Electrical diagram of the egg turning system in the incubator.
The components of the proposed electrical circuit are assembled from the simplest parts and mechanisms.
Automatic egg turning system consists of a mechanical part connected by hinge joints to the cart on which trays with eggs are located, or directly to the trays themselves, and an electrical part, including limit switches (fixed position sensors) and an actuator unit.
Mode switch for the electrical circuit for turning eggs in the incubator.
We used a small quartz alarm clock made in China. IN technological equipment industrial incubators used a system mechanical watch with limit switches triggered by pressing adjusting bolts installed on the time scale of a disk rotating instead of arrows.
A similar system was taken as a basis.
On the dial of a quartz watch, every 90° (15, 30, 45, 60 minutes) there are contacts through which voltage is supplied to the windings of the control relay. And the contacts are closed by the minute hand, on which a small springy electrical contact is attached to the bottom side.
The dial can be processed in any way: glue slip rings, fuse wire with a hot soldering iron, place foil getinax with contact markings, use photocells, reed switches - everything is at the discretion of the designer and everything depends on the available materials.
The spring contact installed on the minute hand is made of tinned copper wire, it is softer than steel.
The arrow is plastic and it is easy to fuse it with a hot soldering iron or glue a ready-made contact.
The electrical circuit of the incubator rotary system is assembled to a minimum and is easy to assemble.
The operating principle of the electrical system for turning eggs in an incubator.
The control contacts (SAC1) close every 15 minutes. The clock works as usual.
Electric drive unit for the egg turning system in the incubator.
Any drive mechanism can be used: children's electric toys, an electric drill unit, an old mechanical alarm clock, an electric drive mechanism for a car wiper, a rotary mechanism from a household fan heater or fan, an electromagnetic traction relay with a vacuum regulator, use a ready-made one from automatic control washing machine or make your own screw one with minimal details (by the way, very simple and convenient). Depends on the design and size of the incubator itself.
If you use a gearbox with a crank mechanism, then the main shaft must have a diameter longer stroke of the rotating frame (with the frame in a horizontal position on the tray). With a screw mechanism, the length of the working threaded part corresponds to the stroke distance of the egg turning system.
Electric drive of the egg turning system in the incubator screw mechanism it is controlled by an electric motor with reversible switching, that is, the engine is switched on alternately in the left and right direction of rotation.
Description of the operation of the electrical circuit of the incubator rotary system.
Powered by a battery, the quartz alarm clock operates in normal mode. At regular intervals, namely: every fifteen minutes of the current time, the minute hand, passing over the contacts fixed on the dial, brings a spring contact to them and closes through them electrical circuit. Thus, a control signal is generated for the control relay (K2 or K3).
From the reverse side of the relay (K2 or K3), the electrical signal is sent to the limit switch (SQ1 or SQ2).
There is a rod on the movable mechanism of the rotary system, which, moving together with the movable part of the system, presses on the limit switch key, being in one of the extreme positions and thereby breaking the chain: mode switch - control relay - limit switch.
Simply put, it turns out like this: from the mode switch (modified alarm clock), with its contacts closed, voltage is supplied to the control relay and then to the limit switch. If the limit switch is in the closed state, the control relay will turn on and close the drive relay control circuit with its contacts, which will supply power to the electric drive of the turning system.
The system will start and move the mechanism to one of two positions, carried out when turning the eggs in the incubator. The extreme position will be fixed by turning off the limit switch by pressing the rod moved with the frame onto the switch key.
The circuit with a reversible connection of an electric motor is slightly different in that it adds a second drive relay with two controlled (switched) contacts.
Electronics enthusiasts can use a digital timer with self-starting after a cycle or a time relay, once used by amateur photographers. There are many options. You can buy a ready-made electronic unit. Everything depends on possibilities.
List of some details.
- SAC1 - mode switch.
- K3 and K4 - control relays of type RES-9(10.15) or similar.
- K1 and K2 are drive relays with switching current, respectively, according to the load current.
- HV - light indicators.
- SQ1 and SQ2 are limit switches. You can use microswitches (MS) from old cassette recorders.
Content:
The desire to receive more and give less is human. But it sometimes leads to the miser paying twice. This postulate can also be applied to incubators. The poultry farmer really needs it. Big, good and high quality is expensive. For example, the price of an incubator for 300 eggs is 29,000 rubles. A cheap one can last one season, and even spoil the hatching eggs. So it turns out that saving does not lead to good things.
