Sestos PID Temperature Controllers (D1S-VR-220)

[mysobry]

Hi
At the end of the day (after one month ) I received the parcel from Hong Kong with the bundle of Sestos PID controller+ K sensor + SSR 25A
The package was perfect, everything as listed on ebay and I have paid around 39USD including shipping (no custom duty !)

So I was very happy and I have tested the devices in order to understand the different behavior and features

I can confirm that the manual mode works fine…generally speaking you can combine
Control Output-> ON/OFF or PID (plus auto adjustment)
with
Run Mode -> Manual , Automatic, Inhibit manual

I have set the PID Output and tested different Run Mode

In manual mode you can set the percentage of power of the device regardless the temperature set value and present value…the SSR switch on and off with the percentage of the control period (that you can set from 0,5 to 120 s)
In Automatic Mode you can chose between the PID temperature control and manual control just pressing the AT key
In Inhibit manual you have just the temperature control

It’s interesting that if you are controlling the temperature you can alternatively display or the set value temperature or the percentage of power that is currently applied…this value is dynamic according to PID algorithm

Some picture shows better the different possibilities than my poor English!

Now I have to install and connect everything in my single vessel – braumeister colne application ..but I’m quite happy with the Sestos business

Regards
Davide

 

[mattd2]

Davide you are a legend

 

[mattd2]

Has anyone tried changing the CF parameter to 10 (factory setting of the Auber) to see if the Sestos will display in degrees F.
If it works, it might make things a bit easier for you guys still stuck using old old units of measure

 

[MrSnrub]

Davide,

I'm trying to use a Sestos PID to do sous vide, but can't figure out the device at all. The instructions are basically worthless. Can you walk me through the setup process? I need it to turn my crock pot on when the temp is below the set value and off when above. Thanks.

 

[mredge73]

The Auber unit is nearly identical with the exception of the unit conversion (SETOS does not have Fahrenheit option). Try downloading their instructions.

The setup is confusing at first. I recommend you start by mocking up your setup and setting the the control mode to 2 (autotune). Let the device auto tune itself to your process, it can take up to 2 hours but sometimes it is quicker. After the test it defaults back to PID operation (3).

I would also recommend you calibrate your temperature sensor, mine was 6C too high.
It has an offset function to fix this.

Other than that, you will need to provide more information on what problems you are facing.

 

[mattd2]

Has anyone tried changing the CF parameter to 10 (factory setting of the Auber) to see if the Sestos will display in degrees F.
If it works, it might make things a bit easier for you guys still stuck using old old units of measure

The Auber unit is nearly identical with the exception of the unit conversion (SETOS does not have Fahrenheit option). Try downloading their instructions...

Has the no degrees F been confirmed? No one replied to my earlier question

 

[MrSnrub]

Thanks mredge. The problem I am facing is that I am utterly clueless as to how to set the damn thing. I will take a look at the Auber instructions tonight and see if they help.

 

[tolonen]

Has the no degrees F been confirmed? No one replied to my earlier question

I just got one of these in the mail and checked it out. Just a note, I ordered the packaged PID+40A SSR+Thermocouple 24VAC option from the ebay seller and they shipped me the 120V option. Didn't matter to me, I can make it work either way and I saved a whole dollar!

The 'CF' setting only allows the number 0-3 so it looks like it will allow alarm on/off and heat/cool selection only. Auber must have upgraded their firmware to add the F/C conversion option.

 

[Swab]

Is the K-Sensor that comes with these kits waterproof?

Can they be attached to a kettle with a silicone o-ring and a bolt? anyone have any pics of their setup?

Looking at buying this:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Digital-PID-..._Equipment&hash=item33707c59d8#ht_6762wt_1037

to run a 3500 volt BIAB setup.

 

[mredge73]

They are water resistant, not water proof or water tight.
You will need a thermowell that can be mounted inside a kettle with a o-ring and nut similar to the weldless valves:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THERMOWELL-...ltDomain_0&hash=item51812d1e6e#ht_2088wt_1064
+
http://www.bargainfittings.com/inde...duct&keyword=less&category_id=0&product_id=98

OR just buy it as a kit:
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=183

This will allow you to slide the sensor into the thermowell where the sensor is protected.



