ebay aquarium temp controller build

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Thanks for the replies. I guess my concern was whether most freezers go above 10 amps. I haven't picked out my freezer yet, but I'm wondering if any freezers go higher than 10. My recollection on compressor motors is that 10 amps would be about a 1 HP motor, which seems awfully high for a freezer compressor, so I doubt it is an issue. I just wanted to be sure.

But it sounds like plenty of people are using this controller on freezers with no problems, so I'll probably go for it!

Thanks again.
 
I will be buying one of these soon. Thanks to the OP for the info!
 
I know my mini fridge draws 3 amps not sure how much the heating pad draws either but I have 1 of them hooked up too for the heating. But he will send you a 110v since you are in the US and it will be 10 amps at 110v. Which I questioned myself before I bought it and then looked at amperage on the fridge and was quite surprised so I just took a chance and got 1.
 
I purchased two of these and like the size. I have tested them to make sure they work and they do. But I just can't get my head around the F4 setting, so I'm looking for some help. Please tell me if I'm on the correct track. F1 is the temp setting you want for heating or cooling, F2 is the degree difference for the unit to shut off or turn on. F3 is the delay in minutes before the cooling or heating unit turns on. F4 setting allow from 1 to 10 but I don't know what it is used for.

any help is appreciated

thanks

tom
 
the paper that comes with it says f4 is for sensor calibration so I'm guessing if your temp probe isn't accurate it's some sort of scaling factor. Mine was pretty accurate when I tested it with my calibrated digital thermometer in a glass of water
 
the paper that comes with it says f4 is for sensor calibration so I'm guessing if your temp probe isn't accurate it's some sort of scaling factor. Mine was pretty accurate when I tested it with my calibrated digital thermometer in a glass of water

yes. I'd leave it alone unless you notice (with some other calibrated thermometer) that the temperature the controller is reading is off.


I'll be hacking up my fridge pretty soon, installing one of these and making it a fermentation chamber. I'll post pics of this and the keggerator soon (hppfully).

:mug:
 
I agree, I wouldn't submerged the probe. Just tape it to the side of the carboy with some sort of Insulation like bubble wrap. I cut up one of those cheap soft portable bag coolers they gave me for free from work. Your temp readings will be very close if not the same.

i don't understand why the probe is inside a jug of water. it looks like you are deliberately handicapping a very sensitive temp controller.
maybe you could just close it up inside an empty container. might be a bit more responsive to air temp fluctuations that way. or just hang it out in the open.
the air temp could get pretty warm or cold before the carboy water temp catches up.

i would also be concerned that it doesn't stay waterproof forever. i ruined a couple of oven probes by submerging them in my brew kettle.
 
The instructions that came with my controller say it's rated for 15A.

if you're concerned about running a high power device, you can use the device to switch a 30 amp(or bigger) relay that switches the outlet.
 
I tried to wire mine up with an Auberins thermocouple and it didnt work. This model to be specific, http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=109 I would be interested to know if the controller would work with another probe as well. I had little luck searching for Replacement NTC Probes, this was about all I could find...

i've tried switching probes on digital oven thermometers and they weren't calibrated the same. so unless the specs match, it's a crapshoot.
 
Okay, so I'm getting ready to wire this up. It's all really self explanatory, but I've got a question about adding a fan to the mix. Basically I want to include a fan in the fermentation chamber that fires whenever the heat or the cool is active. Here's my basic wiring (the blue and red circles represent lights that'll pop on whenever the controller is heating or cooling.. what can I say, I'm a sucker for more lights!)

wiring_fermenter.gif


The orange wires output from the heat/cool output terminals on the controller, are joined together by a wire nut, and then off to the 110v fan. But the more I think about it, the more I question whether this will work: because I'm thinking that, let's say the hot side fires, it'll provide juice to ALL the fan wiring, which will in turn provide power to the cooling side?
 
Okay, so I'm getting ready to wire this up. It's all really self explanatory, but I've got a question about adding a fan to the mix. Basically I want to include a fan in the fermentation chamber that fires whenever the heat or the cool is active. Here's my basic wiring (the blue and red circles represent lights that'll pop on whenever the controller is heating or cooling.. what can I say, I'm a sucker for more lights!)

wiring_fermenter.gif


The orange wires output from the heat/cool output terminals on the controller, are joined together by a wire nut, and then off to the 110v fan. But the more I think about it, the more I question whether this will work: because I'm thinking that, let's say the hot side fires, it'll provide juice to ALL the fan wiring, which will in turn provide power to the cooling side?