But now for those who are “friendly with technology” and have skillful hands, there is an opportunity to save money and get a reliable (there will be no one to blame) device that is very important for the poultry farmer. We are talking about a homemade incubator. Available for sale complete sets for collection, and the automation necessary for their improvement is also sold separately.
Requirements for homemade incubators
Before assembling the incubator, you need to know technical specifications which he must provide.
- When incubating chicken eggs, the number of continuous days of its operation is 21 days.
- Eggs in the incubator are laid at a distance of at least 10 mm from each other
- The temperature in the incubator varies depending on the stage of development of the embryo in the egg.
- In automatic mode, the eggs are turned over once every hour.
- Optimal humidity and ventilation are maintained. Air speed 5 m/s.
Ready-made kits
For easier operation and increased reliability future design it makes sense to buy ready set automation into a homemade incubator. For example, like the one in the picture below.
It includes:
- Thermostat providing automatic visual control of temperature and humidity.
- Sensors that scan the state of temperature and humidity inside the incubator.
- Transformer 220/12 V.
- Universal tray with automatic rotation. You can put either quail or chicken eggs.
The price of this set is 5,000 rubles. But you can be sure that the incubation process is going correctly. Temperature and humidity correspond to the specified parameters, and the turning of the eggs occurs on time.
If you are only interested in automatic egg turning, you can purchase a simpler kit.
This photo shows overall dimensions devices. They will tell you how to place it in the future incubator.
This kit consists of the following:
- Reversible motor - 14 W, 2.5 rpm;
- Stars - 1 meter;
- Limit switches - 2 pcs;
- Mounting bracket;
- Connecting wires.
The kit is sold already assembled and configured. It just needs to be connected to the control thermostat. Price - 3990 rubles.
Connecting this device in a homemade incubator looks as shown in the diagram.
But motorized trays must be contained in some kind of housing. And it matters for the incubator. After all, inside it thermoregulation of air exchange is carried out for incubation of the egg. Therefore, the thermal insulation qualities of the material from which the incubator will be made are very important.
An excellent option for a case is an old refrigerator. Its body also has the properties of a thermostat, and the doors close conveniently and securely.
Converting a refrigerator into an incubator
Before you start assembling an incubator from an old refrigerator, you need to get rid of what is already in it. unnecessary details and remove freezer.
To ensure proper air exchange, you need to establish a ventilation system.
Ventilation and humidity
To ensure ventilation, two holes with a diameter of 30 mm are made in the refrigerator body. One is below, the other is above. Tubes are inserted into these holes. By completely or partially closing these openings, you will regulate the air exchange inside the device.
At the bottom, install a fan on rubber pads. You can use a computer fan. Place a cuvette filled with water nearby. With the help of the evaporation of this water it will be possible to regulate the humidity in the future incubator. Secure heating elements. These can be ordinary incandescent lamps or heating elements.
In this case, air exchange occurs like this.
- The air below is heated.
- It is moistened with water vapor from the cuvette.
- Fan air flow chases upstairs.
- Part of the heat is transferred to the hatching eggs;
- Some of the air cools and is blown out.
- After cooling, part of the air falls down, and the other enters from the outside through the lower hole.
Heating system
The simplest option heating - these are incandescent lamps with a power of 25 W. Four lamps are taken. Two are installed at the bottom, two at the top. Or you can use more powerful lamps (40 W), but take fewer of them (2 pieces). An alternative to lamps can be heating elements.
Trays and their rotation mechanism
You can buy a motorized tray made in China. They are also of high quality, and are cheaper than imported ones. Their kits include:
- frame on which mini-trays with cells for eggs are installed;
- power unit;
- low-speed engine, eliminating sudden jerks when starting to move.
These are very convenient trays. Their rotation is carried out by a built-in motor, which just needs to be connected to the included power supply. Full cycle(90 degrees) rotation of the trays takes two hours.
If you don’t want to use this very convenient solution, you can make the trays yourself. For example, from metal, wood and mesh or any other available material. The main thing is to install them without distortion in the body of a homemade incubator. Secure the rotary axes for the trays with brass bushings or use special bearing supports.
A chain drive can be used as a mechanism for rotating the trays. Its connection diagram is shown in the figure above, and what it will look like in established form in the photo below.
Conclusion
It’s worth making an incubator yourself only if you have plumbing skills and are “friendly” with electrical engineering. Then you can significantly reduce your costs for purchasing this product. It won’t be completely free, but you will be able to purchase and install better and more reliable components.
All components of this device can be easily purchased. This was written about above. To control the entire mechanism, you will need to purchase a thermostat. And then apply your skills to plumbing.
