(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best temperature & humidity measurement tools

I have an older one of these that I acquired second hand because it's the right size for my cellar, allows for great display, and I have a completely dark room with good ventilation to keep it in.

Some caveats if you're looking for one of these:

1. The light in older ones is a fluorescent. You might want to replace it with LEDs, which will require a ballast bypass at a minimum, though this isn't terribly difficult and will allow you to use the existing fittings.
   
   
2. They're mostly designed to operate between 32 F and 40 F. This may be fine for some purposes, but is probably colder than most people would want their cellars. I've interrupted my compressor with a Johnson Controls A419 while setting the existing thermostat to its lowest setting to bypass it. This has generally worked well for me, and is easy as the sub-components of the fridge are connected to the power distributor by standard plugs and the temperature probe can be routed up the drain.
   
   
3. If you run the fridge warmer, the compressor may not run long enough to pull moisture out of the air when it's humid out, pushing the humidity too high and causing cap rust and label mold. I use an electric dehumidifier in the summer to correct this, as most common chemical desiccants work too slowly at cellar temperatures.
   
   
4. It's easy to find someone who will service a commercial refrigerator. It's easy to find someone that will service a refrigerator in a private residence. It is not easy to find someone that will service a commercial refrigerator in a private residence. Be prepared to really call around for service, but someone will eventually do it.
   
   
5. It's a big, commercial fridge. It takes over a pound of refrigerant. A compressor failure is a $1500 fix. Be prepared for unexpected costs. I have spent more on service than on the original unit. I'm still a long ways from the cost of a new unit, though.
   
   
6. Replace the brackets that hold up the shelves immediately. They're cheap, they wear out, and they can fail. It's worth the like $20 just to replace them if you're not certain they're in good shape.
   
   A big commercial fridge like this looks super cool and is great for some. I love mine. It's done a fantastic job while I've had it, but it's not for the faint of heart. Like an old car, it's a bit of a labor of love.

Promise you aren't the only one with these questions. As others have said, an evening of research will get you many of your answers.

I'm in a state that "grow your own" legalized a few years ago. Have helped friends get setups going. Feel free to PM me if you aren't getting answers online.

My usual formula, for someone who knows plants a little but hasn't grown weed indoors it:

• Plan on a $1000 budget. You can stay well under, but it's hard to know where to cut corners until you've been through a few cycles.
  
  
• For perpetual, get two tents: a 3x3' (or 2x4') veg tent, and a 4x4' flowering tent. But start with a single 3x3'. And do a full run in it before you decide you want to build up.
  
  
• 3x3' tent from Apollo: 4" inline with a fan speed controller, hooked to a Programmable Thermostat. . .light = 250w XL Quantum Board fixture. Spend money on a good light.
  
  
• If smell is an issue, Phresh filters are worth it. But pricey.
  
  
• Medium/Nutes. . .go soil-less medium, in cloth pots. Roots Organic Green Light. You can go straight from clone (or rooted seed). And add as you increase container size. Nutrients: Fox Farms Trio, CalMg+, and a pH Up/Down kit with the tester drops. pH is important, as is your home water. You'll need to read up, but if you can feed clean 6.3ish pH water, including pH adjustments to get you to that range after adding nutes, you are already ahead of the game. Pull up the Fox Farms feed schedule from their website, for soil. Follow it.
  
  
• Ventilation in basement: Should all be fine, in a tent. Keep everything close except the exhaust port, and an intake port. Cover the intake with something to keep dust out. . .cut-to-fit furnace filter works great. And old pair of nylons. Anything.
  
  
• Sourcing/Seeds: Ordering anything through the mail is technically illegal. We all do it, all the time. But don't feel like one seed bank is better than another. You mention an Auto seed. Those are very different, and you don't want to mix photo- and auto-flower seeds. If you have an existing medical program, and know, well, anyone, starting from clones may be an option? I started with fem seeds from overseas banks. Seedsman or Herbies are legit operations. You are about to drop a ton of money on gear, time, electric. Get good seeds. DNA Genetics has great Fem seeds. The best (IMO) seeds aren't feminized. If you are willing to deal with that, there are fantastic seed sources in the US. James Bean and Great Lakes come to mind. Get a Bodhi pack or two. . .you'll have to identify and weed out males, but I promise the results will be worth it!
  
