Inkbird itc-308? $35 gets you wired, 2 stage temp controller.

[raysmithtx]

I have checked the wiring of the ITC-308 controller and it is not in compliance with the US National Electrical Code (NEC.) NEC Article 404 (as well as other articles) requires that switches be wired to interrupt the hot line to a load, rather than the neutral wire, in order to switch the load on and off. The ITC-308 is wired to switch the neutral connection to its output sockets, which violates the NEC.

Well I just checked mine with my socket tester and it shows "wired correctly" (2 yellow lights on). So apparently some of them are wired correctly. I received mine on Saturday and have had it plugged in the entire time with no load but with the probe in my ferm. chamber.

Also tested the accuracy of the probe and it reads .3 degrees F. high.

I didn't have my phone with me so I will post pics later.

 

[AK7007]

Did anyone receive theirs yet? Mine says it left China July 14 but won't arrive until mid-August to September... I guess they are putting them on the slow boat.

Ordered mine on the 14th, it arrived in LA today. I'm in Sac, so I'm hoping that means it was already unpacked from whatever container, and then comes up the I-5 in a couple days. Predicted delivery is still 3 weeks away though, so who knows if the shipping update is just saying "container's here, we'll unpack in two weeks."

Excited to see how it works though.

EDIT: After seeing Doug's post and rays post, I guess I'm investing in a socket tester!

 

[doug293cz]

Well I just checked mine with my socket tester and it shows "wired correctly" (2 yellow lights on). So apparently some of them are wired correctly. I received mine on Saturday and have had it plugged in the entire time with no load but with the probe in my ferm. chamber.

Also tested the accuracy of the probe and it reads .3 degrees F. high.

I didn't have my phone with me so I will post pics later.

If you put the socket tester in the heating socket when the controller is calling for heat, it will show as wired correctly, because the hot and neutral are wired to the correct socket slots. If you then put the tester in the cooling socket, it should show an open neutral. The neutral is open, because the controller relay is on the neutral wire. NEC requires switching the hot wire, not the neutral wire.

Brew on

 

[Gavin C]

Lots of great info with pictures and such.

I think your post should be linked in the OP or better yet have a thread of its own. This is the most important info in the whole thread. Once again. Nice job.

 

[AK7007]

I informed Ink-Bird of the compliance issue yesterday, and they requested that I delay going public with the information. I agreed to hold off for one day, and did so. They asked for additional delay, but I did not agree to that. I feel my responsibilities are to the HBT community, rather than Ink-Bird

Does anybody know where Inkbird is based? I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that there was a miscommunication with an overseas manufacturer if they are based somewhere outside of China, and therefore could understand why they would need time to fix the issue. If it's being made in-house at a factory they own in China (doubtful) - then this issue is pretty irresponsible.

I'm still glad that you posted this, even if I can understand why they didn't want you to post those pictures until they have it all sorted out. Thanks!

 

[doug293cz]

Does anybody know where Inkbird is based? I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that there was a miscommunication with an overseas manufacturer if they are based somewhere outside of China, and therefore could understand why they would need time to fix the issue. If it's being made in-house at a factory they own in China (doubtful) - then this issue is pretty irresponsible.

I'm still glad that you posted this, even if I can understand why they didn't want you to post those pictures until they have it all sorted out. Thanks!

As far as I can infer, Ink-Bird is strictly a Chinese operation.

Brew on

 

[doug293cz]

Here is another picture I took of the inside of the duplex socket with the back cover removed. Since the neutral conductors are independent and the hot is common, the only way to control the sockets independently is to switch the neutral wires. Neutral switching is specifically prohibited by the NEC.



Brew on

 

[Mordhaus]

I received mine yesterday through Amazon and just sent the seller a message asking what to expect as far as a replacement that is wired in compliance with the NEC. I'll post up their response once I get it.

 

[Eamster]

I sent a message also via their website. We will see what response I get.

 

[raysmithtx]

If you put the socket tester in the heating socket when the controller is calling for heat, it will show as wired correctly, because the hot and neutral are wired to the correct socket slots. If you then put the tester in the cooling socket, it should show an open neutral. The neutral is open, because the controller relay is on the neutral wire. NEC requires switching the hot wire, not the neutral wire.

Brew on

You are correct. Mine is also miss wired.

 

[mcgimpkins]

Any good way we can fix the wiring ourselves while we wait for Inkbird?

 

[doug293cz]

Any good way we can fix the wiring ourselves while we wait for Inkbird?

