Arduino Controllers

[Steve2md]

I have no experience in building or programming Arduino, but I was thinking that a setup on one board, that had a temp controller set at 125deg F, AND a humidity controller/sensor set to 78%rh with simple 110v female plugs would solve a lot of kiln issues for people. then it would be a simple matter of plugging your warm mist humidifier and a small ceramic heater into the board, plugging the board into the wall, and walk away. You would only have to top off the water in the humidifier every so often, but otherwise, ZERO MAINTENANCE!!! Is there anybody here who could design a prototype of this?

 

[johnlee1933]

Let me check it out. The hard part for me would be the peripherals. (LCD display buttons for switching, etc) but it is a good idea and I believe would have uses beyond our needs. Depending on the sensors it could be made to work from 0 to 100 % RH and say -10 to +100°C with dual control limits RH/temp with an either/or/both selectability. It is my understanding that accurate RH sensors are difficult. I know a pro who does this stuff. I'll give him a call and see what he thinks. My guess is once you got a design working the Chinese would steal it and under sell you. You'd have to get set, sell a bunch and get out before the competition wiped you out.

John

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I believe someone on HTGT built one a year or so ago. My observation is that there are a lot of people that would have a problem wiring a light switch- this would be considerably harder. I personally think it would be easier to wire a Ranco thermostat and a humidistat for your kiln requirements.

 

[Steve2md]

I'm not looking for super easy to build and wire. If I had a schematic I could build it, I just can't program it. the Ideal would be to have a pair of std female outlets for your accessories. Plug and play so to speak. as for accuracy, i suppose as long as it would maintain a 10 point swing (say between 70% and 80% RH) I think it would serve its intended purpose well. I know there are pre made tools out there, but we are hobbyists, and as such, tend to tinker and create what we don't have. plus, I'm reasonably sure that we could get one built for under the cost of a commercial unit. I'm not looking to make any money here, just trying to figure out a "doodad" that will make our lives easier.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

"Chrism" on HTGT has a write up on how he wired and set his up.

 

[Steve2md]

Sweet, I'll check it out. Do I need to join over there to view it, or can I just loiter?

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I'm not sure.

 

[leverhead]

A wet bulb thermometer is simple to build and will tell you the dew point. You can use a chart from the web or there are some web pages where you enter the dry bulb and wet bulb temps to give you the RH. Once you know your set points it works just like any thermostat. I had some maintenance issues with one for flue curing, mostly gunk crusting up the wick and it wouldn't move the water. I don't know if a kiln environment would be as bad, the leaf would already be comparatively dry. I'll be able to tell you better in a couple of weeks.

 

[SmokeStack]

The simplest way that I found to get the exact relative humidity and temperature that I want for my kiln is to hook up the heating element to a Variac (voltage regulator) and hook up the crock pot to a separate Variac. All I have to do is dial the Variacs until I get the RH and temp that I want. At first, it requires a little adjusting of the Variacs, but once the settings (voltage) are found, you should be all set. I use a remote digital thermometer/hygrometer to measure the temp and RH without having to open the kiln. I included a simple scheme below:




You can buy the Variacs for $49 each from http://www.officebeyond.com/va-130-0300.html

You can buy the remote digital thermometer/hygrometer for $73 from http://www.fishersci.com (catalog number 14-649-8)

It works great for me.

 

[Steve2md]

that's a feasible option. but its still close to $200........

 

[Lakota]

Steve2md Here is what I am using for a controller, works well for temp controll on my crock pot. High is set to 51c and low is set to 46c. I use a remote inside\outside temp and humidity thermometer to monitor the kiln. The humidity is controlled by putting tinfoil over the crockpot. With a little tweeking I have it set to 70rh and high temp at 118 f. The manual on this was chinese, but On the web site is a setup in english. Russ

http://www.buyincoins.com/new_en/de...troller-aquarium-fish-tank-product-15054.html

 

[Steve2md]

I actually have one of those and was looking for some English instructions. Excellent!

 

[Lakota]

mine works great so far.

 

[Steve2md]

Can you post a diagram or picture of how you wired it? I think I have it right, but have to have 2 power cords (1 for the box, 1 for the heater)

 

[Lakota]

Here is diagram

 

[Steve2md]

Thanks!

 

[Lakota]

No problem, did you get the temperature set? Took me a bit of time to figure that out.

 

[Steve2md]

Working on it, need to get a different heater for that

 

[Boboro]

Portable heaters have an interal thermastat . that want let them get the 130 deg. needed. You gan go in and by pass it But a lite bulb with a cover is safer I think.

 

[Gmac]

"Chrism" on HTGT has a write up on how he wired and set his up.

Wouln't happen to have a link to his post would you?

Gmac