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Modifying DASH 1400W Popper with TC4 + Transistor DC Relay
BenKeith
Did a little research and found out we were comparing apples against oranges.
I see there is a TC4+ board someone has added to the mix that does have a mosfet controller on a IO3
 
renatoa
Yes, is the same apple, embedded or external.
Is just a MOSFET, with associated circuitry, as we found on the cheapest PWM regulator boards.
Such circuit is still needed on the classic TC4 solution.
Both solutions are using the same IO3 pin for control, and same code.
 
love4guatemala
Y'all are amazing. Thank you for all the help so far.

So I was trying to do this according to greencardigan's setup guide (attached the photo of connection example)

Would something like this work? (I'm based in the USA) https://smile.ama...00WSN98DC/
love4guatemala attached the following image:
pwm_setup-page-001.jpg
 
love4guatemala

Quote

BenKeith wrote:

I guess I'm missing something somewhere in how you plan to make the TC4 control that popper. If I remember right, as I mentioned before, that motor is a DC motor and the heating element is used as a resistor to drop the voltage and the diodes rectify it to make it DC.
Maybe Brad or someone has come up with a method for if to control DC. The ones I have use a ZCD to control an AC fan. I don't see where using a DC power supply would be practical. I know I have about 20 TC4 circuit boards and 10 TC4C boards I drew up and had made when Jim got out of it and they don't won't do it.
Anyway, ya'll seem to have things under control so not getting into that.

Now, the reason I ask where you live, I came across a box with some of that old stuff I messed with when I first started back over 20 years ago, that has ac motors. That would make life much simpler for what you are trying to do. One was a Poppery I had taken the motor and heater out and made the old Hearthware Gourmet heater and fan unit fit because it was much more powerful than the Poppery unit. There was also another popper, not sure but it probably had the similar setup as what you have now. It's not pretty and pretty much jerry rigged crap but it worked.
Since you only live a few states away and if the shipping is not too much, I was going to offer that to you, if you felt you wanted it.
The biggest thing is, I was pulling out and throwing old crap away to get rid of the clutter when I came across it, and I may have went ahead and pitched it. I would have to look. and get back with you if you are interested.


Hey I'd love that! Happy to pay for shipping and see if there's something I can offer in return!
 
renatoa

Quote

love4guatemala wrote:

Y'all are amazing. Thank you for all the help so far.

So I was trying to do this according to greencardigan's setup guide (attached the photo of connection example)

Would something like this work? (I'm based in the USA) https://smile.ama...00WSN98DC/


Possible to work, but is unnecessary powerful and complicate board for what you need.
Anything more than the board mentioned in this thread is a waste of resources:
https://homeroast...post_72991

As BenKeith already told, you are already over-engineering the capabilities of a popper, which is usually just the introductory machine in this field.
The best approach would be to learn operate it manually, and exercise your sense for the various stages of roasting coffee, than rely on the computer to roast for you.
 
love4guatemala

Quote

renatoa wrote:

Quote

love4guatemala wrote:

Y'all are amazing. Thank you for all the help so far.

So I was trying to do this according to greencardigan's setup guide (attached the photo of connection example)

Would something like this work? (I'm based in the USA) https://smile.ama...00WSN98DC/


Possible to work, but is unnecessary powerful and complicate board for what you need.
Anything more than the board mentioned in this thread is a waste of resources:
https://homeroast...post_72991

As BenKeith already told, you are already over-engineering the capabilities of a popper, which is usually just the introductory machine in this field.
The best approach would be to learn operate it manually, and exercise your sense for the various stages of roasting coffee, than rely on the computer to roast for you.



Thank you once again for the help. You've been a lifesaver.

I've been roasting on a popper manually for about three years and I worked in coffee for about a decade before that. To tell you the full story, I'm basically using this as a way to learn my way around the TC4, arduino, and electronics in general. A friend of mine who is a mechanical engineer has helped me design the mechanical components of a roaster (i.e. designed it for me Grin).

I'm learning this side of things so that I can get my head around roasting with Artisan and control in general. I've got about 6 months between now and when we're able to get parts and get together to start working on the mechanical side of things. Hoping that's enough. It's been an adventure so far.

I got help from Brad when I bought the TC4 and he said that the folks at HR were enormously helpful, which has been true. You've helped me see all that I don't know about this and I've signed up for a membership at the local makerspace and their microcontroller help sessions.

