Cheap? Fridge Controller

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Gout

Bentleigh Brau Haus
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Location
Ferntree Gully - Melbourne
guys if interested there is a fridge / freezer controler in the latest Silicon Chip mag. I think Jaycar will also sell the kits

dont know price but might be interesting to some

:excl: also this uses power etc etc dont die blah blah blah :excl:
 
Gout said:
guys if interested there is a fridge / freezer controler in the latest Silicon Chip mag. I think Jaycar will also sell the kits

dont know price but might be interesting to some

:excl: also this uses power etc etc dont die blah blah blah :excl:
[post="61665"][/post]​

Hi Gout
Im interested in something like this. Could you provide some more details as Im not familar with the Mag. Model No etc..

Cheers :beer:
Beer Slayer
 
ummm sorry i just saw it at lunch today in the newagent search for silicon chip (australian mag for electronics) and the shop i was as in melb had about 30 copy's so much have just come out....

otherwise wait till jaycar have the kit.... now or within a month (www.jaycar.com.au... i think)
 
Gout said:
ummm sorry i just saw it at lunch today in the newagent search for silicon chip (australian mag for electronics) and the shop i was as in melb had about 30 copy's so much have just come out....

otherwise wait till jaycar have the kit.... now or within a month (www.jaycar.com.au... i think)
[post="61698"][/post]​
Cheers Gout
Ill look for the mag and check out Jaycar
BS
 
Gout said:
ummm sorry i just saw it at lunch today in the newagent search for silicon chip (australian mag for electronics) and the shop i was as in melb had about 30 copy's so much have just come out....

otherwise wait till jaycar have the kit.... now or within a month (www.jaycar.com.au... i think)
[post="61698"][/post]​

The details don't appear to be on their website yet. Maybe they don't post them until the mag has been out for a week or so.

Beers,
Doc
 
yeah i recall they put the mag out then the shops, oztronics, jaycar, dicksmith etc will release (not all of them, i gather one has the rights or somthing or buys the design to sell ... who knows) anyway i say a month

the silicon chip web might have a "preview" to get you to buy the mag, or just read it like i did in the news A :)
 
Just had a look at the magazine and the temp range is 2.5 to 33 degrees. I think I will stick with the Tobins TS-040s. Which I am about to order.
 
Saw the kit today in Jaycar for $39.95.

Cheers
Wobbo
 
Wobbo said:
Saw the kit today in Jaycar for $39.95.

Cheers
Wobbo
[post="62595"][/post]​
And 38.95 for the Tobins one, which is already made ande has a greater range. Mind you, I couldn't imagine needing upto 30 degrees little alone 40 :eek:, but down to zero is useful.
 
Gout said:
sure you can change the range via the circuit

oh well it was just a though
[post="62617"][/post]​
Yes you can, but unless you enjoy building stuff like this, it would be quicker and easier to by the Tobins. I thought that it might of been a flash one with a readout and plash stuff like that. It was a bit of a let down, to see more of the same.
 
Macr
Where are ya getting yer Tobins thingy from? Under $40 sounds like apretty good deal to me. My fridge keeps it at about 14C on the warmest setting, so something that could keep it at 18, I would be interested in.
All the best
Trent
 
I'm happy to be corrected, but I have a feeling that the Jaycar unit is for heating, not a cooling nor a fridge controller.

Jaycar Thermostat

I bought one a few years ago, and it's been okay to activate a hot box to keep the brew warmed to a preset temp.
They may have another cooling thermostat in stock, but I couldn't find it on the website.
 
shmick said:
We woke up to 3.5degC yesterday morning and the Strong Ale I was fermenting was down to 14degC in the ferm freezer and bubbling a bit slow.
I had a heater pad (30W) that wasn't being used so I connected it to a timer and threw it in alongside. 15 min on then 2 hrs off seems to be working. When it was on fulltime it was getting a little warm.


I control my chest freezer with one of the Jaycar units but I would only recommend it to somebody handy with a soldering iron.

http://www1.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?...eMax=&SUBCATID=

I went down this path because my freezer has a wierd thermostat that I couldn't remove for fear of wrecking it (and getting bitten by something nasty lurking underneath :eek: )

I removed the thermistor (temperature sensing component - looks like a small blue capacitor) and put it on 500mm of wire which I fed into the freezer. The device is purley resistive and not effected by the extra capacitance of the wire as somebody suggested in a previous thread.
Connected the mains thru' the NC (normally closed) contact because the thermostat is designed for heating. ie freezer turns on when thermostat turns off.

Downsides :( of this unit are:
- It displays 'HEAT' when the freezer is actually off but I can live with that.
- If the thermostat malfunctions (stops) it will freeze everything inside.
- It runs off 2 x AAA battreries so I had to build a powersupply - had the parts lying around anyway.
- Only handles 3A inductive loads - my freezer has 1A surge (125W motor) so ok.
- 5 to 30degC range - ok for me, lagers go in the other fridge.

On the good side :D it constantly displays the current temp inside the freezer, you can reliably set an exact temperature to 0.5deg resolution & it's very easy to operate.
It has a 'deadband' hysteresis of 1degC (+/- 0.5deg from set point). On a warm 30deg day the pump turns on for 10 or so mins then off for about 45. This may stress the motor slightly more than usual operation but with an old freezer that cost nothing who cares.

Also added a 12VDC fan from an old computer for air circulation but I think it's mentioned elsewhere before also.

Would I go down this path again? Definitely.
[post="61786"][/post]​


Bilph said:
I'm happy to be corrected, but I have a feeling that the Jaycar unit is for heating, not a cooling nor a fridge controller.

Jaycar Thermostat

I bought one a few years ago, and it's been okay to activate a hot box to keep the brew warmed to a preset temp.
They may have another cooling thermostat in stock, but I couldn't find it on the website.
[post="62703"][/post]​

I posted the above to another thread re the Jaycar thermistat.
Heating/cooling isn't a problem as it has NO & NC (normally open/closed) contacts - just check the fridge/freezer doesn't exceed the current rating.
It's been running almost continuously for 4 months now without a drama.
The internal relay is a commonly available Omron PCB mount unit so when it wears out it can be replaced easily.
All up cost me $45 as I had most of the bits at home already.
No affiliation with Jaycar - just relaying my experiences :)
 

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