As you can see, this option for equipping the turning mechanism is more troublesome than purchasing a mechanized tray. But the price gain is not so obvious.
Birds such as quail, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys. Such diversity was made possible thanks to microcontroller automation.
Case materials:
- sheet of laminated chipboard or old furniture panels(like mine)
- laminate flooring board
- aluminum sheet with perforation
- two furniture canopies
- self-tapping screws
Tools:
- Circular saw
- Drill, drills, furniture drill (for awnings)
- screwdriver
Automation materials:
- circuit board, soldering iron, radio components
- transformer for 220->12v
- electric drive DAN2N
- two 40W incandescent lamps
- 12V computer fan, medium size
Point 1. Manufacturing of the body.
With the help circular saw from laminated chipboard sheet We cut out the blanks in accordance with the dimensions in Fig. 1.
In the resulting blanks, in accordance with Fig. 2, drill holes D=4 mm. for self-tapping screws, they are marked with red circles, green circles indicate the place where the lid canopies are attached. We assemble the housing in accordance with the diagram. We install the cover on two furniture hinges.
Drilling the rows ventilation holes D=5 mm. front and back, along the top and bottom of the body.
The result is a completely finished case for the incubator; there is no need to insulate it additionally; the electronics do an excellent job of heating the box with just two light bulbs.
Item 2. Egg tray.
The main part of the tray is the base, an aluminum sheet with frequent holes for unhindered circulation of heated air. If there is no similar material, then you can make the bottom from any sheet material sufficient rigidity and drill many holes in it D = 10 mm.
I made the sides from laminate, in which cuts are made to the middle with a pitch of 50 mm, a mesh for holding eggs is woven into them from garden twine, and at the end the twine in the cuts is glued with Titan glue. The result is a cell of 50x50 mm, the size of large duck eggs, so as not to make many different trays for different birds, so in some places the chicken eggs have to be expanded a little with foam blocks. The capacity of this tray is 50 eggs. Goose eggs laid in a checkerboard pattern, a mesh of twine compresses the laying well.
For quails, a separate tray similar to this is made, but with a cell pitch of 30x30 mm, the capacity of which is 150 eggs.
The capacity of the incubator does not end there, because there is also a second tier, a second tray which, if necessary, is installed on top of the first tray.
In the photo: Fastening (V) for the upper tray and a metal bracket for attaching to the axis of the tilting mechanism.
This (V) shaped fastener is located at both ends of the tray and is only needed if a second tray is planned. The upper additional tray has the same fastening only directed downwards and fits with a wedge into the " dovetail" bottom tray.
Also visible in the photo is a metal eyelet for attaching the tray to the flag. rotary mechanism.
In the photo: Flag of the rotating mechanism.
In the photo: The opposite side of the tray.
Here you can see (V) the fastening and the hole of the tray support axis.
Item 3. Device for tilting a tray with eggs.
To rotate the axis with the flag, which in turn tilts the tray with eggs 45 degrees in one direction or the other, I used a DAN2N electric drive, used for ventilation pipes.
In the photo: Standard place of application of DAN2N, opening and closing a pipe valve.
He's perfect for the job.
This drive performs a slow rotation of the axis by 90 degrees from one extreme point to the other, and when it hits the rotation angle limiter, when the current in the motor exceeds, it goes into stop mode until the control contact changes its state to the opposite.
To control the change of position on the control contact, any timer is suitable that will close and open the contact after a specified period of time. For this purpose, I found a French timer with adjustment from a split second to several days. But all these functions are already in our microcontroller control unit, so to rotate the tray we just need to use any small motor with a gearbox, and the control unit will take control of it.
Point 4. Control unit.
The control unit or the heart of the incubator, which determines whether you get chicks or not.
With the release of the popular Atmel microcontroller, many interesting projects, including simple and very reliable thermostats. So the March project from Radio magazine 2010 grew into a full-fledged, complete incubator control module with all possible functionality. And this is: adjustment range 35.0С - 44.5С, indication and alarm in case emergency situation, temperature adjustment using a complex algorithm with a self-learning effect, automatic tray rotation, humidity adjustment.
When heating the heating element (in our case, incandescent lamps), the algorithm selects the heating power, due to which the temperature comes into balance and can be constant with an accuracy of 0.1 g.
The emergency mode will help out if the output triacs are damaged; control switches to an analog relay and will maintain the temperature in the acceptable range until the failure is eliminated.
To control the rotation of trays, the controller provides an adjustment range of up to ten hours, supports the presence of tilt limit switches, and without them, for setting the time the motor is turned on to cover the required distance.
