Uploaded October 2013 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
For the heck of it one afternoon, I decided to build my own laboratory style hotplate. The concept was simple enough: Take some scrap aluminum plate, and a cheap PID controller from aliexpress, along with two 400 watt 120V heating cartridges and make a simple but effective hotplate. I quickly determined I also wanted stirring capabilities, so the project was reborn, and all fit into an elegant Radioshack project box, with a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller to control the fan speed to a high degree of accuracy, and also allow very low RPM's. The result after a few hours of work was a simple, effective, and accurate hotplate and magnetic stirrer. The max temperature right now is set to 400*C, but I will be raising that another 100*C or so.
Components used:
PID controller kit from aliexpress (the SSR type)
Scrap Aluminum plate
12v wall charger -to provide power to the PWM - to power the fan
Cheap 12V 10amp PWM from eBay
Project box
Old PC fan I had laying around
Hard drive magnet and heat-sink made on lathe (used high temp epoxy to secure to fan)
And an assortment of wires, nuts and bolts.
Total cost was around $65, since I already had many of the parts sitting around.
Check out my Chemistry section at DoranAerospace.com
For the heck of it one afternoon, I decided to build my own laboratory style hotplate. The concept was simple enough: Take some scrap aluminum plate, and a cheap PID controller from aliexpress, along with two 400 watt 120V heating cartridges and make a simple but effective hotplate. I quickly determined I also wanted stirring capabilities, so the project was reborn, and all fit into an elegant Radioshack project box, with a pulse width modulator (PWM) controller to control the fan speed to a high degree of accuracy, and also allow very low RPM's. The result after a few hours of work was a simple, effective, and accurate hotplate and magnetic stirrer. The max temperature right now is set to 400*C, but I will be raising that another 100*C or so.
Components used:
PID controller kit from aliexpress (the SSR type)
Scrap Aluminum plate
12v wall charger -to provide power to the PWM - to power the fan
Cheap 12V 10amp PWM from eBay
Project box
Old PC fan I had laying around
Hard drive magnet and heat-sink made on lathe (used high temp epoxy to secure to fan)
And an assortment of wires, nuts and bolts.
Total cost was around $65, since I already had many of the parts sitting around.
Check out my Chemistry section at DoranAerospace.com
