Sending PWM through a relay

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Curious.George
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by clearchris
    Thanks! It's always good to see this written another way. Sometimes I regret skipping that year of HS and not taking physics.
    I skipped the freshman "Earth Sciences" and just moved the other three years up by one. Rocks? Geology? Sheesh!

    Biology was boring.

    Chemistry was cool -- until the instructor put the kibosh on the compounds I was throwing together... :> (gee, no sense of adventure!) But, she was probably the hottest instructor in my "primary education".

    The physics class was almost everything BUT physics! I recall spending a good bit of time on queuing theory (which I never was exposed to later in my education so found it very worthwhile). And, spent a lot of time playing with analog computers (no digital computers, at the time).

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Thanks! It's always good to see this written another way. Sometimes I regret skipping that year of HS and not taking physics.

    Leave a comment:


  • Curious.George
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by clearchris
    My buzzer is a 3v3 buzzer, didn't think it was a problem, but apparently, it will not work with the optocoupler. Going to have to read up on how to use calculate a resistor to do a voltage drop from 5v to 3v3. You would think I'd have run into this before.
    Assuming your "load" is largely resistive (when I think "buzzer" I think electromechanical device -- far from resistive!), then the isolated side of the isooptilator looks like 0.2V across the transistor (assuming there's enough gain to drive it into saturation). Then, the 3.3V that your load requires.

    This leaves a difference of 1.5V [5.0-(3.3+.2)] -- neglecting tolerances. You have to "drop" this much across the resistor.

    Now you need to know the current draw of the buzzer. You can measure that with a DMM/VOM by exciting it with 3.3V (it's rated operating voltage) and measuring the current through it.

    Knowing that current -- I -- you solve for I * R = 1.5V.

    Then, you also check (1.5V * 1.5V / R) to determine the wattage required of the resistor, adding sufficient margin to ensure it doesn't release any blue smoke.

    Note that I must be within the current carrying capacity of the iso-optilator.

    If your buzzer is not a pure resistive load, then the initial current may be higher than the "steady state" current that you measure (because your meter is slow and likely won't see the inrush current, if there is any). In that case, the buzzer might not start to "ring".

    But, you can largely test this without the iso-optilator being involved: put R in series with buzzer and apply 5V (4.8V = 5.0-0.2) if you want to be pedantic) across the network and see if it "rings".

    Note that R is in ohms, I in amps.
    Last edited by Curious.George; 05-09-2020, 04:43 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Grumble, I usually like to set up external devices on a optocoupler (sharp pc123). My buzzer is a 3v3 buzzer, didn't think it was a problem, but apparently, it will not work with the optocoupler. I didn't know optocouplers had a minimum voltage. I guess I'll have to hook it up direct, but I generally prefer to have external devices isolated. Oh well. Going to have to read up on how to use calculate a resistor to do a voltage drop from 5v to 3v3. You would think I'd have run into this before.

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    I added insulation around the oven door to seal the crack.
    Made a back panel out of flashing to put insulation on the back outer wall.

    Ran a test. Still 1.3C/sec. Grumble.

    Double checked my halogens, one was 500w, the other was 350w. So I upgraded to 500w/500w. Now I'm at 1.4C/sec. I'd have liked to hit at least 2C/sec, but at that rate, I'd need another 900w to get to 2C/sec. Or more insulation. I don't have much room between the oven chamber and the outer metal case, it's packed pretty full of the ceramic insulation. The other option would be to add some reflective matting that seems to be the rage among reflow oven builders.

    https://www.amazon.com/Design-Engine...000E243AW?th=1

    In related news, I reprogrammed the gcode to get a better controlled slope where required and max output for when the required temp gain is closer to 1.4C/sec. Pretty happy with the slope. Near term I'm going to have to add at least a buzzer, longer term a stepper to open the door.



    GC, thanks for the docs, I'll read up, though my latest test I'm getting only 5C overshoot with all the heaters on, which isn't that bad considering.
    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • Curious.George
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Digging through my literature archive and noticed this series of articles -- which can be skimmed for some of its less "technical" content to give a backgrounder.
    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    It's ugly, but I'm calling it a minor success. Yeah, this board didn't look good before this, the chip was already fried, were it not already fried it would have been needed to dry out first (moisture sensitive part), and yes, I didn't remove the plastic parts before reflowing, but I just wanted to see if I could get the solder melted. No problems there. In retrospect, there were some issues though.