Automatic humidity adjustment is controlled from a second electronic wet thermometer, a psychrometric calculation method and, when necessary, the load is turned on - a sprayer or an ultrasonic fog generator with a fan.
All adjustment manipulations are performed using three buttons.
The scheme uses temperature sensors DS18B20, the error of which can be set with an accuracy of 0.1 degrees from the control unit menu.
Diagram of the incubator control unit on the Atmega 8 MK.
Depending on the used output power switches, you can use different options output circuits with different points connections and firmware options.
* If pulse transformers MIT-4, 12 with connection point (A) are used to control thyristors/triacs, then this circuit is used.
*Management of MOS optocouplers.
Firmware - Phase pulse, connection at point (A), MOC3021, MOC3022, MOC3023 are used (without Zero-Cross)
Firmware - Low frequency switching, connection at point (B), MOC3041, MOC3042, MOC3043, MOC3061, MOC3062, MOC3063 (with Zero-Cross)
Wheelchair principle:
This principle is very common in domestically produced foam plastic incubators, since it is probably the simplest and least expensive to produce. This design doesn’t have many advantages for the user, I would even say only two, it’s an auto-reversal in itself and it’s cheap. Now let's move on to the disadvantages: jamming of the mechanism (there were cases when eggs got stuck and cracked), lack of reliable support for eggs in the cells of the mechanism grid and large backlash, which in turn can also lead to damage to the shell, especially in such a species of bird as quail. Some foreign manufacturers working using the same technology, in turn, tried to take into account all the nuances, using more suitable materials for this and changing the design; in this design, the eggs no longer crack, but the most big problem, associated with the location of the egg in a horizontal position. The fact is that such a nuance leads to such an unpleasant factor as a decrease in the number of healthy chicks by 10% - 20% (at the stage of embryo development, during rolling, there is a high probability of developing physiological pathologies).
Swing principle:
Here things are more interesting, firstly I would like to note that this technology provides for the vertical arrangement of eggs and their rigid fixation, due to the presence of separate cells or fixing elements if a common large tray is provided for the laying, for example, like in Poseda incubators. For myself, I noted that the most convenient are the mechanisms for turning eggs in the incubator, which come with separate cells, since in this case the eggs do not contact each other and there is no need to put cardboard to fix them, although in this case the volume of eggs laid is decreases, but at the same time the percentage of hatching increases. So draw conclusions about what you want to get, quantity or quality.
To hatch chickens at home, you will need to either buy an industrial apparatus or make an incubator yourself. The second option is convenient because it is possible to assemble the device required sizes, and under required quantity eggs In addition, to create it they use cheap materials, such as polystyrene foam or plywood. All the work of turning the eggs and adjusting the temperature can be fully automated.
What you need to create a homemade incubator
The basis of any type of apparatus for hatching chicks is the body. It must retain heat well inside itself so that the temperature of the eggs does not change sharply. Since due to significant jumps, the likelihood of a healthy brood is noticeably reduced. You can make the body of a home incubator from a frame and plywood, polystyrene foam, a TV or refrigerator case. The eggs are laid in wooden or plastic trays with a bottom made of slats or mesh. There are automatic trays with motors that turn the eggs themselves. Or rather, they are deflected to the side after the time indicated on the timer.
To heat the air in a self-assembled incubator, incandescent lamps with a power of 25 to 100 W are most often used, depending on the size of the apparatus. Temperature control is carried out using an ordinary thermometer or electronic thermostat with sensor. To prevent air stagnation in the incubator, natural or forced ventilation. If the device is small, then you just need to make holes near the bottom and on the lid. For an incubator made with your own hands from a refrigerator, you will need to install fans, both above and below. This is the only way to ensure the necessary air movement, as well as uniform heat distribution.
To ensure that the incubation process is not disrupted, you need to correctly calculate the number of trays. The distance between incandescent lamps and the tray must be at least 15 cm.
The same distance must be left between the other trays in the incubator, assembled with your own hands, so that the air movement is free. Also, there should be at least 4-5 cm between them and the walls.
Ventilation holes are made from 12 to 20 mm in size in the upper and lower parts of the incubator.
Before laying eggs, be sure to check whether the fans are positioned correctly and whether the lamp power is sufficient to heat the incubator evenly. This indicator should not exceed ±0.5°C in each corner of the device after complete warm-up.
