STC 1000 build!

[caleb.jones12]

Hey guys!

Its been a while, Uni hammered me through the semester and I just didn't have time to get a brew going!
So I'm on holidays now and my first project was to get my STC 1000 working and in an enclosure!
I bought everything from Jaycar (I work there) and it was super easy to do took me about 4 hours today!
The Red LED indicates heater on, green indicates power (In future can be changed to indicate cooling.
The temperature sensor is removable so I can replace it if it gets damaged.
The black square has a 10A 240V Socket under the cover to plug the heater in.

Only has a heating output but there is space for another 10A 240V outlet for cooling in the future.
Pretty happy with how everything went if anyone wants a parts list let me know, but my biggest tip is get a Dremel (the jaycar ones are cheap and great!)
Im thinking my next brew will be a red ale of some sort!
Anyway let me know what you think!

 

[MartinOC]

The enclosure for the unit is about 10 x as big as it needs to be.

The STC unit already has indicators built-in to tell you when it's in heating/cooling mode, so you've just wired-up superfluous lights.

$2 extension cables from Bunnings work just fine & can be wired-in whilst you're building the unit from the start.

4 HOURS to do this??????? Mate, I can build a complete heat/cool controller unit from scratch with Jaycar components & Bunnings cables in less than an hour & I'm a complete electrical numpty.

Why complicate things?

 

[MartinOC]

Apologies if I seem patronising (we can't edit posts outside 5 minutes any more), it just seems that what you've done (whilst functional) is overkill & incomplete, when you could've done it simpler/cheaper from the start.

 

[ein stein]

Looks nice and tidy. I have made a cheapo build and I also have a nicer one that I use for my mash controller. At least with a larger enclosure you can add a SSR if you upgrade your element(s) in the future.

 

[koshari]

hope those metallic LED bezels are earthed or your setup dont meet the electrical standards,

 

[caleb.jones12]

MartinOC fair comment, the enclosure is too big I know but its the only size I could get (without going for a more expensive clipsal option) that was tall enough to mount the STC the way I wanted along with the 10A outlet. LED's were simply (and reluctantly) put in to take up extra empty space.
And yeah 4 hours included a few trips back to Jaycar and Bunnings to get things I didn't have etc... I do tend to think a lot about projects while Im doing them rather than smashing them together, especially when I am dealing with 240V I'm extra cautious.
I've seen people put STC's in take away containers, cardboard boxes etc So I wanted mine to look at least somewhat professional.
It was cheap for me to do it this way anyway (thanks staff discounts).
Does sound a little patronising mate but all fair points.
I did make it a little more complex than it needed to be but thats how I wanted it done and did it, and there is still opportunities to upgrade in the future.

Thanks Ein Stein, SSR is a possible upgrade if everything goes to plan.

Koshari, not earthed but insulated on the inside with heat-shrink so no way for them to become live.

 

[labels]

This what I make. Except for the STC1000, all other components come from Jaycar and to date I have built three of them - identical.
Front shows display and the cooling outlet, the heating outlet is on the back directly opposite the cooling outlet.

 

[earle]

Looks pretty neat, and a lot neater than some you see in lunchboxes or cardboard boxes.

One suggestion, if you moved the cable coming out if the side to another side you could stand it up so the display is easier to see.

 

[SwagBiker]

Hey Caleb, I think it looks great.
The LEDs work much better to see at a quick glance what your controller is doing, even from a distance.
I’m a sparky and I have built all my own control boxes for my set up and it was the process as much as the result that I enjoyed.
Everyone will approach it differently, but so as long as it’s safe and it works for you then enjoy it.
What voltage are the LEDs? If they are not 240 then you don’t need to earth them. If they are 240V then they may be designed to be installed in a metallic enclosure door which should be earthed. An internal fault, or water splashed onto them, could still cause the metal bezels to become live even with heat shrink on the back. It’s hard to know from your photos, but as koshari points out, earthing is a big deal in the standards. And rightly so.

 

[labels]

Looks pretty neat, and a lot neater than some you see in lunchboxes or cardboard boxes.

One suggestion, if you moved the cable coming out if the side to another side you could stand it up so the display is easier to see.

Too easy to knock over.

I did build one into a slightly larger project box and had both sockets on the front but settled on this design as the most practical solution, kind of working back from what I needed it for, through to the design that fits the bill. I also have an expensive Dixell unit that's been going since 2003. Nice unit but 90% of the features in it I don't use.

 

[earle]

Too easy to knock over.

I did build one into a slightly larger project box and had both sockets on the front but settled on this design as the most practical solution, kind of working back from what I needed it for, through to the design that fits the bill. I also have an expensive Dixell unit that's been going since 2003. Nice unit but 90% of the features in it I don't use.

Sorry, comment was aimed at OP