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My SR540 with TC4+ Artisan Control
PrehistoricPerk
Hi everyone,

I wanted to show off my SR540 that I just modified to add Artisan control with an Arduino UNO and the TC4+ roasting shield.

First off, it was surprisingly easy to get it working once I learned what everything inside was. Matthias' Instructab;e was very helpful once I had the roaster apart.

I used spade connectors to make everything easy to separate, and I was able to fit everything back inside the roaster minus the DC fan power supply.

Things to note: The fan is a 30v ~6amp 17000RPM DC fan with no visible markings. The stated limit of the TC4+ is 4A for motor control, so I will upgrade to an external PWM DC motor controller. I am also looking at upgrading the motor to a 20000RPM 24V motor pending fitment. I am currently running the fan at 24v 2a DC for testing, and it's not enough to move any beans. It feels like fan setting 1 before modification. 1oz of green beans moves around a little bit, but not enough to attempt a roast.

I'm also creating a box which will hold a 7in touchscreen LCD for my raspberry PI and the AC/DC power supply for the fan motor.

I created this with the idea to be able to unplug everything and put it back to stock minus the larger hole where the rotary knob was, so I have the ability to put the TC4+ onto my BOCABOCA 500G roaster as well.

I''ll include some before and after photos of the internals.

i.imgur.com/Kel9KKa.jpg

i.imgur.com/GIahiyW.jpg

i.imgur.com/JBP5zBW.jpg

i.imgur.com/x3Mi5hM.jpg

i.imgur.com/R6Rv5pI.jpg

i.imgur.com/OmB9t9i.jpg

i.imgur.com/3RIuytF.jpg

i.imgur.com/JfYO9NU.jpg

i.imgur.com/rqdDExH.jpg

i.imgur.com/UBwRQPO.jpg

i.imgur.com/owyJBL6.jpg

i.imgur.com/H6WmfA0.jpg

i.imgur.com/JmoQYqF.jpg

i.imgur.com/YUpfjxJ.jpg
Edited by PrehistoricPerk on 03/24/2021 12:25 PM
 
renatoa
Welcome!

Curiously powerful fan @ 180 Watts, for less than 150 grams of greens.
What is the motor size ?
Waiting the pictures to see the original power source.
 
PrehistoricPerk

Quote

renatoa wrote:

Welcome!

Curiously powerful fan @ 180 Watts, for less than 150 grams of greens.
What is the motor size ?
Waiting the pictures to see the original power source.


I mean, it does sound like a vacuum cleaner when it's running. I think the chamber could be a bit more efficient and my amperage calculations are strictly off of the 30v rating and 5ohm resistance. The motor was powered from AC using the resistance of the heating coils and a bridge rectifier to convert AC to DC. at 24v 2a DC it is severely underpowered which is why I'm waiting on a stronger power supply to arrive. I ordered the roast chamber extension tube which is why I'm hoping to upgrade the fan motor. I'd like to increase bean agitation and more airflow so I can extend out the roast as well as increased capacity. But my real goal is to add this controller to my BocaBoca 500g once it arrives.

I have a Hottop 2k+ at home, but I'm working abroad, and this is what I have with me, so I wanted that same control to increase quality and monitoring of the roasts.
 
renatoa
They are all three very different machines, the roasting approach is not the same for FB, radiant and drum.

The current draw I think is a lot less than 6 Amps, most probably in the 3-4 Amps ballpark, DC resistance is only a small part in the equation of a rotating motor.
 
PrehistoricPerk

Quote

renatoa wrote:

They are all three very different machines, the roasting approach is not the same for FB, radiant and drum.

The current draw I think is a lot less than 6 Amps, most probably in the 3-4 Amps ballpark, DC resistance is only a small part in the equation of a rotating motor.


Yeah, I figured around 4 before the math. then slowly spun it and took an average, and got about 5 or 6. But regardless, if I had a 30v 4a power supply I would probably be better off lol. Surprisingly difficult switching power supply to find. I did find one for LED signs, but they won't ship to me, so I found the smallest 0-48v adjustable supply that I could and I purchased an external PWM Motor Driver and larger motor. I believe the motor is only slightly larger, so I'll modify the housing to make it fit.

I will also be attaching a small flexible k-type thermocouple to the bottom of the SSR to measure the temp and esure it's running safely.
 
Gullygossner
I've been waiting for someone to attempt this as it's something I've been considering for my sr800 at various times. I'm slightly disappointed at the amount of power draw the fan motor has as I was hoping to use the tc4+ to control it.

I had k-type thermocouples in the bean mass and upper portion of the roast chamber but I wasn't getting the results I wanted.

I've gone back and forth on this and landed on the k.i.s.s. approach using sight, time and the units built in et temperature readout. I've gotten really good results but will be following your progress for a potential winter project.
 
PrehistoricPerk
So.....I burned out the motor and broke the centrifugal fan piece lol.

I was trying to remove the motor to get measurements, but it was epoxied to the fan, and impossible to remove. I damaged a wire inside it while trying to keep it from spinning to remove the fan blade.

What I found was the motor is a non-standard size and specs. I ordered a few different thing from amazon to try to repair/upgrade it.

I purchased a more standard 775 motor that will do 20k RPM 3k more than stock. But, finding a 3in paddle-style fan blade was just as impossible as finding the stock motor. So I purchased a small wand style vacuum and a Duct-booster fan module.

I also purchased the Glass extension tube for the roast chamber. I think if I use the duct booster, I will have more than enough fan power to move quite a large bean mass.

And I bought a cheapo popcorn roaster that had bad reviews because it would blow popcorn everywhere. That sounds like a fan I could use. We'll see what kind of stuff I can hack together when it all arrives.

My bocaboca 500g roaster arrived yesterday as well, that will be my next project to use with the TC4+. Upon initial inspection, all the wiring is banana plugs, so it will be fairly easy to tap into. I will post another thread for the BOCABOCA. The hardest thing will be getting the temperature probes, as it is a rotating assembly.
 
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