Electronic control unit for honey extractor

[BeInspired]

Hello everyone!

Made electronic control unit extractor based board Arduino Nano, a full H-bridge IBT-2 and LCD-display (2x16 characters).
For the test made a program that controls the direction of rotation of the motor and its power.
The source code is available here: pchelovodstvo.ru/forum/index.php?action=vthread&forum=7&topic=1705

Video of the test:
youtube.com/watch?v=WeQIGi0uXPE

It is in Russian, but you can scroll and will, in principle, everything is clear and most of the video If you have any questions - ask!

 

[Davelin]

Classic piece of over-engineering to solve a non-existent problem.

You have been better off just getting a decent radial extractor!

 

[itma]

OK, so an Arduino plus an $11 eBay motor control chip can control the speed (and rotation direction) of an ordinary (not stepper) DC motor - and quite a big one, since the control board will (in theory) switch up to 43 Amps ... !

Myself, I'm not sure that the push-button and lcd control method is necessary - and although a nice refinement, I don't see it as necessary or desireable for honey extraction.
Personally, I would favour the simpler approach of just turning a big knob (connected to a potentiometer) to vary the speed and direction.

I'm guessing that suitable cheap motors could be salvaged from old cars ... however, for me the most daunting part of such a project would be attaching the motor to the extractor!


For anyone wanting to see the demo (and like me speaking no Russian), I'd suggest beginning by skipping 7 minutes into that YouTube video ...
And there is another page discussing using this motor-control board with Arduino (including a wiring schematic)
here =>> http://www.hessmer.org/blog/2013/12/28/ibt-2-h-bridge-with-arduino/comment-page-1/



In Europe, we aren't allowed (any more) to use galvanised extractors ...

 

[itma]

Classic piece of over-engineering to solve a non-existent problem.

You have been better off just getting a decent radial extractor!

Sorry, you aren't understanding that this is using a few quid's worth (£25?) of electronics (OK no more than £40 with the LCD) and something like a car starter motor (from scrap) rather than paying £350 to Thornes, Park or whoever for a motor package.
Which applies regardless of what type of extractor you might attach it to.

Sure a better extractor would be a nice way of spending some money (if it were available), but this is about a cheap way of controlling (taming) a cheap motor.
It probably helps to be as adept handing a welding torch as a soldering iron ... (attaching the motor would be my stumbling block.)

This is using simple programming plus off-the-shelf hardware to solve an awkward (and usually expensive) problem that crops up after you have attached the motor - you need better control than simply full on or completely off ... which this achieves by switching the motor on and off (for variable proportions of time) thousands of times every second.

 

[user 6228]

Sorry, you aren't understanding that this is using a few quid's worth (£25?) of electronics (OK no more than £40 with the LCD) and something like a car starter motor (from scrap) rather than paying £350 to Thornes, Park or whoever for a motor package.
Which applies regardless of what type of extractor you might attach it to.

Sure a better extractor would be a nice way of spending some money (if it were available), but this is about a cheap way of controlling (taming) a cheap motor.
It probably helps to be as adept handing a welding torch as a soldering iron ... (attaching the motor would be my stumbling block.)

This is using simple programming plus off-the-shelf hardware to solve an awkward (and usually expensive) problem that crops up after you have attached the motor - you need better control than simply full on or completely off ... which this achieves by switching the motor on and off (for variable proportions of time) thousands of times every second.

hack a 12V battery operated drill apart to work on a 12V PSU and an external knob instead of the trigger.
simples

 

[Thymallus]

you need better control than simply full on or completely off ... which this achieves by switching the motor on and off (for variable proportions of time) thousands of times every second.

Any reason you couldn't wire in a simple dimmer switch from ebay to your motor? (about £6 including postage).

 

[Davelin]

Sorry, you aren't understanding that this is using a few quid's worth (£25?) of electronics (OK no more than £40 with the LCD) and something like a car starter motor (from scrap) rather than paying £350 to Thornes, Park or whoever for a motor package.
Which applies regardless of what type of extractor you might attach it to.

Sure a better extractor would be a nice way of spending some money (if it were available), but this is about a cheap way of controlling (taming) a cheap motor.
It probably helps to be as adept handing a welding torch as a soldering iron ... (attaching the motor would be my stumbling block.)

This is using simple programming plus off-the-shelf hardware to solve an awkward (and usually expensive) problem that crops up after you have attached the motor - you need better control than simply full on or completely off ... which this achieves by switching the motor on and off (for variable proportions of time) thousands of times every second.

Mine runs perfectly well off a cheap variable speed electric drill.

 

[user 6228]

Any reason you couldn't wire in a simple dimmer switch from ebay to your motor? (about £6 including postage).

Quite a few ...
Dimmers are not usually set up to work with inductive loads
A/C motors ( varying types ) are not usually speed controlled by voltage or current but more on frequency...
plus others
Various types of DC motors dont do well on current or voltage control...
some dont at all

 

[Thymallus]

Fair enough.
If it won't work with AC motors then I guess it won't work, just thought it might be worth a shot.

 

[BKF Admin]

I motorised my manual extractor using the motor and controls off a treadmill for £5 off eBay.

 

[REDWOOD]

Find me one, every time I looked for a treadmill motor for a wind generator they wanted £40

 

[REDWOOD]

It would be good to have a vibration sensor incorporated into the electronics so you could just switch it on and walkaway, if the extractor starts to vibrate with uneven loads the electronics just slow the motor down until it stops vibrating then holds it there for some time and then increases the speed, if Hotpoint can do it then it shouldn't be that hard.

 

[itma]

It would be good to have a vibration sensor incorporated into the electronics so you could just switch it on and walkaway, if the extractor starts to vibrate with uneven loads the electronics just slow the motor down until it stops vibrating then holds it there for some time and then increases the speed, if Hotpoint can do it then it shouldn't be that hard.

No problem.
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/adxl337-and-adxl377-accelerometer-hookup-guide/example-hookup

 

[REDWOOD]

Cool, I know someone who plays with stuff like that, next time he calls in for a cupa i'll run it passed him, funny guy, he always has a few rasberries in his pocket

 

[BeInspired]

Myself, I'm not sure that the push-button and lcd control method is necessary - and although a nice refinement, I don't see it as necessary or desireable for honey extraction.
Personally, I would favour the simpler approach of just turning a big knob (connected to a potentiometer) to vary the speed and direction.

This is a prototype, the finished device, I plan to replace the keyboard on the membrane (like this pchelovodstvo.ru/forum/index.php?action=vthread&forum=7&topic=1705#msg69258) - she will not be afraid of honey.

On this extractor is now installed on the engine from heater of car, cost $13.

 

[BeInspired]

Classic piece of over-engineering to solve a non-existent problem.

My father - a beekeeper with 30 years of experience thinks different ^)

 

[mbc]

, funny guy, he always has a few rasberries in his pocket[/QUOTE]

I know a chap a bit like that, but with him it's a dead mole in his pocket.

 

[BeInspired]

There is video with normal screen size: youtube.com/watch?v=xZY6_jmlV8Q