  

You're welcome.

Regarding the IR thermometer. Ebay Germany has some pretty competitive pricing, but it looks like it all ships from China, which is going to take quite a while.

Budget can be a bit of a barrier to achieving great pizza, but intellect and passion can go a very long way. I have no doubt that you'll do great.

https://www.amazon.de/Helect-Digitale-Thermometer-Pyrometer-Beleuchtung/dp/B071NBJJ2Q/

The price on this is excellent, as is the peak temp- if you ever get your hands on a Neapolitan capable oven, this goes high enough to take readings of the hearth. As I'm sure you're aware, an IR thermometer is only going to be available online. You might be able to shave off a couple Euros with a lower peak temp- 350C will suit your present needs. Just get the cheapest one that you can find that will be delivered to you in a reasonable amount of time.

I'm also sure that you've seen my steel plate buying guide. The only difference for Germans is that you'll be asking for 'mild steel' or 3.3214 aluminum. The instructions for googling distributors are the same. Google 'steel near (my town)' or 'aluminum near (my town)' to get a list of distributors/fabricators and then start making calls. We'll know more once you take IR readings, but, for now, since your oven is borderline for steel, I'd price 1.5cm cm for the steel and, since it's on the hot side for aluminum, price 2cm for that.

Don't give up on local tomatoes and local mozzarella. San Marzanos, at least the SMs here in the U.S., tend to be very hit or miss. You should be able to walk into an average German supermarket and come out with a can of quality Italian tomatoes, if possible, crushed. Stay away from any tomato in clear glass. Also, don't be afraid of generic shrink wrapped mozzarella chunks. A place like Aldi should have one or two options. Pre-grated cheese is very far from ideal, but if that's all you have, I can help you work with it.

It will cost a bit more, but try to keep your eye out for scamorza. That's longer aged mozzarella, and nothing can touch it on pizza. Just make sure it's the unsmoked scamorza.

This is somewhat groundbreaking territory you're embarking on here. Only a couple of German redditors have taken this path (/u/ts_asum is a trailblazer), so a public discussion might be helpful to other Germans (and other Europeans, in general), but I'm fine with private questions as well.

OK, Im just going to list a bunch of stuff I've purchased through this process. Nothing is in any particular order.

Almond leaves (for tannin) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LKTX4VC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Moss - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035Q65TQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cholla Wood - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H4FUMHY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dried red Shrimp (Protein and Chitin) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027JCRVW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Instant Ocean (1/3cup per Gallon) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255NKA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ultrasonic Mister/Fogger (for DIY Fogger) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PAK21WU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Digital Temp Humidity Controller - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I6BZ2IO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

LED White/Blue Light - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0191EWII2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

UTH (You may need to get a different size and this isn't the most recommended, but it works for me currently) - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TR4HLEI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (This one has adhesive on the back of it, so you just stick it on like a sticker.)

Cork Bark Board - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019J1VPY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s04?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Water Conditioner - https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116043304-Prime-500ml/dp/B00025694O

If you have any questions, please feel free. To mitigate confusion I felt just listing this as a reference first is the best approach. If you are looking for a new tank so that you can get friends, i would suggest 30 or more gallons and work towards that instead of investing into the current tank which would get changed.

Personally with the 5 i have i clearly see they need much more room than the 15 gallon they have now. I am in the process of acquiring an 85-120 gallon tank for permanency. These guys can live 20+ years with the proper care and environment. but not everyone has that freedom. 30 is a totally doable size for 3 crabs. they can grow to jumbos and be fine in there, but im sure if they reach that stage you'll be looking for another tank. Jumbos need at least 12" of substrate for molting.

Yea that's exactly what I do. The leaves that aren't intertwined with bud. Like the leaves that just come from the stem without bud. Maybe even a few really huge leaves that are easy to pluck off. When my bud dries the leaves kinda curl up around it. For some reason this really kept the smell. People say that wet trimming is easier but I felt that the dry trimming was much easier. Stems snap better, dried bud moves better for detailed trimming, and I wasn't trimming much of the wet hairs/product since the bud became more compact.

