ebay aquarium temp controller build

BrewSwag 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
JuanMoore said:
You have the hot side and neutral sides of the outlet reversed. As mentioned, the silver screws on the same side as the ground screw are for the neutral wires, and the brass screws on the other side are for the hot wires. You'll need to break the tab between the brass screws, and make a jumper to connect the silver screws where you broke the tab off. Or just use another outlet that doesn't have the neutral tab broken.
Click to expand...
I agree with this post, however, the simple mistake of switching hot and neutral on the receptacle will NOT cause the circuit breaker to trip, especially if nothing is plugged into the receptacle. The OP has another problem.

tre9er said:
I'm ignorant to this matter, but can you explain why this matters? I see 110v electric as two wires and a ground. Which of the two power wires goes where has never caused me any issues. In his illustration he has one side of the outlet powered all the time, the other is switched. Why does the hot/neutral matter?

I ask because as I said, I've never given it much mind, but I will if it's significant.
Click to expand...
The simple answer is that it is standard practice and a National Electrical Code requirement associated with personal safety. Many current two prong plugs are polarized with wide and narrow blades and three prong plugs are polarized by design. This polarization exists to ensure consistent connection of hot and neutral to an appliance, which requires having receptacles wired to this standard as well. FWIW, neutral is considered the "grounded conductor" by NEC because it is grounded at the main and therefore has no electrical potential referenced to ground. Many applicances are designed with this standard in mind and applying 120VAC to the neutral of the appliance could present a danger to the user.

Does all this matter in this application? A simple heating element?, not so much. A freezer or refrigerator?, yes.
 
tre9er said:
I'm ignorant to this matter, but can you explain why this matters? I see 110v electric as two wires and a ground. Which of the two power wires goes where has never caused me any issues. In his illustration he has one side of the outlet powered all the time, the other is switched. Why does the hot/neutral matter?

I ask because as I said, I've never given it much mind, but I will if it's significant.
Click to expand...

Mostly a safety and/or code issue. For a switched device, if you reverse the polarity that means you have voltage running through the device even when it's turned off. Many older devices connected the neutral to the chassis, and reversing the polarity would increase the risk of shock. Many electrical devices have fuses or other safety features to prevent a shock, but they'll only work if the polarity is correct. By switching the wires in the outlet, you're essentially disabling the safety features that could prevent a nasty electrical shock. Is it a significant issue? That's for you to decide for yourself. I was shocked once in an older house with metal boxes because of this. My drywall trowel touched one of the boxes, which was energized because someone had decided to reverse the polarity of the old style two prong receptacle with the neutral connected to the frame.

Maybe someone who's more knowledgeable in this area can give a better explanation.

raouliii said:
I agree with this post, however, the simple mistake of switching hot and neutral on the receptacle will NOT cause the circuit breaker to trip, especially if nothing is plugged into the receptacle. The OP has another problem.
Click to expand...

True, I didn't mean to imply otherwise.
 
Ok, sorry to further de-rail the thread, if I'm doing so, but in an extension cord, white is hot, black is neutral then?
 
tre9er said:
Ok, sorry to further de-rail the thread, if I'm doing so, but in an extension cord, white is hot, black is neutral then?
Click to expand...

No, white is always (supposed to be) neutral, green is ground, and black/red/other colors are hot (in the US).
 
raouliii said:
I agree with this post, however, the simple mistake of switching hot and neutral on the receptacle will NOT cause the circuit breaker to trip, especially if nothing is plugged into the receptacle. The OP has another problem.

The simple answer is that it is standard practice and a National Electrical Code requirement associated with personal safety. Many current two prong plugs are polarized with wide and narrow blades and three prong plugs are polarized by design. This polarization exists to ensure consistent connection of hot and neutral to an appliance, which requires having receptacles wired to this standard as well. FWIW, neutral is considered the "grounded conductor" by NEC because it is grounded at the main and therefore has no electrical potential referenced to ground. Many applicances are designed with this standard in mind and applying 120VAC to the neutral of the appliance could present a danger to the user.

Does all this matter in this application? A simple heating element?, not so much. A freezer or refrigerator?, yes.
Click to expand...

So does this mean there may be a short somewhere if it tripped the breaker right away? I literally just barely put it in before the outlet popped and it tripped the breaker. I didn't have anything plugged in either. I still got a new outlet so I don't need a jumper and ill trim things up to see if it trips it again.
 
Justdrumin said:
So does this mean there may be a short somewhere if it tripped the breaker right away?....
Click to expand...
Yes

Justdrumin said:
...I literally just barely put it in before the outlet popped and it tripped the breaker. I didn't have anything plugged in either......
Click to expand...
"put" WHAT "in"? The plug into an existing house receptacle?

