We built a high-output heater with cooling fan for $35. We bought all the parts at a store similar to
Radio Shack (an electronics store common in the US).
First we bought 21 resisitors at $1 each. They are 8 Watt, 50 Ohm resistors. Resistors are actually similar to light bulbs
— except that they don't emit any light. With 21 resistors, we'll have about 168 Watts of power, which means
we have the same heat output as two 84 Watt light bulbs.
When you're working with resistors, you'll find the nomenclature shown here to be helpful. Resistors are little
tiny things with little tiny writing on them, and the tiny writing typically uses abbreviations to save space.
For example, the resistor will say "8W" rather than "8 Watt".
The resistors we bought have a maximum suggested voltage of
the square root of ( resistance x watts )
For our resistors, this gives us the square root of 400, which is 20. Normal voltage from a wall outlet
in the US is 110 volts, which is much higher than 20. If we simply connected one resistor to 110 volts, the
resistor would melt. If we solder 7 identical resistors together in a line (series), the voltage seen by each will be
one seventh of the total. Dividing 110 by 7 gives us 15.7 volts, which is safely below 20. Note: the heat given
off by the resistors drops along with voltage. As more resistors are added to the series, all resistors in the
series will produce less heat. Seven is a good number that balances heat output against an acceptable margin of
safety against overheat.
We soldered 3 lines of 7 resistors like this. I didn't check the price, but you can probably buy a solding iron
and some solder at Radio Shack for $20 or less. Soldering is a simple process that anyone can learn. I learned
when I was about 12 years old. I then taught my brother who was 5. We each burned ourselves a couple of times,
but it healed quickly and we learned to NOT touch the hot end of the soldering iron.
Note that if you want more power, simply solder up some more lines of resistors.
Next we found a scrap chunk of plywood that was about the right size (about 4 inches by 12 inches),
and ran a pair of screws into each end.
Between each pair of screws we connected a sturdy chunk of bare wire. Each wire end was wrapped around the screw and
soldered in place. Then we laid each group of resistors on these wires, soldering them in place as shown
in the photo. Everything is secure enough to keep the resistors above the plywood.
Then we attached an electrical plug to the wires. Lastly, we included a red light that turns on when the heater
board is plugged in. (The red light was hiding in the shop in a box of stuff.)
To circulate air over the heater board, we bought a 12-volt CPU fan at Radio Shack for $12. These are small fans that
are very quiet. (Personally, I don't enjoy large noisy fans, and it seems a safe bet that lories don't enjoy
them either.) For power, I rooted a "wall wart" out of a box of junk. Wall warts are electrical transformers
used by portable CD players, battery chargers, and similar things.
The one I used was from an old Iomega zip drive.
Although Radio Shack sells them, you probably
don't need to buy one because you probably have one in a box of junk too. So long as the OUTPUT from the wall wart
is DC (not AC) and is less than 12 volts, it will probably work. However, if the voltage is too low, then the
fan will turn very slowly. Simply snip the end from the wall wart wire, and connect the wires to the fan wires.
If you connect them "the wrong way," the fan won't turn. Swap the wires and the fan will turn.
When you build your incubator or brood box, simply mount the fan to blow over the heater board.
First we bought 21 resisitors at $1 each. They are 8 Watt, 50 Ohm resistors. Resistors are actually similar to light bulbs
— except that they don't emit any light. With 21 resistors, we'll have about 168 Watts of power, which means
we have the same heat output as two 84 Watt light bulbs.
When you're working with resistors, you'll find the nomenclature shown here to be helpful. Resistors are little
tiny things with little tiny writing on them, and the tiny writing typically uses abbreviations to save space.
For example, the resistor will say "8W" rather than "8 Watt".
We soldered 3 lines of 7 resistors like this. I didn't check the price, but you can probably buy a solding iron
and some solder at Radio Shack for $20 or less. Soldering is a simple process that anyone can learn. I learned
when I was about 12 years old. I then taught my brother who was 5. We each burned ourselves a couple of times,
but it healed quickly and we learned to NOT touch the hot end of the soldering iron.
Next we found a scrap chunk of plywood that was about the right size (about 4 inches by 12 inches),
and ran a pair of screws into each end.
Between each pair of screws we connected a sturdy chunk of bare wire. Each wire end was wrapped around the screw and
soldered in place. Then we laid each group of resistors on these wires, soldering them in place as shown
in the photo. Everything is secure enough to keep the resistors above the plywood.
Then we attached an electrical plug to the wires. Lastly, we included a red light that turns on when the heater
board is plugged in. (The red light was hiding in the shop in a box of stuff.)
To circulate air over the heater board, we bought a 12-volt CPU fan at Radio Shack for $12. These are small fans that
are very quiet. (Personally, I don't enjoy large noisy fans, and it seems a safe bet that lories don't enjoy
them either.) For power, I rooted a "wall wart" out of a box of junk. Wall warts are electrical transformers
used by portable CD players, battery chargers, and similar things.
The one I used was from an old Iomega zip drive.
Although Radio Shack sells them, you probably
don't need to buy one because you probably have one in a box of junk too. So long as the OUTPUT from the wall wart
is DC (not AC) and is less than 12 volts, it will probably work. However, if the voltage is too low, then the
fan will turn very slowly. Simply snip the end from the wall wart wire, and connect the wires to the fan wires.
If you connect them "the wrong way," the fan won't turn. Swap the wires and the fan will turn.
When you build your incubator or brood box, simply mount the fan to blow over the heater board.