    1) I read the wrong lead solder paste profile. Most are a bit colder than the one I used.
    2) I programmed it on the faster end of things. A more gradual curve wouldn't have hurt anything and probably would have allowed the oven to heat up a bit and the final ramp to go quicker.
    3) The way I programmed it, I think it was working against the pid control. I had set it up to update the setpoint every two seconds, but I'm not sure that took advantage of the Integral part of PID, i.e. the algorithm always thought the goal was close, so I don't think it ramped as fast as it could have. My testing showed that the oven could achieve 1.3C/sec up to 225 (IIRC, maybe 200C), and the oven was not hitting the numbers when I was ramping at 1C/sec. Granted, this time the oven had some load, but this was a puny bluepill board, with a negligible thermal mass.
    4) I was hoping I'd not have to insulate the back, but I think I'll be bending some flashing tomorrow to make a back that I can stuff some insulation in. Once that is done, only the front door remains uninsulated. Hope that can give me a touch more heat. I'll probably have to fashion a gasket for the door, but it seals decently well right now.
    5) I slapped on the paste too thick. And here I thought I was going thin. A little really goes a long way. I counted eight solder bridges.
    6) A door opener might be required, or at least a buzzer to tell me to open the door.

    What went right?

    1) Well, the software did exactly what I asked it to do, though the end product wasn't right. That's always nice.
    2) The chip ended up aligned pretty nicely on the pads, I was concerned about the fan possibly knocking it out of alignment, or possibly drift when the solder melted.
    3) The solder melted pretty nice even though I applied too much. I didn't see any solder balls. No solder balls behind the pins afaik either.

    I have some things to think about, and some tasks, but nothing insurmountable. In the meantime I have been getting good use out of the oven at lower temps, this may become one of my favorite tools.

    So here's the result, warts and all. Truth be told, the board looked pretty bad going into the oven, so I can't pin it all on the reflow.



    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • Curious.George
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by clearchris
    Heh, I have one small orange tree, maybe 10x10ft and that's more than enough to get absolutely sick of oranges every other year.
    We juice much of it and freeze it. So "fresh squeezed" OJ for the entire year. Ditto with the lemon and lime juices.

    Is this for a metal roof? What do you do?
    We have a "membrane" roof -- similar to a "built up" (felt+tar) roof -- only different in construction. For felt roofs, one typically paints every 5-7 years as the sun just vaporizes the paint (the paint is formulated with lots of "solids" so it goes on VERY thick). You get about 60-100 sq ft of coverage per gallon so a modest home is ~25G of paint -- about $600.

    I've learned that the REAL secret to keeping the roof intact is to inspect it annually. There are lots of protrusions that violate its integrity -- sewer vents, "attic vents", skylights, some folks have HVAC plants up there, etc. All are sealed with a tar-like compound. This dries out, over time. And, the building/roof "moves" (expansion/contraction as well as subsidence) which puts mechanical strain on that compound.

    Little cracks form in these areas that are only apparent on close visual inspection. Easy to patch -- cut some of the old compound out and slop some new on.

    Do this, religiously. Then, sweep all the accumulated plant detritus off of the roof (neighbors with tall pine trees, etc.) And, finally, paint the next ~20% of the roof (keeping track of where you left off, last year) with 5G of paint.

    In this way, you paint the entire roof every ~5 years and manage to inspect it EVERY year before problems manifest. E.g., I replaced the lenses in the skylights last summer as it was obvious they were compromised.

    So, while neighbors end up having leaks, YOU don't!

    [The roof painting industry likes to foster the belief that the PAINT is what keeps the roof from leaking. No, the paint just protects the felt or, in our case, membrane. If you are relying on PAINT to "seal" your roof, you've got some big problems!!! As a result, a roof leak suggests a repaint -- after the patch -- even if you just had it painted LAST YEAR! Fools!!]

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    By contrast, our trees are ~20 ft diameter and ~20 ft tall. Even the new plantings are 6x6x6 "balls". He got ONE orange after three years. Why bother? We give him ~20 pounds of fruit each season, out of sympathy... (and, so he can see how sweet ours are!)
    Heh, I have one small orange tree, maybe 10x10ft and that's more than enough to get absolutely sick of oranges every other year.

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    Same neighbor hired a guy to paint his roof -- instead of asking me how WE maintain ours. $1600 later... (we spend ~$120/year on roof maintenance; he'll get < 5 years out of that $1600 -- and likely STILL not ask our advice! (I've kept our roof operational for > 25 years; most neighbors have had theirs replaced, at least once, in that time)
    Is this for a metal roof? What do you do?

