Temp controller $35 shipped

[redalert]

Thought I'd pass this on. I offered the seller $25 and he accepted +$10 shipping= $35 for what looks like a good temp controller.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260628050284#ht_500wt_922

 

[Walker]

I don't want to be a negative nancy, but...

What are you controlling with this? The load on the contacts is extremely low, IMO.

It is only rated at 1.5A for an inductive load like a fridge compressor.

 

[redalert]

I was planning to control a fridge.

 

[Hermit]

Have to agree with Walker on this one. The aquarium controller seems better suited for $5 less. He calls it a controller but the spec sheet calls it a temperature display. The 'control' part seems to be for alarm purposes which explains the low ratings.

 

[redalert]

Have to agree with Walker on this one. The aquarium controller seems better suited for $5 less. He calls it a controller but the spec sheet calls it a temperature display. The 'control' part seems to be for alarm purposes which explains the low ratings.

So what you're saying is I can't use this to control my fridge like the aquarium controller?? Crap I should read more carefully the pdf. So it's basically a fancy thermometer.

 

[Walker]

So what you're saying is I can't use this to control my fridge like the aquarium controller??

I don't think so. It looks underrated for driving a fridge. Plus, it's not a 2-stage controller like the aquarium one.

 

[Hermit]

I don't think so. It looks underrated for driving a fridge. Plus, it's not a 2-stage controller like the aquarium one.

That I'm not 100% certain of. I just got home from a home brew tasting so I'm not all that sharp at the moment. It is a double throw switch so it does something above and below temp? If it alarms above and below it could be used for switching between devices?

 

[Walker]

its not just a thermometer. It does have relays and can switch things on and off, but it just can't handle a fridge. It could handle a heating element of about 600 watts.

 

[Hermit]

its not just a thermometer. It does have relays and can switch things on and off, but it just can't handle a fridge. It could handle a heating element of about 600 watts.

He could look into a relay for the other side I would guess.

 

[Walker]

That I'm not 100% certain of. I just got home from a home brew tasting so I'm not all that sharp at the moment. It is a double throw switch so it does something above and below temp? If it alarms above and below it could be used for switching between devices?

Yes, it could switch back and forth between a heating and cooling item, but that's horribly inefficient. It is always going to have one of the two items running, a constant battle between the two devices.

A real 2-stage will allow a zone to exist where neither heating nor cooling is happening.

 

[Hermit]

Yes, it could switch back and forth between a heating and cooling item, but that's horribly inefficient. It is always going to have one of the two items running, a constant battle between the two devices.

A real 2-stage will allow a zone to exist where neither heating nor cooling is happening.

Then it would be in constant alarm. But I'm in no condition to read a 25 page manual for an object I don't own tonight, let alone comprehend it. I know there are some differential settings in there that I would think should work.

 

[Walker]

It would only be in constant alarm if you attached both an over-temp and under-temp alarm to it.

The relay in it has one side normally closed and one side normally open. When temp is above set-point, that thing is flipped one way. When under set-point if flips the other way.

As an alarm device, you would only set it up to make noise in one of those conditions: over or under, but not both.

Anyway, I think we're off topic a little.

 

[redalert]

I really wanted to use it for a lagering fridge. I would venture to guess that at 2 readings/sec it would make a decent thermometer with a good thermocouple at the least.

 

[Walker]

hell, maybe i am wrong. I don't know. I had quickly looked at the manual earlier and saw the diagram for the pins, but didn't read it cover to cover. I'm using my mobile phone at the moment, so I can't look at it very easily right now.

Maybe the relay has a center "off" position. I suppose it's possible.

At any rate, it can't handle the fridge load without also buying some other beefier relay and it's more expensive than the aquarium controller ($27 shipped.)

You can make this thing work if you want to. I know you already paid for it and everything.

 

[redalert]

hell, maybe i am wrong. I don't know. I had quickly looked at the manual earlier and saw the diagram for the pins, but didn't read it cover to cover. I'm using my mobile phone at the moment, so I can't look at it very easily right now.

Maybe the relay has a center "off" position. I suppose it's possible.

At any rate, it can't handle the fridge load without also buying some other beefier relay and it's more expensive than the aquarium controller ($27 shipped.)

You can make this thing work if you want to. I know you already paid for it and everything.

Maybe I'll see if the seller can give me a refund. I'm not that good with electronics anyway. Worst comes to worst, I'll waterproof it and somehow attach it to my coleman cooler mash tun and use it as a fancy mash thermometer/display. Next time I'll read the manual and listing more carefully.

 

[Hermit]

Maybe I'll see if the seller can give me a refund. I'm not that good with electronics anyway. Worst comes to worst, I'll waterproof it and somehow attach it to my coleman cooler mash tun and use it as a fancy mash thermometer/display.

Tell him he has it listed as a controller and the doc says it is a temp display unit. Even though you didn't read the doc there is a veiled threat of fraud on his part and he may not wish to go there. Or, hopefully, he simply understands you didn't fully comprehend what it was and just wants to do the right thing. I'd say it is a little misleading though.

 

[Hermit]

hell, maybe i am wrong. I don't know. I had quickly looked at the manual earlier and saw the diagram for the pins, but didn't read it cover to cover. I'm using my mobile phone at the moment, so I can't look at it very easily right now.

Maybe the relay has a center "off" position. I suppose it's possible.

At any rate, it can't handle the fridge load without also buying some other beefier relay and it's more expensive than the aquarium controller ($27 shipped.)

