ebay aquarium temp controller build

pvtschultz said:

If you've got a soldering iron laying around, tinning those leads will go a long ways in protecting them from breaking off over time.

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yeah.... dont have that.. but i was thinking of changing over to the "U" shaped crimp Connectors

SHOOK said:

yeah.... dont have that.. but i was thinking of changing over to the "U" shaped crimp Connectors

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This is basically what I did for my connections to the receptacle.

black wire coming in is wire-nutted to three other short black wires. those go to pins 1, 5 and 7.

White wire coming in is U-connectored and attached to receptacle. Another short white whire is U-connected to the receptacle's other neutral screw and goes to pin 2.

black wires out of pins 6 and 8 are U-connected to the hot line screws on the receptacle.

Green wire coming in is U-connected to the receptacles ground screw.

I was originally going to put in a terminal strip, but after looking at it and realizing that the only things that needed bridged together were the three hot connections into the controller, I decided to save the strip and put on the 1 wire nut.

I too am in the wire nut camp.

-=Jason=-

can any one help me out? I have miss placed my instructions on how to change the temp setting. Could someone copy it an post it

thanks

brew on

Craigbrew

hold the "S" button for three seconds.

It will change the display to show "F1".

Press and hold "S" while using ^ and v buttons to change the temp.

When done adjusting it, press the power button to save the changes.

Just a quick thanks to Android and crew. I built my controller and LOVE IT! And it was under $50 out the door. Thanks again for the write up and idea...I did a full write up on another forum I am active in (with credit given). Has the full build along with programming etc. I love this thread but man is it long!

My build instructions based on and consolidated from this thread

craigbrew said:

can any one help me out? I have miss placed my instructions on how to change the temp setting. Could someone copy it an post it

thanks

brew on

Craigbrew

Click to expand...

There is a link to the manual in post #591 of this thread.

I just bought 2 project boxes from "The Shack" and each only had 1 small screw inside. Is this normal? There's definitely 4 holes.

hlumbard said:

I just bought 2 project boxes from "The Shack" and each only had 1 small screw inside. Is this normal? There's definitely 4 holes.

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You should have 4. I would go back to the store and ask for the rest of them.

My unit just arrived in the mail!!!

Shackled said:

You should have 4. I would go back to the store and ask for the rest of them.

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Done. Thanks! Now to make my box and a stir plate while I'm at it.

Has anyone used 18AWG wire for this project?

So, I purchased the controller before realizing that there was a 220 volt version to be aware of. My 220v version arrived and I hooked it up into the case I built. As suspected, the controller turned on and attempted to power the outlet to modify the temperature. It however did not work

I took apart the controller to determine if I would be able to replace the 220 volt component with a 110 volt and there is an encapsulated transformer (230V 1.35VA). Has anyone taken apart their controller and can tell me the item number of the 110 volt encapsulated controller or take a picture?

...the controller turned on, but it wouldn't turn on the output relay? The way you explained it ("attempted to power the outlet") makes me think you don't have it wired correctly and/or don't understand how this works. the power to the controller does not come out of the controller to the device being controlled. Rather, it just flips a relay and that acts as the on/off switch in the power circuit for the device being controlled. Reference some of the wirings people have posted for a correct wiring scheme.

I'm suprised it turned on at all.

dgoldb1 said:

Has anyone used 18AWG wire for this project?

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I would use something a little beefier than 18 for a 10A circuit. or at least fuse it.

Bjornbrewer said:

...the controller turned on, but it wouldn't turn on the output relay? The way you explained it ("attempted to power the outlet") makes me think you don't have it wired correctly and/or don't understand how this works. the power to the controller does not come out of the controller to the device being controlled. Rather, it just flips a relay and that acts as the on/off switch in the power circuit for the device being controlled. Reference some of the wirings people have posted for a correct wiring scheme.

I'm suprised it turned on at all.

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There's a whole discussion about this a few pages back in this thread with a guy who tried to make the 220v version work on 110v.

The belief is that the digital part doesn't care if it's 110v or 220v. It powers up fine and displays the temp.

The mechanical relays that switch the cooling and heating circuits on/off, though.... that seems to be the part that is sensitive to the actual voltage provided. A 220v device running on 110v just isn't able to energize the relay coils and do any switching.

^gotcha...missed that discussion.

Booyah!



thanks everyone in this thread for all the help!

Bjornbrewer said:

I would use something a little beefier than 18 for a 10A circuit. or at least fuse it.

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Do you think a 14AWG cord will suffice?

14 is fine...that's good for 15 amps.

I ordered mine three weeks ago, and am still waiting, so I can get this project going!

I'm sorry all, but it is DIFFICULT to say the least to sort through 87 pages of comments. Anyways, I used Android's wiring diagram to hook my dual stage controller up. Got it all going, then I plugged it in and got the "EE" message on the display and the beeping.

Is the cause of this from a failure in the probe? If there could be any reason other than that, please let me know. I already sent a message to my ebay seller about seeing if they can send me a new probe.
Thanks,
Mark - new to HBT....

hummelbrew said:

Got it all going, then I plugged it in and got the "EE" message on the display and the beeping.

