[Joint hogger]

Ive got all the parts to make a 2 variac fan controller, similar to Rastajedi's & Danlads


heres some pics of the parts


the replacement enclosure box after i Lost the other one
it measures 13 7/8" long, 8" wide & 6" high.





Maplins 0.7A variac, its only got 2 screws holding the dial on unlike Rasta's & danlads which has 3 screws.
ill use the dial to mark the holes ill drill out.









for the thermometer, im using a honeywell T6360.





& instead of using the wired in adaptor extensions, i got these from bnq.

[Joint hogger]

ive also got the 5A relay & holder to control both the variacs at once with the one thermostat.
model no N13AW with the 8 pin socket DIN.

(din means it's mounted on din rail, the other type has pin coming out the bottom
to be mounted onto a circuit board)








e2a -- does anyone know what the 2 prongs are for ? me & danlaad havent a clue

This post has been edited by Joint hogger: 18 July 2009 - 07:23 PM

[Joint hogger]

for connector block, i got some 15A, which might be a bit overkill but it'll do.
it cost about £1.50.





& once ive wired everything together, ill use self adhesive cable tie mounts & cable ties to keep everything tidy,
think they cost just over a quid from bnq.





as for the cable, i got some 1.5mm 3 core, think it was a tenner for 10m.




& not forgetting the 4 cable glands, they cost about 3 quid for the lot.





i havent bothered using an inline fuse but ill put a 3A fuse in the mains plug &
ill use a 20mm flat wood drill bit to cut out the holes for the glands.






now just have to copy danlads wiring diagram without electrocuting myself




if anyones going to attempt to build their own variac thermostat controller, please be carefull as BurstBud says

use a ip56 rated box... coz these suckers CAN KILL...

This post has been edited by Joint hogger: 18 July 2009 - 07:44 PM

[Joint hogger]

gonny put it together tomorrow nite as i need to get the 6" rvk sound sorted before running it,
its like a bloody turbo jet being in the same room that & the 6" x 600mm CF

plus i need to get the plants moved into the tent pronto, theyre starting to outgrow the cab,
& ive already had to top the mazars a bit as they were starting to suffer


ill post a cost tally but i think its around the ton mark

[Joint hogger]

Finally managed to spare some time tonite & i took some pics whilst i was at it.


this is how i started out.

a weather proof box, a drill, 4 cable glands & a 20mm flat wood drill bit.




these pics are of the base of the lid, i decided to drill 1 hole on the lid for the thermostat cable
& 3 holes on the box's base (1 for power in & the other 2 for power to the 2 fans)
i also fitted the glands, theyre very easy to fit & you can tighten them up with your fingers.






the next thing to do is to mark the holes needed on the box lid for the variacs.
so place the variac on the lid & you get a rough idea of where you want to fit it.



i unscrewed the knob & dial from the variac & used the dial as a template to mark with a pencil.
i used a 7mm bit for the main hole & a 5mm bit for the 2 screw holes.

This post has been edited by Joint hogger: 21 July 2009 - 12:19 AM

[Joint hogger]

this is the variac fitted & set to 50% power.




this is the 2 variacs fitted, theyre not that big

oh, a wee tip to remember, before you take the dial & the knob off, move the knobs indicator to 0 power
& check the position of the arm on the back of the variac, this way you wont put the knob back on at the wrong power setting






the next installment will be in the next few days & ill be attempting to wire it all up together

[Joint hogger]

thanks Gwaan

i got the box off fleabay, £15 & thats with p&p included.

ill start the wiring tomorrow & ill post the results,

[Rastajedi]

Hello JH, great to see another variac build, thought it best to point out that variacs can get pretty toasty with long term use and you might want to remove the paper label thats stuck to the underside of the lid, in time the glue could dry out and the label start drooping directly onto the variacs, its probably odds against it happening but rather safe than sorry n'all that
Have fun and best of luck with the rest of the build mate doing a great job so far, enjoy quiet non-buzzing automated fan control

Rj

[Joint hogger]

thanks for the tip Rasta ma man


i went to start the wiring last night but im bloody hopeless at soldering ended chucking it ater a few failed attempts.
im just going to go to maplins before work & pick up some lucas female connectors to try instead.

[Joint hogger]

Quote

Does this box control the voltage ?
I can see it's a fan speed controller I assume this is basically what my airforce speed controller is

i think its basically the same, its just a cheaper diy version with an added in room thermostat,
so, you can set the stat at say 30c & if the room goes above 30c, the variac kicks in at
full power until the temps drop below 30c then itll return to the lower voltage/speed.

Quote

I would have a go as I do like a bit of DIY but parts cost wise
I think I might as well buy the 3amp version instead.

it all depends on cost at the end of the day but reckon i could make a similar controller like
yours (airforce) for between £61 for the 0.75A & £71 for the 2.75A controllers.
could possibly do them cheaper if i used an old pc psu's enclosure box.

the IP66 ABS plastic enclosure costs £10.
the Variac is a 0.75A £34 (p&p inc) or a 2.75A for £44 (p&p included)

if you want a seperate spare socket to plug anything in (240v)
then you'd need 3 20mm glands £2.64 (88p each)
1 Socket Garden Lead 10m £9.50
1 socket extension head £4.00
1 15A connector block £1.00




anyway, back to the ongoing variac build,
im still a bit stuck on soldering the wires to the variacs but ive been
watching some you tube clips to try & get the hang of it.

does anyone know if i could use female spade connectors instead ?

cheers
JH

[Promethius]

Joint hogger, on Jul 24 2009, 11:04 PM, said:

does anyone know if i could use female spade connectors instead ?

i hope so as thats what i used crimped on nice n tight and should be fine

[Joint hogger]

Quote

i hope so as thats what i used crimped on nice n tight and should be fine

yes, ya dancer thanks Promethius


the only thing holding me up now is i need to get some 8mm spade connectors,
on the maplin 0.75A variac, terminals 1, 2 & 4 are 6mm & terminal 3 is 8mm



its always something

[DaftSkunk]

hey jh,

looking good so far. anyway i used spade connectors to connect to the variacs, not going anywhere so should be fine, i hope so anyway

still no luck on the prongs?

dan