My only additional suggestion would be to grab yourself some cheap hygrometer for your jars. Like this and tape them on the inside of your jars. This will give you a sense of the humidity in your jars. More accuracy versus just guessing. You don't really need one for each jar. I picked up 4 of them for about 8 jars. You can move these around to get an idea. If the meters read 70% or greater your bud isn't dry enough to cure. Leave the bud out for an hour or two, put back in jars for a while and check again. If the meter reads between 65-70% just remove the tops of the jars for about 15 minutes. Once the bud hits 60-65% you are actively curing.

Also, great article on grow weed easy about all of this. It's what I used as a guide.

Question One: Fridge Temperature Control
There are several different units available to adjust the temperature of your fridge. The Johnson Controls A419 will control only cold (or heat if rewired), but the Inkbird ITC-308 will control both cold and heat.

I’ve used both and the Inkbird better fit my needs and is less expensive by more than half. There are other options available as well. Google something like “temperature control unit homebrewing” and you have plenty to read. As for wiring your own, I’m sure it’s possible, but I have no expertise in doing so.

Question Two: Carbonation Pressure
There are many different ways to carbonate your beer and several different gas blends available. Oxygen is not a good choice, as it will cause your beer to oxidize quickly - this common tastes like wet cardboard smells.

I only use carbon dioxide (CO2), but I do draft line consulting for a bar that uses a “beer blend” of 80% CO2 and 20% nitrogen. I can’t taste a difference and it pours the same, but that gas blend costs a little more. There may be other reasons to choose a specific blend that I am unaware of.

As for carbonating your kegs, what you described sounds like burst carbonation. Brulosophy has a great write up on different carbonation methods. I normally use the Set It And Forget It method, but will use the Burst method if I’m in a rush.

Question Three: Infusions
Not sure if you mean infusing the beer with flavors in the keg or glass or if you mean adding fruits or other flavors during fermentation.

To infuse in the keg, I use a mess bag to keep the liquid diptube from clogging. To infuse in the glass you can use a coffee press or even a Randall The Enamel Animal.

As for adding things to fermentation, fruits, hops, oak, spices, and liquor all make good additions to the right beer. Google phrases like “beer infusion recipes, “adding fruit to fermentation,” and “keg dry hopping” for more information.

Happy home brewing and good luck. Kanpai.

(Wiring diagram included in with images)

​

I finally put together a basic parts list for those of you that are interested in building a DIY heat treat oven. I've included a wiring diagram, but I take no responsibility for anyone who wants to make one. If you don't know what you're doing, find someone who does. Its up to you to figure out how to mount the door switch, and to design and make a door latch (I made mine on the fly and have to dimensions or drawings).

Its not a project for the faint of heart, but if you have some electrical knowledge, and the help of someone with a welder, its very doable.

I've included CAD files for the frame and electrical box. Any fabrication shop with a waterjet, plasma or laser cutter should be able to cut these for you. I'll give a break down of the parts required and how much I spent on everything. You're prices may vary:

​

24x Insulating fire bricks 2.5" x 4.5" x 9". I bought direct from the manufacture for $130 shipped.

MyPin Temperature Controller $35(https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005NGL53W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Solid State Relay $18 (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06W9LNZDX/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Thermocouple $15 (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00XJB4DYQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

3x KANTOL wire elements $12/ea (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07CLLW3BG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

​

You'll also need to find a 120V+ 20 Amp fuse, a Normally open door switch, and 2 On/Off switches.

DXF CAD Files: https://www.dropbox.com/s/diwuui3qtw247uh/kiln%20layout.dxf?dl=0

​

I found the best way to make the grooves for the wires was to score the likes with a 3/16" thick file on is side, and follow that by widening them with a drillbit just under 1/4". The fire bricks are very soft so just take your time and dont force anything.

​

Feel free to modify and redistribute these drawings as you wish, but you take your safety into your own hands. Good luck!

​

Good day everyone! this time the give away is ended. Congrats to our winners u/thescartographer from USA & u/MichelleTCM from Canada. Congratulation! I will PM you, pls check out your messages. Thank you everyone who entered! ☺️We've already got our next give away in the works so keep your eyes open for more chances to win free stuff!

Here are the 15% coupon codes if you are interested in.

US: G2UMWV9Q , https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KC24CKD

CAN: KAV8MP3K , https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07KF31BRT

(Enter code when you checkout)

Hopville is down for their upgrade to 2.0, so I can't post the exact recipe, but here it is from memory.

