Cheap PID Country Of Origin-Dubious Pedigree...

**HenryHill** · 12-28-2007, 11:32 AM

Been looking (and looking and looking and looking...) and it seems that you can get 1/16 DIN Chinese PID's for around $40-ish, and most other US (or Canada, or Jap) made ones (read-Brand Name) are basically about $170 and up-mostly UP. WAY the fruck up.

Love A's have been suggested but don't seem cheap, either, but what is with Omega's?

http://www.omega.com/info.html

'Once an OMEGA product design is perfected and tested, stock production takes place at our Bridgeport, New Jersey, manufacturing plant.'

http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=CN7800&Nav=heap01

7800 Series:

An apparent integral Solid State Relay of 5 amps, dual displays, 2 alarms, and even RS485-for $99??!!

http://www.omega.com/Temperature/pdf/CN7800.pdf

I don't like that feeling of 'the cheap China made product suddenly deteriorating into worthless junk' that I have experienced too many times before. Shipping on something so light and small is negligible; maybe just aiming for a USA product is unnecessary overkill, but I want to build to last...

Obviously, we don't need aerospace reliability for turning on a brew pump or firing a gas valve, but if you have to buy another one because the first one, at half the price, took a squat, aren't you gonna want to buy the brand name version the second time around -anyway?

What am I missing here; is this the best brand name PID deal going-or what? And WHY, when all the other ones are easily double THIS price?

mr x · 12-28-2007, 12:31 PM

Have you looked into Watlow controllers? They go for a good price on ebay.

slnies · 12-28-2007, 05:06 PM

Automation direct make a good controller for a good price as well. It is American and Japanese. A Solo model with ramp and soak features is about $89.99+ shipping. S.

**HenryHill** · 12-28-2007, 05:40 PM

Can anyone tell me what is the difference in the ones in sub-$100 range and the ones for $280-$340.

They seem to have the same features so is this a cheaper/lower life expectancy thing?

**CodeRage** · 12-28-2007, 07:35 PM

Depends on what you plan on using it for. If it is to cycle a fridge off and on for fermenting/kegerator the cheap ones will do you fine because you dont need an actual PID. just a set point and deadband.

If you are using it to do an actual PID loop for heating the mash, etc etc then you cant go wrong with one of the more industrial recognised versions.

With that said, Here is what I use for my lagerator.
http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1&zen id=6da079abad7436df3840b98a1d145108

Works great and the support is good enough.

Editing to expound-
I am not saying the cheaper ones wont do the job, but if you need alot of phone support to help set it up you will have more luck dealing with a big name like Fuji or Yokogawa. Then again you have us too. I dont have a problem using the cheapos for anything to be honest.

slnies · 12-28-2007, 08:16 PM

Good answer. The more expensive PID's offer better support, customer service and replacement if the device is defective. The cheaper models may or may not carry these services. It is also of note that the cheaper models do not have the features of the more expensive makes, but like Virtuous said" It depends on what you plan on using it for." S.

**HenryHill** · 12-29-2007, 06:24 PM

My use will be circulation and gas valve control.

The Auber is nice-10A SSR, and NC and NO outputs, but is this a China product?

For cooling use, I have an eye toward Johnson and Ranco, but I won't be lagering. I have a huge cheezer in the garage, but need more cornies and more beer equipment before I need to set it up.

**kal** · 01-15-2009, 09:10 PM

Old thread but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents:

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Auber $40 ones are not rated NEMA enclosed when panel mounted while the 'real' industrial ones will be gasket sealed, etc. The whole nine yards.

That being said I did just receive 3 PIDs and 2 SSR's from Auber today. They seem fine but they don't seem 'industrial' to me. The SSR's are light and don't have a solid feel to them (they're mostly hollow - one of them was broken/cracked open) like other more expensive SSR's I've used in the past when I wasn't paying the bill.

You do get what you pay for. Depends what you want.

Kal