I'm just very thick-headed and don't learn any way other than failing repeatedly until I get it right smile

So thank you, once again.
 
renatoa
Well... different story... Grin
We should change the thread title then... it's no more about the motor PCBThumbsUp
 
love4guatemala

Quote

renatoa wrote:

Well... different story... Grin
We should change the thread title then... it's no more about the motor PCBThumbsUp


Is that doable? How about "Help the helpless fumble through making a TC4-powered coffee roaster?" GrinGrin

Since I'll be purchasing this from RobotDyn, is there anything else I should buy? The DC relay is only about $1.50 and shipping comes from China. So I'm thinking I should try to get what I can while I'm at it.
 
renatoa
Check on aliexpress the robotdyn store, better shipping options.
I would also buy the ZCD dimmer, instead a SSR, check the associate thread of this useful board.
 
love4guatemala
Thank you! Will take your recommendation.
 
love4guatemala
Let's say I already have the SSR and want to just try it out, is the attached image the proper way to wire it? But with TC4 going out to the SSR through OT1?
love4guatemala attached the following image:
e9fsl.jpg
 
renatoa
Instead direct Arduino pin connection, is more recommended to use the shield OT1 output, which includes a transistor buffer, thus better signals for lazy SSR.

This is the official hand drawn TC4 wiring schematics, for future reference:
https://cpb-us-w2...le-TC4.png

If you still want to connect directly to Arduino pin, then provide a pull-up resistor of 1kO value.
 
BenKeith
Well, some good and some bad. I've looked for the box that had that had the heater/AC blower units and roast chambers, guess it got tossed. Back before Hearthware got out of the air roaster business, I bought four bases off non working units from their service department for $50. They all had working motors and heaters, after I replaced the thermal fuse in a couple of them. That's what was mostly in that box.
While looking I did find a Poppery II that's probably about the same as what you have.
I also found a Poppery II I had taken their heater and blower out of and adapted one of the Hearthware heater/blower units to and it's wired so the heater plugs is separate from the blower so they could be controlled by a TC4. Both are 115VAC.
However, don't think for a second I'm really doing a big favor, this is just something you can get to where you are trying to but requires a totally different process.
To use this and control it with a TC4, you are going to need two SSRs mounted on a metal surface that can work as a heat sink or on two heat sinks. The fan one has to be random fire (often referred to as a -10) controlled by a ZCD, that's connected to the TC4. They both need a low voltage trigger (around 3VDC) The heater one is a resistive load so it does not require a ZCD and it also connects to the TC4. I just mounted two heat sinks to and aluminum plate with the SSR's on them. The ZCD works best if it's wired right at the relay terminals. I mounted a duplex outlet to the plate and wire them them to the SSR's so could just plug and unplug the power to the fan and heater. Being able to unplug the heater so you don't have to worry about it powering up comes in handy while you are experimenting. Also, make sure you put thermal joint compound on the SSRs when you mount them.

The thing is fugly but it will do what you are trying to accomplish, It also has a coupe of holes drilled to insert a temp probe/Deep fry thermometer. The one benefit is, once you get the SSR controls wired and working, that unit can be use on almost any electric heat, AC fan roaster you want.
Edited by BenKeith on 02/22/2021 6:06 PM
 
renatoa
The SSR-ZCD solution for fan works for the so called "universal" A/C motors. i.e. brushed A/C motors. As those used in many leaf blowers/vac cleaners, having more than 500 Watts.
Don't work for DC motors as the Johnson/Mabuchi or clones of the popular RS-385 found in many popper models, nor for induction (cage rotor) A/C motors, as those used in quiet blade fans.

Today we have a better cost/size solution for fan control, the RobotDyn dimmer, that is basically a not cased, open air SSR, but also embedding a ZCD on the same board with the control triac. The board features also a heatsink, all for a very atractive price.
Edited by renatoa on 02/23/2021 3:07 AM
 
BenKeith
Don't know about all that new fangled stuff, been a long time since I've kept up much with the electronics world. These are 20 year old brushed motors, nothing DC or brushless about it, and if he wants to try it, I do know he will need a ZCD or something very similar to control them with a standard old TC4. Don't know about the new TC4+, maybe it has some gee wiz design feature that will do it but my TC4 won't.

It was something I had, and I doubt it would be very practical to try and engineer some other new type motor to go on it. To go with new technology, he needs to design him a heat chamber with probably a seperalte motor, which is easy enough to do if he want's to go that route.

After thinking, probably the best thing I could do is get out of this thread and leave it up to those that those that seem to know more about what he needs to do. See Ya.
Edited by BenKeith on 02/23/2021 7:28 AM
 
love4guatemala
Thanks everyone.

I was able to get the heater control working via the CONFIG_PWM method and an SSR over the weekend. Very exciting stuff! There was a spark at one point and I think I might have blown a fuse but it was fun while was working.

I have since received the AC dimmer and followed instructions from Brad on how to wire it and how to config the user.h file. However, I have not gotten it to control the heater yet. So I might go back to the SSR model.

It's been a long and difficult learning process but thanks to folks like you I'm starting to understand it a little more. I do feel like just using an A/C heater like a dryer heating element or something and a fan and then fabricating the housing would be easier than engineering these poppers.
 
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