DIY CABINET COOLER INCUBATOR How we did it and TEST RUN Ready Set GO!

[Sally Sunshine]

My chicks finished up hatching last night..... shipment to TX later on today for half of them!

LOVE my bators!! ALL MY COOLERS!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

My chicks finished up hatching last night..... shipment to TX later on today for half of them!

LOVE my bators!! ALL MY COOLERS!

Hehe! Cute chicks!

 

[mattman1978]

Just make sure you calibrate your new digital controller. Almost NONE of them will be accurate when you set it up (if they are it's dumb luck). You should calibrate it with a digital pharmacy thermometer and then check it occasionally with the digital pharmacy thermometer.

 

[ozexpat]

Just make sure you calibrate your new digital controller. Almost NONE of them will be accurate when you set it up (if they are it's dumb luck). You should calibrate it with a digital pharmacy thermometer and then check it occasionally with the digital pharmacy thermometer.

i must be dumb as an ox because all my STC-1000 have been dead on, right out of the box. I calibrate using iced water then verify temps at 37.8 using a spot check

 

[ozexpat]

So as I have recomended this product so many times, having someone make a near blanket inaccurate statement bothers me a tad. The "MOST" caveat is all well and good but this is the thermostat recommended the MOST

I have made 10 incubators for myself and others all with excellent "out of the box" results

The following pics are of one of the three in my inventory that I just "certified" as they did not need calibration.




When I wiggled it I could find spots that were 0.1C but this is close enough in a glass of iced water.



This is 10 minutes later with the probe unter my tongue. Having placed thermometers under peoples tongues for more years of my life than I have not, I feel quite comfortable in saying that this is my true oral temperature.

Being intrinsically lazy, if I had to calibrate them, I might as well use one of Sally's gas filled wafers and sit there for a few hours tweaking it till I get it right. She has the patience for such and it works great for her. I dont. I also hatch remotely (with an employee) and I know it will be accurate for him.

One of the upsides of this groovy little device is that you dont really need another thermometer because they are so accurate. I just use a spot check or another one of these in a water wiggler as I adjust the incubator ventilation.

 

[dheltzel]

One of the upsides of this groovy little device is that you dont really need another thermometer because they are so accurate. I just use a spot check or another one of these in a water wiggler as I adjust the incubator ventilation.

Can I add that another upside to this, over other thermostats, is how movable the sensor is. You'd better get the other ones located correctly with regard to the eggs, fans, cool spots, etc, because moving them it hard. But the probe for an STC-1000 can be easily moved, the most you'll have to do is cut some wire ties and put new ones on.

 

[mattman1978]

I apologize, apparently that model is great on out of the box accuracy. Not all of them are. Most of the ones I have seen were off by a bit. I haven't used that model. My point is that we should not buy a device such as this off the shelf and assume it's accurate, cause it can be off by up to 2 degrees. That is one model, and it appears you found an awesome product, I appreciate the info. I just don't want to give the impression that all digital controller/sensor combinations are perfect out of the box. I'm an engineer, I have set up many and I can tell you that some are great, and some suck out of the box. For most industrial applications, we don't care, within 2 degrees is fine for most applications. Incubation is NOT most applications. You need to be dead on for best results. You check it using ice water, while most people will think of that, a lot of poor souls believe that any thermometer will work to calibrate an incubator. We hatch very delecate eggs, they simply won't hatch if the temp is off by much. Our meat/egg birds, it seems they would hatch even if the temp was way off.

Now, on that controller, does it have output for a solid state relay? Or just standard mechanical relay outputs?

Also, are you using an RTD or a Thermocouple and where did you get it?

 

[Regin]

I have an incubator set up with the ST-1000. I got the idea from reading what OZ had done. It works really well, but I also bought some of the oral digital thermometers and just stick them in one of the vent holes. I have two other incubators as well. The wafer does well once you get it set up, but what I like about the ST-1000 is that you can change the temperature easily. I plan on building a larger incubator in the future. Not sure if I will use a refrigerator or a cooler or just build a cabinet.


My latest hatch from my modified (digital) hovabator

 

[dheltzel]

I have an incubator set up with the ST-1000. I got the idea from reading what OZ had done. It works really well, but I also bought some of the oral digital thermometers and just stick them in one of the vent holes. I have two other incubators as well. The wafer does well once you get it set up, but what I like about the ST-1000 is that you can change the temperature easily. I plan on building a larger incubator in the future. Not sure if I will use a refrigerator or a cooler or just build a cabinet.


My latest hatch from my modified (digital) hovabator

Nice hatch! what kind are they?

 

[ozexpat]

I apologize, apparently that model is great on out of the box accuracy. Not all of them are. Most of the ones I have seen were off by a bit. I haven't used that model. My point is that we should not buy a device such as this off the shelf and assume it's accurate, cause it can be off by up to 2 degrees. That is one model, and it appears you found an awesome product, I appreciate the info. I just don't want to give the impression that all digital controller/sensor combinations are perfect out of the box. I'm an engineer, I have set up many and I can tell you that some are great, and some suck out of the box. For most industrial applications, we don't care, within 2 degrees is fine for most applications. Incubation is NOT most applications. You need to be dead on for best results. You check it using ice water, while most people will think of that, a lot of poor souls believe that any thermometer will work to calibrate an incubator. We hatch very delecate eggs, they simply won't hatch if the temp is off by much. Our meat/egg birds, it seems they would hatch even if the temp was way off.

Now, on that controller, does it have output for a solid state relay? Or just standard mechanical relay outputs?

Also, are you using an RTD or a Thermocouple and where did you get it?

there is a buit in relay

it is important to buy the STC1000 not a look alike. The look alike has a single relay and can be set for heating or cooling but as cooling is done with refridgeration units with a condenser, there is a 10sec delay in the relay swithing on to protect the cooling unit. The STC1000 is true dual function and the heat relay is instant.

http://www.amazon.com/Elitech-All-P...27263&sr=8-1&keywords=stc-1000#productDetails



Product Description



Detailed Product Description
Measure range:-50~+99°C
Mounting size:71*29mm
Auto switch between refrigerating and heating
Retrun difference value
All-purpose Temperature Controller STC-1000:

Features:
Switch the modes between cool and heat; Control temperature by setting the temperature setting value and the difference value; Temperature calibration; Refrigerating control output delay protection; Alarm when temperature exceeds temperature limit or when sensor error.

Specification and Size:
1.Front panel size75(L)×34.5(W)mm;
2.Mounting size:71(L)×29(W)mm;
3.Product size75(L)×34.5(W)×85(D)mm;
4.sensor length 2m include the probe.

Technical Parameters:
1. Temperature measuring range: -50~99oC;
2. Resolution: 0.1°C; 3. Accuracy: ±1°C (-50~70°C);
4. Sensor error delay: 1 minute
5. Power supply: 110VAC±10%, 50/60Hz;
6. Power consumption: ≤3W;
7. Sensor: NTC sensor (1PC);
8. Relay contact capacity: Cool 10A/250VAC;Heat 10A/250VAC;
9. Ambient temperature: 0~60°C;
10.Storage temperature: -30~75°C;
11.Relative humidity: 20%~85% (No condensate).