Cunny's New Panel

Moonshine

SD Smart Controllers for the masses, brilliant, revolutionary! :-bd

Stinger

@Lloyd said:

...With OD's help SD can bring smart control to distilling in a very cost effective way...

Sounds like an excellent plan. Still automation sounds good to me. Bit like buying a car:

I'm glad I learned to drive with manual transmission because I can always drive anything, including my son's "quick" car with standard tranny, but... I'd never buy a car that didn't have automatic transmission. More enjoyable driving, no risk of being in the wrong gear, Better gas mileage too!!!

Lloyd

Not sure about the better gas mileage with an automatic transmission but with a smart controller on a still the promise is to have highly repeatable results with much less wasted cooling water.
Even the best hand-and-eye coordination can't compete with a computer when regulating coolant flow (hundreds of times per second). I tend to lump smart controllers and computers together.

I totally agree @Stinger that every distiller should begin with, or at least understand, a simple pot still to gain the basics and then work up to the level that they are comfortable with. I made some very fine hooch with a pot still and for a long time but I don't miss it; I enjoy living in the more modern age of plated columns and look forward to the next steps as they unfold.

For a long time I didn't have any thermometers at all on my personal Dash but still made fine booze. Can't imagine now not having them though. OD's controller will probably spoil me the same way the Dash has spoiled me.

My 2" pot still days are a pleasant memory now but not one I'd care to do again.

punkin

I'll do some research on the standards and see if i can find out what constitutes a kit in Au or NZ.

cunnyfunt

Jaycar sell kits so I assumed in this case maybe similar style. Panel already prefabricated and holes cut, switches, connect a to b, lots of pictures to be wired by a licenced knuckle dragger etc but then I found this page:

NSW Government - Fair Trading - Safe electrical goods

Am I right to assume that even certain components would need to have aussie approval?

One could bypass this by buying the kits direct from Lloyd as the consumer and not through an aussie e-store?

Sorry I have no real idea, just thinking out loud.

2thman

What a great concept and development challenge. I am sure there will be great interest in the US too. Please keep this moving forward if possible. Thank you to all the "brain trusts" input on automated control panel kits! To the future!

Drunkas

You have inspired me olddog. I have ordered the parts I need to build one of my own. The pot still is getting kicked aside and moving in to the 21 century. Thanks mate.

olddog

If you need any help just PM me.

OD

TheMechWarrior

Man that @olddog controller has me drooling every time!

I need to upgrade from my 2 x 15A element control boxes to a larger 3 x 15A so I'm currently looking for inspiration and landed here.

shindig

We NEED someone in the USA working with SD making panels to run the equipment. hint...hint...SD

Unsensibel

OD - amazing build! @Lloyd in case you're taking requests for the maybe to come SD panel: some kind of light IP protection like NEMA2 would be awesome!

Unsensibel

@olddog I'm assuming that the panel is firing "only" one element at a time. Did you already wire one, where you control multiple SSR's with one PID?

Lloyd

My @olddog controller has a pot to control one element - much like the SD DIY kit. It has no sensor of course.
Plus two more SSRs are used, one each by a separate PID controller, to operate the valves on the condensers, one each for the PC and RC.

The extra money spent on controlling the product condenser was just for the luxury of not having to fiddle with the cooling manually and it also has an alarm should the distillate get too hot. If I lose water pressure during a run I'll know it before pushing hot alcohol vapors into the room.

Kapea

Can I get it in a PLC version?

Just kidding. That is an awesome control panel for the price. You guys blow me away with your innovation. (I just got done reading the Abbott's Steam Stripper thread too.) This forum rocks, especially when you consider it all started with a copper bubble ball...