Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hey Guys,

This is my twin 2400w controller. Left side is 1 heating element, Right side is the other.
Power will be a 3 way switch for either element. (100% ON, OFF, variable load via SSR)
Utilizing IEC plugs as they are so universal for connectivity. Both SSR's will be behind the screens, screwed to the case with thermal paste and 2x PC 90W thermal heatsinks on the rear of the case. (unsure if I'll need the fan assist or not). Obviously the cast aluminium case will also act as a large heatsink too.
I've also got 2 x 10amp circuit breakers beside each input/output power connector.

All of this is housed in the largest Jaycar alimunium box and its all pretty snug. Its currently missing the variable resister and knob which will sit next to the power switches.

Enjoy.

Looks good. You might need a fan if you're running close to 5000w at once. You got room for one? Assume you're running it off a 15A supply?

Hey Lowie,

No, its designed to be run off 2 x 10amp circuits. (Not on the same circuit)
If I wanted to run 4800w, then I simply use the 3 way power switch to provide full power to both of the elements, bypassing the SSR - which in turns generates no heat.

If I need to run lower than this I activate the SSR and I can control each element independently of the other.
It was the most versatile setup I could think of, but it also means I could run both elements at a lower power than a single element. This could be useful in heating a grain mash.

The only thing it doesn't have is any sort of check to ensure that each circuit is separate

I should be able to easily adapt a fan onto the heat sink at the rear if needed as it was originally designed with a fan (As its from a CPU Cooler)

Looks the business muscles. What are those indicators? And how much do they cost? Can you draw up a schematic of how you connected it? Cheers n

Why is one switch upside down? Great looking box. I might have to build one.

Looks great. :clap:
Not sure why you would want to control the power to both elements, normally one is sufficient. Heatsinks are probably oversized for the amount of Amps you will pass through the SSRs, but thats ok. If the sinks are mounted outside of the case, you will be fine without fan. As far as I know the IEC connectors are only rated up to 10A, so you will be right at the limit. Nice build.
Cheers, RS

Andy: Hasn't been wired yet. Once its complete I'll let you know. Are the indicators you speak of the black buttons on each side of the box? These are the 10amp reset able circuit breakers from jaycar.

Orcy: Good spot. Yes one is upside down. This was just a test fitment at the moment, so it will be the correct way around once I'm finished with it.

Rumsponge: Yes - heat sinks will be mounted on the rear. I'm hoping I won't need any fan assist, but will use trial and error on that part. They are designed to dissipate 89w of thermal heat with the fan running, so much less without the fan. The box should also act as a heat sink which will help (One of the reasons I chose a metal box over plastic) Yes - the IEC cables I have chosen are rated to 10amps, there are 15 amp versions which are a larger plug if someone wanted to go down that route.

Just be careful when buying IEC cables as they commonly come in 2 sizes for the internal wire core. 0.75mm2 & 1.00mm2 which is written on the cable itself. Given you could be pushing them to their max, I'd suggest getting the larger core for safety.

es - heat sinks will be mounted on the rear. I'm hoping I won't need any fan assist, but will use trial and error on that part. They are designed to dissipate 89w of thermal heat with the fan running, so much less without the fan. The box should also act as a heat sink which will hel

the SSR generates ~ 1.0-1.5 W of heat per Amp passing through it, so even without fan and 10A you should be fine, I reckon.

Looks good mate