STC 1000 "Ebay" Temperature Controller Build

reynolds5520 said:

What you described will work. There are two reasons you don't see it very often:
1. You have to get the white wire run safely through from the outside to the controller. All the wires needed are already accessible on the outside.
2. Mounting the controller inside can allow condensation to form on the circuit boards.

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Regarding point # 2 (a very valid point), has anyone ever tried encapsulating the controller in some type of spray foam? Does anyone know if there is a spray foam thats safe to use on exposed 110v AC?

I would really like to install my new STC-1000 as an integrated part of the freezer (only for looks, not necessarily wired directly in) but the talk of condensation has me somewhat worried.

Hauger said:

Regarding point # 2 (a very valid point), has anyone ever tried encapsulating the controller in some type of spray foam? Does anyone know if there is a spray foam thats safe to use on exposed 110v AC?

I would really like to install my new STC-1000 as an integrated part of the freezer (only for looks, not necessarily wired directly in) but the talk of condensation has me somewhat worried.

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Spray foam would make me worry about heat. Is spray foam conductive? Will the solvent that causes the foam to cure so quickly mess up the circuit board if you seal it in with foam? If I recall, the STC-1000 is vented... if you encapsulate the whole thing in foam, no air would circulate... Perhaps you could somehow vent it to the outside. Or hide the controller somewhere out of sight if you don't like the look of it. Personally, I used self tapping screws to attach it to the refrigerator casing. I think it gives my ferm chamber a high tech look. It is in a project box, so it doesn't look too bad.

But, hey, it only costs $20 to try it!

All good points, and things again I didnt think of. Might have a different work around though....

Hauger said:

All good points, and things again I didnt think of. Might have a different work around though....

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If you want it flush mount in your keezer collar or freezer door, just use a junction box on the inside to protect the controller. There are several builds here like that. Just seal the hole where the probe wire comes through with a dab of silicone.

Here is what I did. I haven't done a full active fermentation in it yet, so no major condensation worries but I did finish fermentation and cold crash my last batch in it with no issues. I used clear tape to secure the STC to the door and then covered it with caulking on the tape to insulate the opening. The caulk is on the tape so it won't penetrate the STC case. Not a 100% insulated solution but I was able to crash my last batch to 46*F and probably lower but I got impatient

In case anyone was looking for a source

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0U00AF5357

stamandster said:

In case anyone was looking for a source

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0U00AF5357

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FYI...this is the 220V model.

NivekD said:

FYI...this is the 220V model.

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http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AHTEEU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

lol... if you had to that is.

would a refrigerator be more than 80 watts?

Huaco said:

would a refrigerator be more than 80 watts?

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Yes.

Huaco said:

would a refrigerator be more than 80 watts?

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You only need it for the electronics section. The rest is just a switch. Still between the price of of the control, the price of the wall wart and the added complexity, just get one with the correct voltage to start with.

Just got it
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008KVCPH2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

So the that one on amazon is the right one? It can do heating and cooling hooked up simultaneously? Amazon prime shipping is a lot better than China through eBay shipping ha.

Yes, that is great- not only the cost but the fact that it's to you in 2 days vs. 2-3 weeks.

Has anyone had experience with this heater? I am thinking about using it as my heat source. Seems like it would be a little safer than a standard space heater. I have had to abandon my garage fermentation fridge in the winter because it gets a little too cold for ales out there during the January-March timeframe.

Since I am looking at adding thermowells to my fermentation setup, I am planning on integrating an STC-1000 and a heater instead of the analog controller I have been using.

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/BREWERS-EDGE-SPACE-HEATER-P518C100.aspx

I have a similar situation. IMO you should be good with the temp controller turning it off and on when needed. Back in March/April I had a brew belt also connected to mine and it worked wonderfully.

I have a brew belt in my attic. Wonder if it would work with a better bottle. I have always been a little afraid to try it. Although I think the BB is rated to 140f

winvarin said:

I have a brew belt in my attic. Wonder if it would work with a better bottle. I have always been a little afraid to try it. Although I think the BB is rated to 140f

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I use a brew belt with my better bottle all the time. I'm sure the beer behind the plastic keeps it from getting too hot. Works great for me.

Nice thread. Some of this may have already been asked, but...

1. Is it normal that my unit says 110VAC on the Power supply, but 220VAC on the Heating & Cooling relays? (Pic below)
2. Does it matter which posts the power supply & sensor wires are connected to? (is #1 or #2 hot or doesn't it matter?) (does the sensor wire with the writing on it go to #3 or #4?)

Thanks for your help

ja09 said:

Nice thread. Some of this may have already been asked, but...

1. Is it normal that my unit says 110VAC on the Power supply, but 220VAC on the Heating & Cooling relays? (Pic below)
2. Does it matter which posts the power supply & sensor wires are connected to? (is #1 or #2 hot or doesn't it matter?) (does the sensor wire with the writing on it go to #3 or #4?)