How to make an incubator from polystyrene foam with your own hands
Expanded polystyrene is one of the most popular materials for creating an incubator. It is not only affordable, but has excellent thermal insulation properties and light weight. For manufacturing you will need the following materials:
- foam sheets 2 pcs. with a thickness of 50 mm;
- tape, glue;
- incandescent lamps 4 pcs. 25 W each and cartridges for them;
- fan (the one used to cool the computer is also suitable);
- thermostat;
- trays for eggs and 1 for water.
Before you start assembling an incubator with your own hands, you should draw up detailed drawings with dimensions.
Step by step instructions:
1 – water container; 2 – viewing window; 3 – tray; 4 – thermostat; 5 – thermostat sensor.
- If desired or necessary, a fan is installed, but in such a way that the air flow hits the light bulbs and not the eggs. Otherwise they may dry out.
The heat inside the incubator, assembled with your own hands from polystyrene foam, will be retained even better if all the walls, bottom and ceiling are covered with foil thermal insulation.
Incubators with automatic or manual egg turning
For the process to be successful, the eggs must be constantly turned 180°. But doing this manually takes a lot of time. Turning mechanisms are used for this purpose.
There are several types of these devices:
- mobile mesh;
- roller rotation;
- tray tilt 45°.
The first option is most often used in small incubators, for example, foam ones. The operating principle is as follows: the mesh slowly moves from one side to the other, as a result, the eggs lying in its cells turn over. This process can be automated or done manually. To do this, it is enough to attach a piece of wire to the mesh and bring it out. The disadvantage of this mechanism is that the egg can simply drag through and not turn over. Roller rotation is less commonly used in homemade incubators with automatic egg turning, since its creation requires a lot of round parts and bushings. The device operates using rollers covered with a mosquito net.
To prevent the eggs from rolling, they are in cells wooden lattice. When the belt starts moving, all the eggs turn over.
A rotating mechanism that tilts trays is used in incubators. large sizes, for example, made from a refrigerator. In addition, this method performs its task better than others, since in any case, each egg tilts. There are automatic egg turning trays. They come with a motor and power supply. There are several smaller ones in one tray. Each rotates separately after a user-set time.
How to make a device for hatching chicks from a refrigerator or plywood
Before you start making an incubator with your own hands, you need to draw up a drawing and diagram for connecting all the elements. All shelves are removed from the refrigerator, including the freezer.
Step by step instructions:
- Holes for incandescent lamps and one through hole for ventilation are drilled in the ceiling from the inside.
- It is recommended to line the walls of a homemade refrigerator incubator with sheets of polystyrene foam, then it will retain heat longer.
- Old shelf grates can be converted into trays or new ones can be placed on them.
- A thermostat is attached to the top outside of the refrigerator, and the sensor is installed inside.
- Closer to the bottom, at least 3 holes are drilled for air ventilation, measuring 1.5x1.5 cm.
- For better circulation, you can install 1 or 2 fans on top near the lamps and the same number below on the floor.
To make it more convenient to monitor the temperature and eggs, you need to cut a hole in the door for an observation window. It is covered with glass or transparent plastic, the cracks are carefully coated, for example, with sealant.
The video shows an incubator made with your own hands from a refrigerator.
If there is no refrigerator, then the frame is made from wooden beams, and the walls are made of plywood. Moreover, they must be two-layer, and insulation is placed between them. Light bulb sockets are attached to the ceiling, and bars for installing the tray are mounted in the middle of two walls. Another additional light bulb is placed at the bottom for better evaporation of water. The distance between it and the tray should be at least 15-17 cm. A viewing window with sliding glass for ventilation is made in the lid. Closer to the floor, holes are drilled along the long walls for air circulation.
Using the same principle, incubators are often made from TV cases for a small number of eggs. The process of turning eggs in them is most often carried out manually, as it takes a little time. Trays can be made from rounded slats. This incubator does not need fans, since ventilation occurs every time the lid is opened to turn the eggs. 
A container of water is placed at the bottom of any incubator to create the optimal level of humidity necessary for the eggs.
To hatch a very small batch of chicks (10 pcs.), you can use 2 inverted basins. To do this, one of them is turned over to the second and secured at one end with a furniture canopy. The main thing is that they cannot move away from each other. A light bulb socket is attached to the ceiling from the inside. Sand is poured onto the bottom, which is covered with foil and hay. The foil should have many holes with a diameter of 3 mm so that moisture can pass through it. To regulate the temperature, use a bar with steps, which is inserted between the basins.
In order for chicks to hatch in any incubator at the same time, the eggs must be the same size, and uniform heating of the entire space of the apparatus is also necessary.
Two-chamber homemade incubator - video