It's possible. Requires un-soldering, and re-soldering two wires in the control head, and then rearranging the contact strips in the duplex socket. The second step will require stripping some outer insulation on the cord at the socket to lengthen the individual wires, and also soldering of some other wires. I'll try to provide a more thorough explanation when I have some time.

Brew on

 

[mcgimpkins]

I'm not scared of soldering, but I'm not an electrician either and I am not confident that I can properly rewire the device. In addition I do not want to hold my breath for the Quality Control at Inkbird China to come to my rescue. If I can fix it I will, I just need a good wiring diagram.

 

[AK7007]

Requires un-soldering, and re-soldering two wires in the control head, and then rearranging the contact strips in the duplex socket.

The contact strips appear to my uneducated eyes to be quick and easy. It's any fiddling inside the controller that I'm worried about - it would be much appreciated if you take some pictures since it sounds like you are well on your way to re-wiring yours, though I'm sure (read as: I hope) it ends up being pretty obvious once you actually are looking at the thing first hand.

 

[inkbird]

I received an Ink-Bird ITC-308 controller that was sent to me at no-charge by Ink-Bird as a result of some communications I had with them about bad recommendations they gave for wiring their ITC-1000 controller. As a result of our communications, Ink-Bird corrected the instructions for wiring the ITC-1000. I brought this up in this post to this thread., and surfaced my concerns that the ITC-308 may also be wired in violation of the NEC.

I have checked the wiring of the ITC-308 controller and it is not in compliance with the US National Electrical Code (NEC.) NEC Article 404 (as well as other articles) requires that switches be wired to interrupt the hot line to a load, rather than the neutral wire, in order to switch the load on and off. The ITC-308 is wired to switch the neutral connection to its output sockets, which violates the NEC.

The following pic shows the socket tester I used in some of my tests of the ITC-308

View attachment 291826


The next pic shows the socket tester in the COOLING socket of the ITC-308 while the probe temp is less than the setpoint temp and the ITC-308 has switched on the HEATING socket. The tester indicates that the neutral line is open (as a result of the ITC-308 switching the neutral wire), and that the COOLING socket is powered (otherwise no LED would light on the tester.)

View attachment 291825


The final pic shows that the COOLING socket is in fact energized to 120V when it should be off.

View attachment 291824


I also opened up the cases of the unit, and traced the internal power to relay to socket connections. All results are consistent with the ITC-308 switching the neutral side of the loads rather than the hot side of the loads.

The above information has been communicated to Ink-Bird. Ink-Bird responded that they would change the wiring as of today to comply with the NEC, and will make existing customers whole. Ink-Bird has responded quickly to the product issues I raised with them. However, it is troubling to me that a company that sells electrical products to consumers can make this kind of error in design.

I informed Ink-Bird of the compliance issue yesterday, and they requested that I delay going public with the information. I agreed to hold off for one day, and did so. They asked for additional delay, but I did not agree to that. I feel my responsibilities are to the HBT community, rather than Ink-Bird.

NOTE: Even though the ITC-308 is not in compliance with the NEC, the controller does work as advertised. I am not enough of an expert to advise on how much risk may be involved with this particular non-compliance. Therefore, I will not make any recommendation on whether or not you should purchase a current release controller. You will have to make that decision yourself.

Brew on

We are here to make a formal apology for the mistake to our customers.

First of all, many thank you for Mr. Doug's supervision and consulting, so that we can find the mistake and correct it to be in compliance with the requirements of NEC in time.
Most important, this is able to avoid that our customers are in dangerous when they use ITC-308 due to our mistakes.

Secondly, we are not trying to evade responsibility. When we received the emails from Mr. Doug on July 22, we started to investigate our production records in our factory, and try to find out the reason of the mistake. On July 23, we checked the records paper and tested the inventory in our stock and found that the production batch before July 20 may have this error of wiring. The probability of mistake is about 60%. We had a meeting this morning and make the solution here:
The customer who have purchased ITC-308 before July 20, please unscrew the screws of the controller box and check the PCB board, if the wiring are the same as bellow, please shot a photo and send to [email protected], We will make the solutions as bellow to you:
1. If you have electrician knowledge, we suggest to send a socket to you, and then you can correct the wiring according to our tutorial. To thank you for your help, we will provide a 25% Off discount credit, you can buy any products from INKBIRD.
2. To exchange a new ITC-308.

If you choose the first choice, we will be very grateful to you, because this will save us much, but also you can safely use the product and get a 25% off discount credit.

Of course, if you choose the second choice, we will also perform as this statement.