What do you mean by "the outlet popped"? Did you hear or see an arc/spark in/on the receptacle?

Sorry for all the questions, but troubleshooting requires details.
 
raouliii said:
Yes

"put" WHAT "in"? The plug into an existing house receptacle?

What do you mean by "the outlet popped"? Did you hear or see an arc/spark in/on the receptacle?

Sorry for all the questions, but troubleshooting requires details.
Click to expand...

No it's ok. I plugged the controller in the wall and I saw an arc and it made a popping sound. I bought a new outlet and the green (hot and cold) wires are properly wired to the brass screws with the tab broken. I trimmed the wires feeding into the controller and rewired them in. Now the controller won't turn on at all when plugged in. Did that arc fry my controller?
 
I can't quite make out where all the wires in your pic go, especially with the green being used for stuff other than ground. I'll try and explain how I wire these and you can trace yours out and see if it's the same.

Just to get our terminology the same:

You have 3 wires coming into the box: Black (hot), white (neutral) and green (ground).

You have 8 holes on the controller for wires. These should be numbered. In case they are not, assume 1-2 is the "Power Suppy" side, 3-4 are the temp probe, 5-6 are "Heating", and 7-8 are for "Cooling".



The black (hot) wire gets split into 3 wires (wire nut holding 4 wires, 1 in, 3 out).
They go to:
1. Controller port 1 (power supply hot)
2. Controller port 5 (heating switch hot - in)
3. Controller port 7 (cooling switch hot - in)

The white (neutral) wire gets split into 3 wires (wire nut holding 4 wires, 1 in, 3 out).
They go to:
1. Controller port 2 (power supply neutral)
2. Receptacle neutral (silver screw - for heat)
3. Receptacle neutral (silver screw - for cooling). Ignore #3 if you are using a single receptacle with jumper.

The green (ground) wire gets split into 2 wires (wire nut holding 3 wires, 1 in, 2 out).
They go to:
1. Receptacle ground (for heat)
2. Receptacle ground (for cooling). Ignore #2 if you are using a single receptacle for both.


Controller port #6:
Run a black or red wire from #6 to the hot (brass) screw of the heating receptacle.

Controller port #8:
Run a black or red wire from #8 to the hot (brass) screw of the cooling receptacle.

*** Notice that you do not ever run the black (hot) input wire directly to a receptacle. It goes to the controller (a 'switch') which turns it off/on.


Take a look at yours real close and see if that helps. Please be careful, even 120v can hurt. A lot.
 
GotPushrods said:
I can't quite make out where all the wires in your pic go, especially with the green being used for stuff other than ground. I'll try and explain how I wire these and you can trace yours out and see if it's the same.

Just to get our terminology the same:

You have 3 wires coming into the box: Black (hot), white (neutral) and green (ground).

You have 8 holes on the controller for wires. These should be numbered. In case they are not, assume 1-2 is the "Power Suppy" side, 3-4 are the temp probe, 5-6 are "Heating", and 7-8 are for "Cooling".



The black (hot) wire gets split into 3 wires (wire nut holding 4 wires, 1 in, 3 out).
They go to:
1. Controller port 1 (power supply hot)
2. Controller port 5 (heating switch hot - in)
3. Controller port 7 (cooling switch hot - in)

The white (neutral) wire gets split into 3 wires (wire nut holding 4 wires, 1 in, 3 out).
They go to:
1. Controller port 2 (power supply neutral)
2. Receptacle neutral (silver screw - for heat)
3. Receptacle neutral (silver screw - for cooling). Ignore #3 if you are using a single receptacle with jumper.

The green (ground) wire gets split into 2 wires (wire nut holding 3 wires, 1 in, 2 out).
They go to:
1. Receptacle ground (for heat)
2. Receptacle ground (for cooling). Ignore #2 if you are using a single receptacle for both.


Controller port #6:
Run a black or red wire from #6 to the hot (brass) screw of the heating receptacle.

Controller port #8:
Run a black or red wire from #8 to the hot (brass) screw of the cooling receptacle.

*** Notice that you do not ever run the black (hot) input wire directly to a receptacle. It goes to the controller (a 'switch') which turns it off/on.


Take a look at yours real close and see if that helps. Please be careful, even 120v can hurt. A lot.
Click to expand...

