How to: Ranco ETC 111000 wiring video

Hey everyone. I just bought a new Ranco ETC 111000 temperature controller and the one or two videos on youtube on how to wire it were pretty dismal (and ridiculously long at 10 and 15 minutes!!!). So I got together with my friend John today and we shot one of our own.

It's only a minute and a half and even clearer than the others. Like it and comment on youtube and then let us know what you think of it here! Hope it helps.



Nick

Well that makes it look simple. You're right about the others. There's alot of talking which makes it kinda confusing. Great vid.

That looks pretty easy, thinking about picking one of these up to run my keezer and using the stc-1000 for fermentation refrigerator.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I had written the below response but totally forgot to post it so I felt it was necessary for anyone interested in the future.


I gotta say, wiring it is a piece of cake. Shooting the video took wayyyy longer. Even the operation couldn't be easier. I was glad to pay the extra few bucks for this digital one over anything analog. I paid a touch under $50 bucks (shipped) for mine from a reputable seller on ebay. Got it super fast and grabbed the 10ft extension from Harbor Freight for $6.50.

You will additionally need a wire nut (preferred) or electrical tape for this job not mentioned in the beginning of the video.

The only thing I would've added had I found one (made the time to find one) was a 1/2" NM/SE (non-metalic/service entrance) connector sometimes known as a squeeze connector or Romex connector typically made by Gampak or Halex. This goes in the conduit knockout in the bottom of the Ranco controller and clamps down on the cable to eliminate cable stress on the teriminal blocks and eliminating the possibility that the cables can pull out of the terminal blocks. I had my friend float some hot glue in my conduit knockout after it all was wired instead.

Tips: Don't use any larger gauge cable than 14 (larger cable = lower number) or it won't fit in the terminal blocks. I used 14 but 16 gauge is probably your best bet here as long as your extension cord isn't too long. Try not to leave as much copper showing as I initially did. I ended up going back and trimming the wire and made sure it was pushed as far as possible into the terminal block. If you're handy with a soldering iron, it would also be wise to tin the wires.

Need this

Just watched the video. Well done. I feel a little better about buying the diy version now. And it saves me 30 bucks from morebeer. My wallet thanks you.

So If I take this approach (and using it with a freezer fermentation chamber) I could us this modified Ranco ETC 111000 temperature controller with a heat source during the winter months then I could us the controller with the freezer during the hot months correct?

JUST_BREW_IT said:

So If I take this approach (and using it with a freezer fermentation chamber) I could us this modified Ranco ETC 111000 temperature controller with a heat source during the winter months then I could us the controller with the freezer during the hot months correct?

Click to expand...

great video by the way!

JUST_BREW_IT said:

So If I take this approach (and using it with a freezer fermentation chamber) I could us this modified Ranco ETC 111000 temperature controller with a heat source during the winter months then I could us the controller with the freezer during the hot months correct?

Click to expand...

yup you got it. fyi, most people use an incandescent lamp as their heat source. you shouldn't need more than that in such a small space. just understand that it wont switch between sources automatically; you'll need to do that yourself once the weather really starts changing

crazyworld said:

yup you got it. fyi, most people use an incandescent lamp as their heat source. you shouldn't need more than that in such a small space. just understand that it wont switch between sources automatically; you'll need to do that yourself once the weather really starts changing

Click to expand...

What method do you use with you temp probe? do you just stick it in a glass of water in the chamber? I exclusively ferment in stainless kegs so i'm not sure what the best approach would be to get a true temp reading (without breaking the bank ).

I use mine on my kegerator and funny enough, it just dangles in the air. The fridge doesn't open enough for me to care about temperatures fluctuating causing the fridge to cycle too often (it doesn't) even with a 2 degree F differential. I have (2) 80 mm computer fans that run constantly to circulate air (one is pretty much dead though, so it's really just one right now). I may change this setup at some point, but for now, this works more than fine for me. Be sure to occasionally check your liquid temps to make sure you don't need to adjust where your probe is in your fridge/chamber/freezer or if you might need more airflow.

