Electrical Advice Needed

[chuck white]

Wow with a 4" radius, you'll need a lot less power per lb ( about a 1/3). I'm surprised that a small motor would have any issue at all.
Is there some chance something is binding. Can you turn it by hand? I suspect that drilling a screw into a piece of wood would take more torque. Can you compare the effort to turning the drum by hand (turning the shaft not the drum part) with screwing in a sheet rock screw into a pine board?
How many pounds are you putting in the drum?
Also 30 RPM seems fast. I would think 5 to 10 RPM would be more reasonable.

I think the drill has much more torque when you fully squeeze the trigger. I am asking it to turn my drum with about as minimum speed possible with the trigger slightly pulled using a screw clamp. As I said above, it works with 2 1/2 lbs. or less but I want to ultimately roast 5 +.

I think 20 rpm's might be OK and having a variable speed would be best of all. Thats why I tried the drill with the adjustable clamp first.

That is a full revolution, every three seconds.
I look around and see what I might have.

[Valuesize]

How much do unroasted beans weigh vs. the finished product?

I lose close to 20% of the weight depending on the bean and the darkness of the roast. So to finish with 2 lbs. I load 2 lbs. 6.5 ozs. Actually I convert pounds to grams as I find it easier and more accurate. Most often I load 1633 grams to finish with 3 lbs.

[tvguy]

I would actually prefer having two motors, one being cordless so I don't have to rely on A/C so I can roast at a farmers market or farm stand.
If my 18 V max torque 7 ft-lb. drill won't work for much more than two pounds of beans, what numbers am I looking for if I use a rechargeable drill?

If you could find a 12 volt motor then you could run your roaster on your car battery or a spare 12 volt battery.
You said your battery drill 18 V max torque 7 ft-lb didn't cut it.

12 volt trolling motors are easy to find and even the smaller ones are usually at least 28 foot pounds.
A 30 ft pound Minn kota is 100 bucks new and you can find them for half of that or even less . I know, I have at least five trolling motors that I've bought for a now defunct electric boat project

I like this idea. Can you show me an example photo of the type you're talking about?

I was talking about ANY electric 12 volt trolling motor like they sell at Walmart. Frankly I have to idea of how to hook it to your roaster I haven't replaced a propeller in so long..

Duct tape?

What about the electric motors for car windows?. They are 12 volt and pretty powerful. All you would need is a variable controller. I assume they have enough RPMs?

Anyway if you end up with a 12 volt motor and controller that works you could use a 12 DC power supply when you have AC current available .There are lots of those around that come out of travel trailers( I have one) That way you wouldn't need two motors.

[Valuesize]

I thought someone mentioned windshield wiper motors but now I don't see it, may have been another forum. I like this one.

[Valuesize]

I found a ice cream maker at a yard sale today for 3 bucks. I'll work on attaching it to the BBQ and spit rod tomorrow. It is one of the cheaper Rival models and I give it a 50/50 chance of lasting 10, 30 min. roast cycles. I mostly want to see how the 44 rpm's it turns does for the roast.

[Valuesize]

I found a ice cream maker at a yard sale today for 3 bucks. I'll work on attaching it to the BBQ and spit rod tomorrow. It is one of the cheaper Rival models and I give it a 50/50 chance of lasting 10, 30 min. roast cycles. I mostly want to see how the 44 rpm's it turns does for the roast.

This thing was so easy to hookup it is as though it was made for this job. All I needed was one socket from my toolbox and a deflated balloon to put in the female sprocket of the motor to grip the socket. I loaded the drum with 3.6 pounds of beans, flipped the switch and away it went. I need to change my opinion as to the longevity of this thing now. There is so little strain on this motor I see no reason it won't last a long time.

[Valuesize]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

[tvguy]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

I'm thinking no for reasons already given earlier in the thread.

Too bad you can't use gears or belts that you can easily change.

[Valuesize]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

I'm thinking no for reasons already given earlier in the thread.

Too bad you can't use gears or belts that you can easily change.

