Controller Mounting
Introduction
Some folks will be doing all of their brewing in one location. For those, it may be a good option to mount the controller to a wall where it will be permanently affixed. If you do this, you can’t just screw the controller to the wall. The mounting bracketry that comes with the enclosure isn’t guaranteed to hit studs, and you surely don’t want to hang this thing that cost hundreds of dollars and countless hours to sheetrock using anchors. Forget this plan, it is not a good one. Fortunately there is a cheap and easy way to safely mount to a wall.
If you don’t want to mount to a wall, or you want to be mobile, you can build up a stand on casters to make your controller mobile. This is what I did. Just take caution, the controller will be heavy and if you build a lightweight frame and mount the controller on top, it will tip over very easily. I employed a weight ($3 80 lb bag of concrete) on the bottom of the stand to make it stable. Problem solved.
Prep work
Either wall mount or stand mount, it is recommended that you attach your controller to a sturdy piece of plywood that is securely mounted to whatever it is you are going to attach the controller to. Sturdy is at least 1/2" (sold as 15/32”), I used 3/4" (sold as 23/32”) to be safe.
If you are stand mounting, get what you need. I used 3 standard studs, a 2’ x 2’ x 23/32” piece of plywood, 1/4-20x1.5” hex bolts, 1/4" washers, and various wood screws. Also were 4 of the L strong tie brackets (the smallest ones) that will go from the back of the plywood to the legs, and 8 #8-32x1” screws and nuts, and 4 1/4” fender washers to attach these brackets to the plywood. To go from the bracket to the legs I used sheetrock screws. Don’t forget your weight (you may have something other than a bag of concrete in mind, I had one laying around) and your casters. Make sure that the weight of the stand (probably 40 lbs plus whatever you use as a weight) doesn’t exceed the rating of the casters. The weight will be pretty evenly distributed, so divide the total weight by 4 to get the weight each caster will bear.
Build out
Wall mount
If you are wall mounting, put up the plywood and mount it ensuring you hit at least 2 studs. Use correct hardware for the application – extra long sheetrock screws aren’t a good idea. Once the plywood is up, figure out where the mounting bracketry will hit on the plywood. My enclosure had slotted holes, so fasteners could be put into the plywood, then the enclosure put on and slid into position, then the fasteners tightened down to lock it into position. Whatever you do, make sure that you have it mounted securely.
Stand mount
Build up the stand mount. I cut one stud into two 44” lengths with a 45 degree cut on one end. At 45 degrees, the stand will be 17” deep (hooray trig). This will also require two 30.5” lengths with 45 degree cuts at one end. You will need to cut 3 17” lengths, and 2 24” lengths.
I laid the plywood on a table and centered up the enclosure on it. Next, I marked the 4 holes where the brackets hit. I drilled out those holes with a 1/4" drill bit. After this, mark where the legs will hit the back of the plywood. After marking this, put the brackets up where you will attach them and mark the holes. Drill out these holes with an 11/64” or 3/16” bit. The smaller bit is preferable as it is closer to the size of the screw (.164”).
The heads of the screws go on the top of the plywood, with washers under them. Since they were so close, I used 1/4" fender washers and drilled two holes in them to line up with the screws. When I put the first one in with a regular washer, the washer covered the other hole, necessitating what I did with the fender washers. You may have a more creative solution. On the bottom, no washer is necessary as you are going thru the bracket. Tighten down the nuts and repeat the process for the other 3 brackets. Once all 4 brackets are mounted, use sheetrock screws (I used 1 5/8” length course thread) to attach the brackets to the legs. The plywood should sit flush and tight against the 45 degree angle edges of the legs. After this is done, I screwed two sheetrock screws thru the face of the plywood into the legs for good measure.
At the bottom, I used long wood screws to attach the 24” cross members to the bottom of the legs. On top of these I attached the 3 17” boards. This acts to strengthen the structure, and also creates a cradle for the weight that you will use. My bag of concrete fit just perfectly in there.
After this is done, flip the works over and attach your casters. Flip it back over, and you are ready to mount your controller enclosure. I suggest employing a friend’s aid for this part – one person to hold the controller while the other tightens up the bolts. The 1/4-20x1.5” bolts go thru with a washer under the head of the bolt and another washer under the nut. Stack up should be head, washer, enclosure bracket, plywood, washer, nut. Tighten it down, but don’t torque the hell out of it, you will just pull the washer thru the plywood. You want it tight but you don’t want to destroy the plywood in the process.
Feel free to add further brackets or other methods to strengthen this stand up to whatever you think it needs. Or, if you want, just weld up a metal stand. Totally up to you. When I got to this it was cold, rainy, and winter outside. I didn’t feel like welding something up, but I do think that a welded metal structure is a much better plan for the long term.
