ebay aquarium temp controller build

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I'm planning on building this I'm just gathering the remaining parts. I have a power cord for a computer server that's not in use. It is a 14 gauge 300v 60C cord...am I able to use this or are they wired differently inside? I know that may be a dumb question but I don't want to cut it and find out that it won't work.
 
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 cut that part of the wire off, then spliced some speaker wire onto it and covered it with heat shrink tubing. Worked like a charm.
 
I got mine in the mail, only took 6 days! I built it up tonight, after finding frozen bottles in my chest freezer. Same wiring as the OP, but I got one of the replacement power tool cords and added a strain relief just in case. Also, I epoxied some old magnets to the bottom of the box to help keep it in place when I open the lid. They kind of work, but the lid is a bit too slippery. I think I'm going to spread a super thin layer of silicon on the bottom of the magnets for extra traction. So far so good!

P2250213.jpg


P2250214.jpg
 
I'm planning on building this I'm just gathering the remaining parts. I have a power cord for a computer server that's not in use. It is a 14 gauge 300v 60C cord...am I able to use this or are they wired differently inside? I know that may be a dumb question but I don't want to cut it and find out that it won't work.

i wired my controller using 14G stranded wire- no problem putting the wire into the terminals.
 
Bicky is mybestbuy2007 on ebay. He has ZERO 110 Units, and his description has one overlooked spot where it says 110V. DO NOT BUY.

Buying instructions (Which I would of loved to have)
110V
Two stage - Heats and cools
There is a recommended person on this thread... quality_link2000 ?
 
raymcgill said:
Bicky is mybestbuy2007 on ebay. He has ZERO 110 Units, and his description has one overlooked spot where it says 110V. DO NOT BUY.

Buying instructions (Which I would of loved to have)
110V
Two stage - Heats and cools
There is a recommended person on this thread... quality_link2000 ?

QUALITY_link 2000 is a tried and true seller. Not sure why people keep buying elsewhere when I and several other keep repping quality link 2000

-= Jason =-
 
got mine from globalconn

http://stores.ebay.com/globalconn?_trksid=p4340.l2563

i think other people have too

yeah. that's where I got mine.

There are 3 or 4 sellers who have the same price as quality_link2000 and globalconn, and all of those sellers handle things the same way; if you are in the US, then you get 110v.

The sellers that are cheaper than those guys are almost all selling 220v versions only.

I looked up Bicky ("mybestbuy2007"), and I do see that he has an error in his listing, but everything else in the listing says 220v (the diagram of the connections as well as a later bullet item in the description):

mybestbuy2007 said:
- Power Supply: 220 ~ 240V AC ± 10% or 100 ~ 120 V AC, 50 / 60 Hz
- Power consumption: < 3 W
- Cable length: 2 m (6.56 feet)
- Item dimensions: approx. 75 (W) x 86 (H) x 35 (D) mm (2.95’ x 3.39’ x 1.38’ inch)
- Wiring work

The unit is of a panel mount design and requires mounting in a suitable box. This unit is supplied with wiring diagram of how to fix the main unit to your application systems. However, it is highly recommended to do the wiring connections via qualified technician with experiences in electricity.

- Voltage 220V (not suitable in US, CA & JP)

So... yeah, he's got an error there, but if I had read that listing and saw that 3 places mentioned 220v, with one explicitly saying "not suitable in US", and then there was the one "oddball" reference to 110v....

I would have for sure written to ask him before buying it. (And somebody did... there is a question below the listing from Feb 14th that shows someone asking the 110v question and getting an appropriate response.)

I'd honestly call this dual fault, but since the listing does have contradictory information in it, you should be able to get your money back no problem.
 
Right. I was totally in the wrong. Weak moment of D'oh. $21 education.

@Flowmaster: "Not sure why people keep buying elsewhere" - Its because we forgot to come here FIRST. We thought up the idea on our own with no input. There is wisdom in many counselors. QUALITY_link 2000 will be hearing from me today.
 
Alright...I must be borderline stupid, or something is going wrong. chest freezer works fine....I had a single thermostat hooked up to it just earlier today.
I can't get the freezer OR my lamp to kick on at all. I have power separately when not plugged into the box. The box has power with no errors, AND the probe is measuring the temperature inside my chest freezer just fine.
I just don't understand why neither of them will kick on. I followed the diagram best I could, even printed it out to follow along and physically following the wires on androids original picture too.

