Chemgineer
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Registered: 25-5-2021
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IKA RCT Basic Hotplate Issues
I have an IKA RCT Basic Hotplate, it will stir fine but the heating hasn't worked for a while. It gives me a variety of error messages (Error 25, 46).
I've tried a few things and was just going to dump it on ebay.
However I notice the element does momentarily get hot before the error cuts it off.
I am thinking of fitting a box under it and wiring in a PID controller and putting power directly to the heating element to cut out all of my possible
issues.
Can anyone confirm that the element will be 240v AC and not some stepped down DC or anything else?
[Edited on 3-2-2023 by Chemgineer]
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Chemgineer
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Posts: 216
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Never mind, I rigged something up as proof of concept, works a treat!
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Dr.Bob
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Glad to hear as these are hard to fix or get repair parts for, at least in the US. They are great when they work, but our repair guy could rarely
fix them when they broke. I think part of the problem is that they were designed originally for 240v, so when changed fror 120v, some things are not
as good as they should be.
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Texium
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Yeah, I’ve always had issues with IKA hotplates. Even brand new ones can be finicky and prone to throwing errors.
These are my favorite: https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/SP8885710...
I have two in my hood at work. They’re sturdy, fast, and never throw errors as long as you don’t try to stir at ludicrously high speeds. Plus,
they’re about half the cost of a comparable IKA unit. The one and only complaint I have with them is that it’s a little too easy to bump the knobs
by accident, which could lead to accidentally frying your reaction mixture.
Edit: Oh, and I don’t know if I trust the 10” ones because my group bought a few of them once, and all of them, right out of the box, would throw
an error and cut the heat above about 100°C. The 7” ones have always been great though.
[Edited on 2-6-2023 by Texium]
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