Cooler Incubator

[toxo]

Quote:
Know what you mean. I tried to find out if it was better to do a quick flip or a slow roll. Couldn't find an answer.
I tried to figure if there was an optimum amount of turns. Again, I couldn't find an answer.
Someone said the hen turns em around a hundred times a day (or more).
If I leave the motor on, it will revolve around 32 times a day. That is 64 "turns". Someone said the turning is like exercise for the embryo in the later stages. If this is true I'm gonna have trouble catching em later on. lol. Might put em in for the chicken Olympics.
I do have a digital time switch which I can set to come on/off as many times as I want theoretically so this is an option. I would set it for an odd number of turns so the tray would be on the "opposite lock" for the longer periods.
I'll wait to see if there are any other comments before I decide.

 

[toxo]

Quote:
Thanks Jason. Praise indeed. If you have the same motor, try to find a much bigger spur gear. This will slow down the revolutions. Double the size = half the revs. (I couldn't find one)
What kind of heating element do you have in mind? (Link?)
I was thinking about two lamps in case one burns out but an element sounds like a better idea. (as long as it's cheap)
Looks like your stats are spot on. Here's an idea I thought up last week.
Humidity is dictated by surface area right! You've got yours right at the moment but you'll need to increase it later. While you are testing, put another tray of water in to get it up to 100%. When you've established what size that second tray is, glue the two trays together. Then partially cut out the glued edge. Run a pipe into the 60% tray. For 18 days the second tray is dry. Then you put more water down the pipe until it overflows into the second tray and voila! you have 100% humidity without messing about with sponges etc or even opening the bator door.

(Edit)
Don't know where that 100% figure came from. I've read so many conflicting figures that school is still out on this one.

 

[Triggerjay]

What kind of heating element do you have in mind? (Link?)
I was thinking about two lamps in case one burns out but an element sounds like a better idea. (as long as it's cheap)
Looks like your stats are spot on. Here's an idea I thought up last week.
Humidity is dictated by surface area right! You've got yours right at the moment but you'll need to increase it later. While you are testing, put another tray of water in to get it up to 100%. When you've established what size that second tray is, glue the two trays together. Then partially cut out the glued edge. Run a pipe into the 60% tray. For 18 days the second tray is dry. Then you put more water down the pipe until it overflows into the second tray and voila! you have 100% humidity without messing about with sponges etc or even opening the bator door.

Love the humidity idea. The heating element I use is kinda large (wattage) compared to a 25w light bulb. I use a 100w strip heater. This is basically what I have:
http://www.vulcanelectric.com/busin...ID=Heaters_1&gclid=CLjmifn99JsCFQEhDQodskTl_A

I bought like 10 of them on E-bay for like $10.00.. A couple years ago I had a go at starting a business building parrot brooders. They all had PID digital temp control, and used these elements. Obviously, the business never took off. I only sold two brooders, (cost was too high compared to the competition) so I have lots of spare parts laying around. I bolted my strip heater to a computer processor fan and heat sink. It holds temp well, and recovers fast after you open the door without overshooting much. This is my first attempt at chicken eggs though,.... so I am by no means an expert. I am good at diy stuff though.. I used to be an engineer until they closed our plant a couple months ago.

Jason​

 

[SpunkyTheMonkey]

been thinking about what you said about the hum tray(s).

since you also have to take into account the ambient humidity outside the bator, which will change, you can't have a "perfect sized" humidity tray (someone jump in if i'm misunderstanding something here) so i was thinking about some kind of sliding cover...

the cover would have a lip which dropped down into the water some way, but not all the way to the bottom of the tray, and you'd be able to slide it in or out so you can control the amount of visible surface area and fine tune the humidity that way.

does that sound like it would work to anyone??

you could probably also do something interesting with a humidistat...you sound more than capable.

 

[toxo]

Quote:
Hmm, bit heavy on the watts. Not come across them before and to be honest I'm always wary of stuff that I don't know about.
At the end of the day, even if I don't install a backup lamp, I've only got to undo 8 screws from the central backplate to put in a new one.
You obviously know more about electronics than I do. What's a PID?
I used to be a metal fabricator/welder way back when. I still love being constructive.
Didn't realise you are actually hatching until I read another of your posts. Good luck with that and keep us informed as to how you're coming along.
Paul

 

[toxo]

Quote:
Of course you're right inasmuch as you're never gonna get things perfect but chooks are getting hatched all over the world in different temperatures and varying degrees of humidity, so while your ambient temperature and humidity is going to change, it's still "your" ambient temperature and humidity and isn't going to change drastically over the hatching period. Then of course, we have to consider if the changes are worth considering at all. Again, I'm guessing that you won't find anyone who will say "this" is the optimum humidity level for everywhere.
Apart from winter heating etc, the hen is living in the same ambient range and she doesn't have any trays.
For my first time, I'll go with the recommended levels but I will try to find "my" optimum. From what I've read so far, the hum levels have the most effect on the membrane which can suffocate/smother the chick but I have much to learn on this subject. I read somewhere about how you test your hygrometer but I've forgotten where
I like your thinking re; the cover over the tray but I think it would need to be airtight to stop the surface area influencing the outside humidity.
Paul

 

[SpunkyTheMonkey]

yeah you'd probably need to fabricate it yourself or get someone else too...you'd need grooves for the lid to slide into or something. probably difficult but since you seem to be going to so much trouble anyway i thought i'd throw it out there.

hygro calibration:

mix 2 parts salt with 1 part water (roughly) in a coffee cup or something similar (normally they say 1/2 a US cup salt, 1/4 cup water).
if you have any water floating on top of the salt, soak it up with a paper towel.
stick it in a zip-lock bag with the hygro.
leave it at room temp away from draughts, air con, heat etc for a stable temp.
come back in 8-10 hours - it should read 75%

[edit] i realised as well that i'm thinking more about my humidity which is a lot less stable than yours.

this is what it's doing over the next 3 days here: 58%, 49%, 38%, 39%, 64%, 51%, 24%, 37%, 60%...

still, beats being back in london

 

[Triggerjay]

here is an example of a PID controller:
http://www.instrumart.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=4714

here is the basic definition of a pid controller... - copied from wikpedia:

A proportional–integral–derivative controller (PID controller) is a generic control loop feedback mechanism (controller) widely used in industrial control systems. A PID controller attempts to correct the error between a measured process variable and a desired setpoint by calculating and then outputting a corrective action that can adjust the process accordingly and rapidly, to keep the error minimal.

You can buy cheap units on E-bay for around $30.00 or so.... They have the ability to be VERY precise on their control ability... more so than needed for a chicken incubator.. Parrot eggs are a whole different world.

Jason

 

[toxo]

Quote:
Thanks for that ? (I'm not gonna call you Spunky)

So are you a Londoner living in Greece or a Greek that used to live in London?
I was born and bred in South East London. Came here to Medway in the eighties.

 

[toxo]

Quote:
So, If you look at the center display on the 1st and 2nd pic on my page, is that what this is?

There are neat little push buttons for C/F, light, temperature up/down

I'd love to retain these but I don't have the knowledge. Bearing in mind it was a cooler so probably doesn't have enough range.

Any help with this would be great but not sure if I would spend a lot of time on it unless the wires can be extended to the outside. After all, the whole concept of this bator is not having to open the door.

Here's a pic of the board.