Some folks will be doing all of their brewing in one location. For those, it may be a good option to mount the controller to a wall where it will be permanently affixed. If you do this, you can’t just screw the controller to the wall. The mounting bracketry that comes with the enclosure isn’t guaranteed to hit studs, and you surely don’t want to hang this thing that cost hundreds of dollars and countless hours to sheetrock using anchors. Forget this plan, it is not a good one. Fortunately there is a cheap and easy way to safely mount to a wall.
If you don’t want to mount to a wall, or you want to be mobile, you can build up a stand on casters to make your controller mobile. This is what I did. Just take caution, the controller will be heavy and if you build a lightweight frame and mount the controller on top, it will tip over very easily. I employed a weight ($3 80 lb bag of concrete) on the bottom of the stand to make it stable. Problem solved.
Prep work
Either wall mount or stand mount, it is recommended that you attach your controller to a sturdy piece of plywood that is securely mounted to whatever it is you are going to attach the controller to. Sturdy is at least 1/2" (sold as 15/32”), I used 3/4" (sold as 23/32”) to be safe.
If you are stand mounting, get what you need. I used 3 standard studs, a 2’ x 2’ x 23/32” piece of plywood, 1/4-20x1.5” hex bolts, 1/4" washers, and various wood screws. Also were 4 of the L strong tie brackets (the smallest ones) that will go from the back of the plywood to the legs, and 8 #8-32x1” screws and nuts, and 4 1/4” fender washers to attach these brackets to the plywood. To go from the bracket to the legs I used sheetrock screws. Don’t forget your weight (you may have something other than a bag of concrete in mind, I had one laying around) and your casters. Make sure that the weight of the stand (probably 40 lbs plus whatever you use as a weight) doesn’t exceed the rating of the casters. The weight will be pretty evenly distributed, so divide the total weight by 4 to get the weight each caster will bear.
Build out
Wall mount
If you are wall mounting, put up the plywood and mount it ensuring you hit at least 2 studs. Use correct hardware for the application – extra long sheetrock screws aren’t a good idea. Once the plywood is up, figure out where the mounting bracketry will hit on the plywood. My enclosure had slotted holes, so fasteners could be put into the plywood, then the enclosure put on and slid into position, then the fasteners tightened down to lock it into position. Whatever you do, make sure that you have it mounted securely.
Stand mount
Build up the stand mount. I cut one stud into two 44” lengths with a 45 degree cut on one end. At 45 degrees, the stand will be 17” deep (hooray trig). This will also require two 30.5” lengths with 45 degree cuts at one end. You will need to cut 3 17” lengths, and 2 24” lengths.
I laid the plywood on a table and centered up the enclosure on it. Next, I marked the 4 holes where the brackets hit. I drilled out those holes with a 1/4" drill bit. After this, mark where the legs will hit the back of the plywood. After marking this, put the brackets up where you will attach them and mark the holes. Drill out these holes with an 11/64” or 3/16” bit. The smaller bit is preferable as it is closer to the size of the screw (.164”).
The heads of the screws go on the top of the plywood, with washers under them. Since they were so close, I used 1/4" fender washers and drilled two holes in them to line up with the screws. When I put the first one in with a regular washer, the washer covered the other hole, necessitating what I did with the fender washers. You may have a more creative solution. On the bottom, no washer is necessary as you are going thru the bracket. Tighten down the nuts and repeat the process for the other 3 brackets. Once all 4 brackets are mounted, use sheetrock screws (I used 1 5/8” length course thread) to attach the brackets to the legs. The plywood should sit flush and tight against the 45 degree angle edges of the legs. After this is done, I screwed two sheetrock screws thru the face of the plywood into the legs for good measure.
At the bottom, I used long wood screws to attach the 24” cross members to the bottom of the legs. On top of these I attached the 3 17” boards. This acts to strengthen the structure, and also creates a cradle for the weight that you will use. My bag of concrete fit just perfectly in there.
After this is done, flip the works over and attach your casters. Flip it back over, and you are ready to mount your controller enclosure. I suggest employing a friend’s aid for this part – one person to hold the controller while the other tightens up the bolts. The 1/4-20x1.5” bolts go thru with a washer under the head of the bolt and another washer under the nut. Stack up should be head, washer, enclosure bracket, plywood, washer, nut. Tighten it down, but don’t torque the hell out of it, you will just pull the washer thru the plywood. You want it tight but you don’t want to destroy the plywood in the process.
Feel free to add further brackets or other methods to strengthen this stand up to whatever you think it needs. Or, if you want, just weld up a metal stand. Totally up to you. When I got to this it was cold, rainy, and winter outside. I didn’t feel like welding something up, but I do think that a welded metal structure is a much better plan for the long term.