Arduino, thermocouple, firebricks, and heating elements?

Thanks guys! All super useful insights and information!!! I have a few electrical engineers and a computer scientist telling me, “man this is gonna be so easy and cheap.” They are also willing to do it all for me for free. So it is a little tempting I can’t lie. HOWEVER, I know how these things can turn out. I have wired a couple houses and big shops so I’m not completely in the dark, but almost. I am also willing to bet that evenheats and paragons cost what they cost for a reason. But remember I have three kids, oldest is 4, so things are a little tight. I have to be smart with my money. I have my shop almost started lol.... I had to demo a lot of stuff. It’s just a slow process mainly because I want to do this once. I know things won’t be perfect, but I hope to get them close. Thanks again for all the advice fellas... don’t know what I’d do without y’all
 
Kevin - With all the good WIPs out there on oven building you're not having to design from scratch, but can follow an existing proven design. I do think the building of the oven is VERY doable at a good cost saving over a commercial oven. The big question is how do you wish to control it? Do you wish to have a few stored programs that are selectable at the touch of a button? OR, would it be a hassle to enter new (or use existing) parameters each time you HT? Since I use 90+% AEB-L I can use the same program I used last time, and the few times I do other alloys it's not a hassle to enter different HT parameters.

My HT program is simple, ramp up at full heat to 1975⁰F and hold. I can hear the relays clicking when it reaches temp, let it stabilize for 20-30 minutes, put blades in oven, soak for 8 minutes and start quenching blades. Once finished with quench, turn oven off. I have a different PID controlled oven for tempering.

Arduino? Better have a VERY good knowledge of programming and PID control. There are some good libraries out there for PID control so it's not something you'd have to write from scratch. It would be a fun project doing all the programming and getting it going. With a bit of work you could even store different HT programs selectable at the touch of a button.

Perhaps the easiest and least expensive would be to purchase one of those cheap PID controllers for $20 or so to start, then with use, you'd have experience to decide how extensive you would need the programming to be.

Good luck and have fun - those Arduino µC are fun. I usually embed the chip on a PCB board rather than use an actual Arduino. Now since the Nano's are less expensive than the µC chip, I use a Nano.

Ken H>
 
My last comments are these:
1. If you dont have variable output pid and ssr keep elements a boit 6” from the blades.
2. Use the highest insulating capacity bricks or board you can find.
3. Dont skimp on the TC go thick and long enough to touch the blade...
4. Make sure you can dissasemble easily to replace stuff.
5. Make sure your elements will stay put... they swell and shrink a lot
6. A good door is half the battle
 
C Craft said:
Not I, this was another maker talking to me! I personally have built a lot of my own equipment but I always try to build it as save as I know how to. Now the fact that the seasoned maker was building his fourth,............ IMO that in its self says a lot!!!

I also had another maker when I was asking details on building something, (can't remember at this moment what it was, but the advice stuck)!
He told me I learned to think about it like this, would you rather be building equipment or building knives!!
Click to expand...
That sounds like Ed :)
 
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