Lemony American Wheat

• 5 pounds Briess soft white wheat
  
• 4 pounds Briess 2-row pale
  
• 12 oz Wyermann CaraHell
  
• 0.50 oz Liberty & 0.50 oz Mt. Hood @ First Wort
  
• 0.25 oz Liberty & 0.25 oz Mt. Hood @ 15
  
• 0.25 oz Liberty & 0.25 oz Mt. Hood @ 10
  
• Wyeast American Wheat 1010
  
• dry-hop w/ 1 oz Sorachi Ace and 2 - 4 stalks (1 oz ?) diced lemongrass for 7 days
  
• OG ~ 1.058
  
• IBUs ~23
  
• ABV ~5.6%
  
  I had a bunch of small problems with this beer.
  
  I do BIAB and thought I'd try mashing in around 140F, and then heat to 152F and mash there for 60 minutes. I turned off the heat at 151F, but it just kept rising to 157F. I stirred and stirred trying to bring it down, but after about 7 or 8 minutes I added a little ice, which brought it down to 150F. I let it convert at 150F for about 55 minutes, then stirred while mashing out to 165F. My extraction was still good (83% efficiency), but I don't know what kind of body I'm going to get out of this. My new $25 refractometer seemed to work really well.
  
  Due to high humidity, my boil off rate was lower than I estimated, so my planned 60 minute boil was closer to 90. Then, due to high temps, I couldn't get my wort to chill below 78F, even after 45 minutes with my immersion chiller and a frozen 2 liter. I should have saved the 2 liter for the end when it plateaued. The next time I brew in the summer I'm going to borrow my buddy's IC and put his in a bucket of ice water and use that as the input to my IC.
  
  I setup a swamp chiller in the basement, wrapping the primary bucket with an old towel and set it in the path of the exhaust fan of my dehumidfier. I added some ice to bring the swamp chiller down to 67F, but it rose quickly again to 72F. This might not be the cleanest American wheat after fermenting so high, but hopefully it will be ok. My temperature controller and SSR will be here tomorrow. I guess I should have waited a week until I had temperature control set up and working.
  
  And HOLY COW 1010 stinks like rotten eggs! Hopefully that won't take too long to clear up.

Ok, northern lights. Day 14.
Started in rapid rooters then Planted in tupur by Gold Coast. Basically coco and perlite mixed.
Canna coco nutes currently at 1/3 recommended. Watered today after waiting 4 days.
All temps/ph is in the photo. I've ordered this and I'm just waiting on its delivery to get the temps higher and humidity in the right range via regulating the exhaust and a humidifier. So that should be fixed as soon as I get it.

Here's my problem, I watered 4 days ago with simple ph'd water(I'm only using nutes every other watering) Afterwards the two lowest true leaves started curling down. The tips touch the soil.
So I slowed down and waited 4 days, the top inch of soil (knuckle deep) was dry 12 hours later but the leaves still showed signs of overwatering so I waited 4 days. Today they were still curled but not as severely. The soil was bone dry 3" down (it's so dry the inside of my cabinet is littered with soil from the fan blowing it around)

Today I watered at 1/3 normal nute strength and the bottom leaves (only the first true leaves) are again curled down so far the tips touch the soil(you can see the tips in the picture on the left and right underside). Again indicating overwatering right?

So what do I do? Water even less? Wait 5-6-7 days?
I'm not soaking all the soil. Like I said it's super dry the next day. Just enough to soak a 5" ring around the plant and maybe get 1 cup of runoff. Which just like the water going in is at around 6.0ph.

Sorry for the long post, just trying to share all the pertinent info. This is my first grow in 6 years and I'm clearly rusty and not very confident.
Suggestions, ideas, insults, any guidance will do folks. Thanks.

A couple of quick questions. How is her warm side heated? Under-tank heating is pretty much required, but supplemental heat from lights or a CHE can be added as needed. Be sure to monitor the temps for a couple days after adding supplemental heat, to make sure you aren't overheating your leo. You can get a lamp dimmer from Home Depot (or maybe even Wal-mart) to dial back the heat as needed.

How are you monitoring temperatures? I strongly recommend an infrared temp gun to measure surface temps rather than air temps. Especially on the warm side, surface temps are the most important--leos absorb heat through their belly to power their digestive process. As you know, insufficient surface temps will slow or halt digestion, and your leo will not eat.