    Leave a comment:


  • Curious.George
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by clearchris
    There is a price to be paid for knowledge and craftsmanship. I was far more butthurt paying the kid $500 for a cap and a kickstart because it was clearly basic crap that I would have figured out had I bothered to look at it first. And also because they thought I was clearly a sucker and might spend $1600 on a fan motor.
    I figure I'm at least as "smart" as 99.724% of the folks that I might encounter so it's a question of experience and tools. As an EE, when the condensor fan died, it was relatively easy to GUESS at the likely problem, verify it to be the case and then grimace at the $8 the local appliance place dinged me for the cap. But, I wanted it TODAY, not "3 days hence" and there's value to my time -- not having to hunt for a cheaper supply.

    Alternately, I was happy to pay my hvac tech $75 to literally turn a screw, because I couldn't figure it out. My ice machine wasn't working, and I couldn't for the life of me figure it out. I spent far too long on it, called by guy, he shows up, takes a look, starts laughing, you are going to be pissed when you see this. He says I'm not going to charge you for this call, let me show you this. He takes out his screwdriver, turns an adjustment screw on the ice plate, says, your ice machine will work now. I insisted on paying him and gave him the check. I was glad to pay it though and I valued the help, I was glad he knew, because I wasn't going to figure that one out.
    On my first visit to meet my future wife's folks, I accompanied my future father-in-law on his vending route. Electronic pintables had just come out and he (no "formal education") was really intimidated as he saw his livelihood in jeopardy -- HE wouldn't be able to repair these things! (at least, not the electronic parts).

    He had just received one machine that wasn't working and asked me to look at it. (WTF? I don't have any equipment with me! I'm thousands of miles from home! What the hell can I do?)

    I opened the head (the top part where the score displays are) to access the electronics (od machines had most of the "logic" in the belly of the machine and very little in the head). The displays were mounted on a swing-out panel -- like a door, of sorts. (older machines the electromechanical displays were accessed from behind).

    The displays were PGDs (Planar Gas Discharge... sort of like neon bulbs except 7 segments). When the "door" was opened to the point that my vision was sighting down along the faces of the displays, I could see the plasma clouds "pulsing" as the displays were being refreshed. That shouldn't have been visible. The refresh frequency is tied to the crystal oscillator -- the only component that has a sense of "time" on the board.

    Crystal was mounted tall/upright. I gave it a gentle "flick" with my fingernail and the game booted.

    I was "surprised" (cold solder joint).

    My father-in-law was AWESTRUCK! (I could have probably "had" BOTH his daughters, at that point! <grin>)

    That's a wierd one. He could have been sarcastic, or he could just be an old painter. I started painting, with a respirator, because I met one too many old painters who were clearly driven to a very off mental state from inhaling too much paint fumes over the years. The fumes are real, especially with the oil paints.
    No, he was just hoping to charge for 300G of materials and pocket the difference (cuz you KNOW he wasn't going to APPLY that much paint to the building!) as "extra profit". We regularly hear of folks who hire blindly and get taken to the cleaners. Or, get poor results.

    We have several citrus trees and do a great harvest, each year (almost half a ton, total). Neighbors are envious -- what they don't see is all the effort that goes into ENSURING that harvest!

    Neighbor landscaped their yard and wanted a Blood (Cara) Orange tree. You'd think he would ask for our advice BEFORE hiring someone to arrange the plantings? Nope. So, he's got this tree tucked into a corner -- two feet from 5 ft walls on two sides. Does he really think its ever going to grow/bear fruit?

    By contrast, our trees are ~20 ft diameter and ~20 ft tall. Even the new plantings are 6x6x6 "balls".

    He got ONE orange after three years. Why bother? We give him ~20 pounds of fruit each season, out of sympathy... (and, so he can see how sweet ours are!)

    Same neighbor hired a guy to paint his roof -- instead of asking me how WE maintain ours. $1600 later... (we spend ~$120/year on roof maintenance; he'll get < 5 years out of that $1600 -- and likely STILL not ask our advice! (I've kept our roof operational for > 25 years; most neighbors have had theirs replaced, at least once, in that time)

    Vanity? Pride? Stupidity? <shrug>

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    "Price" has nothing to do with "cost".
    That's true to some extent. There is a price to be paid for knowledge and craftsmanship. I was far more butthurt paying the kid $500 for a cap and a kickstart because it was clearly basic crap that I would have figured out had I bothered to look at it first. And also because they thought I was clearly a sucker and might spend $1600 on a fan motor.

