STC 1000 Vintage Kegerator Help

[Mabowden]

Hi Guys,

Long time lurker and now my account is active so I can do some posts! I'm in the middle of a complete vintage kegerator rebuild, which I will post pictures of when finished, but I am at a roadblock.

I have basic electrical experience, but I just want to make sure I am wiring the STC-1000 correctly in place of the old thermostat that was in the fridge. Here are my crappy diagrams (excuse my MSPaint Skills):

Is this correct? Also if I wanted to add a fan inside the fridge would it be correct that I would want to wire it to line C, which appears to be the constant line?

I understand electrical work can be dangerous, and if I can't figure this out- I will consult a vintage appliance repair that is not too far from me. I just want to see if there is anyone that might have more experience on the boards here.

 

[Brumateur]

No your drawing isnt right.
How is original fridge plug was wired? Could youalso make a pictures of your thermostat?

 

[Mabowden]

Here is the junction that leads out to the 110V plug. It also shows original lines A,B,C running up to the thermostat.

This is the cut that runs out to the door light and door light switch (I labeled this line A in the diagram.

Original thermostat. On the diagram lines A+C join together on the top connection. Line B connected to the bottom connection then ran down to the compressor.

This is the box (relay?) that line B runs from the original thermostat to here.

Two wires run from the relay into the compressor, and then a black wire (which will be labeled Wire D on my new diagram) runs from the compressor, back out to the 110V plug.

Here is my new diagram, which hopefully can help the more electronic inclined than me:

And the Diagram to wire in an STC-1000

I'd also like to wire in a fan inside the fridge to blow air from the freezer portion to the rest of the fridge.

Hopefully this helps. Sorry for my limited electrical experience, but hey! This is a good learning opportunity.

 

[kerber]

Is the question still whether or not that is correct? That STC1000 diagram looks spot on!

Just connect wire C to STC1000 block 5 and B to STC1000 block 6.

 

[Mabowden]

Would the STC-1000 run without a lead in blocks 1 and 2?

Also (my electrical knowledge is very limited), what place would be a good place to run a fan from the freezer (much like yours) at? Splice it into wire c? It is a 110v fan.

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[kerber]

Would the STC-1000 run without a lead in blocks 1 and 2?

The circuit inside the STC-1000, like many, is very modular. 1 & 2 feed into a power supply, which needs 120V. It then uses those lines to power the relays that connect/disconnect pins 5 & 6.

TLDR; You'll have to connect 1 & 2 to mains. The upside is that you can just connect it to D & C (assuming those come off your power cord at the junction).

Also, be sure you have the 120V version if you're in the USA.

Also (my electrical knowledge is very limited), what place would be a good place to run a fan from the freezer (much like yours) at? Splice it into wire c? It is a 110v fan.

That fan is actually a normal PC fan. They generally run 12V, so you can just power it off of an AC adapter with 12V output. If your fridge's power cord was as beat up as mine, try this - Get a nice, heavy gauge 8ft extension cord with ~3 plugs on the female end. Attach that end next to your compressor (tie wire, zip ties, etc). Now, just get a 12V >700ma wall wart power adapter and plug it into that. Run the power cable up with the coolant lines into your fridge and splice in the fan. Now, get one of those replacement male AC ends and wire it up to just enough of the original cord to reach the attached end of the new extension cord.

TLDR; Mine's a PC fan. Find some way to get 12VDC into your fridge and run it off that.

Thanks so much for the help!

I'm glad to! It's great to think about more of these old fridges finding a new lease on life. Happy drinking!

If you'd like to see a couple relevant sketches out of my build log, check out this post.