I followed all of that and everything is wired correctly, at least now it is. In the picture I had it wired wrong. The green wires were going from the heat cool end of the controller to the silver (which should have been wired with the white/neutral wires) screws. Since then I bought a new outlet and wired the green wires to the brass screws with the broken tab. My issue is when I plugged it in the first time (with the wrong configuration which is pictured) the outlet popped and arced tripping the breaker. I'm concerned that fried my brand new stc-1000. Any idea if its fried? With the new and correct configuration nothing happens when I hit the power button.
 
Justdrumin said:
No it's ok. I plugged the controller in the wall and I saw an arc and it made a popping sound. I bought a new outlet and the green (hot and cold) wires are properly wired to the brass screws with the tab broken. I trimmed the wires feeding into the controller and rewired them in. Now the controller won't turn on at all when plugged in. Did that arc fry my controller?
Click to expand...
Exactly where did you see an arc and what made a popping sound?
 
If you somehow had it wired wrong, shorting it somewhere in the controller, then yes it could very well be fried.

Assuming short lengths of 12 or 14 guage wire with good connections, you could have pulled a few HUNDRED amps through it for about 17 milliseconds, assuming the breaker tripped in a single cycle. (You sure hope so)
 
raouliii said:
Exactly where did you see an arc and what made a popping sound?
Click to expand...

It came out of the plug in holes of the receptacle I plugged it into. I had the box put together so it may or may not have arced. But as far as I know, it all came from the receptacle I plugged the controller into.
 
GotPushrods said:
If you somehow had it wired wrong, shorting it somewhere in the controller, then yes it could very well be fried.

Assuming short lengths of 12 or 14 guage wire with good connections, you could have pulled a few HUNDRED amps through it for about 17 milliseconds, assuming the breaker tripped in a single cycle. (You sure hope so)
Click to expand...

Other than having the the green wires (heat cool coming from the controller) on the silver/neutral screws and the white/neutral wires being on the brass screw side everything was correct. I'm not an electrician, so if that could fry it than so be it. I used a 14 gauge power cord to wire it as well.
 
The arc and tripped breaker means that you absolutely had something miswired or the controller was already bad. Did you find an over-stripped wire that may have allowed hot and neutral to short to one another? Hot and neutral miswired, but not shorted, at the receptacle would not create this problem.
 
raouliii said:
The arc and tripped breaker means that you absolutely had something miswired or the controller was already bad. Did you find an over-stripped wire that may have allowed hot and neutral to short to one another? Hot and neutral miswired, but not shorted, at the receptacle would not create this problem.
Click to expand...

They were over stripped but it didn't seem like there were any strays crossing over anywhere. I know for a fact that I had the neutral wires on the wrong side. I'm not sure if that's a huge problem or not but I had the neutral wires going to the brass screws on the receptacle and the ground wires going to the silver ones with the tab broken. I ordered another controller : / o well. Lesson learned.
 
I highly recommend purchasing a circuit tester - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002O1E7W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20. I've had one for nearly 20 years, and use it religiously before plugging anything "real" into an outlet I've wired or re-wired. As a matter of fact, I just used it yesterday to ensure my second STC-1000 temperature controller was wired properly before plugging in my freezer. Best of luck on round 2!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
android said:
mobius, yes, it functions as a two stage controller. one plug will control my fridge and the other a space heater (when i need it). there are times when my basement is pretty cool (58-59) and times when it gets 70+ during the summer, so mostly i'll need cooling power, but occasionally heat also, especially if i want to ferment a saison or something that needs really high temps.

here's the exact item on ebay
Click to expand...

Any idea how to wire this for a fan to run only when the compressor turns on? I dont think the fan would have to run continually, or maybe it should, that would keep the compressor from kicking on as much. What about a light, plugged in to a constant hot, but only turns on when door is opened?

THanks,
 
See if you can get a new unit. Perhaps the unit was defective. I don't see your wiring as the issue, Justdrummin.
 
beercity23 said:
Any idea how to wire this for a fan to run only when the compressor turns on? I dont think the fan would have to run continually, or maybe it should, that would keep the compressor from kicking on as much. What about a light, plugged in to a constant hot, but only turns on when door is opened?

THanks,
Click to expand...

A stirring fan is best left running continuously, but if you want it to only run with the compressor, hook it to the same output as what you connect to the fridge (ie: use the cold side relay output).

A light you have to deal with on your own, the controller will be of no help...

Cheers!
 
tre9er said:
See if you can get a new unit. Perhaps the unit was defective. I don't see your wiring as the issue, Justdrummin.
Click to expand...