    Alternately, I was happy to pay my hvac tech $75 to literally turn a screw, because I couldn't figure it out. My ice machine wasn't working, and I couldn't for the life of me figure it out. I spent far too long on it, called by guy, he shows up, takes a look, starts laughing, you are going to be pissed when you see this. He says I'm not going to charge you for this call, let me show you this. He takes out his screwdriver, turns an adjustment screw on the ice plate, says, your ice machine will work now. I insisted on paying him and gave him the check. I was glad to pay it though and I valued the help, I was glad he knew, because I wasn't going to figure that one out.

    So really it depends, and there's a lot in the delivery too. If you are fresh out of a 2 week training course, probably best not to mention that

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    When I posed this to one guy, he promptly answered "300 gallons".
    That's a wierd one. He could have been sarcastic, or he could just be an old painter. I started painting, with a respirator, because I met one too many old painters who were clearly driven to a very off mental state from inhaling too much paint fumes over the years. The fumes are real, especially with the oil paints.
    Last edited by clearchris; 05-04-2020, 12:27 AM.

    Leave a comment:


  • Curious.George
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by sam_sam_sam
    I can understand that and I done this myself because a lot of these trades people and trades company's like air conditioning plumbing and other trade like this it seems all they want to do is take as money as they can do and if you are very lucky you might get some one that does a good job and least you get some value for the money that you are spending
    We had some guys out for quotes on painting the exterior of the house, many years ago. We were new to town so had to get a feel for the "going rate" (surely don't want to UNNECESSARILY pay at the HIGHER rate that was the norm where we'd come from!)

    My first experience with exterior stucco (instead of cedar shingle) so I had no idea as to how porous it was and how much paint it would require. So, that was one of the questions I'd ask the contractors.

    When I posed this to one guy, he promptly answered "300 gallons". (Remember, this is a single family detached home). I was so taken aback by his (obviously severely inflated) answer that I replied, "It's a house, not a frigging BATTLESHIP!!"

    Most folks haven't a clue as to the types of questions to ask nor the range of "normal" replies to expect. These people are called "suckers".

    Leave a comment:


  • Curious.George
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by sam_sam_sam
    The price that is charged can vary greatly depending who you call I know a case where someone got bill for changing a capacitor of $200.00
    "Price" has nothing to do with "cost".

    You should PRICE your goods/services at whatever the market deems appropriate. The market sets the VALUE of your goods/services. If you can't make a profit at that price, then avoid that market.

    There is some psychology in NOT letting the customer know just how large the gap between your cost and price. Ideally, you don't want him to even begin to be able to assess your "cost"! This can breed resentment and bias further transactions with that customer (or, customers that are "recommended" to you).

    E.g., if I quote a client $20K for a little project, I surely DON'T want to DELIVER the finished product to him a day or two later! Even if he was HAPPY with that price, he will subconsciously "do the math" and figure I charged him $1000+/hour! So, I'll "waste" some time and deliver the item to him at a later date where he can think that I "was really efficient" at delivering the product so quickly WITHOUT thinking he "got raped" in the process!

    Leave a comment:


  • sam_sam_sam
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by clearchris
    That's when I learned to do it myself.
    I can understand that and I done this myself because a lot of these trades people and trades company’s like air conditioning plumbing and other trade like this it seems all they want to do is take as money as they can do and if you are very lucky you might get some one that does a good job and least you get some value for the money that you are spending
    Last edited by sam_sam_sam; 05-03-2020, 09:17 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    I wrote some python scripts to manage the gcode for holding temp, ramping up and down and made a go at a test trapezoidal reflow (at lowered temps). Pretty good considering I left the door open for the first ramp up, which also probably explains the overshoot at the top. The ramp down diversion was expected, that's a maximum decrease slope, i.e. if the oven cools any quicker than that, it needs to add heat to slow the cooling. Also at higher temps, it would ramp down quicker.