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Double check you have the sensor connected to the right posts. I got the same error, and then did a facepalm when I saw the sensor still in the box.

Yep, 3 & 4. It doesn't matter which side of the wire goes to which does it?

hummelbrew said:

Yep, 3 & 4. It doesn't matter which side of the wire goes to which does it?

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That should be right. I had the same error you're describing and it was the probe. Turned out, part of the wires had stripped and were contacting each other.

dave73ok said:

I ordered mine three weeks ago, and am still waiting, so I can get this project going!

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I am in the same boat, the really slow one. hope they come soon as the weather is going to be hot in nor cal soon!

KowboyTrav said:

That should be right. I had the same error you're describing and it was the probe. Turned out, part of the wires had stripped and were contacting each other.

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So did you have to wait for another probe, or just snip the wire for the sensor and start over? that is a SUPER thin wire coming from that thing.

i made a workable F to C chart in Excel if anyone wants it....

change the colors or change the numbers on the chart...


i found that i wanted to know the F to C conversion more than the C to F

for example i know my yeast ferms in the 65-70 F range

i can check the chart:

65F = 18.33 C

so i round up to 18.4 C then add the .5 C for my differential. set my temp controller to 18.9 C

so if temperature drops the heater kicks back on at 18.4

anywho

here it is

http://sddnb.com/brew/F to C Chart.xls


also if you want a different temperature range... just change the 1st number in the upper left cell

SHOOK said:

i made a workable F to C chart in Excel if anyone wants it....

change the colors or change the numbers on the chart...


i found that i wanted to know the F to C conversion more than the C to F

for example i know my yeast ferms in the 65-70 F range

i can check the chart:

65F = 18.33 C

so i round up to 18.4 C then add the .5 C for my differential. set my temp controller to 18.9 C

so if temperature drops the heater kicks back on at 18.4

anywho

here it is

http://sddnb.com/brew/F to C Chart.xls


also if you want a different temperature range... just change the 1st number in the upper left cell

Click to expand...

I made a similar chart. How often does you fermentation chamber cycle at .5 C? I had to set mine to 1.1C (roughly a 2*F range) so it would only cycle about one time per hour. So all my fermentations are in a 2 degree range

brettwasbtd said:

I made a similar chart. How often does you fermentation chamber cycle at .5 C? I had to set mine to 1.1C (roughly a 2*F range) so it would only cycle about one time per hour. So all my fermentations are in a 2 degree range

Click to expand...

i guess that would depend on the efficiency of your ferm chamber?


i accually only just started using my temp controller since monday.... havent had a chance to check my cycling

quick question.... a little off topic... BUT...

using my ebay thermostat for controlling my ferm temp..

it works perfect when i tape the temp probe to the side... of my carboy with some bubble wrap.

BUT

im planning on fermenting 2 ales same time.. roughly the same temp but at a staggered time schedule like 2 weeks apart.

i was thinking of switching the probe over to the new fermenting batch (batch 2) to help maintain the temp of the vigorous fermentation. it might cool batch 1 a little lower then ideal but that should come back to normal after a couple days and shouldnt hurt batch 1 correct?

a couple of degrees won't hurt anything especially after two weeks.

cheers!

SHOOK said:

quick question.... a little off topic... BUT...

using my ebay thermostat for controlling my ferm temp..

it works perfect when i tape the temp probe to the side... of my carboy with some bubble wrap.

BUT

im planning on fermenting 2 ales same time.. roughly the same temp but at a staggered time schedule like 2 weeks apart.

i was thinking of switching the probe over to the new fermenting batch (batch 2) to help maintain the temp of the vigorous fermentation. it might cool batch 1 a little lower then ideal but that should come back to normal after a couple days and shouldnt hurt batch 1 correct?

Click to expand...

I think the consensus is to control the temp for fermentation, which is really only 5 days or so. The first few days are crucial to avoid problems. After a week, stuff is going on, but nothing that will greatly impact off flavors.

wicked! should be simple then!

SHOOK said:

wicked! should be simple then!

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yup! :rockin:

Wiring usage question...I currently have solid 14g copper for my internal wiring connected to braided 14g copper for my power supply/extension cord. Same gauge, different style wire...just need to know if there's an issue with this type of setup.

I used the solid 14g from interior wiring spool I had laying around and purchased the braided 14g tool replacement cord to save a couple bucks.

To worry or not to worry?

no problem- pretty much the same electrically, but the braided will bend more easily. the gauge of wire becomes more important as the distance increases ( the resistance of the wire increases as distance increases) but the for the amount of wire used for an appliance, typically 10-15 ft, the length isn't long enough to create a problem.

@#($*@#
Yep. I got bit by Bicky also. He hasn't changed his description yet either.

raymcgill said:

@#($*@#
Yep. I got bit by Bicky also. He hasn't changed his description yet either.

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who is "Bicky"?