The alternative is to buy one of these liquid tight sensors:
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=20_3



FYI

I recommend you get a heat sink for ssr.
And the PT-100 sensor that they sell is super accurate, but the leads are very short.
Recommend you buy them from Mixtea, you can email her what you want and she will reply quickly with a custom kit with a huge discount. I now own three units and they work great.
http://stores.ebay.ca/MixTea

 

[mattd2]

They are water resistant, not water proof or water tight.
You will need a thermowell that can be mounted inside a kettle with a o-ring and nut similar to the weldless valves:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THERMOWELL-...ltDomain_0&hash=item51812d1e6e#ht_2088wt_1064
+
http://www.bargainfittings.com/inde...duct&keyword=less&category_id=0&product_id=98

OR just buy it as a kit:
http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=183

This will allow you to slide the sensor into the thermowell where the sensor is protected.



The alternative is to buy one of these liquid tight sensors:
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=20_3



FYI
You will need two SSRs for a 3500W system.
I recommend you get a heat sink for each as well.
And the PT-100 sensor that they sell is super accurate, but the leads are very short.
Recommend you buy them from Mixtea, you can email her what you want and she will reply quickly with a custom kit with a huge discount. I now own three units and they work great.
http://stores.ebay.ca/MixTea

Seconded for dealing with Mixtea. Mine turned up in the post today, now I just have to finish work and get home to unwrap it!

mredge are you sure that thermowell will fit the 1/4 UNC thread on the thermocouple? looks too big to me.
TheMiller, I am going through the same issue on this thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/how-install-cheap-1-4-20-tc-probe-296468/ looks like easiers way is to buy the water-tight probes, my issue is I want to mount it in the side of a 3/4" socket which the small 1/4 UNC thread would be perfect for (if it was sealed)

The other thing is you don't need a second SSR for the other hot leg but it does make it safer, PID off = no power at all to the element. With only 1 SSR you must always remember that the element is still live but you just haven't connected the circuit - Do not let that connection be through yourself!

 

[mredge73]

The threaded piece is not wielded on.
It comes loose very easily as you will find out shortly; the probe itself does fit into the thermowell easily. I chose to go with the thermowell so I can easily remove the probe during cleaning.

I retracted the need for 2 ssrs on my first post; I realize that there is not a need to achieve functionality but I still believe there is a need for safety.

 

[mattd2]

The threaded piece is not wielded on.
It comes loose very easily as you will find out shortly; the probe itself does fit into the thermowell easily. I chose to go with the thermowell so I can easily remove the probe during cleaning.

I retracted the need for 2 ssrs on my first post; I realize that there is not a need to achieve functionality but I still believe there is a need for safety.

Ah, I see what you mean. Take the "bolt" off and just use the probe only, makes sense
The 2 SSR comment was a valid comment, just want to note that it is for safety not functionality.

 

[Swab]

It looks like she has waterproof PT100 sensors:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/3-Wires-PT10...ltDomain_0&hash=item4aaebc1e8c#ht_3388wt_1037

Based on looking at these, you would still need to use a thermowell to attach it to the kettle, however, they could probably also thrown into the middle of the mash to get a temperature reading.

I will email her and ask for:
- PID
- 25 Amp SSR + heatsync
- 3 Wires PT100 sensor waterproof

I plan on using this for a BIAB setup - is there anything else I should be asking for?

 

[mredge73]

It would probably work. I would buy a spare sensor; notice it is only wrapped up with heat shrink.

*a second SSR and heatsink will be much safer*

 

[bbrim]

I purchased one of the Sestos controllers and wired according to the model provided by Auber but my PID doesn't come on at all. Could it simply be that I am missing something in the wiring or do I have a defective piece?

 

[makkonen]

I purchased one of the Sestos controllers and wired according to the model provided by Auber but my PID doesn't come on at all. Could it simply be that I am missing something in the wiring or do I have a defective piece?

Just in case... I'd look at the pinout from the Sestos manual/information sheet. I can't tell if you tried to wire up everything exactly according to the Auber manual.

If you did, you'll definitely have a problem. While the two units are functionally quite similar, they are not entirely identical; for one thing, the pins are totally different -- power in is pins 1 and 2 on the Auber, and 9 and 10 on the Sestos. (And that's not just me looking at one of them upside down -- the other pins don't line up, either.)


Has anyone had any luck with the auto-tuning of these units? Or manual tuning, even? I can't quite tease apart how the different terms feed into the final output, and my first attempt at auto-tuning led to some really out there results.

For anyone who's spent more than a couple hours playing with one of these: Can anyone line the variables up (M50, P, t) in meaningful ways to what would be the corresponding inputs on the Auber unit? i.e. Proportional constant (P), integral (I) and derivative (d) time, damping constant (SouF). The rest seems obvious, but those ones are important, and I can't figure out how to dial them in.

