Good News/Bad News on Temp Controller Build

So I finally got around to working on my 2 stage temp controller for a fermentation chamber. I got everything wired cleanly and correctly, continuity testing showed everything was perfect. I even called Dwyer to make sure my Love controller would work with power straight from the wall without the need of a transformer (for DCV) and the guy said it was fine. So here are the pictures of my setup:



And now the punchline: I plugged it in and the fukcing thing popped like the 4th of July! WTF?! I called Dwyer back and they told me it is supposed to handle up to 240ACV and I had it on the right leads... so are they going to fix it? Sure, at my expense... GODDAMMIT!!! All this fukcing work and now I need a new freaking controller!!! SERENITY NOW!!!!!!

Ok, I'm done...

so you have a defective product and you have to pay to fix it?

So what's the good news? That all sounds like a bucket full of "suck" to me. I'd try calling Dwyer again to see if you get a different rep. I can't believe they'd say they'll fix an obviously defective product at your expense--maybe a different customer service/sales rep would have a different take on the situation...

Oh, and your signature and the video in your signature are awesome...

I'm guessing the expense he has to put up is shipping? Anyway, my temp controller box looks like the same as yours. Kudos. My only concern is the box heating up when in continual usage and the top cover is on...

I guess the only good news was that I did get the rest of it figured out and built. Now all I need is a dual stage PID... any suggestions? Preferably one that will fit in that square whole left behind...

Honestly - Auber Instruments has about everything you can dream up - the most excellent customer support I have experienced since spending my own money... and the guy (Suyi) will answer emergency questions on sunday.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1

I found Dwyer tech support to be nothing short of useless. Better explanations of using these devices with brewing are found on HBT.

samc said:

I found Dwyer tech support to be nothing short of useless. Better explanations of using these devices with brewing are found on HBT.

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Yeah, I hear ya. It just really pisses me off that the tech had the info for the exact model I have, his "advice" blew up my controller and they won't fix it for me... bastards...

I noticed with my conversations with them that they wanted me to call rather than email. I guess they don't want written records of the poor advice they give. The guy I talked with told me that most brewers try to set a 5 degree swing in fermenting temps with the love controller, really - then why bother with a digital control!

If you paid by credit card I'd consider disputing the charge to see if that gets you anywhere if you have exhausted the complaining process. I'd at least try to get in touch with a higher up beyond the tech level to ***** at them.

bodhi314 said:

Honestly - Auber Instruments has about everything you can dream up - the most excellent customer support I have experienced since spending my own money... and the guy (Suyi) will answer emergency questions on sunday.

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1

Click to expand...

I agree 100%....SUYI is awesome. I will be a long time customer

This thing is awesome, but it won't fit your hole:

http://www.cainetworks.com/products/webcontrol/webcontrol-faq.html

It's about 40 bucks, but you would need a DC converter for it.

Probes are separate but free. Wired the probes to a phone cord on one end, put a phone jack in the box to receive them. People have run 50ft lengths of phone wire with no problems.

I use it to control a 20cu.ft. chest freezer. Half of it has an insulated box built into it with a space heater and I ferment lagers between 48-55, the other half is for lagering/dispensing @ 37 degrees.

JoMarky said:

This thing is awesome, but it won't fit your hole:

http://www.cainetworks.com/products/webcontrol/webcontrol-faq.html

It's about 40 bucks, but you would need a DC converter for it.

Probes are separate but free. Wired the probes to a phone cord on one end, put a phone jack in the box to receive them. People have run 50ft lengths of phone wire with no problems.

I use it to control a 20cu.ft. chest freezer. Half of it has an insulated box built into it with a space heater and I ferment lagers between 48-55, the other half is for lagering/dispensing @ 37 degrees.

Click to expand...

Woah, that looks awesome! Can you give us a quick "dumb-ass" walkthrough as to how it works, interface, ect? Thanks man!

A friend of mine did all the box design/wiring for me so the best I can give you is the laymans description.

From what I can see it looks like it functions and is wired the same way as you have set up now. Do you know if the wires coming out of the love and going to the SSR's are DC?

The only difference I can see is that you need a DC power brick to convert the power coming in to I think it was 5-7 volts dc to power the board.

It looks like you have 2 SSR's, one for a heat source and one for a cooling source?

The probes are available free here:

http://www.maxim-ic.com/quick_view2.cfm?qv_pk=2812

You can order 2 samples for free. I believe you want the DS18B20+, make sure you don't order the parasite versions. The probes have 3 lines, ground-power-data, so a 4 wire telephone cord is perfect. We installed a 2 port telephone jack into the box and wired it to the board for portability, the cords could be hard wired to the board.

The interface is all web-based, which has its pluses and minuses. For me its great, I can monitor my freezer from anywhere I have internet access. I have changed the temp from fermenting to diacetyl rest at work before(out of boredom, not necessity). The interface is very simple and easy to use, and you are in complete control of the turn on/off temps and the gap between them. The board has to be hooked up to the internet at first to program it, but you can then unplug and it keeps the programmed settings. I obviously ran an ethernet cable to mine and leave it always connected to the net. You can see a discussion of the board and pictures of the interface in this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/web-controlled-all-one-temp-controller-145395/

If you need more details or end up going this route I'll get my friend to finally get around to writing up a build description of our box.

Oh, and heres a link to the board on Ebay..looks like the price is $49 now..I forget if thats where we ended up ordering it or if we got it somewhere else:

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=webcontrol+temperature