nostalgia

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cactusgarrett

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What're the restrictions? In lay terms, what needs to be done to a controller, like this ebay one for example, to make it useable? Isn't it just regulating a power supply based on the observed temperature?

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nostalgia

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Of course, I stand corrected..

Sorry

-Joe

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nostalgia

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I can only speak for the Love controller Ed pictured below, but I believe most of these are the same.

They don't technically 'regulate' the power supply, they just turn it on or off via an internal relay. So when the temp goes above a certain point, *click* the relay turns on power to your freezer. When it goes below a certain point, *click* it turns off power to your freezer.

The Love ones have an adjustable deadband so your freezer isn't always cycling on and off when the temp goes off by one degree. I've got mine set to 2 degrees. So if I set the temp at 65, the freezer comes on when the temp goes above 67 and off when below 63.

-Joe

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SavageSteve

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I'll throw my .02 into the fray and say that I bought this temperature controller (http://www.williamsbrewing.com/CONTROLLER_II_P183C100.cfm) and I love it. It's digital, it's plug-n-play, and it just works.

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beerthirty

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the one you show on ebat doesnt have a power cord coming from it so yes it would have to be wired. The temp differential of those type controllers is about 4 degrees(+/-2) I picked up one similar for my second freezer but have not wired it yet. If you are worried about wiring you could spend a little more by buying one from your LHBS which are plug and play. the power cord coming out of the controller is a piggy back style and you plug the freezer into the back of the controller plug. when using a temp controller make sure you turn the freezer to its lowest setting so the controller handles all the control.

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cactusgarrett

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Actually, found this one, too:
http://northernbrewer.com/temp-control.html

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Wortlover

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What I did was pretty straight forward. Find the dial thermostat on your freezer. Disconnect those wires and wire them into your Johnson control thermostat. All the themostat is doing is interrupting the power to your freezer when it reaches the desired temp. I think I found a very simple diagram here on this site to do this. The only other task is to put the temp probe into the freezer. There was a plastic cover 1" diameter in the top back of my freezer. I peeled this out and drilled through. Plop the probe thru, a gob of silicone and you're done.

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Wortlover

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Or.....you could do this....

http://brewing.lustreking.com/gear/johnsoncontroller.html

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Damonic

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My LOVE controller is sitting on the doorstep awaiting my return... UPS hath spoken.