Really, I'd like to operate in pure proportional mode (at least, to begin)... but I can't figure out how to do that simple thing.

 

[mattd2]

http://auberins.com/images/Manual/Manual version 3.4.pdf
http://sestos-hk.com/english/download/D1S-EN.pdf
From those 2 spec sheets power looks like it is in the same pins, same with sensor, SSR out is slightly different. Don't have my Sestos with me so can't confirm with the diagram on that.
Makkonen - It looks like (based on the names and factory set points) that:
M50 = I
P = P
t = d
Ctl = t (control period)
What was your procedure when you Auto tuned it?

 

[makkonen]

Ah ha. I was looking at a different instruction manual -- for the 2362, not the 2342 or 2352. Not sure the exact difference, but here it is:
http://auberins.com/images/Manual/SYL-2362 instruction 1.6.pdf
(Don't let this manual confuse this issue. The one posted by mattd2 is the useful one -- this one doesn't line up as well.)

Anyway, the manual you linked is a near-exact fit with the Sestos. The factory set points, most importantly, are exactly the same. And it even explains the baffling parts and clarifies the incorrect units from the Sestos manual. Phew.

My procedure the first time autotuning was to plug in my heating vessel* with cold water and let it come up to temp. It finished quickly, the numbers came up really weird (unfortunately, I didn't write them down), and it seemed to oscillate and bounce up to about 3-4°C above the set point.

I ran a second autotune today, after turning the filter settings up to even out the floaty Pt100, and starting with hot water (well above the set point). The tuning ran for much longer (I think 3 cycles up and down around the set point), and settled in to hold the temperature within about .5°C. A huge improvement, and, at this point, probably about within the margin of error.

The settings, for my 1850W roaster, heating ~4 gallons of water: M50 = 183; P = 5800; t = 261; Ctl = 60.

It seems a bit overdamped (stalls out while coming up to temperature), and I can't figure why the control period is so long when there's a lovely responsive SSR and a simple heating element to control. But those variables can be tweaked tomorrow, when I can test it again from cold.

Thanks for all the great information, everyone!

* This isn't actually for brewing, but for a homemade sous vide/cheese vat (similar to this thing). It seems like a good deal of the variables would be similar, though, as the idea is holding a large body of high-specific-heat liquid at temperature.

 

[JMS7465]

Hey all, I just wanted to continue on this thread. I purchased the Sestos package with a 25A SSR about two weeks ago for my HLT project. I’m designing it with a 1500w element since I don’t have access to 220. The package did not include a heat sink (ordered it last night) which is the start of my problems. I only need to run this system in the “On/Off” control mode since it’s just a HLT. But, I think that the SSR is overheating causing it to stick in the “on” position after the system has been running for a while and reaches its set point. The “out” light will shut off on the controller as will the light on the SSR, but current does not stop. Same problem as described in this thread.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/how-hot-should-ssr-run-sign-doa-one-290938/
So here are my thoughts on a temporary or permanent solution and some of the findings:
I was hoping that I could set the system up to run at lower time/percentage like 70%. I’m hoping this will keep the amount of heat generated down to an acceptable range. This is available in the manual mode which seems to work pretty well, but will not shut off when I reach the set point.
• CtrL = 0 (On/Off); run = 0 (Manual) – Controller cannot be set to run at a value less than 100% (Full on all the time). Is there a method of adjusting the % that I’m missing?
• CtrL = 3 (PID); run = 0 (Manual) – I am able to set the system to run @ 70%, but the controller does not shut off when reaching the set value. (Not the SSR problem above) Is this by design since it is in the manual mode?
I’m afraid I am missing something since Davide may be suggesting (on a previous page) that it is possible to run in the On/Off mode at a lower percentage.
Any help?

 

[mredge73]

After the SSR cools down does it start operating as designed?
Bummer that you burnt up your SSR on the first run; a heat sink should help.
Temp solution would be to mount it to something heavy and made of metal to help spread out the heat if it isn't quite dead yet. You could also mount it on the wall of a large steel enclosure box.

Manual mode is just that, Manual!
It will not automatically shut off, if you set it to 70% it will run at 70%.
Why not run it as a PID all the time, default will run it at 100% until it gets up to temp. Then it will taper off and attempt to hold temp.

