Ladia's avatar
Ladia

Sept. 1, 2020

0
Stack Exchange Question - Heating a Growing Box

Hello, I'm about to post a question to stack exchange. I thought that I could have it corrected first.
I deleted equations and most of the formatting to make it more readable. So here it is.

Hi! I'm trying to design a growing box that will keep stable temperature for germination of seeds.

I'm planning to use an Arduino with a temperature sensor to control a heating element. I'm thinking of using a resistance wire as the heating element, as it is a simple and cheap solution.
Let's say the size of the box will be 1 m^3. I'm not sure what the isolation of the box will be, but I'm considering either plastic box, or an old refrigerator.
Target temperature is 30°C (86°F).

I need to choose the right heating element, and determine what power supply to use for that heating element.

I've already done some calculations for reaching this goal.

### Power needed to heat up the box
First of all, I need to determine how much power is required to heat up the box to target temperature.
Let's assume that the house temperature is 20°C and I want to heat it up to 30°C in 30 minutes.

I used an equation from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/heat-up-energy-d_1055.html for determining the energy required to heat up a substance.

m = 1.2 kg (the mass of 1 m<sup>3</sup> of air)
c_p = 1.006 kJ/(kg°C) (specific heat of the substance)
dT = 10°C (required change of temperature [30° - 20° = 10°])
t = 1800 s (heat up time)

/equation/

So the required power to heat up the box to target temperature in 30 minutes is 6.7 watts.
It is the first time I calculated something like this. Tell me if I made a mistake. Does this mean that I need a heating element consuming 6.7 watts?
If so, let's continue:

### Calculating required voltage to power the heating element
I have three resistance wires. Each one of them is a meter long. It is specified that they have the following resistances: 5.4 ohm/m, 20 ohm/m, and 55.4 ohm/m.
Assuming that I need 6.7 watts to heat up the box, and that I choose the 5.4 ohm/m wire, I can calculate the required voltage from the formula:

/equation/

Therefore, the required voltage using this wire would be 6 V, which I can achieve with 4 AA alkaline batteries in series.

### Conlusion
I am a beginner in electronics, so I need a bit of help. Am I on the right track, or is it complete nonsense what I wrote above?
What would you recommend me as a power supply for this task?
From what I know, the lesser the resistance, the greater the power. But is it okay to use that small resistance in a circuit?
If you have any other recommendation, feel free to share it.

Corrections

Stack Exchange Question - Heating a Growing Box

Hello, I'm about to post a question to sStack eExchange.

I thought that I could have it corrected first.

I deleted the equations and most of the formatting to make it more readable.

So here it is.

Hi!

I'm trying to design a growing box that will keepmaintain a stable temperature for germination of seeds.

“Germination of seeds” is not technically wrong but I would say “seed germination”

Another way to say this: “I’m trying to design a growing box that will keep the temperature stable (enough) for seed germination.”

I'm planning to use an Arduino with a temperature sensor to control a heating element.

I'm thinking of using a resistance wire as the heating element, as it is a simple and cheap solution.

Let's say the size of the box will be 1 m^3.

I'm not sure what the isonsulation of the box will be, but I'm considering either a plastic box, or an old refrigerator.

The target temperature is 30°C (86°F).

I need to choose the right heating element, and determine what power supply to use for that heating element.

I've already done some calculations for reaching this goal.

I can’t put my finger on what it is, but this sentence reads a little strange to me. You get your point across though so I think it is fine.

I might instead say “I’ve already done some calculations to work towards this goal.”

### Power needed to heat up the box

First of all, I need to determine how much power is required to heat up the box to the target temperature.

Let's assume that the house temperature is 20°C and I want to heat it up to 30°C in 30 minutes.

You can also say “ambient temperature” to refer to the surroundings/environment

I used an equation from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/heat-up-energy-d_1055.html forto determininge the energy required to heat up a substance.

m = 1.2 kg (the mass of 1 m<sup>3</sup> of air)

c_p = 1.006 kJ/(kg°C) (specific heat of the substance)

dT = 10°C (required change of temperature [30° - 20° = 10°])

t = 1800 s (heat up time)

/equation/

So the required power to heat up the box to the target temperature in 30 minutes is 6.7 watts.

