Inkbird IPB-16 Mods (not just the pump switch)

[sicktght311]

So i'm in the process of modding my IPB-16 to use as a temporary controller until i get around to building a Kal style 120v panel for my e-herms system, and as i had it open, it got me thinking......

1) I have 2 pumps. One Mark II pump as my wort pump, and a tan DC solar pump permanently plumbed into my HLT output for my water pump. Obviously i can do the pump mod on the IPB16 for the single pump switch from the alarm output, which i'm doing anyway, but whats to stop me from splicing another 120v line off the same pre switch alarm output, to another switch, and cutting a square hole in the side of the IPB16 and placing a second panel mounted 120v outlet for the solar pump? That way i can control both pumps from the single device....

2) Going even further.....then i could easily replace the 1/8" headphone PT100 sensor plug, with two Auber RTDCON panel mount connectors, one for the HLT output, one for the boil kettle, and use a small on/off/on DPDT switch to toggle between the two new 1/2" NPT Auber sensor inputs to the PID when i want to switch from Mash to Boil/Chill.

Seems like these are both fairly easy to do mods with typical everyday wiring knowledge which i have, and a steady hand with a step bit/dremel cutting wheel. This turns the IPB16 into pretty much a start to finish controller for a 3 vessel 120v Herms system

OTHER THAN.......unplugging the HLT element, and plugging in the Boil Kettle element. That is the last piece of the puzzle that a normal panel takes care of with two DPDT contactors and a on/off/on switch. So then

3) Why couldn't i place two 240v DPDT 120v coil contactors into a small/medium project box, with two 120v panel mount outlets, a 3 way on/off/on switch, and wire it up so the IPB16's element output plugs into the "Element selection box", and then switch between the two elements. Everything stays plugged in, the IPB16 is the overall brains of the system, and everything functions as a normal all in one panel.

The only issue i cant seem to get past, is the need for a 120v constant power hot line to power the contactor coils. You cant really splice off the element hot line coming into the selector box, because its post SSR so it would be pulsing on and off, and would overload a contactor. Could it just be as simple as splicing a hot 120v (post fuse) line in the ipb16, running it out of the IPB16 through a hole, into the element selector box, and using that in the on/off/on switch to power whichever contactor's coil i'm selecting? I just hate not having things detachable between the IPB16, and the Selector box, and seems like an added danger having a single hot lead coming out of the IPB16 and into a project box.

 

[sicktght311]

Well i went ahead and did it anyway hah. Or at least number 1. I wired in a switch for pump 1 off the Alarm output, cut a square hole in the side of the Inkbird and put in a new outlet, wired that to another switch, and they both work great. Just did a heating test with my HLT and ran both the HLT circulation solar pump, along with a light attached to the Alarm plug, while running the element, and everything worked great. Drilling the holes in the front didnt come out that pretty. Step bit chewed things up a bit, but it works

I'm going to go ahead with Inkbird mod #2 in the coming two weeks as well, modifying the Inkbird probe input to 2 panel mounted connectors, with 2 1/2" NPT RTD PT100 probes (one for HLT, one for boil kettle), and a on/off/on DPDT mini toggle to select between each input.

 

[augiedoggy]

do you still have under 15amps of power being drwn off all these outputs combined? thats the real concern as far as I know with adding more switches and plugs is the existing power cord and traces/circuitry in the inkbird needs to be able to handle the load safely, if you run a 1500w element and a single 120v pump your just about at 15 amps draw right there. if only 2 are on at a given time you should be ok unless you forget or get a more powerful current draw device to run off the switched outlets.

others have gone to other rtd wiring and jacks.. the better approach here rather than buying the cheapy auber probes at a premium markup (auber rtds are from the same manufacturer as most of the ones on ebay they just solder the plug on the other end of the cord and quadruple the price) A good alternative is to buy the better ones with the telfon cables from amazon or ebay for much less and use aviation adapter jacks to with them to the panel or just use the jack the inkbird already has.

 

[sicktght311]

I did the calculations, and with a 1650watt element at 120v i'm drawing 13.75amps, the dc solar pump draws .6amps per the plug that comes with it, and the Mark II 120v pump draws .1amps at 25watts, so i'm still below 15amps. I'm not using any high powered chuggers or anything like that, since its only 5 gallon total batch 120v system, so the current draws are much lower. The outlet i use for the brewing setup is a 20amp circuit that is dedicated, so nothing else runs on that circuit while i'm brewing. Like i said, to test yesterday, i ran my HLT from 50 degree starting temp, to strike temps, while running the solar pump, and had a 60watt light plugged into the secondary pump outlet which draws more power than the Mark II pump, and everything ran no problem. Seems to work fine!