 

[JMS7465]

I don't think it's completely shot yet. It seems to work as designed once it's cooled and I run a simple lamp through the system with the sensor next to the light bulb. I wasn't able to get through the auto adjustment since it apparently overheated the SSR. ("Hey, why's my water boiling?") Hopefully the heat sink will let me get through to the end.
Question: Is the heat sink standard equipment for this application? I didn't realize it would run that hot. And would a 40A be better than my 25?

 

[mredge73]

I use mine to maintain temperature; so a heatsink is not standard equipment for my use.
My SSR is warm to the touch but it won't burn me.

For your application, I think it would be standard equipment since you are going to be running it for a long period of time (20min+) to get it up to temp. Computer chips start to break down at about 75C-85C; a SSR is made up of the same material.

The higher amp rating may work since the unit itself will be larger and better capable of spreading out the heat. Keep in mind that it will burn up too if it gets up there in the same temperature range.

 

[mattd2]

...I wasn't able to get through the auto adjustment since it apparently overheated the SSR. ("Hey, why's my water boiling?") Hopefully the heat sink will let me get through to the end...

As far as I know the autotune will boil you water, it is basically getting an idea on how your system is setup so it will heat till boiling, let it cool and do some other stuff.
There are also 2 parameters (supossably) in the sestos menu, oPL & oPH.
oPL - don't worry about this one it is for setting a minimum level to alway output even if the controller wants to be lower.
oPH - This can be set at the specific % that you want the max duty cycle to be set at. i.e. if you set it at 70% the PID will function as normal but will only turn the element on a mximum of 70%. This is used for if you have an oversized heating element and want to control it as if it was a smaller one - i.e. set it to 50% and a 5000w element now becomes a maximum of 2500w.

for the control modes the (very) basic descriptions are:

Manual - The controller will turn the element on/off for the specified duty cycle (70% will mean 70% of the time it is on 30% of the time it is off). baiscallty the same as turning your electric stove to "2".

On/Off - When the temp is below the setpoint the element will be on, When the temp is above the setpoint the element will be off.

PID - Adjust the % power depending on how close to the set point the current temp is. kind of like the controller is adjusting the manual mode to keep it at a certain temp.

 

[mredge73]

The autotune did not boil my water.
I set it up exactly like I would use it on brew day using 65C as my setpoint.
For me this meant circulating 3 gallons of water through my RIMS tube pre-heated to 65C.
Took over an hour as the temp cycled between 60 and 70 until it dialed it in to my preset resolution of .5C I am pleased overall with the process.

I use the same unit on my Fermentation chamber and my Keg Fridge; set to cool mode. Autotuned in a similar manner; took about 2 hours each.

 

[mattd2]

The autotune did not boil my water.
I set it up exactly like I would use it on brew day using 65C as my setpoint.
For me this meant circulating 3 gallons of water through my RIMS tube pre-heated to 65C.
Took over an hour as the temp cycled between 60 and 70 until it dialed it in to my preset resolution of .5C I am pleased overall with the process.

I use the same unit on my Fermentation chamber and my Keg Fridge; set to cool mode. Autotuned in a similar manner; took about 2 hours each.

Ignore me then , I still have to get my A into G and setup mine. Last bits and pieces going together now (well after my daughters Bday on Saturday!). Last thing is to get a 3/4" street elbow drilled and taped to accomodate the modified 1/4" unc probe I got free with the Sestos.

 

[JMS7465]

Thanks guys. The water is getting less muddy. Ultimately on my boil comment, the "out" light on the controller and the SSR were both off which has to = bad. I installed my sight glass last night. I'll calibrate (graduate?) My HLT volume tonight and wait for the heat sink to arrive.

 

[mattd2]

I've used my Sestos a few times now and it's been great (for manual control only so far until I get my temp probe fitted!). The only thing I can fault is the damn instructions, I couldn't really make sense of what they were saying to get it in to manual mode. I eventually read the Auber instructions and got there thought

 

[JohnnyGunn]

Hey guys...old thread I know, but I'm looking for help with Sestos components (B2E timer and D1S-VR PIDs). I was wondering if you could tell me if this wiring diagram is ok. The 3 alarm switches will tell the PIDs or the Timer to go to alarm or not, and the NO contactor will reset the alarm/buzzer once it goes. If you need more info, don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for any and all help.

 

[mredge73]

Sorry,I can't really read it but keep in mind that the SETOS PID only has one contact but two alarms.
Both hi and lo alarm trip the same contact.