For a more formal piece of writing, I would use a transition word like “Therefore” rather than “So”:

“Therefore, the required power...”

It is the first time I have calculated something like this.

You could also say “This is my first time doing a calculation like this.”

TPlease tell me if I made a mistake.

Your version is technically fine, but since you are posting on a forum I added the “please” for etiquette and to make the sentence a request rather than a command.

Does this mean that I need a heating element that consuminges 6.7 watts?

If so, let's continue:

### Calculating required voltage to power the heating element

I have three resistance wires.

Each one of them is a meter long.

It is specified that they have the following resistances: 5.4 ohm/m, 20 ohm/m, and 55.4 ohm/m.

Assuming that I need 6.7 watts to heat up the box, and that I choose the 5.4 ohm/m wire, I can calculate the required voltage from the formula:

/equation/

Therefore, the required voltage using this wire would be 6 V, which I can achieve with 4 AA alkaline batteries in series.

### Conlusion

I am a beginner in electronics, so I need a bit of help.

Am I on the right track, or is it complete nonsense what I wrote abovwhat I wrote above complete nonsense?

What would you recommend me as a power supply for this task?

From what I know, the lessower the resistance, the greater the power.

But is it okay to use that smalla resistance that low in a circuit?

If you have any other recommendation, feel free to share it.

Feedback

This sounds like such a neat project! I hope you update us once you complete it. I once made an automatic fish feeder with an Arduino for a school project, but this sounds way cooler.

Let me know if you have questions about the edits I made!

Ladia's avatar
Ladia

Feb. 9, 2021

0

Thanks for the correction! It helps a lot. I reread the corrections after some time to instill the correct phrases and expressions.

Feel free to check out my latest journal about the box!

Hello, I'm about to post a question to sStack eExchange.

I deleted equations and most of the formatting to make it more readable.

So here it is.

I'm trying to design a growing box that will keep a stable temperature for the germination of seeds.

I'm planning to use an Arduino with a temperature sensor to control a heating element.

I'm thinking of using a resistance wire as the heating element, as it is a simple and cheap solution.

Let's say the size of the box will be 1 m^3.

I'm not sure what the isonsulation of the box will be, but I'm considering either a plastic box, or an old refrigerator.

The target temperature is 30°C (86°F).

I've already done some calculations forto reaching this goal.

First of all, I need to determine how much power is required to heat up the box to the target temperature.

Let's assume that the house temperature is 20°C and I want to heat it up to 30°C in 30 minutes.

So the required power to heat up the box to the target temperature in 30 minutes is 6.7 watts.

It isThis si the first time Ithat I have calculated something like this.

I am a beginner in electronics, so I need a bit of help.

Am I on the right track, or is it complete nonsense what I wrote abovwhat I wrote above complete nonsense?

What would you recommend me as a power supply for this task?

From what I know, the lesser the resistance, the greater the power.

But is it okay to use that small resistance in a circuit?

If you have any other recommendation, feel free to share ithem.

Feedback

Looks great! I hope that your growing box turns out well!

Stack Exchange Question - Heating a Growing Box


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Hello, I'm about to post a question to stack exchange.


Hello, I'm about to post a question to sStack eExchange.

Hello, I'm about to post a question to sStack eExchange.

I thought that I could have it corrected first.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I deleted equations and most of the formatting to make it more readable.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I deleted the equations and most of the formatting to make it more readable.

So here it is.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Hi!


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I'm trying to design a growing box that will keep stable temperature for germination of seeds.


I'm trying to design a growing box that will keep a stable temperature for the germination of seeds.

I'm trying to design a growing box that will keepmaintain a stable temperature for germination of seeds.

“Germination of seeds” is not technically wrong but I would say “seed germination” Another way to say this: “I’m trying to design a growing box that will keep the temperature stable (enough) for seed germination.”

I'm planning to use an Arduino with a temperature sensor to control a heating element.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I'm thinking of using a resistance wire as the heating element, as it is a simple and cheap solution.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Let's say the size of the box will be 1 m^3.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I'm not sure what the isolation of the box will be, but I'm considering either plastic box, or an old refrigerator.


