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Message |
    
dhacker
Senior Member
Username: Dhacker
Post Number: 1990
Registered: 11-2002
Posted From: 74.177.60.105
| | Posted on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 10:58 pm: | 
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Mounting Everything: (fan attached with some silicone caulk)
Final Assembly:
The Twins! (the one one the left already fitted with a non-skid surface)
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Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 11219
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.141.103.148
| | Posted on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 11:11 pm: |
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That's very nice. I like your case better than the plastic one from stirplates.com (which looks like a Rubbermaid or Tupperware kitchen storage container). I do like their control circuit.
What was your source for the rare earth magnets? |
dhacker
Senior Member
Username: Dhacker
Post Number: 1992
Registered: 11-2002
Posted From: 74.177.60.105
| | Posted on Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 11:25 pm: |
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Applied Magnets
http://www.magnet4less.com/
Cases from Mouser . . .
(Message edited by dhacker on January 31, 2010) |
Gary Muehe
Member
Username: Garymuehe
Post Number: 238
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 99.151.113.37
| | Posted on Monday, February 01, 2010 - 01:14 am: |
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Bill, I have the one from stirplates.com. It's actually quite sturdy. I put my full 4 liter flask on it and it stirred and supported it just fine. You can't beat it for under $50 bucks delivered plus a stir bar. |
michael atkins
Advanced Member
Username: Mga
Post Number: 749
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 71.38.67.137
| | Posted on Monday, February 01, 2010 - 01:41 am: |
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dhacker
You are a freaking genius. I just ordered one complete with a 2nd stir bar for $53.00 delivered.
Now I will have to look for a flask! I have been procrastinating on this for years now - so thanks for pushing me over the cliff. |
Nephalist
Member
Username: Nephi
Post Number: 240
Registered: 12-2005
Posted From: 71.134.52.169
| | Posted on Monday, February 01, 2010 - 05:00 am: |
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I'm no electronics geek. I was looking for the explanation of the various parts. I guess they came in the DIY pink package (with instructions?). Overall, what's the cost? |
dhacker
Senior Member
Username: Dhacker
Post Number: 1993
Registered: 11-2002
Posted From: 74.177.60.105
| | Posted on Monday, February 01, 2010 - 12:15 pm: |
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Michael . . no genius, just a whacked out tinkerer! 
Nephi . . the circuit build is quite simple. There are no instructions included with the parts kit, but the label on the pink package directs you to the website for instructions, and they are adequately detailed. The little circuit board is silk screened with the parts identification and layout so it's real easy to figure how to stuff the board. The 2 resistors are probably the biggest deal in terms of getting them in the right place, but really, easy enough.
My total cost to build, including shipping? Using what I had on hand, (12vdc motors, nuts, Lexan etc.), I'd say about $45 each. You can shop for motors and other parts at http://www.allelectronics.com/ to get your motors or other electronic parts, which is where I believe Derrin gets his stuff.
(Message edited by dhacker on February 01, 2010) |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 11221
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.141.103.148
| | Posted on Monday, February 01, 2010 - 12:58 pm: |
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I'd call $40 a fair price for a stir plate from stirplates.com. I hunted for a used stir plate for about three months before I bought mine on eBay 10 years ago. By the time I paid the shipping and handling, I had $50 invested. I doubt Derrin is making much more than enough for a few batches of homebrew from his little endavor. Now and then I have to remind myself this is a hobby. |
Nephalist
Member
Username: Nephi
Post Number: 241
Registered: 12-2005
Posted From: 162.116.29.68
| | Posted on Monday, February 01, 2010 - 09:56 pm: |
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I have a surplus stirplate from a lab-cleanup at work. Anyone in the LA/OC area want it for $30? I figure it's too heavy to ship. Bill, please remove my post if there's a rule against this. I didn't see a marketplace on the site. |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 11224
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.141.103.148
| | Posted on Monday, February 01, 2010 - 11:39 pm: |
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The HBD does have a flea market: http://hbd.org/cgi-bin/classifieds/classifieds.cgi
However, it's all but inactive lately, so let's see if you get any bites from you message here first. |
Paul Hayslett
Senior Member
Username: Paulhayslett
Post Number: 2397
Registered: 02-2002
Posted From: 71.234.45.166
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 01:56 pm: |
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Catching up on some old threads I haven't had time to read. Resisted the urge to kid dhacker for buying a kit motor controller rather than rolling his own. (Truth be told, I'd probably buy the kit too. But it was tempting to tease.)
