The Bread Maker

[Fil]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BIER-BRAU-SET ... 20fd604ec0

looks like an interesting device..

[dean_wales]

Does anyone have access to a Braumeister 50L who could let me know the exact internal diameter and height of the main 'pot' part.

The catalouge suggests it is about 50cm diameter and 55cm tall but it is very vague. Seems like it might be over 100 litres in capacity?

I can get the malt pipe dimensions online...

Dean.

[barneey]

I do have the dims somewhere but I am sure someone else will have them the diameter is though 45cm not 50cm, so if you looking for a donor pot anything with a 45cm Diameter & a height to suit the malt tube of choice.

I ended up with a 100l pot for mine with and diameter of 45cm, a standard Bergland pot of 70l will be ok for a short malt tube but not the 50l.

Note 100l Pots with a diameter of 45cm are hard to find, the standard bergland ones are 50cm diameter.

[dean_wales]

I am struggling to find a reasonably priced 'taller' 100L pot. I just discovered your BM clone thread on AHB and wept with envy at those lab pots. Where did you get the OEM malt tubes from?

Undecided on whether to use a chugger, a TD5 or two TD5s.

I am apprehensive about committing to a 3kw element. I am used to 2x3kw=6kw elements for a 50-100 litre kettle. That normally feels about right in terms of ramp time to strike and then again to boil. Have you wet tested your 50L version yet? How vigorous was the boil?

A key design issue for me is that an immersion cooler simply has to be built in. Initially I thought about one of these stainless HERMS coils to keep it all stainless, but the pipe arc to the fitting wouldn't play nicely with a malt tube. I think instead I will go for a home made copper one where I can play with the location and nature of the inlet and outlet. Ensuring it is sufficiently submerged and rigid once in position will be the key.

Dean.

[barneey]

As you know my kettle pot was 2nd hand, although geogaga bought his new.

The Malt Tubes are original BM ones http://www.brauundrauchshop.ch/categori ... ller=group

As for the element I will have 2 in the final build. 1 is controllable so you can reduce the power to that element & thereby control the boil or mash ramping (if required) the other will be just used to either get to strike or boiling temp quicker.

As for testing nope it is still in dry dock, I hope to test soon but time is very scarce at the moment.

[dean_wales]

I have found a supplier of your pot new. I have asked if they will sell one to me but I expect its trade only and prohibitively expensive.

How are you planning on controlling/automating the two elements with Lael's controller? Given the control and ability to programming in a % throttle for the boil it seems like more wattage is better, but there is only one heat in/out set of sockets on the controller. The second is for the pump. There might be a need to hack a bit?

Dean.

I was

[barneey]

The other element will be completely separate of the control unit & will be manually operated.

The main element power out will pass through a phase angle regulator, which has 3 settings, this will also be useful if doing smaller batches. I used one on my large control panel, which works very well.

I took the opportunity not only to build a BM unit but to try and improve on the concept.

[dean_wales]

I wonder if the second element could be run of the second (pump) SSR and sockets? It would be easy enough to add a second relay or SSR (internally or externally) for a pump, especially if it was DC.

The alternative (for me) being to use the switched heat out as a control for two further SSRs mounted on the base adjacent to the elements.

No idea what a phase angle regulator is! I am keen to have no manual control.

Dean.

[Fil]

afaik a phase angle regulator is a dial up/down power controller suitable for an element (think dimmer switch), a cheaper alternative is a resistance controlled ssr, instead of supplying it with a dc current to switch on/off you bridge the control terminals with a variable resistor or potentiometer and use that to dial up and down the output power for controlling an element..

for example http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VolTage-Resis ... 419a519aef

add a 0-500k ohm potentiometer http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-5-10-20-50- ... 27beb24d17 and done..

[dean_wales]

Its probably me, but I don't quite see the need when the controller firmware let's you throttle the element during the boil?

[barneey]

Its probably me, but I don't quite see the need when the controller firmware let's you throttle the element during the boil?

I didn't know the firmware allowed for this but if it does one thing less to incorporate in the final design another reason not to complete the build until the controller has arrived

There was also talk on AHB of being able to control 2 elements but the thread is sooooo long now its very difficult to find anything on it.

[dean_wales]

You can't modify it on the fly but I gather you can set a percentage of power to supply the elements with during the boil.

Follow the link below and go to the latest manual in the folder.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/96o6i39o50ll ... m_uia?dl=0

I'm still torn between Lael's controller or DIY / Ardbir all in one.

I have until I find a lot to decide!

Dean.

[Fil]

Its probably me, but I don't quite see the need when the controller firmware let's you throttle the element during the boil?

imho, for boil control, evaporation losses may be too great at full pelt and the 25% 50% 75% 100% pid-esq control is a bit rough for fine tuning. the £7 ish extra cost of sitting a 2nd ssr inline to the element feed is nominal considering the range of control it will provide, letting you brew shorter brew lengths without overboiling

[barneey]

Lael, has kindly responded to my question, but prefer a system if I can achieve a rolling boil with a simple click of a switch, set the temp to 102c it avoids a lot of over shoot/ boil off / on.

[Fil]

you wont hear any Leal controller knocking from me and a single control interface is imho the best solution, I just raised the resistance controlled ssr as a cheaper alternative to the other manual on the fly power control options,