ebay aquarium temp controller build

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I just got mine in the mail and wired up into a 6x6x4 pvc box from Home Depot.

I do have one questions regarding the wiring after unsuccessfully finding an answer in the thread (may have overlooked given the length of this monster thread).

Here goes... when I set the unit and it clicks on (I hear the audible click) for either heating or cooling, I get power to both outlets, which seems counterintuitive as only one should get power, either heating or cooling. Just testing using a lamp and it lights on both outlets!

Here is a pic of my wiring...

Any help is appreciated

photo.jpg
 
zonabb said:
I just got mine in the mail and wired up into a 6x6x4 pvc box from Home Depot.

I do have one questions regarding the wiring after unsuccessfully finding an answer in the thread (may have overlooked given the length of this monster thread).

Here goes... when I set the unit and it clicks on (I hear the audible click) for either heating or cooling, I get power to both outlets, which seems counterintuitive as only one should get power, either heating or cooling. Just testing using a lamp and it lights on both outlets!

Here is a pic of my wiring...

Any help is appreciated
Click to expand...

You need to break off the metal tab that connects the two outlets.
 
Is there a "tab" connecting the two outputs on the back of it? I saw that somewhere in the depths of this thread! Other people seem to have been snapping one of them off (the hot one I think). Mine hasnt arrived yet though.
 
+1 for breaking the "Heat" (gold connectors) side tab. Do not break the Nuetral (silver side tabs) as this needs to share between both outlets. But if you want one outlet for heat and one for cool the gold side tab needs to be broken to disrupt the power distribution.
 
I know this has been covered earlier in this thread, but due to length and the wide variety of topics covered I thought I would add a note for anyone running into this problem:

If you mistakenly order a 220v version of the controller (or in my case, have a 220v sent by the seller when you purchased a 110v), you will find that 110v power is enough to power on the controller, but that the relays will not work. I was confused by this for a few hours since I had ordered 110v, and when I plugged it into 110v it seemed to work.

If you are having problems getting the relays to actuate, double check the documentation that came with your controller, or open it up as shown earlier in this thread to confirm for sure that you are dealing with the right version.

Unfortunately for me, I've got another ~10+ day wait for the replacement to come in from China. They are sending me the 110v version for no charge though and I'm keeping the 220v as well, so I'll be keen to try the transformer swap on this one.

Thanks for all the great information on this thread.
 
I built my control box over the weekend, it is working great. It took a second set of hands to wire it up, but I think that is because i put the outlet on the lid and the controler on a side wall of the box so i could see it better.
 
Some FYI for the folks wanting to know about the transformer swap to make the 220 volt units work on 120 volt.

The transformers I ordered do work. They do allow the relay to function. The problem is the 120 VAC transformers I received are about 1/8" taller. The case will not fit back on with the taller transformer. I am waiting to hear back from the owner of the unit I have now before I do anything more. The case can be cut around the transformer. This will allow the controller to mount to a front panel.
 
controller_xformer_mod.jpg


Here is the controller with a hole cut into the cover so the transformer will fit.

Again, everything works just fine with the new transformer. You will just have to make allowances for the extra height.

The bottom of the circuit board is coated with an insulating covering. This needs to be scraped away to allow access to the solder. Once the area around the lands is clean, it is very easy to unsolder the old transformer and solder in the new.
 
Wayne1 said:
Some FYI for the folks wanting to know about the transformer swap to make the 220 volt units work on 120 volt.

The transformers I ordered do work. They do allow the relay to function. The problem is the 120 VAC transformers I received are about 1/8" taller. The case will not fit back on with the taller transformer. I am waiting to hear back from the owner of the unit I have now before I do anything more. The case can be cut around the transformer. This will allow the controller to mount to a front panel.
Click to expand...

Do you still have any of these transformers available?
 
I'll be heading over to Wayne's house when he's got time, and will take extra pics of the procedure.
 
Well, crap. I was scanning the thread and flipping back and forth to make sure I was ordering the correct one. Too many windows open and I just ordered (and paid for already) the 220VAC version. After reading pages and pages of people making the same mistake, my face is RED.

I sent a quick message to the seller asking if they could do a swap. Their 110VAC version is $47 now, while the 220VAC is $23. MAYYYYYYYYYBE they'll be magnanimous and do a swap, but I'm not holding my breath. :(

Update 11:46am - They got back to me and will change the order and send me the 110V version. Yay!
 
All the transformers I had are now gone.

Perhaps someone else may be able to arrange a group buy of the transformers.
 