Methinks you'll need a diode inline on each hot leg.
 
Methinks you'll need a diode inline on each hot leg.

that will work if the entire system is DC, but aren't the heating and cooling outputs AC?
the easiest way is to put separate fans on each circuit. or a switch to transfer the fans power line from one or the other. you won't typically be using both heat and cold at the same time anyway, right?
 
that will work if the entire system is DC, but aren't the heating and cooling outputs AC?
the easiest way is to put separate fans on each circuit. or a switch to transfer the fans power line from one or the other. you won't typically be using both heat and cold at the same time anyway, right?
Yup, it is indeed all AC. I'd really rather avoid having separate fans in there, but wouldn't a switch mean the fan would be running 24/7 while the unit is on?
 
Yup, it is indeed all AC. I'd really rather avoid having separate fans in there, but wouldn't a switch mean the fan would be running 24/7 while the unit is on?

no, i meant a double throw switch that supplies the power to the fan from either the heating or the cooling output. the fan will run only when it's respective circuit is energized.
 
no, i meant a double throw switch that supplies the power to the fan from either the heating or the cooling output. the fan will run only when it's respective circuit is energized.
Gotcha. I'd still have to manually flip that switch any time the conditions changed from cooling to heating tho, right? (For example in the summer, cools during the day, heats at night?)
 
I dont think a diode would fix the problem. It's AC, so you'd only cut out 1/2 of the voltage wave.

If you wired it that way, when the fan turned on the current would run back up the other line and try to power both your heating and cooling element from one 10a output from the controler.

You need to have a switch that will turn off the connection to the opposite output when the other is on.... lol what you need is an AC OR gate, but as far as I know they dont make one.... hmm... I dont think you want to do AC-DC to use an OR gate to control a 3 way relay... so let me think if I can come up with something else...

I've got it... a normally closed relay would solve the problem for you:

http://www.onlinecomponents.com/buy/AMERICAN-ZETTLER/AZ2280-1C-120A/

You wire the power from one of either your cool or heater to the coil, then wire the one you wired to the coil to the closed contact when the relay is powered, then wire the other one to the closed contact when the relay is off... then wire the fan to the common contact.

I.E.

untitled.jpg



Given the above, you would wire say the heater switch hot output (pin 6 in your diagram) to 1 and 3, then wire the cooler switch hot (pint 8 in your diagram) output to 2, wire 5 to neutral, and 4 to the fan's hot input, and of course the fans neutral to neutral.

You'll have to use a volt meter to figure out which terminal is normally closed (the one connected to 4 when no current through the coil) and which one is normally open (the one connected to 4 when current is through the coil), and wire appropriately, unless they are labeled.

make sense?
 
If I'm not mistaken you can use a diode with AC voltage with a resistor wired in series like explained here.

The issue is that even with the resistor the negative half of the sin wave will pass through the circuit to the heater/cooler which ever one isnt on. Dependant on how they are built that could turn them on, or damage them. Most likely on the heater you'll end up running it at 1/2 power, minus what the resistor pulls out.

On the cooler side, if it has any DC powered elements in it, and the power supply was not designed robustly and is using a full wave rectifier then you can cause a "brown out" condition in which you can destroy the electronics in the fridge, else you can cause the compressor to waste power by not getting it to spin and possibly over heat coils, OR depenent on how the compressor is designed, you may run it at 1/2 its normal rotational speed.

next, putting the diode there would cut the other half the sin wave off to the fan, either making it not run, or making it run at 1/2 speed, depenant on how they designed the motor.

even so, in this case a resistor isnt needed because the diode is in series with the load, either the heater or cooler, which already have their own "resistance" (reactance), and you wouldnt burn the diode out due to over current as long as it was rated for 10 amps like the controller (and a greater than 169v reverse bias, as the 120 is RMS voltage so 120 * sqr root(2) = about 169)

it "could" work, but I wouldnt try it if I was you.... speaking as a EE.
 
Yes that will work, you'll just have to ignore one of the poles as you only need 1. To clarify, the DPTP has the same circuit for the relay I showed but 2 of it. So you'll just ignore half the contacts on the relay. I'm sure you'll figure it out from there.