I would remove all wires from the controller. If you have a volt meter or a continuity tester (or can borrow one) you can check the power line prongs to make sure you don't have a short between any two of them. If you want some guidance on doing that, let us know. (Maybe you can borrow one from a neighbor if you don't have one.) This will verify that your power cable is good. If you can't find a tester, you can carefully separate the 3 loose ends (putting wire nuts on each of them is a good idea) and see if the circuit pops.

If all goes well when you do that, unplug and reinsert, carefully, wires 1 and 2 (black and white wires) into the controller. You should use wire nuts and the individual black and white wires to the controller. Make very sure you have no shorts (loose strands if you are using stranded wire which is not as good or safe as solid wire.) Plug into the wall socket and see what, if anything happens. If you trip the circuit, we need to do more investigation. If you don't trip the circuit, you very likely have a faulty controller. If you have power on at the controller, we can move forward.

Let us know what happens.

Voltmeters make this sort of thing much easier to trouble shoot. Good luck!
 
I've installed two of these, one for my beer fridge/fermentation cooler and the other for my fermentation cabinet heater. I installed a SSR on the refer side, the contacts are only rated at 10A and the SSR is rated at 25A. Anyone have trouble switching the refer directly on the 10A contacts? I would think that inrush current is significantly higher that 10A but I could be wrong. (I should measure it...)
 
Stupid question of the day:

what plug do you use for the fridge? heat or cool? the fridge sits about 50 degrees but needs to be set to around 65.
 
sa1126 said:
Stupid question of the day:

what plug do you use for the fridge? heat or cool? the fridge sits about 50 degrees but needs to be set to around 65.
Click to expand...

All the fridge knows how to do is cool. The warmest it can get (unplug it for a few hours, or overnight) is the warmest it can get, based on ambient temp. You'd plug it into cool. If you want to heat, I suggest a lamp with a paint can over it, or a SS bowl over it, which is what I do.
 
tre9er said:
All the fridge knows how to do is cool. The warmest it can get (unplug it for a few hours, or overnight) is the warmest it can get, based on ambient temp. You'd plug it into cool. If you want to heat, I suggest a lamp with a paint can over it, or a SS bowl over it, which is what I do.
Click to expand...

Awesome...thanks!
 
marshallwms said:
I would remove all wires from the controller. If you have a volt meter or a continuity tester (or can borrow one) you can check the power line prongs to make sure you don't have a short between any two of them. If you want some guidance on doing that, let us know. (Maybe you can borrow one from a neighbor if you don't have one.) This will verify that your power cable is good. If you can't find a tester, you can carefully separate the 3 loose ends (putting wire nuts on each of them is a good idea) and see if the circuit pops.

If all goes well when you do that, unplug and reinsert, carefully, wires 1 and 2 (black and white wires) into the controller. You should use wire nuts and the individual black and white wires to the controller. Make very sure you have no shorts (loose strands if you are using stranded wire which is not as good or safe as solid wire.) Plug into the wall socket and see what, if anything happens. If you trip the circuit, we need to do more investigation. If you don't trip the circuit, you very likely have a faulty controller. If you have power on at the controller, we can move forward.

Let us know what happens.

Voltmeters make this sort of thing much easier to trouble shoot. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Unfortunately my only neighbor is an elderly lady that lives alone and I doubt it if she has one. The swmbo is already unhappy about how much this project has cost. With the mini fridge it cost $85. Not bad right. So I guess ill be going to be the other route. Can you explain a little more? I take which three wires and put nuts on them and what do I do after that?
 
Justdrumin said:
Unfortunately my only neighbor is an elderly lady that lives alone and I doubt it if she has one. The swmbo is already unhappy about how much this project has cost. With the mini fridge it cost $85. Not bad right. So I guess ill be going to be the other route. Can you explain a little more? I take which three wires and put nuts on them and what do I do after that?
Click to expand...

I would be happy to. You have a 3 wire (hot, neutral, ground) plug and cord. That is the one I was talking about. Disconnect it from everything. For safety's sake, put wire nuts on the exposed ends of the 3 wires. This is over cautious, but much better safe than sorry. Now plug that into the wall socket. If the socket pops and the circuit trips, you have a bad cord. Replace it. I found really cheap extension cord / multisocket items at home depot. And relatively cheap replacement cords at Ace Hardware.

Again, I recommend solid copper wires if you can find some. If you know anyone who has done any shed or garage or house wiring, they probably have a few feet of left over wire they used and might be willing to give you some. Three or four feet should be plenty. If you can't find any solid and have to use stranded, make sure the ends are twisted together with no loose strands.

