Johnson A419 Controls

[CigarSeeker]

I really hate to make a separate post for this but I just purchased a Johnson A419 controls for my Wineador and wondering where to drill in ? Im just worried I drill in the wrong place and screw something up. I'll be using a silcone auqarium sealant to avoid humidity/ temp leakage. Thank you.

[foreese]

I drilled mine at the bottom near the drain plug where I could tell the only thing was insulation. If you purchased a winador with thermoelectric cooling unit all the electronics are in the middle and top, pretty safe drilling in the middle bottom.

Hope that helps

[CigarSeeker]

I drilled mine at the bottom near the drain plug where I could tell the only thing was insulation. If you purchased a winador with thermoelectric cooling unit all the electronics are in the middle and top, pretty safe drilling in the middle bottom.

Hope that helps

Helps a lot! I appreciate it! Can't wait till I finish this project.. Been ongoing for over a month to perfect it. Thanks again!

[PigFish]

I don't use one of these (for the record) but I thought I would bring up sensor placement, as it is very important, controller notwithstanding. Depending on your design for circulation you might find that there are better and worse locations for your sensor. Its best placement is empirical in nature so there is no, one right place. Just leave yourself some room to move it around and test it in different locations.

Good luck on your project. -Piggy

[CigarSeeker]

Thanks, Piggy! I have a whynter CHC-251s which is only 2.5 cubic ft. I'm placing two fans on the base for air circulation. There is a built in fan in this TE unit located in the center. (I hate that stupid fan since it blows cold air on my boxes) but I'm still trying to figure out a way out for that part.

[PigFish]

There are a number of things that you should try.

First read my build humidor thread at the top of this forum. While I no longer build them this way, the concept and performance of a false back, separating the cold, wet space from the proper internal of you humidor is a sound one. My humidors are all still built in this fashion, conceptually. The complexity and cost comes from the way the parts interact and of course the machining that it takes to make them. This makes some of my designs not totally suitable for others wishing to emulate my designs.

I have been wanting to build one of these small humidors for years just to prove (lets say see if I can prove) that they can work. I have no desire for a humidor this size so it would have to be an solely academic excursion for me. Most people, including my existing clients are pushing me to develop a large 150 plus size wine cooler. In that way, the money spent on conversion is the most efficient. The fact is, I have the cash earmarked for this currently, I just have too many projects ahead of it for me to go out and buy the wine cooler... I digress....

I can make you something here, but my parts get a little pricey, and since I have not tested it in your configuration, I cannot say that I would feel good about selling it, knowing you could be wasting your money. Humidor building is an empirical process. Following theory often ends up at a dead end.

I don't mind helping you on ideas however, and if you have a plastics distributor in your area, and a table saw you can crudely build a lot of this yourself with a little tenacity and a little skill.

My formal designs are not really going to be easy to produce by others. Some of these ideas will kill a lot of your internal space in a cooler the size of yours, so considering them might not be such a good idea from a space perspective.

I have been making videos (lately) to assist those making humidors from my kits. Perhaps I will make one and show you what one of my false back assemblies looks like. With that, I cannot stop you from 'stealing' my design ideas.... ! If you want to try and make one yourself. -LOL

I will see what I can do.

Best of luck on your project. -R

[CigarSeeker]

I just finished installing this controller and set my temp at 70. For those who have this controller, my wineador keeps shutting off every 5-10 min and turns back on few mins later. While I know that's what the controller does, I'm wondering how safe is it for the Wineador? I'd hate to burn the electrics on it just because it now shuts off and turns on 100 times a day? ?

[PigFish]

I just finished installing this controller and set my temp at 70. For those who have this controller, my wineador keeps shutting off every 5-10 min and turns back on few mins later. While I know that's what the controller does, I'm wondering how safe is it for the Wineador? I'd hate to burn the electrics on it just because it now shuts off and turns on 100 times a day? ?

... again, I don't use one of these controllers. This is due to activation logic and differential logic built into, or programable in a programable logic controller. I don't know these Johnson controls (I don't own any) but you will have to do some research on the controller to see what, if any, of their logic, beyond set point, you can control.

Since you are using a TE cooler, there is no real reason for anti-shortcycle protection. There is no physical, pressurized systems that need over current protection. There is no compressor in your system. I cannot see why you cannot cycle this system on and off with zero negative effects. (MHO)

You might be able to use your anti-shortcycle feature (if it has it) to enhance your logic position and protect you from some overshoot, but that is advanced thinking in a beginners class...

One of the reasons to replace your controller, is for this very reason. Not only to find a set point different from a pre-programmed set point not found on your existing controller, but to adjust the logic so that you can run shorter cycles and better control conditioning and overshoot. This also helps control dehydration as a result of cooling.

Best of luck on your project!!! -Piggy

Postscripum: My non TE coolers can cycle from every 4 to 15 minutes. I have systems now that I have run like this for the better part of 10 years this way... This is why I use industrial rated equipment, with high mean-time to failure components!

[CigarSeeker]

Piggy, you're a wealth of knowledge my friend. I been searching and found that one cause of this if you place the sensor right in front of the TE cooler fan. Yup that's exactly where it's sitting right now ???.. I'll make some adjustments when I get home and this was expected. That's why all my cigars are sitting in a cooler in my garage at 67RH and 68F.

[PigFish]

... read previous post about sensor placement...! -LOL

-the Pig

[CigarSeeker]

... read previous post about sensor placement...! -LOL

-the Pig

I know.. Lol ???