus of having accurate temp control of the oven, it was still sitting out in my shop after my test run this weekend and i was assembling a large bar mower that require several bearings to be installed, what a perfect way to heat the inner races before installation! Worked great, set my temp, set bearing races inside and tinkered on other stuff for a bit and in no time at all they were ready to dropped onto the frozen shafts. Thats reminds me, i should be sure to write off the new oven and controller on my taxes as shop tools!

[Grmps]

jwhite, IF your oven is a convection oven, you will need to determine the voltage of the fans and power them directly and not through the PID otherwise the constant off-on for temperature control will quickly burn out the fan.

[Dragonheart]

jwhite, IF your oven is a convection oven, you will need to determine the voltage of the fans and power them directly and not through the PID otherwise the constant off-on for temperature control will quickly burn out the fan.

Good point. Also if you set up a fan to cool the relay. With a fan running constant on my heatsink & relay it operates at less than 90 degrees F.

[jwhite]

jwhite, IF your oven is a convection oven, you will need to determine the voltage of the fans and power them directly and not through the PID otherwise the constant off-on for temperature control will quickly burn out the fan.

Fan is powered through original controls, only thing going through SSR is the heating elements, so fan runs the whole time at constant speed.

[Grmps]

Good deal You know, some people on here are smarter than they look LOL

Dragon, good idea with the fans, I use a case fan to keep the motor cool on my DIY case polisher