Ok then. Did you watch this video? http://www.roguevalleyforum.com/forum/sh...#pid345231

I like this motor because it runs quietly. Oh and how is a marine battery different from a car battery?

[tvguy]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

I'm thinking no for reasons already given earlier in the thread.

Too bad you can't use gears or belts that you can easily change.

Ok then. Did you watch this video? http://www.roguevalleyforum.com/forum/sh...#pid345231

I like this motor because it runs quietly. Oh and how is a marine battery different from a car battery?

A marine battery if you (mean deep cycle) is designed to put out smaller amounts of power for longer times. Like powering a trolling motor or a few lights in a travel trailer. They are meant to be used even to the point when they are near dead and the of course recharged.
A car battery is designed to put out a LOT of power for a short time.. Like cranking a big gas engine.They aren't meant to be used to the point where they are nearly dead. They start to recharge as soon as the engine starts.

[tvguy]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

I'm thinking no for reasons already given earlier in the thread.

Too bad you can't use gears or belts that you can easily change.

Ok then. Did you watch this video? http://www.roguevalleyforum.com/forum/sh...#pid345231

Yes I saw the video. That looks fine and you can control the speed easily because it is a 12 volt motor. I kind of wondered if the Ford Fiesta motor was too weak or not. If so I would pull a motor out of a Cadillac or something.
Also if you went back to the windshield wiper motor idea you could remove the controls for different speeds.

[Valuesize]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

I'm thinking no for reasons already given earlier in the thread.

Too bad you can't use gears or belts that you can easily change.

Ok then. Did you watch this video? http://www.roguevalleyforum.com/forum/sh...#pid345231

I like this motor because it runs quietly. Oh and how is a marine battery different from a car battery?

A marine battery if you (mean deep cycle) is designed to put out smaller amounts of power for longer times. Like powering a trolling motor or a few lights in a travel trailer. They are meant to be used even to the point when they are near dead and the of course recharged.
A car battery is designed to put out a LOT of power for a short time.. Like cranking a big gas engine.They aren't meant to be used to the point where they are nearly dead. They start to recharge as soon as the engine starts.

The marine battery sounds good for what I need. It sounded like it was going to be more expensive but I checked and they aren't. Cool....

[kadylady]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

I'm thinking no for reasons already given earlier in the thread.

Too bad you can't use gears or belts that you can easily change.

Ok then. Did you watch this video? http://www.roguevalleyforum.com/forum/sh...#pid345231

I like this motor because it runs quietly. Oh and how is a marine battery different from a car battery?

A marine battery if you (mean deep cycle) is designed to put out smaller amounts of power for longer times. Like powering a trolling motor or a few lights in a travel trailer. They are meant to be used even to the point when they are near dead and the of course recharged.
A car battery is designed to put out a LOT of power for a short time.. Like cranking a big gas engine.They aren't meant to be used to the point where they are nearly dead. They start to recharge as soon as the engine starts.

Good explanation of the deep cell battery. I should know that, but I didn't...now I do. I know we have two on our travel trailer.

[Cuzz]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

I'm thinking no for reasons already given earlier in the thread.

Too bad you can't use gears or belts that you can easily change.

Ok then. Did you watch this video? http://www.roguevalleyforum.com/forum/sh...#pid345231

I like this motor because it runs quietly. Oh and how is a marine battery different from a car battery?

A marine battery if you (mean deep cycle) is designed to put out smaller amounts of power for longer times. Like powering a trolling motor or a few lights in a travel trailer. They are meant to be used even to the point when they are near dead and the of course recharged.
A car battery is designed to put out a LOT of power for a short time.. Like cranking a big gas engine.They aren't meant to be used to the point where they are nearly dead. They start to recharge as soon as the engine starts.

The marine battery sounds good for what I need. It sounded like it was going to be more expensive but I checked and they aren't. Cool....