Report back, we will go to the next step. Good luck!
 
marshallwms said:
I would be happy to. You have a 3 wire (hot, neutral, ground) plug and cord. That is the one I was talking about. Disconnect it from everything. For safety's sake, put wire nuts on the exposed ends of the 3 wires. This is over cautious, but much better safe than sorry. Now plug that into the wall socket. If the socket pops and the circuit trips, you have a bad cord. Replace it. I found really cheap extension cord / multisocket items at home depot. And relatively cheap replacement cords at Ace Hardware.

Again, I recommend solid copper wires if you can find some. If you know anyone who has done any shed or garage or house wiring, they probably have a few feet of left over wire they used and might be willing to give you some. Three or four feet should be plenty. If you can't find any solid and have to use stranded, make sure the ends are twisted together with no loose strands.

Report back, we will go to the next step. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Ok. I did your test and it came back negative. No pops at all. I think the problem may have been that I bought a standard wire cord. I got my new controller in today and I fixed up all the wiring. I twisted the crap out of them and everything. I plugged it in and a small arc happened when I attempted to plug it in again. It didn't trip the breaker or the gfi plug I attempted to plug it into. So I tried to REALLY make sure all of the wiring was flawless and I plugged it in once more and no pops when I plugged it in, but.........the controller won't turn on......I really hope I didn't fry another controller......

Edit: My dad did have a voltage tester. Is that of any use here?

Edit #2: SO..........I just read everything very carefully and well......I figured out my problem. I bought two of 12v DC version.....I bought them off of amazon so hopefully I can return them.
 
Justdrumin said:
...... SO..........I just read everything very carefully and well......I figured out my problem. I bought two of 12v DC version.....I bought them off of amazon so hopefully I can return them.
Click to expand...
That IS a problem. Applying 110v to them has likely fried them.
 
sa1126 said:
Yes, but there are cheaper ones on eBay. I got one to $16 shipped.
Click to expand...

Does yours ship in 3-5 days? I didn't want to buy one from china. It's worth the extra couple bucks to get it in a few days. Mine was $23 shipped. Especially when I have a batch ready to brew and I want to use my new toy to ferment in :D I want it here ASAP.

Edit: The SWMBO put my ingredient kit from the table to the floor. Then we leave for lunch and come back to find newspaper everywhere and my grain bag is torn open with not a grain left....the culprits? My 6 month old terrier and my 6 month old pitbull!! New grains are on their way...the controller isn't due for a day or two. So I guess it works out.
 
raouliii said:
I'm guessing that you didn't inform them that you had mistakenly applied 110v to them and let the magic smoke out? ;)
Click to expand...

They never asked about the condition of them. They look completely normal so unless they somehow test them, they won't know. I just told them I bought the wrong ones...which I did buy the wrong ones. Lol. That's why I'm returning them : )
 
Looks like a cool project. What is the amperage rating for the controller? Most home-size aquariums use heaters in the 50-100 watt range. Refrigerators (especially at startup) can draw 700 watts or more. Heating pads are typically in the 50-250 watt range, and light bulbs can be anywhere between a few watts and a thousand watts.

If the current rating i$n't high enough, and you're lucky, you'll ju$t fry the unit and ki$$ your inve$tment goodbye. If you're unlucky, you could burn the hous$e down.
 
BambiB said:
...What is the amperage rating for the controller?....
Click to expand...
The contacts are rated for 15amps for 110vac operation.

wp_0000101-55781.jpg
 
My new (110v this time) controller came today and I wired her up : ) here it is hooked up to my mini fridge happily cooling away. I have the probe, a digital thermometer and my dial in a beer bottle of water. The controller is about .6* off! Very happy with it. Thanks everyone for all of your help!

:mug:

Edit: I still need to drill holes to mount the receptacle. It's not crooked I swear!

image.jpg
 
tre9er said:
You can adjust the temp of the controller. It's the F4 setting.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about the accuracy of my digital to get an accurate temp to adjust to. I'm just using my $15 one from Walmart I use for the bbq. Now I have the probe taped to the outside of he bottle with bubble wrap, hen a folded paper towel. Should I put my bbq thermometer in with the probe and then adjust the temp in F4?
 

Similar threads

B
eBIAB PID Controller Wiring Diagram - Feedback Requested
Replies
14
Views
1K
beerisambrosia
B
W
Power distro
Replies
1
Views
307
whoaru99
W
kotamoore23
120/240v DIY PID Controller Help
Replies
17
Views
1K
whoaru99
W
L
Building a potentiometer controller
Replies
25
Views
1K
doug293cz
doug293cz
A
BrewPiLess esp32 Build
Replies
4
Views
483
DuncB
D
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top