Stc-1000+

Do they say Elitech on the front?? Or just STC-1000? The one's I have which are branded Elitech on the front are V 1.1 while the three others which are not branded Elitech but simply say STC-1000 on the front are V 1.0 units

 

Bottom line -- this is Chinese ls at its finest. There's nobody to contact who can provide reliable info on it, and we've got knockoffs of knockoffs. Simply put --- there's no rhyme or reason to the versions, and there's a 50/50 chance of getting the correct version.


Happy flashing!

 

Mats - are there any significant changes to the code on V1? Should I reflash? I've got the "Day Before V1" code. Thank You!

 

That depends where you got the code . If you got version 0.10 or 0.11 When pressing up and down, thenno need to upgrade. If you are running unversioned code, then upgrade.

 

It's definitely versioned - I remember the Arduino code checking for a version number. Perfect! Thank You again!

 

Is there any chance someone could post a link to the 1x5 header and jumper wires on amazon?
I would also love a link to a stc1000 seller that is known to be selling the proper version for this project.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00899WQ6U/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AX3PHV6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The last two I bought from this guy were correct.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KVCPH2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

Googling my project, turned up wilberforce's blog. Thanks for the mention!

 

I found these at the local Radio Shack for about $6 and they work decently. Just snap them to 5 pins and solder in. The wires that come with are female ended, so I just snapped a single pin of and use that to connect the wires to the Arduino.
All the ones I could find on Amazon were from overseas and I wasn't willing to wait weeks for shipping to save a couple of dollars.

For the STC version, I just ordered two from AGPtek and they were both v1.0
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00862G3TQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

Exactly. I have two Elitech branded units, purchased at the same time from the same seller. One's a V1.0 and the other is a V1.1. No way to tell which you're going to get.

 

Is there no markings on the outside as to the difference. Can someone who has both, post the two labels. Maybe we can see something that is different.

 

Here are my two different ones - a bit different printing on them - The ones in the NEMA enclosure are V1.0's the single one on top is a V1.1. In the other picture, with two of them on end, the one on the right is a 1.0 vs the 1.1 on the left.

 

Ha - that's funny! I added it so I'd have a reference to the forum, git page and forum, and my wiring - I was going to fill in the back story later.

I'll have to do a post for you of my mashing controller- I'm controlling a ssr for mash temperature, with real time pH measurement as well. It can be controlled from a browser on the phone, or using an infrared remote control. It is written in node.js running on a raspberry pi. I've published the lcd and ph libraries on git hub, I need to add the pid control (ported from the arduino lib) and the mashing code.

 

Yes, as shown in atoughram's second image, the STC-1000 on the 1.0 is printed in thin typeface where the 1.1 is in bold. Or at least that is what I noticed as well.

 

That sounds like a sweet setup for mash control, I'd love to check it out!
As a side note, I have actually started work on a PID firmware for the STC-1000, for mash control (you'd need to remove the relays, in favour of SSR's of course). Mostly for my own personal use to control HLT and MLT (RIMS) temperatures, but I'll of course release it on GitHub if/when I make some progress. I'm even thinking about using cooling relay output as PWM to control my 12V pump during mashing. I haven't really settled on this yet though, as I'd like to control two solenoid valves as well (and maybe even have flow sensor inputs) to automate fly sparging. So, I'll probably need an Arduino as well.

 

This one has a single ssr output , who knows what the chipset is!

http://www.dx.com/p/xmt612-pid-1-2-pid-temperature-controller-black-205178

 

Hi Mat,
Now that you can flash the EEPROM separately, I'm wondering about the possibility of reading the settings, and writing them back in a simple format.

I was thinking of smothering that would write pr0 temps and days in one hit.

One type of interface code be a web page that had the settings in it, and a text console area at the bottom of the page , that could be paste into the arduino serial window.

This might be quite a bit of efforts, however it make setting up a series of programmes quite simple...

 

That reminds me, I have actually not tried to upload EEPROM data only. I need to check to see that it really works as expected.
There is a snag though. 115200 bps is way to fast to send HEX data for upload. I think I got it to work at 2400 bps, but I use CuteCom in Linux and set a 'character delay' instead.
Maybe I should lower the bps for the serial monitor, but is seems like an ugly fix, and I really don't want to do that. I would prefer to have sane defaults for the EEPROM values. And if someone is inclined to edit the values that is possible, though you'd need to get the tools and put in a little work.
Developing a tool to set the profiles and stuff from the PC is not really something I feel like developing, at least not now. I have pretty limited time to invest and I have a few other projects going as well. If someone else wants to do it, I'd be glad to help with info. It would be cool with a graphical representation of what SP will actually be with the profile data entered. But yeah... With button acceleration, programming is not that bad, and I think when the STC is mounted for duty, most people don't want to connect and program.
So in short, it would be very cool, but for me it would be 'costing' to much time to be justifiable.

 

Great pictures. Now one can immediately see the difference. Look in the lower right hand
corner to see an extra line of text. From Amazon, I was able to discern 1/4 were the 1.0 ones. For ebay, it was maybe 3/4 or 2/3 that were the good ones. Stay away from AGPTek and Elitech.

 

Careful, the pictures aren't necessarily what you'll get. There are instances here of guys buying from the same vendor and getting two different types. There doesn't appear to be a reliable way to discern the difference, especially just by looking at the stock photos these guys use for their listings.


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While that might be at least something to go on when ordering, I wouldn't rely on the image of the product on ebay. I would at least ask the seller first. In my experience, the images are mostly just for presentation and many sellers seem to use same images (as well as description), and there is no guarantee that the image really represent the actual product.
Edit: Dang, beaten to the punch...

