Stir Plate Fishished

by **brewmeisterintng** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:04 pm

Except for the knob...

I used a 25 ohm rheostat and a switch from Radio Shack.

by **bfabre** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:05 pm

Pardon my ignorance....what would a stir plate be used for and what does it do?

by **brewmeisterintng** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 11:44 pm

B,
A stir plate is used in making a yeast starter. A flask would sit on top of the box with a stir bar inside. It is used to aerate the starter by means of spinning a magnetic bar inside the flask. It keeps the yeast in suspension and feeding O2 for more yeast. There are a lot of sites out there that cover this subject in great detail just Google search it.

by **bfabre** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 1:05 am

James,
I looked at some sites for stir plates they are little pricey. Economy has always worked for me. Nice job.

by **seanshankus** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 8:32 pm

I'm in the process of doing the same thing. I love the BIG switches.

by **brewmeisterintng** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 8:43 pm

I gave it a test after adding the switch and volume control. I worked great. It worked well before but I had to center the flask on the plate ensuring the magnet was in the right spot before plugging it in. Now it's just a flip of the switch. Speed was previously controlled by the number of volts applied. Now it gets a constant 12 and speed is controlled with the rheostat.
Note: The LED light is a plus

by **wottaguy** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 1:36 pm

Nice job James.

Hope it serves you well....Here's some pic's of the stir plate that I made about a year ago....

I can do 2 liter starter on it with a 2000ml flask with no problem. I also use it with my small dorm fridge to keep the starter at the optimum temperature. It works great!

If anyone needs a parts list, I would be happy to provide one. Most parts are from Radio Shack.

(_)3

by **jawbox** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:32 pm

nice stir plate wottaguy. Do you have that parts list available?

by **wottaguy** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:22 pm

Sure Jawbox...Just give me a day or 2 to round up the info. I actually have the parts to make 3 more of them....

I'll let you know in a short while....

(_)3

by **brewmeisterintng** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 8:15 pm

12 Volt DC power supply - available at Goodwill
12 Volt On/ Off Switch - Radio Shack
25 Ohm Rheostat (volume control) - Radio Shack
12 Volt Computer Fan
Rare earth magnet from HD or craft store
Box of choice
Stir Bar - E-bay (I use 1.5 inch)

This should give you some idea of what parts you’re looking for.
Note: Polarity matters. Test as you go before you final wire everything.

by **yaturaz** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 7:07 am

Thx a bunch:) I think I am going to give this a try.

by **wottaguy** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 10:25 am

+1 what brewmeisterintng said.

Here's my official parts list:

1 - 4" PC DC Fan
1 - Project Box Radio Shack # 270-1806
1 - Rocker Switch Radio Shack - #275-694
1 - Knurled Knob Radio Shack - # 274-424 (2 per pak)
1 - 25 Ohm Rehostat Radio Shack - #271-265
1 - 12v DC Power Supply Source - Pld cell phone charger etc...
1 - Rare Earth Magnet from old PC Hard Drive..
4 - 6-32 x 2: Flathead Machine Screws
12 - 6-32 nuts
8 6-32 washers

Here's a PIC of the parts:

My standoffs are 4/6-32x2" flat head screws using 3 nuts and 2 washers at the correct places on each post. The height of the fan is adjustable. The box is from Radio Shack.

(_)3