PID controlled cabinet...which heater?

[Aardwolf]

Hi guys,

I've built a PID controller (pics attached) with the intention of keeping a cabinet heated throughout the winter in which I'll keep some slings.
My current heating pad is too weak for the cabinet (only gets the temp up to 25 and it's not even cold yet, but I would like around 28 degrees achievable) so I want to get a cabinet heater with a fan built in as seen attached.
Will this type of heater with the fan work with a PID controller? Or is the short on-off intervals of PID bad for the fan?
Suggestions are welcome if anyone has experience with PID temperature controlling an enclosure.

Thanks

 

[viper69]

Hi guys,

I've built a PID controller (pics attached) with the intention of keeping a cabinet heated throughout the winter in which I'll keep some slings.
My current heating pad is too weak for the cabinet (only gets the temp up to 25 and it's not even cold yet, but I would like around 28 degrees achievable) so I want to get a cabinet heater with a fan built in as seen attached.
Will this type of heater with the fan work with a PID controller? Or is the short on-off intervals of PID bad for the fan?
Suggestions are welcome if anyone has experience with PID temperature controlling an enclosure.

Thanks

Nice build—- wouldn’t the heater manufacturer know best?

 

[Aardwolf]

Those types of heaters are a Chinese brand for sale at a local shop where I live. Sales people won't know the answer, but maybe I can mail a manufacturing company...

 

[The Snark]

You all be feeding chocolate dipped strawberrys in a silver bowl to a pig. Given the correct feedback, PIDs can and are used for just about everything in the way of industrial or commercial control systems. A dumbed down PI control circuit runs most computer power supplies. What you need is an interface, Relays, SCRs, Triacs and so on, which will probably cost you more than just buying a thermostat.

 

[Aardwolf]

You all be feeding chocolate dipped strawberrys in a silver bowl to a pig. Given the correct feedback, PIDs can and are used for just about everything in the way of industrial or commercial control systems. A dumbed down PI control circuit runs most computer power supplies. What you need is an interface, Relays, SCRs, Triacs and so on, which will probably cost you more than just buying a thermostat.

I know thermostat's are cheaper and easier, not part of my query though. I built the controller for multiple uses, and curious to see how it works to heat a closet. No harm in that If it doesn't, I'll use one of my thermostats or STC-1000 controllers...
Thank you for the refresher on what PID's can be used for. My query is regarding the fan type heater though (wether it is compatible with a PID controller or not).

 

[The Snark]

Thank you for the refresher on what PID's can be used for.

A friend of my wife and I had a wacky idea. Decorate their house on Halloween like Christmas decorations. Word spread thanks to his wife who was something of a princess charming throughout the neighborhood. Their entire street got in on the idea. Long story short, him being a systems control programmer for a large pulp mill packed a spare PID home, he had me bang together a bank of relays and we had 12 houses involved in the light and sound show. Word got around and that Christmas was even worse with a good portion of that area of the city synced to Christmas carols playing over the local church loud speakers.
My personal contribution that fateful halloweeen was a massive spiderweb made up of a couple dozen strings of christmas lights strung across the front of an apartment building blinking and glaring in sync to Bohemian Rhapsody over and over. All sorts of weird can be done with PIDs.

 

[Rhino1]

I can't comment on the PID but I used a similar heater with cabinets and python hatchlings
The issue with fan forced over convection style heating is it tends to do funny things like concentrate/ circulate air around certain spots resulting in significantly warmer areas, it's a good idea to test the flow and direction with something like chalk powder and possibly add in baffles in the cabinet to direct the air around where you need it.
Although that unit should be efficient in heating up a cabinet in a fairly short amount of time. Good luck- post some pics