Just a little side note. I found new NTC sensors on flea-bay. 7.99 shipped for 2, the only reason I bought new ones for my controllers is these r stainless steel probes. I have 3 controllers now. One on my fermenter. The other two(these are for the new probes) are going to b used to control my valves on my weldless Brutus, because I was afraid that the plastic ones that come with might melt. Has anyone else tried a new sensor on there controller? Edit: O and the new ones do say water proof.
 
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.
Click to expand...

FWIW, Bicky (now doing business as "mixtea", I guess) was the name of the person who responded to my inquiry about changing my accidental 220V order to a 110V order. This was the reply I got.

Hello,
Thanks for your purchase.
Yes ,we have 110V STC-1000 ,we will shipping this model to you .
Best regards.
Bicky
Click to expand...

Hope it comes through. *crosses fingers*
 
Wayne1 said:
All the transformers I had are now gone.

Perhaps someone else may be able to arrange a group buy of the transformers.
Click to expand...

I just ordered 5...I can sell 4 plus shipping and any paypal fees...PM me if interested and i'll send an invoice......(paypal payments only)
 
I just finished mine tonight. I went over to Wayne's house Thursday and he did a great job of swapping transformers. Then I went to Home Depot and picked up a fiberglass gang box, receptacle, plug and wiring plate. It was about $8 for everything. I used a Dremel to trim some away some of the housing to fit over the new transformer. I hope between Wayne's picture and mine people will get a good idea where to make cuts. I also had to trim a few spots in the gang box. I then used a piece of Romex wire to string it all together, plugged it in and tested it - everything works. All work probably took me three hours. I'm gonna brew my lager on Monday.
My only regrets are hooking the cool circuit up on top, and the struggle it took to get everything squeezed into a two-gang box. I think I would advice a three-gang box, and possibly steel for better safety.

IMAG0050.jpg


IMAG0051.jpg


IMAG0052.jpg


IMAG0053.jpg
 
Mine was reading about a degree high, as well. Made the adjustment on F4. I also turned it down to .3 degrees for the variance.
 
I had been shipped the 220v version of this controller despite ordering the 110v version. Fortunately the ebay seller has also shipped me a 110v because of their mistake which I will build another controller unit with upon arrival. Meanwhile I had a 220v sitting around, so I got in touch with @Wayne1 about the transformer solution and he sent along one of the units he had (thanks man!) I was able to desolder the 220v transformer and re-solder the new one in very easily. Anyone with soldering experience should have no trouble with this.

No photos of the build at the moment, but my controller looks just like @Wayne1's photos above with the hole cut to accomodate the taller transformer. I went with the RadioShack 8"x6"x3" project box, and following the lead of others I also installed a power switch and heat/cool neon indicator lights. The controller, lights and switch are mounted to the "front" of the project box, while the outlets are on top, and cords (power and sensor) extend out the "back".

I'm going to test it out for a few days on my kegerator before moving it to my fermentation chamber. 12 hours in so far and holding steady at 2.2ºC (+/- .5ºC).

This was a fun and easy project to complete, and I look forward to building another one soon. I've got several friends who are into homebrewing that aren't as comfortable with electrical work, so I will likely build a few more for them as well.
 
JetSmooth said:
FWIW, Bicky (now doing business as "mixtea", I guess) was the name of the person who responded to my inquiry about changing my accidental 220V order to a 110V order.

Hope it comes through. *crosses fingers*
Click to expand...

Bicky (Mixtea) came through huge! Seven days from order to delivery and he swapped out a 110V for the 220V mistakenly ordered.

If I wasn't "working" from home today, I'd run out to Home Depot and wire this project up right now.
 
So, how is everyone cutting their grey junction boxes? Craft knife scoring took for ever and I made no progress. Like expected, the Dremel with cutoff wheel melted the case into goo.

I've going to need to buy a new box. But until then, I'll be hacking away on this one.

Do the black Radio Shack boxes cut easier?
 
I used a black radio shack box and dremmel. You need to put it on the slow setting and go slow with it. If you do get some melting, a file does a nice job of cleaning things up.
 
Ive done one line with the craft knife, took about an hour or so to get through... horrible.
I'm going to switch to drilling the corners and using a jigsaw to join the dots I think...
 
What size hole cutout accomodates these outlets?

TempControlerBack.jpg


I figure going this route may be easier than trying to cut out the rectangle.

(Man, this photo is getting a lot of use, isn't it? :))
 
Insomniac said:
Ive done one line with the craft knife, took about an hour or so to get through... horrible.
I'm going to switch to drilling the corners and using a jigsaw to join the dots I think...
Click to expand...

