Help with PID control for homemade heat treat oven

[Mr. Tex]

Hello I am new to the forum and I am thinking of making a heat treat oven. I have looked at quite a few different PID controllers but i just don't seem to get how they would be wired and what wires and other things I need to make a heat treating oven. I know I need a SSR but as far as what wires and how to wire them I have no idea. I will be using high carbon steels, and stainless steels. I only have access to 110v. Thanks

 

[Ken H>]

You'll need to keep the oven size small for only 120vac. There are several builds on this forum with step by step info on how they were built. Great WIPs on ovens here. Just do a couple of searches, and perhaps use the Bladeforums Custom Search Engine found in sticky at top of this sub forum

 

[nickandersonart]

Mr. Tex, there are plenty of threads about he PID builds in the stickies. Check the sub-sticky that has PID listed in the title. I'd research a bit more and start the build, then ask specific questions when you run into a wall along the way. I think right now your question is a bit general.

I'd say this: if you don't need Ramping or soaking capabilities I recommend the syl-2352 from auberins.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=3

Make sure to choose the SSR control option. This PID is fine for both 110 and 220. You'll then need (well, want at least) TWO SSR's if doing a high temp oven. Get the 40 watt ones, and two heat sinks. Then you need a thermocouple capable of your desired max temp, some thermocouple lead wire, and then some basic electronics gear (wires, switch, plugs) that you can get from RadioShack, and you then at least have the CONTROLLER part of the heat treat oven built. Then, you can tackle the oven itself as a secondary project.

Think of the controller like this: it is the brain that operates an on/off device based on an input. In this case, the on/off device is a heater (coils) and the input is temperature (thermocouple). When you think of it like this, it's more simple to understand.

As far as extra wires go, get heavy duty wires like 10 or 12gauge for the main power that is switched to the coils, and for the wiring to the PID (and PID to SSR) use small like 18-24 gauge.

Then get a couple switches, a couple fuse holders, some heavier cable for a plug between oven-controller and controller-wall, and some kind of project box and you're all set.

Hope that helps read the stickies also you should be well on your way!

 

[JTknives]

Welcome,
You need to study the previous posts about oven builds here on the forum. Wiring up an oven can be a dangerous endeavour as your working with something the can eather shock you or start a fire. So you need to get some knowledge under your belt by doing some easy research here on the forum. Building an oven is a big project to do right and if your not planning on doing it right then it would be better to save your money and buy one. Expect to spend between $500 to $1000 to build the oven. I'm not trying to discourage you at all but just point out the facts that building an oven is a rather in depth endeavour that should not be taken lightly.