    It's also a very smooth ramp considering it changes the temp every five seconds, so the target isn't a straight line up as octoprint shows it, but a stair step shape. But that's pretty normal for CNC machines/3d printers, any diagonal line is, at a micro level, a lot of very small steps.
    Attached Files

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    You have very reasonable prices. My guy, the one I like, is $100 to show up, $75 an hour after the first and AFAIK, 100% markup on parts. He's on the cheap side too. The funny thing is, he stocks virtually nothing except refrigerant. No fan motors, no caps, nothing. So everything is a trip to the supply house. But he actually knows what he's doing, though I will say, he's old school as hell. He looked at me like I had two heads when I pulled out an appion core remover.

    $200 for a cap change is pretty normal in this area. My guy would come in probably around $125-150 on that.

    The big companies around here with the fancy vans pull out a binder with glossy pages with prices that will make your eyes pop. $250 for a cap, another $250 to install a kickstart, $1600 for a condenser fan, etc, no warranty on that kickstart mind you. That's when I learned to do it myself.
    Last edited by clearchris; 05-03-2020, 07:41 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • sam_sam_sam
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    The air conditioning and refrigeration service supply you have to have a journeyman license and the EPA license in this county to buy any supply’s

    The price that is charged can vary greatly depending who you call
    I know a case where someone got bill for changing a capacitor of $200.00

    Now when I do this repair I would charge 25% more than what I paid for the part plus $60.00 this is on low end of this scale

    I will let you all know I have a journeyman license and the EPA license I can buy from the supply house but only because I have done this for the company that I work for

    Other wise I would not be able to buy these parts other wise

    But there are ways around this restriction

    If you are working on a air dryer unit and it take R134A refrigerate which is the same exact thing that is used in your car as long as you use it with out any oil or leak detector add

    I have done this before when I do not want to buy a 25 pound tank and at the most I need 2 pounds maybe
    Last edited by sam_sam_sam; 05-03-2020, 06:05 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • clearchris
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    A quick google leaves me with many MORE questions (different certification TYPES, classes, test fees, license RENEWAL, etc.) but I'll wait until I've done some research before pestering you (perhaps I can PM to save others the tedium of this detail?)
    No worries, it is quite cryptic. I'm certified type I (small refrigeration), II (hvac splits and the like) and III (chillers, industrial process) because, why not? It doesn't cost any more and the stuff you have to remember to do type III isn't that much more even though I'm not certain I have ever even seen a chiller. Type 609 is automotive, I didn't take the test for that, you don't need any license in my state to work on your own car, and you can buy the refrigerant at the store.

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    I use (home-)baked goods. I've a cheesecake that's good enough to be traded for sexual favors!! :> So, if I give some to a "Mike", it gives him leverage over his "Kathy"!
    Lol, I don't think any of my stuff has lasted long enough to be taken home.

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    I would opt to rent or borrow as it's not the sort of thing I plan on doing more than once or twice -- fix the freezer and possibly service the ACbrrr.
    Maybe you can, but I don't think you can. It's not something that the average person would rent, and if you were licensed (at least in my state) you are required to list the address where your recovery equipment lives. Plus, if they were rented out, people would rent them out to do burn-outs, really nasty recoveries, and they would be completely tainted. I could be wrong though.

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    Yeah, I've already done those sorts of things (blower motor in the furnace, cap for the condenser's fan, etc.). Where I'm at the contractor's mercy is once you try to crack open any of the "plumbing". I figure this isn't rocket science so...
    Honestly, HVAC can be very subtle. It's not rocket science, but you need to be on point to 1) notice ALL the clues (and know what a clue is) and 2) interpret them properly. I too have some rules of thumb, including replace all the caps, etc., before I even start to troubleshoot.

    Originally posted by Curious.George
    Trading my TIME for that of a contractor's (who represents a crapshoot when it comes to quality of workmanship).
    That's the truth right there. There is ONE guy in town who I trust to work on my equipment. Most techs are fresh out of a two week hvac course and want to charge $1600 to replace a condenser fan (no joke, real story).

    Leave a comment:


  • Curious.George
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by clearchris
    Not entirely true. Accountants use "due diligence" which is defined as: such diligence as a reasonable person under the same circumstances would use : use of reasonable but not necessarily exhaustive efforts.
    Yes, but the point I was making is that currency doesn't have "tolerances". A dollar is a dollar. It's not +10, -8%.

    By contrast, is that 200C really 199.9999999C? Or, 202.010101010C? There's no "absolute" that you can ever hope to achieve so you implicitly have to "settle" for something less than perfect.

    (when an accountant can balance "to the penny", there's no value in any further refinement of his efforts!)