Any idea what I am missing here? I have changed the "set" temperature to 2 different extremes. Below 30*F to see if the lamp would kick on & no love. Also set the desired temp to 65*F to see if the freezer would kick on...again no dice.
Help me out!! Please:)
 
Alright...I must be borderline stupid, or something is going wrong. chest freezer works fine....I had a single thermostat hooked up to it just earlier today.
I can't get the freezer OR my lamp to kick on at all. I have power separately when not plugged into the box. The box has power with no errors, AND the probe is measuring the temperature inside my chest freezer just fine.
I just don't understand why neither of them will kick on. I followed the diagram best I could, even printed it out to follow along and physically following the wires on androids original picture too.

Any idea what I am missing here? I have changed the "set" temperature to 2 different extremes. Below 30*F to see if the lamp would kick on & no love. Also set the desired temp to 65*F to see if the freezer would kick on...again no dice.
Help me out!! Please:)

What is your compressor delay set at? You have to wait that long for the outlets to have any power.
 
220v controller? That is the indications given supposedly.

You have wires going from Controller to outlet, right? i.e. check wiring again.

Could be bad transformer in device. but not common.
 
Well something on the outlet in the box must be loose. I was moving the box around to get some carboys out of the ferm chamber and then my light came on. After this barleywine and ESB ferment down in a few weeks I guess I'll have to take it apart and re-wire it.
 
Question regarding my fridge setup. I have old school dials in the fridge on the back wall. Temp settings for both the freezer and fridge. Do I turn the freezer all the way UP and the fridge all the way DOWN or does it matter? I don't know what I plan on doing with the freezer space but I know my beer will be in the fridge.
 
Question regarding my fridge setup. I have old school dials in the fridge on the back wall. Temp settings for both the freezer and fridge. Do I turn the freezer all the way UP and the fridge all the way DOWN or does it matter? I don't know what I plan on doing with the freezer space but I know my beer will be in the fridge.

are you using this just to dial in a particular serving/storage temperature? i would just set them both on the lowest setting.
 
no, ferm temp. Not serving temp. Although I would put cellar beers in fridge f it would work,
 
just finished my twin build. Thanks everyone for the insight on this fun project! One for the kezzer and one fermentation chamber. Only thing left is to add a blue LED light when the cooling is on (thanks radio shack for not having one of those). I went with the 7X5X3" box, 15foot 13Amp ext cord and two wall plugs. Here is a pick of the top off of my twins.. much quicker build on the 2nd one..
2796-clones.jpg
 
For quite some time I have been thinking of building a temp controlled cabinet for my ales.I just recently have access to a relatively late model full sized refrigerator/freezer unit that would be perfect to modify for the purpose. I will need to modify it to both heat in the winter and cool in the summer, and for a period of time in in transition seasons it may have to do both in the same day. Since our hours at work have been recently cut back(we thought the recession was over-I guess we were wrong) I'm looking to do this thing as cheap as possible. Johnson,Love and Ranco two stage controllers are a bit pricey at the moment. I came across this thread and have viewed it with great interest. My question is about the amp ratings(10A) of these units during the refrigerator start up. Has anyone had an issue with this? Any input would sure be appreciated.Thanks
 
Ok, I'm about to make the ebay purchase from one of the recommended ebay sellers; however, I've got one question...after looking at each seller, they have multiple temperature controllers (that look the same http://stores.ebay.com/Quality-Link...87049015&_sid=925475145&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322) but are at different prices. Does anyone have any recommendations?

The ones with 4 buttons (like this) are the one you want. he does list them at slightly different prices. I don't know why, but he does. Sometimes he has the shipping for a higher price, but the item will be at a lower price.
 
For quite some time I have been thinking of building a temp controlled cabinet for my ales.I just recently have access to a relatively late model full sized refrigerator/freezer unit that would be perfect to modify for the purpose. I will need to modify it to both heat in the winter and cool in the summer, and for a period of time in in transition seasons it may have to do both in the same day. Since our hours at work have been recently cut back(we thought the recession was over-I guess we were wrong) I'm looking to do this thing as cheap as possible. Johnson,Love and Ranco two stage controllers are a bit pricey at the moment. I came across this thread and have viewed it with great interest. My question is about the amp ratings(10A) of these units during the refrigerator start up. Has anyone had an issue with this? Any input would sure be appreciated.Thanks

I've been running mine for about 10 days now and the temp in Texas has been all over the place...high in 80's and lows in the 40's. I have an infra-red reptile lamp for heat and it has worked like a champ when it needs to warm it up and the frig is running great. Since my frig is in the garage I didn't do any brewing in the winter since I didn't have a way of heating it up...now I do!! I have had zero issues with the controller, lamp, or frig.
 
