This type of controller is cheaper than a high wattage resistor and switch. 8 amps of capacity 0-100% PWM control http://www.ebay.ca/itm/DC-12V-8A-LE...356?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2ffac9dc I use them for all kinds of DC control including my heated jacket.
Kind of make me glad I had issues getting my old cold weather m/c gloves to turn inside out and went with the glove liner idea. My only problem with those was the first pair I made put out too much heat. Second pair is much better. I haven't had any issues with the audio connectors I got from Radio Shack. I have the female side velcro strapped to the handlebars and on the gloves then use a male to male cable to connect the two. RS has male cables with bare leads but they're much too long. I love mine! I took it out of the box in came in because it's a bit bulky. Great tip! I'll keep that in mind when I switch over the connectors on my pant and jacket liners later this month.
Flathead I registered here to thank you for your posts about DIY heated clothing. I was seconds away from clicking the buy button on a new gerbings liner when I decided to research competitor options and inadvertently came across diy options. I eventually landed here and and saw your jacket that inspired me to a similar concept. I spent 4 hrs sewing in 30' of 30g magnet wire available at radio shack (because I already had it) into a shirt that's similar to long johns but about twice the thickness. Sorry I'm not all that up to date on what type of weave or pattern that is! I spent $0 on the initial application because I had the few items in hand already and rode to work at 41 deg this morning toasty as a bug in a rug as my mother used to say, the smile on my face must have been been as wide as a 12" dinner plate.I could have spent $200 on the commercial stuff and been happy too but it wouldn't have arrived in time for this weekends toys for tots ride and the $20 I spent today for connectors leaves me with more $ for the children! I read several ideas before I found yours that was unique and perfect for me, God Bless you my friend! It's simple for now, no heat controller, just on or off. Well, hopefully we'll have a switch hooked up before the ride! The test run switch was pulling the fuse if things got out of hand! Thought I might share some pics to include with my success thus far. Hope you can see it, this is the back. The front 30' didn't work out exactly where I wanted for the connector but a little improve goes along ways! and a close up of stitching it through a thermal underwear type fabric.
Will a single strand 30g wire from radio shack last? IDK but for $8 for 200' I'm about to find out! I can rewire this thing 20 times for $8! I'll rewire this thing 3x every year if I have to for that cost! 4hrs * 2.5beers an hr= 12 pack once or twice a year = a damn good reason to be in the manshop.
I bought single strand hook up wire and singed a lot of stuff before switching to nichrome. You can get 50ft of 30awg hook up wire from ebay for around $12 delivered here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/50-ft-Stran...ltDomain_0&hash=item3cb7b809b9#ht_1701wt_1038 if what you used doesn't hold up.
Good Job!! It looks great, and thanks for the feedback! Oh yea, and if it werent for the "cold beer factor" DIY would just be a drag.
The pwm's operate at at a frequency range that is all but invisible to the charging system. Mine cycle at roughly 1 kHZ and comes straight off the battery. In regards to what the stator or regulator feel, it's just another DC load because 1. the switching frequency is so high and 2. the battery acts in essence as a filter capacitor. As stated, a pot or series resistor would have to dissipate the same wattage as your jacket to cut the power to 50%. There would be too much issue with heat and it’s just not efficient. The PWM is either off or on with “virtually” no resistance. No resistance means very little heat.
Picked up 300' (yea yea way too much) of silver plated copper teflon lined 30awg for less than $10 and the ebay PWM.. I'll be trying this project out over the Christmas vacation :) So far the cost (prices include cost) 300' 30awg silver-plated copper wire teflon insulated $9.75 (eBay) LED Dimmer 12V 8A PWM Controller - $3.97 (eBay) DC Power Male Coax Cable - $1.59 (Amazon) DC Power Female Coax Cable - $1.50 (eBay) SAE DC Two Pin Power Connector - $4.46 (eBay) Total: $21.27 Still need to figure out what garment to use.. Thanks to GS Addict for helping out with a wiring diagram for me.
anyone think a wireless version would be up to the job? like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wireless-Remote-LED-Light-Dimmer-Controller-Control-12V-/280798144401?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4160dfa791
Sure you can go wireless with the control but you still need to power the jacket with wires.... Unless of course, you happen to be Nicola Tesla
I suppose at that price you could carry a spare. I am focused on field serviceability. I can easily fix breaks in the wire out on the road. I also carry spare glove liners. After a dimmer failure 500 miles from home on a winter trip, I decided to go the reliability route with the controllers. This is my 4th trouble free winter with the Warm 'n Safe HeatTrollers.