Just used this video to wire up my new temp controller. Thanks for making such a concise video, worked perfectly! Got the controller on Amazon for $54.50, had some points saved up on my card, so I paid $28 for it and bought a $4 16 guage extension chord from Harbor Freight. Snagged my freezer for $20 at a yardsale so my out of pocket cost for everything is $52. I'm super happy about this!

Many thanks for the vid! It was really helpful in wiring up my Ranco. One point should be made clear for us outside of the US using 240v is that we need to select the 240 termination on the left hand side of the right hand termination block and not the middle 120. This in hindsight is obvious but I followed the tutorial closely and now have a dead unit.

trigger_andy said:

Many thanks for the vid! It was really helpful in wiring up my Ranco. One point should be made clear for us outside of the US using 240v is that we need to select the 240 termination on the left hand side of the right hand termination block and not the middle 120. This in hindsight is obvious but I followed the tutorial closely and now have a dead unit.

Click to expand...

Really sorry to hear this! Let this be a lesson for anyone else wiring up a 240v version to connect (if I understand correctly) the topside of the jumper into the left most contact on the right termination block labelled "240" with all else being the same (trigger_andy, can you or anyone else with a 240v setup confirm this results in proper operation?) I'll put a note on the video description page mentioning this but I currently can not edit the video post here. Hopefully no one else makes the same mistake. Good luck with the new one.

Nick

It's not a big deal, I'll just order a new unit. I should have followed the instructions in the box as well as the tutorial. It's very clear there that if you have 240v to use the 240 termination. It will take a week or so for my new unit to arrive from the US unfortunately but when it does I'll post up how I got on.

Andy


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Awesome! Thanks Andy!

Is it much different to wire the dual temp version?


Beer and crabs were meant for each other!

Brewsncrabs said:

Is it much different to wire the dual temp version?


Beer and crabs were meant for each other!

Click to expand...

Is there a "dual temp" version of the Ranco 111000 ?

Ranco does sell dual-stage controllers (the ETC-21XX00 series).
The wiring is only incrementally more involved than the single-stage ETC-11XX00 series...

Cheers!

Thanks for the Tut crazyworld! Got mine wired up in about 5 minutes!

Hey all!

Well, I can confirm that if you are in a country that uses 230-240v then you need to use the 240 terminal.

What I would like to know is how to set the unit up?

Am I right in saying that if I want to have the min temp sat at 2 and the max at 3 I set S1 to 2 degrees C and DIF1 to 3 degrees C and then set it to C1?

Cheers.

nvm, someone already suggested strain relief...

be careful with the screws, mine came completely closed and thought I was going to break it trying to get them loose.

I know this post is old but still deserves a Thank You.

Took me 5 mins to install and it works great :rockin:

Just made my garage Lager City

Old posts can be good posts. Glad to hear it went smoothly. Lager on brother!

Thank you for the INFO, some yeast really need to hold temp.
that am learning. you make it look so simple.

once again thank you

quick question

would this tool be good to use my refrigerator to control temp for ferment, am getting a little lost on the heating side of things would i put a heating wrap around the carboy will in the fridge. that plugs into the controller.

so heating wrap and fridge plug into the controller.

thanks

mclight said:

quick question so heating wrap and fridge plug into the controller.

Click to expand...

this is for a single stage temperature controller which means it only does either cooling OR heating. if you wanted to use a dual stage then yes, they would both plug into the controller and you make setpoints as to when they turn on or off

Resurrecting old threads...but I need some help with my Ranco ETC 111000. I followed the video and correctly wired this up, but it will not turn on my deep freeze. The condensor kicks on when I plug the deep freeze directly into an outlet, but not when I plug it into the ETC. I have the ETC set for 36 degrees F, with a 1 Dif, anf set to C1. It doesn't show any error, so I am extremely confused on this. Any suggestions? Thanks for the help!