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Hey oz.... I am still waiting for my rustic hatcher to show up in the mail! I forgot about this lovely until searching for my cooleregg images! ha ha ha Are you still using this bitty?So while I was finishing cooking a pork butt roast just now, I started a new project.
“The Bordeaux-Bator”
I have a few wine boxes from the days when Mrs Oz and I were dinks (double income – no kids) and while I was fishing for something in my closet I kicked my toe on one. As a fully alert chicken man, I looked at in a whole new light. I thought, with a bit of imagination, that could be the perfect match single styrobator.
I got to work.
I found some left over foil covered foam insulation board, some foil covered bubble wrap I snagged from an insulated box from the hospital, foil duct tape and a drywall knife.
Thirty minutes later the roast was done – and so was the foundation of the bator. As less heat will be lost through the base, I used the foil coated bubble wrap there and the thicker foam on the sides.
For the air circulation I will use a Evercool 50x15mm fan # EC5015M12CA from Amazon for $4.80. Its half the diameter of a regular case fan and therefore should be much tamer in a small space. It runs off one of the many 12v router/tool/toy/phone charger I have horded over the years. The fan will be installed so it sucks air from the bator and then pushes it out sideways across the top of the bator.
Attached to the fan with a small angle bracket and a hose clamp will be a small 150W heating element. It will be sitting directly in the airflow so the heat rapidly spreads through the bator. The one I ordered is 220V. As I incubate and do other things in the rest of the work (not just Americas) I have a step up transformer in my house to make 220v but in this instance I am just going to run it on 110v. A store bought styrobator uses a 40w heater. This 150w/220v heater should put out 75W with 110v. More than enough in a box with half a cubic foot of space and a room with steady ambient temps. The heater element cost $7.29 shipped on ebay. It does not take up space of a light and will not drive me crazy if I have to incubate in my room (I share a condo while Mrs Oz is in the Philippines).
The thermostat is a WH7016C frm ebay. $13.82 shipped
Features:
- Heating and cooling control
- Temperature calibration function
- Delay protection function
- Ex-factory parameters locking function after short circuit
- Upper and lower limits of temperature can be set
- Can be used for domestic freezer, water tanks, refrigerator, industrial chiller, boiler, steamer, industrial equipments and other temperature-controlled systems – and incubators
- Comes with temperature sensor probe
- Range of temperature measurement:：-50℃～110℃.
- Range of temperature control:-50℃～110℃.
- Temperature Measuring Error: ± 0.5 ℃ [like any thermometer, you need to calibrate it and adjust for variation but I have found them very accurate]
- Sensor: NTC (10K / 3435)
- Control Accuracy: 1 ℃ (Accuracy is 0.1 degrees, and 0.1 degrees per jump.)
- Relay Contact Current: AC 5A / 220V
- Operating Temperature: 0 ~ 50 ℃
- Storage Temperature: -10 ~ 60 ℃
- Power supply: (12V ,110, 220V) [wiring is simpler in 110 and 220v than 12v
- Cable Length: 100cm (Approx.)
- Item Dimensions:8.6x7.5x3.5 cm (LxWxH)(Approx.)
I am including a pdf of the thermostat wiring info.
I will use a 99cent store extension cord for the wiring.
The top will be hinged plexiglass with a window stick on foam insulation seal, except for the lower 6 inches where the electronics will be mounted. That area of the top will be wood. Ventilation will by a three ½ inch holes. Two in the plexiglass and one juxtaposed to the fan. Small hinges and a hasp/staple catch with complete the project tomorrow.
About 35 bucks all in.