How does Luna look? Is she stick thin, or a little fat? Post a picture if you can. If her weight is good, she's fine to go a week or two without food. Perhaps she doesn't need to eat as much as you're trying to feed her, and she's rejecting food because she isn't hungry? If she looks healthy enough for it, give her a dish of mealworms (don't let crickets run loose in her enclosure--they will bite her and cause infection) and otherwise don't feed her. If everything else is good, she will eventually get hungry and eat the food available.

Remember, as cold blooded animals, reptiles don't need to burn calories to maintain their body temps. Therefore, they can eat a surprisingly small amount. Growing hatchlings and juveniles actually eat far more than adults.

I think the easiest fridge to use is a freezerless design. You don't need a freezer at all, so a freezer just becomes wasted space. 4.4 cubic feet is a good size that doesn't take up too much space, but still has enough room for several ferments.

This is the temp controller I'm using. It's pretty good at managing the temp in the fridge. It's very easy to set up. You choose a target temp and a range. Mine is set to 75 degrees F with a 2 degree F range. The controller turns on the fridge at 77 degrees, and turns on the heater at 73 degrees F. Plug the fridge into the cooling outlet on the controller, and the heating mat goes into the heater plug on the controller.

I'm using a seedling heating mat to heat up the fridge. I'm not convinced that it's the best solution, but I'm going to give it a chance before I swap it out for something like a reptile heating coil.

Do your best not to drill any holes into the fridge! I murdered the fridge in the picture this morning and had to go out and buy another one. :( In the new fridge, I fished the temp sensor up the moisture drain and passed the heating mat cable through the door seal. It works just as well, and doesn't require any drilling.

Yowsa! That sounds flat-out luxurious. But take it from a guy with a reputation for overthinking it - you're waaay overthinking it. It's a beautiful design, but anything that takes me 6 months to build is an obstacle. Also consider this - it's a prototype design. It's almost certainly not going to be entirely right the first go-round. Do you really want to spend a ton of time and money building something that you'll probably remodel several times?

My suggestion is to build your enclosure to a reasonable minimum spec and then make the improvements you need. Up and running in a couple of weekends, test it, mod it, rinse, repeat. Once you know what works for you, then go all Taj Mahal on it.

I print polycarbonate at 310C, bed at 135-145C, and the enclosure at 65C. The following ideas are based on my own experience.

Most any sheet insulation used in construction will be flame retardant enough to be safe and much cheaper than durock & rockwool. More importantly, durock is heavy.

Cooling the motors is a great idea, but putting them outside the enclosure is better. Since you're running a delta, and assuming a Bowden extruder, you're mostly there already.

If you do want active cooling, consider this: if the waterblocks are all in the same fluid circuit you can control flow according to the exiting coolant temp.

I use this to manage enclosure temperature:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QQ02U42

It's accurate enough and dead reliable. I haven't needed to cool the box yet but in the summer I'll add another unit to control the fan system. Basically like your description except I used old 12VDC 120mm PC case fans. Cheap, quiet, PWM-ready. You neither need nor want to move a lot of air.

Note the secondary alarm output. Reviews say that running any serious current on that output will kill the board, and the wiring diagrams explain that. It's meant to trip a relay, not power anything directly. The relay in turn would power an alarm system and maybe, I dunno, a servo-activated fire suppression system? :-)

Finally, a suggestion regarding the power supply. Crappy PSUs seem to be a primary factor in most printer-related fires, but a good one can be part of the "fire-avoidance" system.

I run a 24V system and power it off a converted pair of PC server PSUs, connected in series. They output 12V and 3.3V only, are ridiculously stable and efficient, and are designed to be reliable at constant high load. They're also hot-swappable, which matters because that means there are connectors for the wiring harness and no dangling excess. They have built-in current fault and over-temp shutoffs, and most have connectors for external safety sensors. They're cheap on the surplus market.

If you have basic soldering skills they're quite easy to convert. My setup is capable of 54A at 24V, powers up and down from the printers control board, and cost a total of about $30 and a couple of hours.

