new incubator build

[chickenaddictntn]

 

[encorepistol]

Ok Got a few pictures taken . Its' almost complete and holding temps really well even in the garage where it gets really cold at night. I took out the gqf heating element and put in an element out of a small electric heater, not sure of the wattage but made a big difference and also turned the fan around to blow down the warm air out the bottom. I've got the turning racks in place and turning freely but have to join them together and hook them to the motor once I get it mounted. With some help from an electronics forum I've got the motor control figured out but have to wait on a few small parts to arrive. I also made my hatcher for the bottom which is made of plexiglass so I can just hose it out after every hatch and just covered it with some left over 1/2 x 1 wire. I'm getting closer and will wait to do the final paint and finish this winter.

 

[abritton77]

It looks really good, does the fan suck from the top and blow down? Ive built 2 smaller ones and am thinking about building one like yours that will hold a couple hundred eggs.

 

[encorepistol]

Yes it blows down through the back now. I had it blowing to the front with the smaller element and.it seemed to have a harder time keeping steady. Its pretty stable now and could probably be better if I used an electronic thermostat. I may add a reptitemp thermostat at a later time. The turner has been a huge headache but finally have it figured out where it should.work right. The plan I found for the timer control for the motor is flawed so have to do some things to make it work. When I have it working I will post pics of what had to be done.

 

[_Randall_]

Quote:
I would think the OSB would draw a lot more moisture and perhaps swell. Maybe you could use the newer, treated OSB that's supposed to resist taking on moisture and swelling. I think the idea is that you don't need to Tyvek the place if you use the coated OSB, but I could be wrong.

Coat plywood, OSB, whatever......with "WATER BASE" Polyurethane, and not only will there be no moisture absorbtion, but no odor as well.

 

[encorepistol]

Well after not working on it much lately I sat down and got it working. I had to make a part for.the lever arm off of the motor and add a couple pieces to it to contact the limit switches. Its pretty simple and cant believe I was thinking too much into it. Ill take pics and make a list of the bought parts to make the turner itself. A lot of it I already had, not that theres a lot of parts. I also made a couple changes to the cabinet such as moving the heater element into the back of the false wall. Ive had it running for weeks and the temps are rock steady and the fan helps a lot with moving so much air. Its not very pretty now but Ill redo that part of it over the winter. Gotta get eggs in it this weekend for a test run!! Pics to come!

 

[stonykill]

looking forward to it! I just had my 1st hatch from a borrowed LG. While it worked well, I really wish to build my own rather than buy one. That's just how I'm wired....

 

[encorepistol]

Ok got a couple pics of the setup but may make another topic to explain the timer and motor setup better. It's really simple, I'm using a sprinkler timer that lets me use two programs to control the times the motor will turn. I tried a different timer first but it only had one program and it ran each station one right after the other. The timer output 24 volts ac but to make it work with the 24 vdc motor all I had to do was add two diodes to the timer outputs to let me reverse the motor. The common of the timer runs to the motor common and each of the station outputs , 2 are all that are used, has a diode connected in opposite directions to which a wire is connected to and run to its own limit swith then to the motor. The pictures probably will not clarify it verry well so I need to make a drawing in paint to clear things up better. I have it working flawlessly and it turns eggs at 12 and 6 twice a day for 4 egg turnings each day. I'll have to get the motor numbers and all and post them, I know its a Molon motor 24 vdc and turns at 1.4 rpm and does an excellent job. This was much easier than I thought once I got some advice from the electronic gurus from a couple other sites I frequent. Here is a pic of the timer I used, other would work but I got this one cheap off of ebay.

This pic shows the motor arm and limit switches.

 

[encorepistol]

Did some rework on the door hinges and added latches today. I've closed it up and added water and am getting it up to temp again as I type this. Hopefully eggs will go in tomorrow. The turner is working like a charm!!! Pic of it closed up and getting ready.

 

[stonykill]

looks really great!