 

Case in point why you can't reliably discern much from the decal typeface, etc.

Here are some pics of one of my 1.0 controllers. No "STC-1000" at all and a "CE" at the bottom right.

 

Great to know! This is exactly what mine looks like! Sounds like I'll be ordering that Arduino now.

Those of you who didn't have an Arduino before reading this thread, which Arduino package have you been getting? Barebones with just the board, basic with a breadbox and wires, Ultimate with a display, etc.? I was just going to get this Starter Kit so I could easily get a few of the extras, but am not opposed to a barebones board. Can someone tell me the difference between a "Newsite Uno R3" and a "SainSmart Uno"? Just difference manufacturers with essentially equal products (similar to the various manufacturers of STP-1000s)?

Thanks for the help!

 

You should probably still crack your STC open and make sure its a 1.0, I wouldn't go by the decal.

As far as the Arduino is concerned, I think those other options you listed out are knockoffs but I am a total novice in that world and don't really know. I bought the Arduino branded Uno, barebones, and it worked great.

This is the Arduino I purchased. Happy flashing!

 

Thanks. I'll definitely pull mine out after I keg the batch that's using the temp controller.

Not to thread-jack, but just wanted to mention another Arduino project that might be fun for you folks that are Arduino-savvy (http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/untappd-kegerator-338453/). I hope to get to this someday...

 

I had some EE bits around, so I had diodes & stuff for testing, and felt the starter kit was not necessary. I got an eBay arduino from Hong Kong and Ethernet shield for later. Saved maybe $5, but the nearly 3 week wait meant I missed all the fun bleeding edge testing help as I sat on the forum sidelines. I rec going with the SainSmart at amazon. I have to say that its a kewel little fun toy and I have some thermistors on order to play with steinhart-hart temp measurement and web publishing of ferm vessel situation.

 

I have an Auber instruments ramp soak PID controller that shortcuts the trouble of the one linked but it retails for just over $75. At least it has English manuals, fast shipping and a company in SF for support. No doubt it is still made in the far east. Never thought about opening it up until now. I also have 5 v1.0 STC's kicking around. Apparently by dumb luck they are all v1.0. Two in service; one fermenting and another for serving. Neither without modification. The other three STC's are idling from another project that are prime for "+" ification since they are just gathering dust in a box.

I guess I'm weighing the time/effort of a couple of STC-1000+ and maybe even a PID that alpha talks about vs the ramp/soak PID controller for my fermentation or mash. Either will work I'm sure, but only one has the "very cool" factor. I'm not sure in the end there would be much of a price difference.

My only hesitation is the 2 minute cycle time max on the Auber PID controllers for cooling. Not sure my compressor could take that. It would probably work just fine with a liquid cooled setup and 12v pump. Maybe a conical with liquid cooling is in my future...

Anyway just rambling. Thanks guys for inspiring me to remember my ASM programming and the great work that has gone on here.

 

I'm sure it's been covered but why does one version work and not the other?


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the 1.0 version was the one that this project was based around. The 1.1 seems to have hidden the pins used to communicate/reprogram the board.

 

Well, not quite. The actual problem is that it has an entirely different MCU that is not compatible. And the only datasheet I can find is in Chinese.

 

I am brewing a Saison this weekend and using Danstar Belle Saison yeast.

I was thinking I would start out at 68f for 84 hours, then ramp up to 75f over the next 48 hours, hold 75f for 36 hours, then ramp up to 85f over 48 hours, finishing up the final 36hrs at 85f.

I've never done a saison - does this sound about right for a saison profile? Danstar says anything above 63f give "Quick start and vigorous fermentation"

 

I put together the attached spreadsheet to build temp profiles (helps me to visualize the profile before loading it). I'm also planning to use this to document the profiles I use for each beer, so I can replicate later if it turns out well.

You can turn the ramping feature on/off with a toggle at the bottom and enter your durations in days or hours (you'll need to program in hours either way, of course). Thought this might be helpful for others so uploading it here, let me know if you spot any errors in it.

File Linked Here

 

I'm a software engineer but I don't dabble in hardware much. What are the limitations? Could the stc be controlled via wifi? Ie could we connect the device to a network with a wifi card? Basically, my goal would be able to make temperature changed on a computer and have automatically push to the device


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That sounds fine. I did a saison with that yeast earlier this year and held it at 68 for 2 days then ramped it 1F a day until 78F and held it there for a few weeks. I never had an issue with the stalling you get with the Dupont strain. This one finished at 1.001 for me.

 

Thanks!

 

Hmm... I doubt you could get that to work - the I/O is already full and talking on wifi or ethernet would require an available serial interface such as I2C or other. If you know software and can program in C, take a look at Arduino devices. You could put that together without too much hardware knowledge.

 

And confirmed! I've got a 1.0. I'll be ordering my Arduino tonight! Thanks all!

 

See this thread. A BrewPi sounds like what you're looking for, skip the STC1K completely...

Cheers!

 

Agreed. The stc+ is awesome, and AlphaOmega has turned this into something freakishly great. I myself will use it, but also long for web-view and logging. And since Alpha made this project using Arduino to flash, and Arduino has a cheap Ethernet add on shield, and others show how to use NTC or one-wire thermistors and web based logging to Xively, I will proly go that route to log, while using stc+ to control. But if you want to do 2 way web, view/log and change from web, you'd have to go something more sophisticated on the web interface, which points to BrewPi, although I have not looked at web-side temp controller set point adjustments specifically in BrewPi.