Thanks for your help

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The relays are just switches so that is more like a capacity rating on those.

AC power also doesn't really have polarity, so either power wire can go to either 1 or 2. The temp sensor is also non-polarized.

Bought 2 of these on Amazon last week and just assembled them today. As you can see, I installed one to the back and one to the front of the project boxes.

Awesome info on here and they both work like a charm. Now I just need a batch to ferment/keg!!

collinsDPT said:

Bought 2 of these on Amazon last week and just assembled them today. As you can see, I installed one to the back and one to the front of the project boxes.

Awesome info on here and they both work like a charm. Now I just need a batch to ferment/keg!!

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I made one of these the other day too. $40 here, $20 there, a closet full of equipment. Wasn't this supposed to save me money, brewing my own beer?

Yes, Amazon is cheaper than ebay for the STC-1000 right now, and ships out of the USA instead of China.

Are those the 8" x 6" x 3" project enclosures from Radio Shack? They look great.

I am going to build two controllers for a fermentation chamber build I am about to undertake. Has anyone wired in computer fans to the controller such that the fan will turn on when either the cool or heat receptacle is powered on. Essentially I want the fan to run while temp controls are engaged and to be off when temps are steady. Any thoughts?

BiteSize said:

I am going to build two controllers for a fermentation chamber build I am about to undertake. Has anyone wired in computer fans to the controller such that the fan will turn on when either the cool or heat receptacle is powered on. Essentially I want the fan to run while temp controls are engaged and to be off when temps are steady. Any thoughts?

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You could do it with two cell phone chargers and some diodes using one fan, or you could use a separate cell phone charger and fan on each of the heating and cooling circuits. Easier, I think, would be to have the fan on at all times. That way works for me and holds temperatures very steady.

ChuckO said:

You could do it with two cell phone chargers and some diodes using one fan, or you could use a separate cell phone charger and fan on each of the heating and cooling circuits. Easier, I think, would be to have the fan on at all times. That way works for me and holds temperatures very steady.

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It has crossed my mind to just have them run continuously, however, I want to minimize wear on the fans as much as a I can. I suppose if they die it would be easy enough to pop new ones in. Cheers!

BiteSize said:

It has crossed my mind to just have them run continuously, however, I want to minimize wear on the fans as much as a I can. I suppose if they die it would be easy enough to pop new ones in. Cheers!

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In most ferm chambers the heating or cooling is only on a small fraction of the time. Running a fan for only those very short periods isn't going to do anything to prevent temp stratification, which I'd assume is why you want a fan in there.

BiteSize said:

It has crossed my mind to just have them run continuously, however, I want to minimize wear on the fans as much as a I can. I suppose if they die it would be easy enough to pop new ones in. Cheers!

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I would just run it all of the time. I have a computer fan that has been running for the last 9 years, wear is not important.

That's right, the fans are brushless so there's nothing really to wear out.

Fair enough. I'll just run them continuously.

I see the STC-1000 is back below $18 on Amazon.

Just ordered one on Amazon to use in a fridge I just picked up as a fermenting chamber. My question is, do I need a heat source in the fridge? Or do I only need to worry about hooking up the cooling side?

br3ds0x said:

Just ordered one on Amazon to use in a fridge I just picked up as a fermenting chamber. My question is, do I need a heat source in the fridge? Or do I only need to worry about hooking up the cooling side?

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Depends on the ambient temps where he term fridge will be. If it's somewhere like a garage where ambient temps will get down below your desired ferm temp, then you'll need a heat source. The light bulb in a paint can is cheap and works well.

JuanMoore said:

Depends on the ambient temps where he term fridge will be. If it's somewhere like a garage where ambient temps will get down below your desired germ temp, then you'll need a heat source. The light bulb in a paint can is cheap and works well.

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Got it, thanks.

Glad to see this thread is still kicking. I just convinced my friend to order it, and he doesn't even have a single keg yet.

Just got mine wired. Thanks to all in this and the other stc1000 thread for the tips on getting it up and running.

vNmd said:

Just got mine wired. Thanks to all in this and the other stc1000 thread for the tips on getting it up and running.

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Don't know if I'd want to mount one in a flammable container, but that's pretty damn cool.

...a couple screws on mine have come loose on their own, that's why I say that

ja09 said:

Don't know if I'd want to mount one in a flammable container, but that's pretty damn cool.

...a couple screws on mine have come loose on their own, that's why I say that

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Thanks. I was actually wondering about the wood thing. I have done two stir plates in the same boxes, but they have far less juice going into them. If people think it is dangerous I can move the innards to something metal. I just had loads of these boxes sitting around and don't know any better.