At last, I would like to explain why we requested Mr. Doug posted it delay. Because we need time to take respond, we need time to investigate, analyze, test, and find a solution. From the date I received the report till now, it has just passed two days. We really try to make it better and provide a good service to our customers. We do take our responsibility.

New wiring of ITC-308:
We have corrected all the ITC-308 in our stock yet. Now it’s in compliance with the requirements of NEC.
Please be assured purchase.
Bellow I will show the test to the wiring of ITC-308:

Preface: When two probes are closed, the red light will be on as figure 1. It Means that the circuit is closed;

ITC-308 is power off:
Figure 2,3,4 show: when the probes are in Neutral line and Ground line, the red light is on, it means that the circuit is closed;
Figure 5 shows: when the probes are in Live(hot) line, the red light is not on, it means that the circuit is open.

ITC-308 is power on:
Figure 6,7,8, show: When the heating light is on in the controller box, there are heating output in the HEATING socket. We can see that Live(hot) line has power output, and no power output from neutral line directly.
Figure 9,10, show: When the heating light is on in the controller box, there are no output in cooling Socket.

In summary, the new wiring of ITC-308 is in compliance with the requirements of NEC. The temperature controller control the output by Live(hot) wire.


INKBIRD TECH. C.L.
Ken
[email protected]
2015/7/24

 

[Roadliner]

Always glad to see a company listen to it's customers.

 

[texwake]

A++ Inkbird! I am going to check my unit tonight and see what the wiring looks like.

 

[Gavin C]

Nice job @inkbird . Very nice. I hope you sell a bunch of them. Best of luck

 

[Mordhaus]

Good on Inkbird for handling this so well.

 

[jmpreiks]

We are here to make a formal apology for the mistake to our customers.

I wish all companies were this quick to respond and show that they truly care about their customers. Thanks Inkbird!

 

[Mordhaus]

I took my unit apart last night to verify the wiring, took a picture and sent it to Inkird. I had a response in less than hour from Ken, saying that they would ship me a new unit within 2 days. It's nice to see there is still customer service these days and these guys are doing it from overseas with a language barrier.

 

[Jwin]

great job IB. A company that is based in china, makes great products specifically for home brewers, and takes care of/listens to its customers?!?
Awesome.
I'll be buying one for my kegerater to go with my diy itc 1000/2000 fermentation controller. (Utilized a single cool, dual heat control)
Maybe you guys can teach behringer something.
Looking for a off the shelf electric brewery panel from you guys next.

 

[superkrai]

Where can I purchase this product? Inkbird site has no buy option. I want to make sure I get one of the new compliant units.

 

[mcgimpkins]

On Amazon: Inkbird 100 ~240VAC ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller Outlet Thermostat, 2-stage, 1000W, w/ Sensor

 

[Mordhaus]

I just received my replacement unit only 4 days after a tracking number was issued. Took it apart and verified the wiring had been changed. Great job, Inkbird.

 

[Jwin]

Ordered one yesterday. I'll report in next week after I get back from vacation @ nyc

 

[Helloworld]

I want to share the very excellent customer service experience I had with Inkbird. I contacted them after discovering this thread. They have responded to every email very quickly, and have been incredibly polite and apologetic to me. Inkbird shipped me a new itc-308 today after I emailed a photo of the wiring and provided my order number.

Great job, Inkbird! I will definitely buy more of your products in the future. Brewnanny/Gary Lyons could learn a thing or two from you guys.

 

[Hoppity]

+1 for customer response. Answered their follow-up email with my concerns and a new re-wired unit is on the way. No cross-ship, no return.
Still using the first one (trying not to leave it in a puddle w/bare feet).

 

[JBlick]

I just received my Inkbird ITC-308 in the mail. I had ordered it right about when doug293cz started posting about the wiring issues, so I wasn't sure what I would get. The shipment took a little while (probably held up for the quality checks), but the unit works great and is wired correctly. A big "Thank You!" to doug293cz for spreading the word and helping all of us out and also thanks to Inkbird for taking care of their customers.

 

[inkbird]

Thank you for all your support ,here are another new test.

1. Tied 8 different probes together as picture 1 show , and power up,wait for 1 minute,they shows as picture 2.

2. Here is their reading display：

STC-1000：27.3℃，27.6℃，27.3℃；
ITC-1000：27.6℃，27.5℃；
ITC-308： 27.6℃，27.6℃，27.5℃。

The readings of the temperature controllers are similar. Besides ,the temperature accuracy of them is ±1 Degree C ,so we think the ITC-308 fully comply with the product description.