Digital Thermostats

[Batz]

It says 10 amps in the switch. both heat and cool. If your load is higher just use a relay.

Cheers,
bud

Same as the fridge-mate then, these sound like a great buy. Those will have them soon will post their comments I'm sure, give them the test of time.
I run 3 fridge-mates and 2 Dixells, I could have save a fortune.

Batz

 

[kelbygreen]

I have ran mine for a full brew. it works great. I threw away the wiring diagram supplied and wired it up the same as a temp mate works perfect. The wiring diagram given didnt show what connected to what only where the active and neutral main connected. the rest does not make sense haha. I do not have anything to test how accruate it is but I do know I need to make a better way to attach to the fermenter as the air in the fridge is affecting it, If I open the door the temp can rise 1 deg in a few mins if left open. but I only have a pissy 5mm bit of foam insulating it so i doubt thats enough.

 

[komodo]

Just noticed bluedogs post. I've read the manual on the eBay unit and the rating on hot/cool is 10 Amps. The rating on the TempMate is hot/cool 20Amps.

Cheers,
Brewer Pete

If your fridge or immersion heater is drawing anywhere near 10amps theres probably some serious issues somewhere. 10a = 2400 watts = 3.21hp. Concidering that most bar fridges are around the 100watt (0.13HP or 0.5A) and full sized fridges I dont think are that much bigger power wise (happy to stand corrected) I dont think too many people will have any serious issues running off a 10amp rated relay - I'd like to see people draw much more than 10amps out of a standard GPO to be honest...
The only people who would be affected by the current limit of these units would be people who are using them with big heating elements for HLT / HERMS or boilers and most of these people would be better off with a PID and SSR for the same price...

I found the instructions to be precise so I dont know why you would need to throw them out. The clearly show the power for the unit and the switches.

As for the 0.5 degrees out that could be the sensor/probe itself. Have you tried the same test swapping the sensors around? When I put mine together I might have a look at doing some experimentation with them and different probes

 

[The Mad Hopper]

Mine just came in the mail. Looks pretty easy to wire up. I'm going to give it a shot myself and then have my brother look at it (it's handy having a sparky in the family!). Someone posted this link on another thread showing how to wire up a fridgemate:

Fridgemate Wiring Diagram

Not exactly the same, but gives a fair idea of how to do it (if you can't figure it out from this and the supplied wiring diagram, you probably shouldn't be doing it yourself anyway).

Has anyone already have this up and running? I was wondering whether the probe can be immersed in the fermenter (nothing about it in the instructions).

 

[pokolbinguy]

Received mine in the mail today aswell.

Nice turn around time. Ordered last monday night so got it on the 6th working day after ordering, pretty good from hong kong. I must say alot of stuff I have ordered from Hong Kong have been really quick...takes longer in aus!!!

Will post some pics/feedback up once I get to wire it up.Got to buy all the parts 1st.

Cheers, Pok.

 

[kelbygreen]

I wired mine up as per the fridgemate. Throw away them crap instructions you will get no where looking at them. mine is still going but need to get a box not to safe sitting on the concrete with wires going everywhere. At least I am the only one that goes into the shed

 

[The Mad Hopper]

Will post some pics/feedback up once I get to wire it up.Got to buy all the parts 1st.

Yeah, ditto. Saturday arvo should be fun!

 

[LethalCorpse]

I have ran mine for a full brew. it works great. I threw away the wiring diagram supplied and wired it up the same as a temp mate works perfect. The wiring diagram given didnt show what connected to what only where the active and neutral main connected. the rest does not make sense haha. I do not have anything to test how accruate it is but I do know I need to make a better way to attach to the fermenter as the air in the fridge is affecting it, If I open the door the temp can rise 1 deg in a few mins if left open. but I only have a pissy 5mm bit of foam insulating it so i doubt thats enough.

can you scan or photograph the supplied instructions? sounds like I'm gonna have to do another diagram

 

[komodo]

Its almost identical to the tempmate LC. Just switched via relays on the active. Theres also no extra terminals for people to get confused with (comparing to a fridgemate here as I've not owned a tempmate)

 

[komodo]

Question if these units were wired up by a "competent person" and then test and tagged by a licenced electrician - could they HBS then sell them as ready to go units?

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

Question if these units were wired up by a "competent person" and then test and tagged by a licenced electrician - could they HBS then sell them as ready to go units?

Surely the best person to answer that would be the HBS' insurance broker.

 

[LethalCorpse]

T&T doesn't cut it, has to go through EMC testing, get C-tick, etc.

 

[shmick]

On a much sadder note....

After 5 odd years of faultless service, the digital controller on my fermentation freezer spat the dummy sometime Mon night - I suspect during one of electrical storms we had. The controller itself was still working the next day but the relay contact had stuck closed and frozen everything inside solid. :angry:

It wouldnt have been a major loss except, as luck would have it, I was defrosting my main garage fridge and had moved my entire yeast collection (14 strains + back-ups), a 3 litre starter for the following days brew (Bock), a dozen assorted craft/imported beers and maybe the most painful of all my last bottle each of 5 y/o Imperial Stout and 4 y/o Doppelbock Id been so looking forward to cracking on Australia Day.

Every bottle broke except for a large Erlenmeyer starter flask & a couple of Murrays Dark Knight stubbies (kudos to Shawn & the crew).
It formed a giant frozen mass in the bottom of the freezer that took all (Australia) day to defrost and clean out.

Will be rethinking how & where I store my yeast in the future

Spewin :icon_vomit:

 

[MCT]

can you scan or photograph the supplied instructions? sounds like I'm gonna have to do another diagram

Here you go LC.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I got one today and looked carefully at the thermo sensor under a lupe. I think it is molded onto the wire and should be moisture-resistant but I am probably going to put some silicon on it and some heat-shrink to seal the deal, so to speak...

 

[kelbygreen]

yep them instructions are very helpfull :lol: but it is easy to figure out once you look at the tempmate wiring posted over this site. Has any one tested these units for acuracy???

 

[LethalCorpse]

If you can't figure it out from that pinout and the diagrams posted in the tempmate thread, refer to my sig.

 

[MCT]

Mines wired up and working perfectly, just posted the diagram in case you wanted to do a diagram for the benefit of others.
But I agree, it is straitforward.

 

[user 14216]

Got one of these coming, should be here early next week. Then I'll need to find a chest freezer to stick it in! (If anyone knows of a cheap one in Canberra, let me know!)

SWMBOs will be most pleased when the fermenters are out of the spare bathroom

 

[LethalCorpse]

Yep, sorry MCT, that wasn't directed at anyone in particular, though kelby did say he had trouble with it, and I can't see why.