Anyway, if you really want to go cheap, get your magnets out of an old, dead hard drive and your motor out of a dead PC. If you don't have a dead PC in your house, I'm sure there is one in the electronics recycling area at your local dump. Google for links on how to remove the magnets from a hard drive. |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 11228
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.141.103.148
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 02:14 pm: |
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Good point, Paul. There are obsolete PCs almost everywhere, and this is a good opportunity to salvage usable parts. |
dhacker
Senior Member
Username: Dhacker
Post Number: 1996
Registered: 11-2002
Posted From: 72.4.22.214
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 04:04 pm: |
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Funny thing is, I DID buy the parts to roll my own . . the day before I stumbled across Derrin's site and thought, "Hmmm, this is neat, cheap and would make assembly easier." I'm a sucker for shiny things. So, I have a number of regulators, resistors, caps, and pots looking for a home. I figure I'll build up a few stir plates and sell them for an obscene amount of money at the brewfest later this year.
Also, I dismantled several hard drives to harvest the magnets inside. First, it's a challenge to remove them without breaking them as they are glued in pretty well. Second, the magnets are crescent shaped and you have to turn them the same direction on the fan hub to realize the different poles. It makes mounting a little more of a hassle as well as balancing. The neo magnets I got were less than $2 a piece . . cheap enough to not worry about demolishing old hard drives!  |
Patrick C.
Advanced Member
Username: Patrickc
Post Number: 950
Registered: 01-2001
Posted From: 74.94.43.85
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 07:25 pm: |
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Another easy way to do it is to use a model train controller. They output 0 to 12 volts DC, so you can control how fast it spins. Don't know if that will burn out my salvaged fan one day, but I can easily get more of those. My total cost to build a stirplate was less than $10, since all I had to buy was the magnets and a box to put it in.
Here's a new one for $20-
http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/mdp/mdp1250.htm
Connie, do the model train power packs show up in yard sales? |
Paul Hayslett
Senior Member
Username: Paulhayslett
Post Number: 2399
Registered: 02-2002
Posted From: 71.234.45.166
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 08:19 pm: |
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I've been meaning to build some stir plates for $0 each just to be able to say that I did.
I salvaged the crescent magnets out of a number of old hard drives, plus enough other parts that I was ready to build 3 or 4 stir plates. But somehow the magnets ended up in a project my son built and two of the fans got used in a solder-fume exhaust system (one permanently, the other broken during installation).
I salvaged some more magnets and decided I'd use a servo motor, hacked for continuous rotation, and its controller salvaged out of a dead RC toy car. But one of my robots burned out a drive servo, so I needed the salvaged one. Probably better, since the gear train would have made it loud.
Current plans are to use a stepper motor salvaged out of another broken toy. I've got some ICs left over from a robot project which can be hacked into a ghetto stepper driver, but I need to find the time to breadboard the circuit and get it tuned.
I figure that, by the time I actually get one built, I'll have invested $400 - $500 in otherwise-billable time on my "free" stir plate. If I wasn't having fun, I would definitely buy one pre-built. |
Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 11234
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.141.103.148
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 08:24 pm: |
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Periodically I remind myself that homebrewing is a hobby. It certainly wouldn't be cost-beneficial if you looked at it any other way.  |
Connie
Senior Member
Username: Connie
Post Number: 1498
Registered: 10-2000
Posted From: 76.17.52.96
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 08:58 pm: |
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Hey Patrick C.,
Yes I've come across a few of the model train controllers. I've been interested in the older model trains with metal cars....haven't thought about applying the controller to a stir plate, good idea. But, I think If I decide to go with a stir plate, I'll also go with Paul Hayslett's logic and buy one |
Tonymaud
Member
Username: Tonymaud
Post Number: 123
Registered: 11-2008
Posted From: 151.190.254.108
| | Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 09:02 pm: |
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hacker, what size project box is that and where did you end up getting it? |
dhacker
Senior Member
Username: Dhacker
Post Number: 2003
Registered: 11-2002
Posted From: 74.177.60.105
| | Posted on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 09:15 pm: |
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6.2" X 6.1" X 2.5" from Mouser. Unfortunately, looks like they are temporarily out of stock. You can probably get the same thing from Newark, Allied, or Digi-Key.
http://www.mouser.com/Enclosures/Enclosures-Boxes-Cases/_/N-5g3p?P=1z0z2wqZ1z0jc eq |
Vance Barnes
Senior Member
Username: Vancebarnes
Post Number: 3886
Registered: 03-2003
Posted From: 66.32.170.63
| | Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 02:26 am: |
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Radio Shack and Frys have simular hobby boxes. That's what I used but with a 120V fan. The 12V ones seemed too whimpy to me. |
Catt22
Intermediate Member
Username: Catt22
Post Number: 276
Registered: 12-2000
Posted From: 216.14.78.130
| | Posted on Saturday, February 06, 2010 - 04:19 pm: |
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"The 12V ones seemed too whimpy to me"
I agree. 120v AC FTW. I need the horsepower that the 110v fan provides. |
Pat Babcock
Moderator
Username: Pbabcock
Post Number: 235
Registered: 02-2002
Posted From: 136.1.1.154
| | Posted on Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 01:21 pm: |
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Found it!
Pat Babcock
HBD Chief of Janitorial Services
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The Tool Shed