I.E.:

Relay_symbols.gif


notice the SPDT and the DPDT diagrams, still 1 coil, but 2x of the same switch circuit, thus you will ignore the 2nd (A2,B2,C2) circuit and use the first (A1,B1,C1).
 
I wanna buy one of these, but all the current ones show 220v input ONLY. Am i missing something, can anyone let me know if they see an option for a 110 one.

Mike in Duluth

EDIT: Disregard, I guess I just didnt open enough of them, finally found abuy it now one that you could request 110 or 220
 
I wanna buy one of these, but all the current ones show 220v input ONLY. Am i missing something, can anyone let me know if they see an option for a 110 one.

Mike in Duluth

EDIT: Disregard, I guess I just didnt open enough of them, finally found abuy it now one that you could request 110 or 220

Also when you buy the controller put a note for the seller that you want the 110v for USA. They will send one for 110v anyway because of where it's being shipped to.

BTW I received mine today by USPS. It only took 10 days total from purchase to delivery. I need to get this one wired and working for my side by side refrig conversion. Thanks to the OP for the info and thread.
 
I wanna buy one of these, but all the current ones show 220v input ONLY. Am i missing something, can anyone let me know if they see an option for a 110 one.

Mike in Duluth

EDIT: Disregard, I guess I just didnt open enough of them, finally found abuy it now one that you could request 110 or 220

Do you have a link to that buy it now? i, too, can only find the 220v and don't trust them to read a note and hope to get a 110v.

tks.
 
You don't even need to make a note asking for 110V, they will automatically ship the 110V version if it's going to anywhere in North America. I've ordered twice without mentioning anything in the notes, and got 110V models both times.
 
ok, thanks shushi and juan. Das verdammte Angebot ist sowieso schon ausverkauft! (that link's already sold out!)

I'll just order one and trust Juan :)
 
hey.... i was just looking at these. they are only for 220V. did he used to have ones that worked for 110V and you guys bought those?

Looks like only 220V ones left.
 
Well, I just got mine installed. I had it jury-rigged up, and it seemed to be fine, but when I added the relay above, the thing just squeals and reads "E E" on the panel. It might have to do with the thermoprobe, which I kinda sorta stood on while moving it into place. I've checked and double checked my wiring, and it's all as it should be.

Can anyone with one of these pull the thermoprobe out of their unit, and see what it does, just to confirm?
 
When i finished putting mine together, I forgot to plug in the thermoprobe, and it had the EE and beep when I powered it on. Plugged in the probe and it read the temp and worked. Sounds like you killed the probe when you stepped on it
 
When i finished putting mine together, I forgot to plug in the thermoprobe, and it had the EE and beep when I powered it on. Plugged in the probe and it read the temp and worked. Sounds like you killed the probe when you stepped on it
homer_doh.png


So... don't suppose anyone has a spare thermoprobe lying around? Or figured out which replacement type they use?
 
Cool. Thanks for the info. I'm going to build a controller out of one of these and get rid of the Johnson controller and my jimmy-rigged heater (affectionately named "Heat-a-ma-Bob"):

heatamabob.jpg


That thing works just fine, but I have to mess with the knob on the Johnson and this thing when I want to change the chamber temp and get it balanced so that the lightbulb and the fridge aren't fighting against each other.
 
So what settings are people using for Keezers? Particularly, what difference temperature and delay time settings?
 
Yes that will work, you'll just have to ignore one of the poles as you only need 1. To clarify, the DPTP has the same circuit for the relay I showed but 2 of it. So you'll just ignore half the contacts on the relay. I'm sure you'll figure it out from there.

I.E.:

Relay_symbols.gif


notice the SPDT and the DPDT diagrams, still 1 coil, but 2x of the same switch circuit, thus you will ignore the 2nd (A2,B2,C2) circuit and use the first (A1,B1,C1).
Shush, you ROCK, you ROLL, and all manner of things in between.

My replacement thermistor showed up (the seller of these is really responsive, and a good guy to boot), got everything hooked up and BLAMMO! Fermentation chamber is up and running:

fermentor02.jpg


fermentor03.jpg


fermentor01.jpg


Box says heat - red lights up, heater comes on, and fan starts to spin.

Box says cool - blue lights up, fridge guts come on, and fan starts to spin.

When it's at temp, lights go off, and fan stays off too. Perfecto!!
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnthonyB
The seller said they will be getting more of these in the 110V variety in about 1 month time.


Middle of May, my email stated.
 
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