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I've ordered one unit from eBay, based on the text on the sticker (and the visibly blue relays through the vents). I'll see what I get in a few weeks. Sadly, the pictures on eBay/ali are not to be trusted...

Some very good news here! A very nice and tech whizzy guy from the Netherlands, Emile, has started a new firmware for STC-1000 units boasting the STM8 microprocessor. The project is brand new and currently under active development, but looks very promising! Anyone who got this type of unit...

@Arctic: If you ordered from the aliexpress link, then complain. Otherwise, a few people have had luck buying from gadgetinfinite http://www.ebay.com/itm/Temperature-Controller-Thermostat-Aquarium-STC1000-Incubator-Cold-Chain-Temp-/361174966159.

That your friend is talking too much? I don't think so, unless make it an issue :) Seriously though, PWM control of brushed DC motors is very common practice. I really doubt that it will be a problem.

@gillie: Here's some pictures that might be of help. They show how to use a LED dimmer to drive the pump from the STC.

Got it hosted through github now. https://goo.gl/qdxLXd

The tilt hydrometer does look interesting. And $100 is probably reasonable for a complete product. But... hacking is fun... and the LightBlue Bean that the tilt is based on is $24. But... a 3 axis accelerometer module is about $2 and a BLE module is about $2.50... Could be a fun project :)

You really got those gears clean, didn't you... Me thinks all that NASTY grease has a purpose though. Poor little worm gear drive...

That just look like the zero crossing detecting opto coupler (that triggers the triac), to me.

There is no guarantee that the fake Foteks can't handle current either. It all depends on the actual triac used (and you need to open, and destroy the SSR in the process, to find out). Granted, the ones I opened all had 10A triacs (no matter what the sticker said), so I wouldn't use them for...

It sure looks like a Fotek clone. I would be careful with any Fotek looking SSR and a load larger than 10A. No matter what it says on the front, most of them seem to have a 10 amp TRIAC. Haven't tried them out myself, but PQLYT SSR's are supposed to live up to the markings.

Google stopped allowing hosting files.

@FloppyKnockers: You're right. I wasn't aware of that... (I hesitate to say less standard, so I'll go with up and coming) acronym. I'd absolutly love to hear about all your innovative work, especially if it comes with the same 'better than norm' technical documentation. But maybe it would be...

I don't think that would qualify as a PID (because it's not), but as the lid is mostly round, I'd call it the "Floppy disc controller". Looks awsome. And nice job documenting it for posterity!

@jimdkc: The 555 is indeed a classic chip :) The thread I linked to (slow PWM LED hacking) IS a 555 based circuit, but it's improved. The 555 generate a sawtooth signal, which is fed to comparator, and it can therefore produce the full 0-100%. The 'hack' is simply to add capacitance to RC timing...

@LordCutlerBeckett: The firmware (that I think) you're talking about, does not really aim to control humidity, but rather to keep the environment out of the 'danger zone' where organic growth happens, by enabling heaters to raise the temperature and thereby lowering relative humidity (that is...

@jimdkc: Thank you!!! Not only was that a nice rundown of the functional difference, but finally someone who *gets* it. I've been preaching avoidance of SSVR's for some time, but few listen. To the point I almost don't care anymore... Now, help spread the word! :) The issue is that phase angle...

No. I'm saying that there is no need for phase angle control for this application, and it has drawbacks (that I stated earlier in this thread), that can be avoided by using an SSR and PWM control instead.

It might be, but again, it's not really(IMHO) a good solution. A solid state relay and a ~1Hz PWM is the better choice.

I dare you to lick the terminals of the pot when plugged in :) No, really don't do that. No matter how hard you believe, the pot will still carry mains, and needs to be sized and insulated accordingly. I'm glad you're happy with your setup, but still, if someone is in the market for a power...