Ok, I'm about to make the ebay purchase from one of the recommended ebay sellers; however, I've got one question...after looking at each seller, they have multiple temperature controllers (that look the same http://stores.ebay.com/Quality-Link...87049015&_sid=925475145&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322) but are at different prices. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Just make sure you buy one like this, with four buttons:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Digital-Te...ultDomain_0&hash=item3f02ce0f7d#ht_4185wt_887

Not like this, with two buttons:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Temperatur...SetTopBoxes&hash=item4156fee447#ht_4701wt_887

or whatever the hell this is:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Temperature-Con...ultDomain_0&hash=item43a565921b#ht_4750wt_887
 
The ones with 4 buttons (like this) are the one you want. he does list them at slightly different prices. I don't know why, but he does. Sometimes he has the shipping for a higher price, but the item will be at a lower price.

thanks.
 
Has anyone put a panel mounted jack on their box to connect the temperature probe? Or does someone have a recommendation on how to do this?

I would like to be able to disconnect the probe from the controller with some sort of quick disconnect.
 
It should work fine. 1/8" 2 conductor jack should work fine, or any 2 conductor jack.
 
use an 1/8" audio plug or a 2.5mm or smaller RF plugs. either would work just fine. heck, like sharstick says, any 2 conductor. these are just the two that come to mind.
 
Whatever gets used, make sure there's no built-in resistance that would change the feed to the controller. A simple check with an ohm-meter will tell you.

M_C

use an 1/8" audio plug or a 2.5mm or smaller RF plugs. either would work just fine. heck, like sharstick says, any 2 conductor. these are just the two that come to mind.
 
I tried to find the answer but 90+ pages is a lot to wade through.

I just want to know if it is possible to use a 220v controller on a 110v circuit. I have read that the controller's display and logic will run on either 220v or 110v, but I haven't been able to find a clear answer as to whether it will trigger the switches and actually turn the outputs on and off.
 
I tried to find the answer but 90+ pages is a lot to wade through.

I just want to know if it is possible to use a 220v controller on a 110v circuit. I have read that the controller's display and logic will run on either 220v or 110v, but I haven't been able to find a clear answer as to whether it will trigger the switches and actually turn the outputs on and off.

Nope. It doesn't work. One guy tried, and it's exactly what you said. The display and temp reading part of the thing works, but the relays that switch on and off the heating and cooling circuits don't work.
 
Can I just submerge the temp prob in my carboy in order to get the most acurate reading? I was thinking about just putting it through the bung, squeezing it right next to my airlock. Any other recommendations?
 
I think that you'd be better off attaching it to the outside of your fermenter and then insulating it some to get more accurate readings. Sticking anything into the wort risks an infection IMO.
 
dgoldb1 said:
Can I just submerge the temp prob in my carboy in order to get the most acurate reading? I was thinking about just putting it through the bung, squeezing it right next to my airlock. Any other recommendations?

Yes , but I'd use a ss thermowell in the stopper. I wouldn't directly put the probe into wort.

-= Jason =-
 
I think that you'd be better off attaching it to the outside of your fermenter and then insulating it some to get more accurate readings. Sticking anything into the wort risks an infection IMO.

I can't stick it to the outside of the carboy if I'm using a FermWrap.

Which type of Thermowell would I need? I see different controllers require different types of Thermowell's.
 
All you need is the ss tubing that had been crimped or soldered st the end of it. The stock price then goes down inside of it. the ranco one at my lhbs looked pretty easy to duplicate.

-= Jason =-
 
dgoldb1 said:
so the inside of the SS tubing does not have liquid in it, correct?

Correct it's hallow.

the ranco unit I looked at had two homes in the stopper.one for the airlock device and another for the thermowell the temp probe just dropped down into the thermowell from the top of the stopper

-= Jason =-
 
I know people have asked before, but I dont think I have seen the answer. Has anyone discovered a replacement Temp Probe that will work with these controllers? I would like to have a second one that I can keep in a thermowell for my fermentation chamber, so i dont have to keep removing the one I have set up in the Kegerator.
 
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