I'm not sure what the isonsulation of the box will be, but I'm considering either a plastic box, or an old refrigerator.

I'm not sure what the isonsulation of the box will be, but I'm considering either a plastic box, or an old refrigerator.

Target temperature is 30°C (86°F).


The target temperature is 30°C (86°F).

The target temperature is 30°C (86°F).

I need to choose the right heating element, and determine what power supply to use for that heating element.


I need to choose the right heating element, and determine what power supply to use for that heating element.

I've already done some calculations for reaching this goal.


I've already done some calculations forto reaching this goal.

I've already done some calculations for reaching this goal.

I can’t put my finger on what it is, but this sentence reads a little strange to me. You get your point across though so I think it is fine. I might instead say “I’ve already done some calculations to work towards this goal.”

### Power needed to heat up the box


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

First of all, I need to determine how much power is required to heat up the box to target temperature.


First of all, I need to determine how much power is required to heat up the box to the target temperature.

First of all, I need to determine how much power is required to heat up the box to the target temperature.

Let's assume that the house temperature is 20°C and I want to heat it up to 30°C in 30 minutes.


Let's assume that the house temperature is 20°C and I want to heat it up to 30°C in 30 minutes.

Let's assume that the house temperature is 20°C and I want to heat it up to 30°C in 30 minutes.

You can also say “ambient temperature” to refer to the surroundings/environment

I used an equation from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/heat-up-energy-d_1055.html for determining the energy required to heat up a substance.


I used an equation from https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/heat-up-energy-d_1055.html forto determininge the energy required to heat up a substance.

m = 1.2 kg (the mass of 1 m<sup>3</sup> of air)


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

c_p = 1.006 kJ/(kg°C) (specific heat of the substance)


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

dT = 10°C (required change of temperature [30° - 20° = 10°])


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

t = 1800 s (heat up time)


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

/equation/


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

So the required power to heat up the box to target temperature in 30 minutes is 6.7 watts.


So the required power to heat up the box to the target temperature in 30 minutes is 6.7 watts.

So the required power to heat up the box to the target temperature in 30 minutes is 6.7 watts.

For a more formal piece of writing, I would use a transition word like “Therefore” rather than “So”: “Therefore, the required power...”

It is the first time I calculated something like this.


It isThis si the first time Ithat I have calculated something like this.

It is the first time I have calculated something like this.

You could also say “This is my first time doing a calculation like this.”

Tell me if I made a mistake.


TPlease tell me if I made a mistake.

Your version is technically fine, but since you are posting on a forum I added the “please” for etiquette and to make the sentence a request rather than a command.

Does this mean that I need a heating element consuming 6.7 watts?


Does this mean that I need a heating element that consuminges 6.7 watts?

If so, let's continue:


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

### Calculating required voltage to power the heating element


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I have three resistance wires.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Each one of them is a meter long.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

It is specified that they have the following resistances: 5.4 ohm/m, 20 ohm/m, and 55.4 ohm/m.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Assuming that I need 6.7 watts to heat up the box, and that I choose the 5.4 ohm/m wire, I can calculate the required voltage from the formula:


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

/equation/


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Therefore, the required voltage using this wire would be 6 V, which I can achieve with 4 AA alkaline batteries in series.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

### Conlusion


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I am a beginner in electronics, so I need a bit of help.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Am I on the right track, or is it complete nonsense what I wrote above?


Am I on the right track, or is it complete nonsense what I wrote abovwhat I wrote above complete nonsense?

Am I on the right track, or is it complete nonsense what I wrote abovwhat I wrote above complete nonsense?

What would you recommend me as a power supply for this task?


What would you recommend me as a power supply for this task?

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

From what I know, the lesser the resistance, the greater the power.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

From what I know, the lessower the resistance, the greater the power.

But is it okay to use that small resistance in a circuit?


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

But is it okay to use that smalla resistance that low in a circuit?

If you have any other recommendation, feel free to share it.


If you have any other recommendation, feel free to share ithem.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

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