pid question

STIHL

Well-Known Member
@Jeff H you sound like me, I have more projects going than I have time to do. I’ve got 6-7 new to me molds I have yet to heat up. I want a PID set up for consistency more than anything else. Controls have become so inexpensive to build systems with its not hard stack and I actually enjoy building things like that too.

Time is one thing that we will never have enough of.
 

Rockydoc

Well-Known Member
Here's how he built it . . . .

Dual PID Temperature Controller
Keith, that was a very informative article. The building of that aluminum box was awesome but intimidating! Not many of us have the equipment and skill to do that.
For those of us with ordinary skill and equipment, go to Amazon and search “project box” and you will find boxes of all sizes. That is what I used for my PID build.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
I got the Auber single unit and probe. Already had the SSR & HS. Probe broke so I got a better one. Box is a small 'experimenter' one from Frys. total cost for me was ~ 40$ US. No fancy connectors.
pid.jpg
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
@Jeff H you sound like me, I have more projects going than I have time to do. I’ve got 6-7 new to me molds I have yet to heat up. I want a PID set up for consistency more than anything else. Controls have become so inexpensive to build systems with its not hard stack and I actually enjoy building things like that too.

Time is one thing that we will never have enough of.
Boy, ain't that the truth...
 

JonB

Halcyon member
Keith, did you ever find the Lyman 450 blueprint article again? That should be required viewing for everyone who casts. It's an inside look at how our reloading equipment is really built, and what we can do to make them truly capable of fulfilling their performance capabilities.
Do you mean the "Lyman 450 Luber/Sizer Rebuild"
the original link appears to be dead.

But someone posted this from the waybackmachine.
 

KeithB

Resident Half Fast Machinist
When I was somewhat forcibly retired for medical reasons the University took a lot of my stuff off their server. That's the article however. Thanks JonB!
 

Jeff H

NW Ohio
I got the Auber single unit and probe. Already had the SSR & HS. Probe broke so I got a better one. Box is a small 'experimenter' one from Frys. total cost for me was ~ 40$ US. No fancy connectors.
View attachment 25111
That's a great way to start - or finish. This will get the job done and for a decent price. If, as time passes, a fella wants more convenience or more flexibility, "fancy connectors" and such can be added later. I ran mine for years with the TC connected directly to the controller. One day, I decided to replace my TC, as the one I had on the pot went wonky on me. I scrounged eBay for a better TC (for the application) and got two. Then I got the connectors and made better TC probe holders for each of two pots I run. That added to the cost of the unit, but it was spread way out and didn't hurt.

Your idea will get someone in the game on a budget, yet leave a lot of latitude to expand on the system over time.

Many of the components can be had for very reasonable prices on eBay because there's no big crunch on nerdie, tech stuff, like there is on shooting stuff.

Anyone using a SSR - they will need to dissipate some heat. Attaching one to a metal box is probably enough for this application. Plastic, maybe not as much, especially without a heat sink, but probably won't melt the box as much as shorten the life of the SSR.

That box Keith made is the most extraordinary heat sink I've ever seen. The whole enclosure is a heat sink. Nice work.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
One could make their own thermocouple, twisting the ends of the kynar coated wire for hard wired system. The probe I had that broke, the wire broke. Kynar isn't good for high temps so I got the high temp insulated one. If I could get a good drill setup I could bore an Al plate to fit the top of the hot plate & insert a TC but so far it doesn't get too hot for HiTek or PC and I don't have any trouble standing 30 cal rifle bullets.
 

STIHL

Well-Known Member
You can also buy the little micro fans on Amazon too and add some air movement to your PID box.

Those project boxes are pretty nice too, when you don’t have the time or energy. That’s the only think I miss about night shift. I had time to work on stuff like that at night.