I've made two of these controller rigs now (and many other projects involving project boxes), and can attest that drilling and cutting with a jigsaw works great. I use a small "fine" wood cutting blade for easy turning at the corners. I've tried doing the cutting with a dremel as well, but much prefer the jigsaw.
 
Nice! I already got mine in the mail. I ordered mine from quality_link2000 on May 30 and got it in the mail today, June 6, 1 week later. Can't complain about that! Now I just have to figure out how to wire it up.
 
Android,

Forgive me for my dumb questions but I know nothing about wiring. I just got this controller today and am anxious to get things all wired up. On your diagram, the 2 big black dots depict a wire nut, correct? Even though your diagram has 2 big black dots it's just one wire nut, right? Can someone please explain to me the "101" of the wiring of this controller? I'm not sure I understand what all the wires in the diagram are doing.

thanks
 
I used the black radioshack box with a utility knife and a lighter... no real other options in my small apartment. If I heated the blade sufficiently it wasn't quite as bad but it did take quite a bit of force. You're going to ruin the tips of multiple blades so have backups ready. Also you'll be burning a small amount of molten plastic so keep the area well ventilated.

It took me a long time because I chose to position things in a way that required extra cutting but it did work out very well in the end.

Looking back, I should have taken my power drill and drilled out some smaller holes then use the knife/lighter to connect the dots to make my bigger holes, that would have been pretty easy.
 
Beavdowg said:
Android,

Forgive me for my dumb questions but I know nothing about wiring. I just got this controller today and am anxious to get things all wired up. On your diagram, the 2 big black dots depict a wire nut, correct? Even though your diagram has 2 big black dots it's just one wire nut, right? Can someone please explain to me the "101" of the wiring of this controller? I'm not sure I understand what all the wires in the diagram are doing.

thanks
Click to expand...

Yes, you are correct, 2 black dot=one wire nut.

possibleschematic.jpg


The 101 is this: The black cord comes into the box at the top right. Inside this there is the black (hot), white (nuetral) and green which is your copper ground. The black then seperates out in your wire nut to three different spaces, the power in for the unit (space 1), the power in for the heating element (space 5) and the power in for the cooling element (space 7). (Basically all this unit is, is a big switch so power needs to run into both the heating element and the cooling element, then the unit just tells the switch inside to turn on when needed). Inside the unit 5 & 6 connect to send power to the heating unit when needed, and 7&8 connect to send power to the cooling unit when needed.

The black coming out of the unit from 6 will go to the outlet controling the heating element (making sure to break the tab in the middle of the two gold screws). The black coming out of the unit from 8 will go to the outlet controling the cooling element.

The white comes straight in from the power cord and connects to the outlet (since this side does not get broken, then you connect another white cord from the top silver screw and take that to the unit in space 2. This will complete the power coming into the unit since it needs both the hot and the nuetral to get its power.

The ground just simply connects to the outlet.
 
JWS,

Thanks a ton for the kind clarification. I just want to make sure that I can see everywhere that the white wire from the extension cord goes because it is a little hard to tell in the diagram. I see it comes in from the extension cord and goes to the cool side of the outlet. Does the yellow also go from the extension cord to the heating side of the outlet or am I just seeing shades of yellow on the diagram?

thanks
 
You're eyes are playing tricks. I see what you mean, it does have a faint yellow line in the diagram, but I think it is our eyes seeing something from the green line.

There will be only three wires in your extention cord, black, white(blue in the diagram), and copper (green line in the diagram).

If you are unsure after you wire everything up and you have the unit ready to go...my suggestion is plug it in to a bathroom outlet with the (test and reset) buttons on it. This way if you have wires crossed or something backwards then you only trip the outlet and not the breaker and have to go all the way downstairs (or at least my house) to turn it back on.

I wouldn't worry to much about it, it's not extremely hard, just follow the diagram and everything will be okay.

The only rule you have to remember is the break the little connecting bar between the two gold screws on the side of the outlet.
 
JWS said:
If you are unsure after you wire everything up and you have the unit ready to go...my suggestion is plug it in to a bathroom outlet with the (test and reset) buttons on it. This way if you have wires crossed or something backwards then you only trip the outlet and not the breaker and have to go all the way downstairs (or at least my house) to turn it back on.
Click to expand...

Bathroom GFCI, or any GFCI for that matter, don't trip on shorts, they trip on ground faults (when current returned on the neutral doesn't equal what's delivered from the hot). The breaker will still trip if there is a short.
 

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