As for the RTD probes, i didnt realize Auber uses the cheap ones and marks em up. Good to know! Ive seen the amazon ones (linked below) and considered using those. I suppose i could just wire up a 1/8" stereo jack and install another panel mount 1/8" plug. Thanks for the help

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071DW3GVQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[sicktght311]

Just went ahead and ordered 2 of the Amazon RTD probes and 2x screw terminal 1/8" jacks. Figure i'll test em out manually plugging and unplugging, and if everything works as expected, i can go ahead and wire in a 3PDT switch and add another input to the Inkbird to keep them permanently plugged in. Will report back later this week when i test them!

 

[augiedoggy]

Not that im disagreeing with you but that mark 2 pump should honestly be drawing more current than .1amps... did you measure it under load?

 

[sicktght311]

I'll give it a shot again tonight and break out my multimeter

 

[augiedoggy]

I just googled it, its a 65w pump so it draws about .5 amps total.. the tan DC pumps draw more than they are advertised as (I have like 8 of them ranging from 12to the stronger 24v version) they draw over 2 amps (DC) under load and off hand I dont know what that comes out to in ac amp draw (around .5 amps as well I think) but I believe your right that its all under 15 amps..

 

[sicktght311]

There's actually a few different Mark II pumps. Theres a 6watt, 25watt, and 65watt. I have the 25watt version, and yeah the tan DC pumps draw 2+ amps DC, but the AC draw is what you have to follow when it comes to seeing what the load will look like at the inkbird, and that goes off the AC/DC transformer, which pulls 120v at .5amps max. Even if you do the DC to AC conversion of what the pumps are actually pulling, even a tan 12v dc pump reading 3amps under load, still only converts to around .3amps AC at 120v.

Moral of the story, i'm going to do more testing under load before i consider this a success, but so far so good

 

[sicktght311]

Update......

I purchased two of the CrocSee RTD PT100 1/2" NPT probes from Amazon, and they work like a charm. Screwed right into the Tee in the outlet of my HLT, and the Thermowell port in my boil kettle, wired them to a TRS plug adapter, and the inkbird recognized them immediately. Im going to do a clean water run through the system this weekend to see if the temp they're displaying is correct (or if its off, if its linear so i can adjust with the Inkbird). But cheap and easy alternative to Auber or Ebrewsupply if you have the knowledge and know-how to solder

 

[speckledhen]

Update......

I purchased two of the CrocSee RTD PT100 1/2" NPT probes from Amazon, and they work like a charm. Screwed right into the Tee in the outlet of my HLT, and the Thermowell port in my boil kettle, wired them to a TRS plug adapter, and the inkbird recognized them immediately. Im going to do a clean water run through the system this weekend to see if the temp they're displaying is correct (or if its off, if its linear so i can adjust with the Inkbird). But cheap and easy alternative to Auber or Ebrewsupply if you have the knowledge and know-how to solder

Sounds great! Any info for wiring the TRS adapter? I just bought the probe and an adapter. Thanks!

 

[sicktght311]

Finally got the system up and running this weekend. Only issues i'm having is with the RTD probes. Wiring them up is easy (red wire goes to the ground plug on TRS, and then the white and black wires are interchangeable for the tip and ring. IPB16 recognizes the probe immediately. My issue is the same issues others have had judging by previous posts. The temp (especially once the kettle is over 100 degrees) starts to jump around by 1-2 degrees every second or so. It will read 153, 155, 152, 153, 155, etc. I fiddled with the plugs a bit, tightened wiring, etc etc and cant get it to stop. Switched over to the probe that came with the IPB16 and thats rock solid. So i'm going to fiddle with the wiring a little more. I also want to run autotune this week to see if perhaps that cures the issue, but from what i've read from previous users, it doesnt seem to.

Anyone else figure this one out? Its not a huge deal because its only jogging around within a 2-3 degree difference, and at mash temps, the split second the controller might fire the element based on the temperature reading, isnt going to make a huge difference. I'll probably run my first brew session with the ebay RTD probes and monitor the analog temp gauge on my mash tun and HLT to see if the temps remain stable. If not, i can always quickly unplug the ebay probe and just dunk the Inkbird stock probe into the HLT and use that until i can figure it out.

Outside of the temp probe issue, the frankenstein'ed IPB16 worked great! Two pumps running at the same time as the element and there was zero issues. Heat dissipated quickly from the unit and it was never more than warm to the touch.

