PID controllers

[CARS]

Quote:
Price is the same as I paid for my reptile thermostat but I looked at the instruction manual and got a head ache. I'll stick with my plug in thermostat for now

 

[josh]

What else do you need besides the PID Temperature Controller?

 

[twigg]

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A thermocouple and a heater. Both wire directly into the PID controller, providing you aren't using too big a heater.

 

[CARS]

Quote:
A thermocouple and a heater. Both wire directly into the PID controller, providing you aren't using too big a heater.

That is where the instructions gave me a headache. They try to explain everything it can do. So for an incubator application 4 wires Twigg??

 

[HappyHatch'en]

You have lost me as well....which wasn't hard in the first place....could we see a picture? I own a Helix DBS1000 and it was pricey but it does a great job maintaining heat levels in all my tests.
HappyHatch'en

 

[josh]

What would be a good heater?

 

[twigg]

Quote:
A thermocouple and a heater. Both wire directly into the PID controller, providing you aren't using too big a heater.

That is where the instructions gave me a headache. They try to explain everything it can do. So for an incubator application 4 wires Twigg??

Seven wires ... you need to power it.

The instructions are complex because the unit is capable of far more than we want it to do. Just take what you need, and leave the rest.

For example ... they can usually be set to run in three entirely separate modes .... On/Off, Proportional and PID.

Most incubators use simple On/Off thermostats. Better incubators use proportional and commercial incubators use PID. The benefits are as follows:

On/Off is rough and ready, but it works.
Proportional is waaaaaay more stable
PID is proportional, but also adjusts for varying room temps.

I would set it up as proportional first, play with the settings and explore other features when you feel more comfortable.

 

[twigg]

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Depends on the size of the incubator.

I have a fondness for Heat Rope ... it's flexible, reliable and cheap

 

[josh]

I wanted something about like a sportsman. With 3 or 4 levels with turners and a hatcher at the bottom.

 

[twigg]

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The Sportsman has a 250W heater. It's a simple resistive wire strung in front of the fan.

If you make your cabinet from some of the highly insulated panels discussed earlier, then you could probably get away with a 125W heater .... adding another 125W later is easy.

Anyhow, that's probably the way I would do it.