Official Luthiers Forum!

Owned and operated by Lance Kragenbrink
It is currently Wed Jul 23, 2025 11:41 am


All times are UTC - 5 hours


Forum rules


Be nice, no cussin and enjoy!




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 3:03 pm 
Offline
Mahogany
Mahogany

Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:58 am
Posts: 62
Location: Iowa
First name: Matt
Last Name: Meyer
City: Muscatine
State: Iowa
Zip/Postal Code: 52761
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I've been following the thread on a cheap controller with great interest. Is it possible to make these setups control two blankets simultaneously?


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 6:37 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:57 pm
Posts: 780
Location: Austin, Texas
I would think no. That is if my assumption that you are talking about 1 controller and 2 blankets is correct. In this case you would have twice the amount of juice (amps) going through the controller. I would think that this would cause the controller to overheat and then melt or burn up....or both...now, perhaps it would be relatively 'easy' to modify the internals of the controller to handle this load, but it would be a tad safer and easier to just use 1 device for each blanket.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:10 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:36 am
Posts: 7472
Location: Southeast US
City: Lenoir City
State: TN
Zip/Postal Code: 37772
Country: US
Focus: Repair
If the controller was sized properly to handle the load (amps) from two blankets then it would not be a problem. The biggest issue I see is that you would only have one thermocouple to read the temperature so that one blanket may run too hot or too cold. I would use dual controllers

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:43 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 12:42 pm
Posts: 2360
Location: Windsor Ontario Canada
First name: Fred
Last Name: Tellier
City: Windsor
State: Ontario
Zip/Postal Code: N8T2C6
Country: Canada
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
As long as your external relay or the one in the controller can handle the double amps it should not be a problem, the blankets should be the same and I would be careful at first that the blanket on the opposite side of the wood does not heat too fast and scorch the wood. I might want to use a dimmer controller on that blanket to keep it a little cooler than the main blanket.

Fred Tellier

_________________
Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 10:59 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2007 3:21 pm
Posts: 3444
Location: Alexandria MN
I've bent with two blankets for quite a while now and run them with separate controllers but at the same settings. Blanket/slat/moist brown paper/wood/paper/slat/blanket.
Works great for me, very smooth, I wouldn't go back to one. I think if you could get equal temps with one controller it would be OK.
TJK

_________________
It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 4:14 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:05 pm
Posts: 1567
Location: San Jose, CA
First name: Dave
Last Name: Fifield
City: San Jose
State: CA
Zip/Postal Code: 95124
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I used two separate PID controllers with two solid-state relays and two thermocouples. It's worth the extra money IMO.

Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:21 am 
Offline
Mahogany
Mahogany

Joined: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:58 am
Posts: 62
Location: Iowa
First name: Matt
Last Name: Meyer
City: Muscatine
State: Iowa
Zip/Postal Code: 52761
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll probably just bite the bullet and get another controller.


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:27 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:33 am
Posts: 1518
Location: Canada
I contacted Tom Durr - the guy who made my controller/blanket system - and asked him about the possibility of modifying the control I bought to accomodate two blankets - the answer was no....
Im making another based on the design of the one I bought.... which will cost me alot less.. however.
Cheers
Charlie


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 12:31 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 4:19 am
Posts: 1534
Location: United States
First name: Nelson
Last Name: Palen
I run two blankets off one PID with a leaf type thermocouple on the wood.
The controller relay runs a solid state relay to carry the load.
Seems to work okay other than that flamed maple can be a bear.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 24 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
phpBB customization services by 2by2host.com