What TVdude said is true but to maximize the longevity of a deep cycle battery the rule of thumb is to only draw it down about half of it's rated capacity between recharges. So, for 100 amp hour battery use 50 amp hours then recharge. That's 1 amp for 50 hours or 0.5 amps for 100 hours or 2 amps for 25 hours, etc. A good quality battery should last 5 years and I've seen some go almost 10 years with good care. I wouldn't worry too much if it's over drawn beyond the half rating point on occasion. It's just a rule of thumb after all, more of a guideline really.

edit: forgot to ask, when's the coffee ready???

[chuck white]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

Potentiometers are rarely used to directly control significant power (more than a watt),

I found some 10 RPM, but nothing faster in my collection of gear motors

[Valuesize]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

Potentiometers are rarely used to directly control significant power (more than a watt),

I found some 10 RPM, but nothing faster in my collection of gear motors

Thanks CW. I finally had the chance to roast with my $3. ice cream maker motor today. 44 rpm's was just the perfect speed and 3.6 lbs. didn't change the pitch of the motor one bit. I just left the motor intact (as it comes from the box) placed a socket that fit the roasters rod and away it went.

This is it.

[Wonky3]

My neighbor said I could use this gadget to control the rpm's on a AC motor without much harm. What do you all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentiometer

Potentiometers are rarely used to directly control significant power (more than a watt),

I found some 10 RPM, but nothing faster in my collection of gear motors

Thanks CW. I finally had the chance to roast with my $3. ice cream maker motor today. 44 rpm's was just the perfect speed and 3.6 lbs. didn't change the pitch of the motor one bit. I just left the motor intact (as it comes from the box) placed a socket that fit the roasters rod and away it went.

This is it.

Congratulations!
If there is a nameplate, check the Amps. It could be as low as 2 Amps and if so you might burn it up quickly. 4 Amps would be good, and 7 even better. Torque of course is important, but the actual "work" the motor can accomplish is governed by Amps.
Hope it works well and for a long time for you.
I just buy the beans, roasted and ready. But I'm known to be a lazy no-account.

[tvguy]

Congratulations!
If there is a nameplate, check the Amps. It could be as low as 2 Amps and if so you might burn it up quickly. 4 Amps would be good, and 7 even better. Torque of course is important, but the actual "work" the motor can accomplish is governed by Amps.
Hope it works well and for a long time for you.
I just buy the beans, roasted and ready. But I'm known to be a lazy no-account.

but the actual "work" the motor can accomplish is governed by Amps.

hey bub, the amount of "work" or power is actually shown in watts or horsepower.

Amps will indeed give one an idea of the items power but only when you know the voltage.
Unlike Amps, Watts.. (a measurement of power) never changes regardless of the voltage.

But you are correct in a sense.Today even manufacturers like to show of the amount of amperes a device will draw. Like Vacuum cleaners that proclaim in huge letters.. 12 AMPS!


Anyway I think VS will be fine given the fact that these ice cream makers probably do more work turning that thing when making ice cream than when it's used for turning the roaster.

[Valuesize]

It says 120 volts, 1.2 amps. It shows no sign of struggle the three times I've used it. It only takes 20 minutes per batch which I think is about the same as making ice cream. I'm fairly certain turning the drum is easier than the final stages of ice cream making.

I guess I've already got my $3.00 worth. If I ever need to roast 10 or 20 pounds a day I'll need to spend the money for a proper motor, but for now these "MacGyver" motors will work.

[Wonky3]

It says 120 volts, 1.2 amps. It shows no sign of struggle the three times I've used it. It only takes 20 minutes per batch which I think is about the same as making ice cream. I'm fairly certain turning the drum is easier than the final stages of ice cream making.

I guess I've already got my $3.00 worth. If I ever need to roast 10 or 20 pounds a day I'll need to spend the money for a proper motor, but for now these "MacGyver" motors will work.

Damn it! TVg is right again. I hate that.
I used to work with electricity and should have know that Watts is a measure of the work that can be done by the device.
My only defense is that it's been 30 years since I was in the field. I worked with the stuff for 15 years and then got locked into an operations office (were the only window we had never saw the light of day) and forget everything I knew.

Still, TVg does not know abut the Shine-ola thing.