I'm getting the parts together to build a PID controlled heater for my Star lubesizer, going to use a cartridge heater, how much wattage do I need ?
I'm getting the parts together to build a PID controlled heater for my Star lubesizer, going to use a cartridge heater, how much wattage do I need ?
I have been wondering the same thing. I plan on measuring the draw on mine the next time I make it down south. I would like it to be able to head the block to about 180 in a room at 65.
I use a Lyman cartridge heater on my star with a PID controller . My star sits on a 3/4" block of alum just big enough for the base to sit on. The rear of the block has a hole drilled for the cartridge heater to sit in.
The heater says 20 watts on it.
I turn it on and walk away for 20-30 minutes. It heats it up to 120 no problem.
Visit my projects at: http://cheese1566gunsandstuff.shutterfly.com/
Good to know, 20-30 watts should be great!
I use a 100 watt heater that I got cheap on eBay.
Sure it is over kill, but with a PID it works great.
I do not need to wait long for it to get up to temp.
Lafaun
Just staying at home and playing with multi-color boolits.
I use the heater out of an old small coffee pot. a couple min on and it's GTG for a long time.
I used a 100/watt one from McMaster Carr #3618K416 current price $21.26.
1/4" dia. x 4" long. Drilled and mounted in 3/4" aluminum mounting plate.
Setup with PID controller. Cycles On/Off every several minutes but On time is probably less than a minute.
Setup back in 2010 no issues to date, works great.
Attachment 141951why use a PID on your heater a light dimmer switch works just fine Attachment 141950
kids that hunt and fish dont mug old ladies
Because the PID has a nerd factor in it. A router speed control from Harbor Freight works well also. I use to use the PID I have for my casting pot on my star heater when I still used greasy lubes. Now that I powder coat my bullets, there is no need for the greasy/waxy lubes and there for no heat required.
Actually, we used the light dimmer for quite a while. Yep it works pretty well and you could get by forever with it but it holds a specific heat output not a specific temp so you always have to check a thermometer attached to the unit and watch it periodically. There is absolutely no comparison between the lamp dimmer and having a PID intelligently hold your unit at one set temp. Especially when working with hard lubes like the Magma that only has a few degree window where it really works perfect.
Set it, forget it, lube a couple thousand bullets.
You don't need some expensive PID to do this. A $30 cheapo PID, a cartridge heater or any heater base you already have, a solid state relay, an old power cord to splice as a power plug, and some kind of box to put it in.
I'm using a 100 watt heater. I can turn it down with my controller. I can't turn it up if I use anything smaller !!
I use a pid made for fish tank heaters like this one.
It will control 120 vac up to 10 amps without a SSR.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110V-10A-Dig...item4d2c4e99e2
It comes from china, and it reads in Celsius.
Lafaun
Just staying at home and playing with multi-color boolits.
Just a "user comment" here: In near-Canada-border region, my basement reloading room suffers quite a range of ambient temperatures -- down to just-above-freezing in the dead of winter. I had had and used a Variac voltage control on my lub heaters, and things would "always" seem to go from solid to liquid mess; I bought and hooked in a PID and WOW!!! Regardless if it's 35* or 75* -- the unit will have the lub at very useable softness eliminating that "stress-step" from the boolit making process. (And yes -- I have two 110V plug-in milk-house heaters I use for room -- so *I* am comfortable -- but, the Star doesn't warm up as quickly as I do )
Imho -- the PID control on my Star was one of the smartest buys I made.
geo
To extend George's comment on the PID: I bought a PID kit where I can plug in different thermocouples. A tiny one is epoxied to my star so I can use it to regulate the heater for the lubesizer, which it does wonderfully well.
When I want to cast, I unplug the PID, take it to my casting area, plug in the thermocouple I have in my lead pot (Lee 20#), and voila! Temperature control of the melt!
One PID, two applications, two thermocouples. And I agree wholeheartedly with George: one of the smartest buys I've ever made.
I like and use PID's for my melters but this is what I did for my Star's.
http://www.bliksemdonder.com/hobbies...s/star-heater/
Liberalism is the triumph of emotion over intellect, but masquerading as the reverse.
I don't know how we ever shot maximum loads before P/C come along and saved us all. R5R
"No mosque in the United States flies an American flag."
"Dueling should have never been made illegal in this country. It settled lots of issues between folks."- Char-Gar
I went to a industrial company that manufactures custom heaters, and asked them to make me one in a flat pack configuration. It came out at about 2 inch square by about 1/64 inch thick. The wattage is 40 Watts, and works perfectly with my PID.
do you need a heater for soft lube like 2500 for 9mm?
I have a 100 watt heater on mine. I have a light dimmer to control it. At about 1/4 open is hot enough. Bought mine on Ebay.
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 |