You can make this thing work if you want to. I know you already paid for it and everything.

OK. I think dip switch 5 gives you the option for high or low, so it only does one.

 

[Walker]

OK. I think dip switch 5 gives you the option for high or low, so it only does one.

I read over the manual to be sure that what I was saying earlier was accurate. It is.

The relay has two positions. Pins 6&7 are normally closed (they form a connection when the alarm is not triggered) and pins 6&5 form a normally open (they form a connection when the alarm IS triggered.) The relay will always be in one of those two positions - no center "off" position.

The DIP switch lets you set the alarm to fire when over temp or under temp.

There is a hysteresis around the set point which will allow some fudging around the set-point before the alarm flips on or off.

I would argue that the guy is not being misleading here either. Even on a PID, which everyone would agree is a temperature controller, the built in relays can be set up to be used just like the relay on this. What does it control? An alarm. Nothing inaccurate about that.

Unfortunately, it has two important negative points w/ respects to controlling a fridge. One is that it doesn't have a contact load rating to drive a fridge directly. You could use the built-in relay to drive another relay that is capable of handling the higher load to solve that issue.

But the other issue is that is has no way to prevent rapid cycling of the fridge. If this thing wanted to, it could turn your compressor on and off rapidly, which is really bad for the thing and can cause the death of the fridge.

I hope you can get your money back!

 

[redalert]

I read over the manual to be sure that what I was saying earlier was accurate. It is.

The relay has two positions. Pins 6&7 are normally closed (they form a connection when the alarm is not triggered) and pins 6&5 form a normally open (they form a connection when the alarm IS triggered.) The relay will always be in one of those two positions - no center "off" position.

The DIP switch lets you set the alarm to fire when over temp or under temp.

There is a hysteresis around the set point which will allow some fudging around the set-point before the alarm flips on or off.

I would argue that the guy is not being misleading here either. Even on a PID, which everyone would agree is a temperature controller, the built in relays can be set up to be used just like the relay on this. What does it control? An alarm. Nothing inaccurate about that.

Unfortunately, it has two important negative points w/ respects to controlling a fridge. One is that it doesn't have a contact load rating to drive a fridge directly. You could use the built-in relay to drive another relay that is capable of handling the higher load to solve that issue.

But the other issue is that is has no way to prevent rapid cycling of the fridge. If this thing wanted to, it could turn your compressor on and off rapidly, which is really bad for the thing and can cause the death of the fridge.

I hope you can get your money back!

I really appreciate your help in this Walker. I know next to nothing about temp controllers. I just assumed it was a two stage like the other ones listed on Ebay. I wrote the seller about getting my money back last night and still have not gotten a response. Hopefully he'll be kind enough to give me a refund.

 

[Walker]

I really appreciate your help in this Walker. I know next to nothing about temp controllers. I just assumed it was a two stage like the other ones listed on Ebay. I wrote the seller about getting my money back last night and still have not gotten a response. Hopefully he'll be kind enough to give me a refund.

No problem. We're all here to help.

I will say that the popular aquarium controller that people use is going to be hard to beat in terms of features (2-stages and compressor delay protection) and price ($27 shipped).

I like looking for better things and better deals, but for temp control... I think that aquarium controller is The One. The only thing bad I can say about it is that I wish it would allow you to use *F instead of just *C.

 

[redalert]

The only thing bad I can say about it is that I wish it would allow you to use *F instead of just *C.

yeah that's one of the reasons I purchased this one because it had a dip switch to change form C to F.

 

[Walker]

I hear ya. I looked at this one for a while (which can handle a fridge).
http://cgi.ebay.com/Temperature-Con...733?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a61f5b8bd

It's even got a remote control, like I would ever need it.

But, I really wanted the 2-stage thing and the compressor protection.

At one point, one of the guys selling the aquarium controller was also selling a different looking one what was able to do *F or *C, was 2-stages, etc, etc, but it was like $15 more expensive.

Honestly, I am not going to mess with the temp setting of my fridge very much. it pretty much always sits there at about 64*F, so I don't mind having to do a quick conversion if I ever decide to do a lager or something.

 

[Hermit]

I did a spread sheet, put it in a plastic sleeve and stuck it in the crisper drawer.

 

[Walker]

I printed this out and taped it to the little box. I figure I won't ever need to set it below 32 or above above 71.

 

[Hermit]

Mine isn't even in a little box. Just wires sticking out of it.

 

[redalert]

This is the response I got from the seller:


"Hi,
All temperature controllers have small relays. It is standard practice to use the small relay to drive a load relay. Let me know if you still want to back out of the sale.
Steve"

Now I'm totally confused.

 

[Hermit]

This is the response I got from the seller:


"Hi,
All temperature controllers have small relays. It is standard practice to use the small relay to drive a load relay. Let me know if you still want to back out of the sale.
Steve"

Now I'm totally confused.

Yes, you want to back out of the sale.

You don't want to drive a relay and this is not two stage and has no compressor delay.

 

[KurtB]

This is the response I got from the seller:


"Hi,
All temperature controllers have small relays. It is standard practice to use the small relay to drive a load relay. Let me know if you still want to back out of the sale.
Steve"

Now I'm totally confused.

You could use the built-in relay to drive another relay that is capable of handling the higher load to solve that issue.

If the seller is letting you back out, I would. Basically the seller is saying is the same thing that Walker said. You can use this relay to drive another one that actually handles the electrical load of the freezer.