[labnetwork] How to program a hot plate

[Stefan Schönleitner]

Dear Philipp,

On 05/14/2016 09:17 PM, Philipp Altpeter wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> I'm wondering if someone knows a way to program a conventional hot plate
> that is equipped with a RS232 serial port. I'd like to define a baking
> recipe with several temperature plateaus and ramp rates. Is there a
> suitable software available?

have a look at the manual for the heating plate. It should contain a
list of RS232 serial commands that allow you to control the hot plate.
You could probably use a serial terminal program or write a small Python
script to control the hot plate.

For instance, if you can control the heating power and read the current
temperature, it would be easy to write a script that continuously reads
the temperature and controls the plate to achieve the ramp rates you're
looking forward to.
You might need to consider a PID algorithm to good results.

On the other hand your heating plate might even be smart enough already
that you can set up your ramps via the serial commands.

HTH,
Stefan

> 
> Thank you for your effort!
> 
> Philipp
> 
> 
> 
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