Just had to join this forum to say thanks to all of you for showing all the progress in making your own heated gear and sharing how relatively simple is to do. Mike
Would this wire: http://http://www.ebay.com/itm/1x-Wire-Wrapping-Wire-Silver-Plated-Copper-100Ft-30AWG-Green-/180765844827?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a167be55b#ht_1219wt_1159 be the same as this 30 AWG: http://http://www.bulkwire.com/wire-cable/ptfe-high-temperature-stranded-wire.html
I applaud your inventiveness but here his my concern. My Gerbings jacket liner, like almost all commercial heated gear, produces even heat because it has comparability large mesh panels that heat up. These panels warm a large area of the body and do not get too hot. With the home made kit the heat comes directly from the wires, not panels which have a much, much, much larger surface area than wires to disperse the heat. As a result the wires must get much, much, much hotter to give off a similar level of energy as panels. They can also only apply that heat to a relatively small surface area. Basically I'm wondering how practical this would be in colder conditions.
Gerbings built their good reputation with years of wired garments. Totally even heat throughout is not necessary. You know where you feel the cold most and you can direct the heat to those areas. Most importantly, sooner or later all heated gear fails. Lifetime warranties are fine but since heated gear use commonly involves travel, "if you build it you can fix it" on the spot and stay warm for the duration of your trip.
I only glanced at page 1 and this page so I dont know if others have made heated gear this same way that my buddy has but I will try to describe. A buddy of mine made his own heated gear (vest and boot liners) out of the wire found in an old broken 'electric blanket' The vest was made on the sewing machine out of a simple pattern. Then slender tubes (sleeves, but not sleeves that cover your arms LOL) were used to house the wire. He figured out through trial and error how much wire it took to provide the proper resistance at 12 volts or so (no controller used) in order for his upper body to be warm. Then wired it up to a socket at the rear of his tank bag. The boot liner were the real ingenious part as there is the pre-determined length of wire (found through trial and error) that heats just right for his feet. The wire is sandwiched in between a layer or regular ole clear silicone caulk. The sandwich went like this wax paper/cotton linen (ie: old bed sheet)/ silicone caulk nad electric blanket wires uniformally routed to your foot pattern/another layer of cotton linen/wax paper. The whole purpose of the linen sheet is to give the surface of the cured silicone caulk some strength and wear capability. The whole cured sandwich is about 1/16" thick, the shape of his foot, and nearly see-through. Again no controller as the power supply cord travels up the inner side of his boot then 'Y'd together to one plug which is plugged into an additional socket on his tank bag. From the looks of his setup, the whole cost was FREE, as he had the material for the vest, caulk, broken electric blanket, brown lamp cord (for the wiring pigtails from the EB nichrome wire to plugs), and power connectors. The real key was finding out the proper length of EB wire to use for the proper heat range that he desired. I suppose a rheostat(sp) could be added to vary the heat range, dont know?
Most electric gear, until recently, was just wires. I wear a long sleeve shirt under my heated jacket, and have never had a problem with burning. Once, I wore a short sleeve shirt, and had some red marks on my arm, but it was nothing to worry about. I don't ride when it's near freezing, because I don't want to ride on ice. However, I've never been cold when wearing my electric (Warm n Safe) jacket. I live in the Bay Area, on the warm side. It's not unusual to be 80 degrees in Oakland on a summer afternoon, and 40 degrees in SF at night. This is why I have electric gear - I can ride to work in a shirt and armored jacket, and ride home with a shirt, electric jacket and armor. I also ride from here to Southern Oregon a few times a year, and it can be really cold on the way there.