A Community and Forum For Aquaponic Gardeners

PID Controller

This thing has the temp nailed (of course it's summer time). Can't wait to see how it does during the winter (well, not really much of a winter here in sunny socal.. hehehehe)

View Slideshow
Get Embed Code

Comment

You need to be a member of Aquaponic Gardening to add comments!

Join Aquaponic Gardening

Comment by Mark Hall on September 6, 2013 at 11:29am: Yes....Very interested in the schematic. I wired a grid tie with battery backup 8kw solar system, so I'm not totally stupid about electricity. (Outback Radian) The DC part was a real learning curve. Have very little experience with controllers like yours. Always wanting to learn. Thanks for sharing.

Comment by Jacalope on September 6, 2013 at 10:51am: It's really not all that complicated - set the PID to 'autotune' and it will adjust itself, providing pulsed power to the heater and thus maintaining the desired temp with minimal fluctuation. The box is high voltage and can be set up as 220 or 120V. Remember, electricity kills and usually does not discriminate, but does have an affinity for the stupid and careless. Always have a licensed electrician built or at least check your work.

I created a schematic if you're interested.

Comment by Jacalope on September 6, 2013 at 10:41am: The module in the center is the PID Controller. It is the 'brain' that controls when to apply heat and when not to. Much more than a mere thermostat, "the PID controller calculation algorithm involves three separate constant parameters: the proportional, the integral and derivative values, denoted P, I, and D. Simply put, these values can be interpreted in terms of time: P depends on the present error, I on the accumulation of past errors, and D is a prediction of future errors, based on current rate of change. The weighted sum of these three actions is used to adjust the process via a control element such as the position of a control valve, a damper, or the power supplied to a heating element."

Comment by Mark Hall on September 6, 2013 at 5:29am: Fantastic! Could you give more detail for those of us who are technically challenged?

Is it all low voltage in the box? I assume those are all relays on the left, and what is the center module called?