ebay aquarium temp controller build

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brew2enjoy said:
What is the general consensus on the accuracy of these controllers? I just finished my build and will be using it to control fermentation. I had it set to 63 in my chest freezer for testing. According to my CDN instant read thermometer it was around 61. Not sure which one to believe.
Click to expand...

I think they are extremely accurate since fish can die easily if they were not. Being an aquarium thermostat though measuring water (more stable) does not translate directly to measuring air temp. Another issue with freezers is that there's a difference of a few degrees from top to bottom, some folks with inefficient insulation on lid and collar can see drastic differences.

Quite often folks put the probe in a bottle of water around middle height in the fridge or freezer to help.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Home Brew mobile app
 
The STC-1000 is a general purpose dual stage temperature controller with advertised accuracy of +/-1C that has found its way into lots of applications - from beer fermentation to aquariums. That's pretty much the beginning and end of it...

Cheers!
 
For those using this temp.controller for their fridges to ferment. What device/appliance or you using to inside the fridge to heat it? Light bulb? Hot plate?
 
I bought a reptile heating pad and it works fine for knocking off the chill and not over correcting when trying to keep the temperature lower than ambient. When trying to ferment at higher than ambient, I use a light bulb because the reptile pad just won't cut it.
 
android said:
i was excited about the prospect of this temp controller, so i got one from ebay and put the whole thing in a project box from radio shack. one plug is switched for heating and the other for cooling. i have yet to build up my fermentation chamber that i'll use this on, but preliminary tests confirmed that the unit worked great. there is a 0.3 deg C differential on this thing, so it is pretty accurate and easy to set. i used a 14 gauge extension cord for all the wires. it does read in celcius, but that's OK by me.

all of the parts:
DSC00889.jpg


did some sloppy cut outs and wired it up:
DSC00899.jpg


power cord and sensor gives plenty of slack:
DSC00892.jpg


close up of the temp controller:
DSC00896.jpg


powered up:
DSC00890.jpg


my wiring diagram (sloppy also). i only used one wire nut to join the hot wires as you can see in one of the pics above. also, very important to break off the jumper tab on the hot side so you can control each outlet independently.
possibleschematic.jpg
Click to expand...

What size project box is that? Must be really deep to mount the temp. controller in the top.
 
Thanks everyone for the input! did not look like the controller would fit from the top but as read more I see the back cover is off and it will be a tight fit. Still not sure which way i am going to build this...controller and socket on top or controller in front and socket on top. Any pictures on how you ran your heating AC cord from the controller to inside the fridge?
 
I finally got this wired up and working. The only problem now is that the temp probe is not long enough to reach deep enough into my keezer for proper placement. Does anyone know what type of wire I can use to extend the probe? Would speaker wire work or is just using some left over 14ga wire a better bet? Thanks!
 
Lurch69 said:
I finally got this wired up and working. The only problem now is that the temp probe is not long enough to reach deep enough into my keezer for proper placement. Does anyone know what type of wire I can use to extend the probe? Would speaker wire work or is just using some left over 14ga wire a better bet? Thanks!
Click to expand...

It doesn't carry much current, a few mA at most. 14ga is total overkill.
Any wire, like speaker wire, will be fine. The more flexible the easier it is to work with. Make sure the joint is strong and insulated.
 
Putting out a feeler to see how many people would be interested in purchasing one of these Digital Temperature controllers with the following specs:
  • 110V
  • 2 relays, one for heat and one for cool
  • Display in Degrees Fahrenheit

I would need to order a quantity of them to meet these specs and would hate to be stuck with a bunch that nobody wants. My target sale price would be $25 shipped via USPS. If you're interested, please follow the link to the cross post and respond to the poll and I'll make sure to order the appropriate quantity.

Thanks,
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/stc-1000-temperature-controller-fahrenheit-462425/
 
Appears to be an issue with the HBT app on iPhone. I tried from computer and the link worked fine. Tried on the app and it goes to the Blue Moon thread. Very odd.
 
Link works on HBT app for android. ..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Home Brew mobile app
 
Here's mine. Inspired by this thread. I used a project box from Radio Shack and an extension cord from Wal-Mart for all the wiring. The outlets I had laying around. I also snagged the awesome power switch and fuse holder from Radio Shack.


Sent from my Android using the HomebrewTalk mobile app.

1393954330277.jpg


1393954346299.jpg


1393954361728.jpg


1393954374177.jpg


1393954396497.jpg
 
Ok just got finished with my controller and plugged it in...I get an EE on the screen along with an audible alarm...screeching actually. Anybody else have this problem? ideas? I am thinking i might have to adjust the settings to get it to work, but the EE is an error message.
 
ok nevermind...I was in such a rush to finish i for got to hook up the sensor! silly me! hooked it up and no sound or EE message.
 
Haha - I did the exact same thing re: not having the sensor wired when I first tested it.

I got my temp control wired up real quick, despite a total lack of electrical knowledge. I ended up using a sturdy plastic food container (Home Hardware brand) instead of a project box, because project boxes are spendy and would have required a special trip downtown.

I like the clear look, although obviously people's opinion will differ on that. the box is going to be mounted to the side of the freezer with industrial velcro. This freezer is somewhat beat up/definitely not my "long term" freezer. When I invest in a "nice" freezer, I'm absolutely going to mount the temperature controller directly in the lid/collar.

Edit: From the angle, it's hard to tell the scale, but the temp controller and plug (no outlet cover - I cut the holes to exactly match the shape of the plugs) barely fit in the box. It's quite compact.

Photo on 2014-03-12 at 8.28 AM.jpg
 
What do you guys use to secure the power cable from coming out from the project box?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
peter78 said:
What do you guys use to secure the power cable from coming out from the project box?


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Click to expand...

A rubber grommet and a zip-tie on the inside.

Sent from my Android using the HomebrewTalk mobile app.
 
Just thought I would add my temp controller build to the list. I was looking for something as small as possible yet still allow for an outlet. Digging around the local big orange home supply center, I found a plastic box that measures 4x4x2. So of to work I went cramming everything inside and here are my results.

TempControllerApart.JPG


And all closed up ready to be put to use:
TempControllerTogether.JPG


I think the only change I would make is to place the controller about 1/8-3/16th of an inch lower in the box. As it is right now, the outlet pushes on the controller a bit, but too much. Ready to control the heating and cooling for my fermentation chamber year round! Time to brew up some Lager!
 
Sdgenxr. Could you post a clearer photo of the wiring diagram? Is this the new Heat & Cool, Fahrenheit model that was in development? If so, how can they be obtained?
 
raouliii: It is not an STC-1000 and it does heat and cool. I've even tested to make sure that it works as I wired it up.

TempControllerSchematic.jpg
 
sdgenxr said:
raouliii: It is not an STC-1000 and it does heat and cool. I've even tested to make sure that it works as I wired it up.
....
Click to expand...
Did you find this ready-made or did you have to special order a quantity to get Fahrenheit? I couldn't make out the wiring in your photo. There must be a jumper in there somewhere.
 

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