Oven Controls Build

[20_rc51_00]

Ed_denu, did you deliberately pick which side of 220VAC black or red you were going to power the other 110VAC components from? Did you just try and split the load? I see that some are powered from red while others from black.

When wiring 220VAC to the output side of the SSR, does the SSR care which terminal the live wire is on and which terminal the load is on (1/2) in my picture?



Thanks.

[ed_denu]

Ed_denu, did you deliberately pick which side of 220VAC black or red you were going to power the other 110VAC components from? Did you just try and split the load? I see that some are powered from red while others from black.You want to balance the load as much as possible, but either hot feed source would work.

When wiring 220VAC to the output side of the SSR, does the SSR care which terminal the live wire is on and which terminal the load is on (1/2) in my picture?There is no line/load specific connection on the ssr's output side.



Thanks.

See the comments above

[tredicycles]

Ed_denu, this write up on the control box build is amazing! I originally came across your posts on the powder coating guide oven build, and it has been nothing short of enlightening. I decided to go with your control box build instead of the one on the powder coating guide, primarily because I'm using it as a composite oven, and the ramp/soak feature of the controller is crucial for me.

I am interested in buying a Watlow Series 93 controller, but it appears that there are several different models available, and I can't seem to understand which one would work best for me. The general Watlow Series 93 manual appears to specify 'ramp up' programming, but I can't seem to figure out if it also offers the same feature for the cooling; which for me, is equally as important.

Also, I just thought I would mention that it looks like the Watlow Series 93 has been discontinued, and replaced with the Ez-Zone PM model. Any thoughts on that by any chance?

Again, thanks in advance for the insight.

[ed_denu]

The 93 controllers and several other Watlow models(SD, 96) are actually ramp to set point(you can specify the duration of the heat up time only) and not true ramp/soak controllers as I believe I wrote so I'm not sure they will work for you.

You are however correct in that the Ez-Zone's are the current models and ones with an 'R' in the 4th character of the model number are full ramp/soak models. You also need to look closely are the complete model number as all the Watlow line of controllers can be configured in many options.

I'm not sure what your experience is with PID controllers, but the Ez-Zone PM(not to be confused with the Ez-Zone Express) are fairly complicated controllers which can be daunting for even experienced users of these models.

[tredicycles]

I'm glad you pointed the user-friendliness of the Ez-Zone PM Controller. I don't have any real experience with PID controllers such as these, and after some research it appears that they are a bit on the challenging side to operate. I remember you mentioning you're not a huge fan of Auber, but I'll probably end up going with their SYL-2352P. It's their model for SSR hookup, and it has specifically the ramp/soak feature. Also, brand new they go for half the cost of the most economical Watlow that has similar features.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=4

[tredicycles]

Ed_denu, I'm also a little stumbled as to what the purpose is for a timer, if these PID controllers already have programmable timers built into them. It seems like it would be for simple redundancy at that point. Unless; am I totally missing something? Thanks again in advance.

[Hitlist]

Hi, First poster here. I am rebuilding an oven I bought that was used to dry soil samples. It was made by Hotpack I believe and they no longer exist. I stripped out all the old electronics and am building your control box with one difference and that is the Auber ASL-51 for the timer . Everything else basically the same although that will be determined by your answer if you answer this old thread.You supplied link to this timer so I ordered it and while I was reading your thread you stated that I would need two relay outputs and not one. So can you say if this one will work or not ? If not I will order another one . I am using two 3000 watt elements , SYL-2362 PID , SRA40 - SSR and I will be using the fan that came with oven and put in 4 light bulbs as that was cheapest number to order for me and other stuff the same pretty much. All help is appreciated . You do seem to be the answers guy on here.