 

[augiedoggy]

the jumpy temp readings is an issue some with the stand alone inkbird pids have experienced as well I wonder if the RTDs used has something to do with it or if its something to do with the grounding and ground loop interference. curious, do you have the rtd with the stainless braided wire and is the wire grounded at both ends? I had issues with this on my setup even though it wasnt inkbird hardware.

 

[sicktght311]

Yeah its one of the RTD probes with the braided covering over the wires. How would one check the ground on this? Its a 3 wire (positive is red which i assume is signal, and then the two other wires are the negative. I thought maybe there would be interference issues, so i attempted to move the entire wire away from all AC lines, and i held it in my hands completely off the stainless table and away from everything trying to isolate it, and it still bounced around. Could it be ground interference from the kettles?
.

 

[augiedoggy]

I had issues with the sheilding being grounded at both ends causing the problem myself. since I use a metal enclosure.. the issue was my elements are also carrying a ground to my kettles so there was a big ground loop once i made sure the braidingwas only grounded at the kettle end the issue went away.

your going to hate that braided line btw.. telfon line is way better i went through many of those same probes in your pic.. you can replace just the braided line when it eventually shorts out.

 

[sicktght311]

So you would suggest pulling the braided sleeve away from the plug end, and have it terminate before the plug so it doesnt contact anything thats AC grounded? (ie kettles, fittings, and stainless table)

 

[augiedoggy]

So you would suggest pulling the braided sleeve away from the plug end, and have it terminate before the plug so it doesnt contact anything thats AC grounded? (ie kettles, fittings, and stainless table)

it would be better to make sure its not terminated at the controller end which im guessing yours isnt already since its plastic? you do want it grounded.. just not at both ends. you can try unplugging the element once it starts doing it and see if the behavior stops.

 

[sicktght311]

it would be better to make sure its not terminated at the controller end which im guessing yours isnt already since its plastic? you do want it grounded.. just not at both ends. you can try unplugging the element once it starts doing it and see if the behavior stops.

Good idea. I'll have to do some troubleshooting this week and see what i can come up with. They're so cheap i dont mind messing up one if it comes down to it. The IPB16 is a metal enclosure and grounded, but as far as i can tell/remember, the 3.5mm panel mount plug for the probe is plastic and as such the ground is isolated from the chassis since it doesn't carry any current, just resistance. Plus the sleeve already ends before the plug and is shrink tube'd so it wouldnt touch the end plug anyway. I'll report back

 

[Genuine]

Good idea. I'll have to do some troubleshooting this week and see what i can come up with. They're so cheap i dont mind messing up one if it comes down to it. The IPB16 is a metal enclosure and grounded, but as far as i can tell/remember, the 3.5mm panel mount plug for the probe is plastic and as such the ground is isolated from the chassis since it doesn't carry any current, just resistance. Plus the sleeve already ends before the plug and is shrink tube'd so it wouldnt touch the end plug anyway. I'll report back

That'll be good to know. I have the same RTD and same issue with my Inkbird 106-VH PID Controller. I have mine soldered to some XLR fittings that are fitted into my metal enclosure. From there I have the signal carried from the XLR connector in the controller to the PID using telephone wire. I wasn't sure if it was that wiring causing issue or something with the braided line itself on the RTD.

 

[sicktght311]

First brew session update… If you adjust the digital filter on the IPB16 to somewhere between 7 and 10, and make sure the metal sheath of the cable isn’t touching anything that’s grounded by your brew system, it’s rocksteady. I’ve been through my mash, my Sparge, and I’m currently on my boil, and I haven’t had the problem at all except for when it accidentally touches my brew table. Problem solved. I might get a length of non-stainless braid to cover these probes in and that should solve everything.

Also sidenote, I had to adjust the probes by about 3 degrees to get them to read accurately. They were about 3 degrees too low

 

[sicktght311]

Well just to give a complete review of these mods and the subsquent thread here.....I'm now 3+ months brewing on this system with a number of batches, and everything works flawlessly. The Inkbird, pump switches, everything works great. Never overheats, never skips a beat. I have all of this plugged into a 20amp outlet, so even though the system isn't breaking 15 amps, it still has a cushion for the 80% rule for the overall breaker at the box.

I never ended up covering the probe cables in another sheath as i just keep it from touch anything grounded by the system, and the temp stays rock solid.

 

[sicktght311]

Update on this............Strangely mid brew session yesterday, both pump switches failed on me and wont supply any power to the outlets. However the controller for the element and pid continued to work for the rest of the brew day and i just plugged the pumps into separate outlets. Time to take it apart and see if i overcurrent fried a wire or two

However before this, it had worked flawlessly for months, including brew days, and cleaning soaks