Ahh, Im a sucker for Prime. Gets me every time with the two day free shipping. That thermoprobe can be had for about 3 and a half bucks on ebay, but I didn't want to wait two weeks for the boat to show up. Oh well, save a buck, spend a buck.Originally Posted by w0fms
I agree with xacex - pretty pricey. The stuff is definitely cheaper of ebay, and I've found if you buy from someone in Hong Kong it usually ships quicker than from China (for example, a 4" K probe for Aus$4 - for that price I'll happily wait a couple of weeks).
jgh, it's not really that hard to hook them up, there's plenty of advice on here about doing it.
The last K-thermocouple I bought off of e-bay was $2.05... shipped... took three weeks to get.
It was marked a "commercial sample" and the postage was Yuan 00.00 I.E. The friendly Chinese Communists paid for the postage for me. How nice.
How the @#$@ are we ever supposed to compete with that? I decided to take the package to the local post office to get a quote on sending it back to the return address-- I had to know!. It would have been $14 to send it back.
But 2-4 weeks is the typical time for the parts. I bought both of my MyPin TA4's from a "US Seller" but all the other stuff I bought from overseas. The last 40A SSR/Heatsink combo cost $6.83 and took 2.5 Weeks, the thermocouples seem to take 3-4 weeks. I actually have a collection of them because I'll buy several at $2/ea...
We're in the same position, w0fms, it usually costs far more than the goods are worth to even think about returning anything! In general, I've found that the items are cheaper if ordered from China but take longer to ship, whereas the same things from Hong Kong suppliers cost a bit more but ship quicker (mostly with free shipping from both places!).
In comparison, I've just ordered $60 worth of stuff from Track of the Wolf and it cost me an extra $24 in shipping!!!
Built mine! Thanks for all the help!
I like the ammo box idea. I may have to build a stand alone one next. I used a 1/32 din pid from Auber into the side of my Lyman big dipper pot and used a bolt in thermocouple through the bottom of the pot.
Randy
hmmm..i actually use a 50 cal can on its side to raise my pot up where i can see the stream better...now i can just pid the can and kill two birds with one stone
only accurate rifles are interesting
Thanks, guys. I just got the surface mounting of the TC done, and need to figure out the push button switch. I am not an electrician by any means. I also hooked up a red high alarm light and a green low alarm, but the green one didn't light up at power up. I think I need to reprogram the unit.
Got it done! Piece o' cake. Switch and alarms both work. Time to pour me some!
So I've really been debating on doing a DIY PID controller for my pot. I have many skills, woodworking, metal working, plumbing, however I can't solder to save my life or figure out schematics. If I was to undertake this project.....what skills are HONESTLY needed to complete it? i figure I have 2 choices, build one....save some money.....use that money for components. ORRRR buy one and be done with it. Seriously how difficult are these to build if your schematic/soldering abilities are VERY limited?
jay, they aren't difficult to build, there are plenty of posts on here about building one. No soldering required, they're generally all screw connections. The thing is to keep it simple, don't worry about alarms and pretty LEDs, they're not needed. You don't even have to put an on/off switch on it, if you don't want to, just plug it in and turn on at the power point. Read the posts, study the schematics, find a simple one and ask here if you have any questions.
Mine required no soldering, just a couple crimp connectors. Think of wiring as plumbing for electricity and think of it in terms of separate circuits, it's a pretty simple project to assemble. Learning your way around the menu to set it up is the fun part, it requires me to surrender and read the manual.
Randy
They are easy to build; not much to them really. The hard part if you are using a metal box is cutting the holes for the PID controller and then the other holes for the wires etc.
Here is a thread I started that has some nice info as well as some wiring schematics for a Mypin controller.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ful&highlight=
That's right. Prepping the ammo box took a bit of time. I just used a 7/8" drill bit for the round holes, and a dremel for the rest. No soldering, just crimping on some spade terminals. I used all 14 gauge wire, but I'm sure 16 or 18 will be fine, too. If anyone wants a thermocouple that can be disconnected, make sure you buy extra TC wire when you order the connection kit. The power cord and TC cable all disconnect and go in the box for storage. Also, I got the 40 amp SSR, and run it with the box lid partially open, and there is barely any heat generated during the warm up phase.
Got mine up and running today. Ordered the Mypin thermocouple and the ssr off eBay. Used US sellers and only took a few days to show up. Had a little box but couldn't get everything in it, so I used a powersupply enclosure. Easy to use and once I got put together, only thing I had to change was the thermocouple as ue was negative, not positive as noted elsewhere. Once tuned and settled down it held to about 3f. Thanks for posting guys
Well, wish me luck as I too am about to venture into this PID adventure. I just picked up my new Lee pot and it's still in the box. I have an old 10# Saeco 34 that still works, but I want something bigger and more controllable. I looked into the supposedly upcoming Lyman Mag 25, but they keep moving it out and who knows how well it will work. The real luck is that I work with El34 and he is going to guide me through this. I pretty much have no mechanical or electrical skills to speak of, so maybe all of you should tell him to run. LOL Actually, I've known him for a while and he is a great guy and a lot of help.
Thanks for the feedback guys! I really appreciate it! As soon as I get a few more "extra" bucks in the pocket I'll start my ordering. THAT is when I'll probably need the most help. I know most of you guys get your stuff from Ebay so maybe I could PM some of you guys for an ordering list when the time gets closer. I saw a list for websites here, but if I can get things a bit cheaper from Ebay and they work just as good I'd like to go that route. I'll start keeping an eye out for computer power box housings. I have an old metal ammo can, but I'd really like to not drill into it if possible. It was my father-in-laws and I'd like to keep honor with him and not drill into it. Thanks again everyone!
I was actually thinking about setting up PID using a PLC (Programable Logic Controller) as that's what I do for a living. I use PID loops to control devices in oil refineries and gas plants every day. I can write custom logic to run the output and alarms/horns whatever I need. I have a cheap PLC laying around but at the prices those units are going for whats the point? Well I guess I better get to ordering some parts...
Kraken Fan #69
Finally got my sealed high temp thermocouple today. I took a couple hours this evening and wired up my PID on my lee furnace. So far so good.
That looks very similar to how I did mine on my Lyman big dipper pot. IF I remember right it was an 8mm compression fitting style.
Posting Permissions
| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
Reply With Quote