Things like these are why I love Reddit. Two of my fave things coming together. I tried a few months ago with a REALLY basic setup, and got pretty good results. It was on homemade juice that was really simple, but it did well. For the record, here's my setup.
controller
container/heating element
It's a pretty good and cheap setup, eventually I'll add a aquarium pump to give motion to the water bath.

Thank you very much for reply.

​

>I don't know about where you are, but where I live, regulations require two layers of insulation between you and mains voltage.

I live in west-europe, so I guess we must have pretty strict similar regulations. Would you recommend taping all cables with electrical tapes as an extra safety measure?

>I'm also concerned that the metal screws might be live.

They are, would electrical tape not suffice?

>An easy way to deal with this might be too stack a second lid on top, although that does increase the risk of overheating.

I can do this and will do a test day to see how high temps go.

>Is there a suitable fuse?

All electricity in the house has fuses in the general fuse-box. Is that fine? I was also thinking of adding this: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B01N9NP1CV/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&psc=1 as an extra safety measure just in case.

>Can the wires carry enough current? (They look okay, but I can't be sure just by looking at them.)

It's electrical wire I just found in the house. It's a single copper wire with about 1mm thickness. Thickness looked fine to me, but I wouldn't know tbh, I'm not electrically adept at all.

>What about heat dissipation? What will happen if your cooling fan fails?

I would like a way to shut down the lights if the fans fail, but I don't really know how to do that. I thought about using this: https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B07PVBG8K1/ It has a temperature sensor and you can shut off your "heating" in case it gets too warm. So if my fans would fail and it gets too hot, the lamps would shut off. And I also can get notified on my smartphone.

​

This is the fan set-up: https://imgur.com/a/rny1aXL

Found this really nice connector thing: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MAU7QD4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

how much do you want to pay to find out?

you can buy a weather station for about 50 bucks that will allow you to record the running temperature on a computer.

or, you can buy a thermometer with an outdoor sensor for about 3 bucks, and a webcam for about 6, then set it to record a frame every 30 minutes or so to your computer with a time and date stamp. More work, but for under 10 bucks you'd have a complete history of the exact temperature inside your fridge.


edit: looks like there are a shitload of temperature monitors for USB that you can just plug into your computer, and they will do things like log the temperature for you and even send an alert to your cellphone if the temperature reaches a certain point. Certainly one to do what you are looking for straight out of the box is out there.

Wow. Does he know that control panels are essentially just a PID temperature controller, some solid state relays, and some big clunky knobs in a metal box? Anybody can DIY one with little to no knowlege of electricity. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087O6S2A/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002PIM3R8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=047MQEK1ETMMTNZBED62There's

No mysterious expensive computer inside.



It boggles my mind that anybody would think what your friend wants to do is a good idea. Then again, it sounds like he's probably pretty wealthy and it probably doesn't matter anyways.

You can pick up a point and read infrared thermometer for around $30-$60 from most local tool vendors in your area. Typically if they have car repair stuff they will carry them. Something similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Thermometer-AR550-Mini-Infrared/dp/B000MX5Y9C

I mainly print ABS myself, but the concerns I know of with PLA printing are:

1. PLA conducts heat ridiculously well and can sometimes expand inside the extruder bore if you do not have an active cooling fan on the extruder body.
   
2. PLA is sensitive to Humidity much more than ABS, so you will need to take more care to store it in a sealed, preferably desiccant rich environment between prints.
   
3. PLA smells like sugar when you print it, but it does not taste like candy at all. I keep trying to get the PLA producers to fix that but none of them will return my phone calls anymore for some reason... (just kidding)

Yes. A thermostat is very important to maintain the appropriate temperature range. Heat mats can get very hot, too hot for your gecko. But a thermostat will keep it just perfect for your little friend.

My favorite thermostat is this Inkbird one from amazon.

WA state medical patient with RA and wanting to do a real grow for almost a decade. Helped a few friends with their grows and trim sessions over the years and also attempted a few outdoor hidden grows with little success (bad weather, theft, pests/animals). Finally decided to save up and do it properly now that I have space indoors. I have been lurking /r/microgrowery for over a year now and have learned a lot and want to thank you all for everything you do. I also want to thank the YouTubers Growing With Mr.Tight, JustinTime2Grow, and medgrower1 for also being excellent resources. Now onto the details:

 

    Equipment

Gorilla Grow Tent 4x4

2x 600w MH / HPS lights for a total of 1200w. 75w per sq. ft.