    [refrigeration]

    You need to take the EPA 608 test. Taking the test licences you to work on refrigeration and buy refrigeration products, on a federal level. On a local level, some states do allow you to work on your own equipment, some don't. Most states won't let you work on someone else's equipment without being a registered contractor, and going through hoops to get that including an apprenticeship, etc. Even if the state will allow you to work on your own equipment, it's not common to get DIY people, HVAC supply houses will often choose not to do business with those who are not contractors.
    Understood.

    A quick google leaves me with many MORE questions (different certification TYPES, classes, test fees, license RENEWAL, etc.) but I'll wait until I've done some research before pestering you (perhaps I can PM to save others the tedium of this detail?)

    Some will try to stick you with "retail" prices, which are jobber prices times 4, or as much as they think you have in your pocket.
    Yeah, the same with most trades. I've a lot of friends who are "big customers" of many of these types of places (e.g., electrical, plumbing, etc. supply shops) so I get recommendations from them as to which shops to visit. Then, freely drop their name with the counter staff so I have some "cred" while I'm there. It helps that I know little personal details that I can offer up to show that I know them more than superficially:

    "Mike sent me.'
    "Oh, OK. How's he doing?"
    "Well, Kathy has been hounding him to lose weight 'for the kids' and, to his credit, he really HAS lost a shitload! If you haven't seen him recently (because he's The Boss and doesn't bother "running errands"), you will be stunned at the difference!"

    (Chances are, the counter person didn't even know that Kathy was his wife OR that he had kids! But, he's the one who authorizes the payment of all the invoices submitted by their firm, so...)

    Online buying is easy, though I have a place I like to go to in an emergency. I usually bring them donuts, I find it's really hard for people to be a jerk to someone who just stuck a donut in their mouth.
    I use (home-)baked goods. I've a cheesecake that's good enough to be traded for sexual favors!! :> So, if I give some to a "Mike", it gives him leverage over his "Kathy"!

    You are also required to have "recovery equipment" which isn't as expensive as it was, but can still cost you a few hundred.
    I would opt to rent or borrow as it's not the sort of thing I plan on doing more than once or twice -- fix the freezer and possibly service the ACbrrr.

    And you can work on refrigeration without the EPA test, you just aren't allowed to hook up gauges, braze in a new compressor, etc. Most of the things that go wrong are capacitors, fan motors, thermostats, dirty coils and somewhat more rarely compressor start relays. Most repairs I make to refrigeration I don't even touch my gauges.
    Yeah, I've already done those sorts of things (blower motor in the furnace, cap for the condenser's fan, etc.). Where I'm at the contractor's mercy is once you try to crack open any of the "plumbing". I figure this isn't rocket science so...

    I'll warn you, repairing refrigeration gets expensive quick. There are a LOT of tools you need to do a good job, though it's surprising how little some of the old timers use. Those guys are all about rules of thumb - "beer can cold" good to go!
    Hence the idea of borrowing or renting. Trading my TIME for that of a contractor's (who represents a crapshoot when it comes to quality of workmanship).

    [We had all sorts of headaches getting the ACbrr installed here. One contractor actually (was stupid enough) to say that our house was "built wrong". I guess he assumed I hadn't already located all of the other houses with nearly identical floor plans, built at the same time by the same builder THAT HAD AC UNITS. Oooops!]

    I haven't noticed this to be the case, but it's a good point, I'll keep an eye on it.
    You will now be drying the medium with a different process than before. So, what might NOT have been a problem in the past might BECOME a problem going forward. The time it takes to make a note as to "dried again on 5/3/2020" could pay off down the road if you encounter problems ("data" costs very little to accumulate BEFORE you need it)

    Leave a comment:


  • sam_sam_sam
    replied
    Re: Sending PWM through a relay

    Originally posted by clearchris
    If anyone wants to see the oven in action, I made a short vid: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gC...vVBDCiA9oZlUn_
    Just let me say I really like your setup and you gave some ideas

    The only problem that I see if you cycle the light a lot like that the bulb might not last very long just keep this in mind

    I going to use this setup but I going to use a high amperage SCR controller and adjusting the amount of current to the light bulb just keep it warm and at steady temperature

    And see how well I can maintain the temperature doing this way

    I not saying that my concept will work or not but I going to give it a try
    Last edited by sam_sam_sam; 05-03-2020, 03:03 PM.

    Leave a comment:

Related Topics

Collapse

Working...