400 CPM 6in In-Line Fan

Phresh Filter 400 CFM

Hygrometer

TDS Meter

Infrared Thermometer

Grow Room Glasses

 

    Plants

Blue Dream - DJ Short x Santa Cruz Haze. 80% Sativa / 20% Indica. 7-8 week flower cycle

Boy Scout Cookies - Girl Scout Cookies Thin Mint x Pre-98 Bubba Kush. 60% Indica / 40% Sativa. 8 week flower cycle.

Darth Vader Haze - 4-way Black Haze Black Cross. 100% Sativa. 9-10 week flower cycle.

Grand Daddy Purple - Big Bud x Purple Urkle. Indicia Dominant. 8-9 week flower cycle.

 

    Grow Medium and Feed

5 gal Smart Pots

Fox Farm Ocean Forest Soil

Fox Farm Trio

18-6 Lighting cycle for veg. full 1200w of MH.

Using tap water and PH Down (is around 8.0 right out of the tap). I let the water sit for at least a few hours to let any chemicals leech out into the air and bring it closer to room temp.

 

The GDP went in almost a full day later. It was a younger clone and I was worried about the transplanting shocking it, but turned out fine. One of my MH bulbs had bits of broken glass in the outer part and didn't work so I had to wait on a replacement arrived on day 6. Also I ordered the wrong size Phresh filter and am waiting for the refund to process so I can get the right size. Temps have been hovering around 80F ambient with the lights on and 40% RH.
Temp minimum during dark cycle is 68-70F and humidity maxed out around 85% RH.

First watering with nutrients will be as soon as the soil dries a bit more (still damp at knuckle deep). Will be doing a half strength of the Big Bloom for the first feed likely tomorrow morning an hour or so after the lights kick on.

I eventually want to get an 8x4 to use as a flower tent and have the 4x4 as a veg tent to set up a perpetual grow. I am also seriously looking at the GrowBlu lights for veg when I do this, the results I am seeing from the guys on YouTube using them just looks amazing. I also want to switch over to en Ebb and Flow type system instead of soil when I do that, but that is something I need to look into much more.

I like the bin the other commenter mentioned; using a case of frozen water bottles make great reuseable ice cubes too.

A chest freezer is a legit way as well since the cold mechanism is built in. Especially if you can find a good used one. If you go this route, I'd suggest looking into getting two things over time:

1. A pool liner to seal the inside better (you may or may not need this depending how water tight it is, though having that much water on the direct metal may corrode over time)
   
2. A temperature-regulated outlet plug - the freezer is going to always attempt to reach freezing, though you can bypass this by dropping the thermo dongle in the water and choosing your own temp. Another perk to this is, you can adjust it to precise temps and shift it over time.

Another way: just get a cheap temp controller, like this: www.amazon.com/Johnson-Controls-A419ABC-1C-Electronic-Controller/dp/B0026NDC5O

Edit: STC-1000 looks better than that, imo anyway.

Probably the easiest way to do this. If you're like the OP (and me) and hardware hacking is your end goal, there is plenty of different ways, a couple quick ideas:

Relay: http://www.adafruit.com/products/268

Temp Probe: http://www.adafruit.com/products/381

Arduino R3: http://www.adafruit.com/products/50

Personally, I'd have it either hooked up to a PC, or wireless, to monitor it remotely. If you want the stand-alone setup, add buttons and LCD. It would be really easy to hack this together.

Apparently, this has been in the back of my mind, since I busted that out and the pseudocode in a couple mins... Now to make my mini fridge be able to hold my fermentation bucket...

Edit: Doesn't heat, of course, I'm assuming you're wanting to keep below room temp.

At this point, there are roughly three categories:

• The really nice ones, which are extremely expensive and fairly delicate (for example, FLIR's 1020 has a 1024x768 thermal sensor, and costs $44K).
  
• The "workhorse" ones, which are fairly expensive, and well ruggedized. If you're building a piece of equipment that costs a few thousand dollars, and is going to be used outdoors, on a job site, etc., making it a few hundred dollars more expensive to improve durability is a very good trade-off. This is where you get things like the FLIR E-series, which costs a few thousand USD (depending on version), and has some serious rubber padding around everything important.
  
• Consumer-grade ones. This includes things from a couple hundred dollars for a phone add-on, such as the Seek Thermal one; I would also include things like the FLIR TG 165 due to its price-point. There's also the Cat S60, which sticks the same FLIR Lepton sensor into a smartphone.
  
  The bottom category is how most of us with thermal systems to mess around with have them.

I'd recommend picking up a humidity meter and one of these. 45-55% is the right spot for a guitar if I remember right - the D'addario system maintains quite well right around 50% anytime I check the case.

When you aren't playing it keep the guitar in the case with the packets. You can probably find ways to do it for cheaper but this is a super easy way. I'm still on my first set of those humidity packets and I got them in December. Keep the case closed when the guitar is out so they'll last longer.

For acoustic guitars especially keeping proper humidity is a big deal. I neglected this for a while and just happen to be lucky to live in a place where the humidity is mostly in the right range. However if we have an extra dry/rainy few days the ambient humidity can swing from 30-80% and I definitely notice the effect on the guitars if I leave them out. An old roommate of mine had a guitar that was totally f'ed up from not being humidified properly.

If you have any issues with your guitar, give it a week or so in an environment w/ the proper humidity. That may resolve the issues without you taking an unnecessary trip to a repair shop.

Hey there and welcome!

Lets start with a few questions.

How old is he?
Which pre-packaged kit? Zoomed, exoterra? And what size understand that for a grown dragon (your dragon in a years time) will be about 1.5 foot long, the starter kits are just that and you should consider upscaling soon.

Regarding light, knowing which package you bought will answer that, you should consider that there should be a grade in the tanks environment between hot bright basking spot at around 100F and a 'cool' darker area with no direct light at around 75-85F, given that gradient in the tank he will find his own sweet spots.

He should have additional light for around 10 hours per day at least, 14 is better, remember that your tank must stay within those temp ranges all the time, 24/7/365. If you dont have one yet, get one of [these] (https://www.amazon.com/Thermometer-Non-Contact-Temperature-Instant-read-Emissivity/dp/B017SO1UY0/ref=pd_lpo_469_lp_t_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=BJASJ8TDC86AQKM3ZCJY), seriously, go buy it now.

Apart from the energy bills the next most expensive part of keeping a dragon is food, from hatchling to 3 months the food should be entirely FRESH LIVE INSECTS, i cant over exaggerate that, at the 3 month part try offering some dark green leafs, collards are always good, take this chance now to train your lizard to eat from your hands, make sure this isn't the only time you handle him though as you dont want a lizard that sees fingers and assumes food, they can and will take a chunk out of your hand.

When it comes to what food, never feed anything to your lizard that is larger than the space between his eyes, otherwise it could cause compaction, where the digestive tract presses on the spinal cord causing a slow and unpleasant death. Now past that part, get rid of your crickets and replace them with Dubia roaches or Superworms (black soldier fly larvae). Many will deeply reccomend you starting a roach colony, you will notice crickets stink and are noisey oh and they will escape, bubia not only being the very bbest food for your lizard are terrible at being roaches, if you want to learn more about that i can make a post.

Mine came with a 40A 240V SSR (Solid State Relay). I've used it with both a 240V 1500W and a 120V 1200W element.

1. Make sure you use a heat-sink with your SSR.
   
2. Use thermally-conductive grease between the heat-sink and SSR.
   
3. Make sure your wiring is up to snuff.
   
   You are planning on using 240V to run the heater, right? That'll put you at just over 10A, which is nothing for that SSR. If you try to use 120V, you need to make sure that your circuit can stand it, and my guess is that it cannot. Most residential 120V circuits aren't meant for a 20A load, neither the wiring in the walls nor the plugs or receptacles; even though the circuit breaker might say 20A.
   
   Here is the one I used, I think. http://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-100-Thermostat-Temperature-Thermocouple/dp/B01489AQAW
   
   edit: I should confess that I know more about controls than I do about distiller boilers (not much). /u/sillycyco raises a good point. The PID controller that I linked switches too slowly; you might be able to tune it to work satisfactorily, but that would probably not work as well as a variac or thyristor based controller, or a combination of the two (which would be needlessly complex). Those SSRs are good though, and they're useful in either type of control system. I didn't like the one controller in your OP post though because I didn't see a triac in the kit and the kit doesn't list one; which would make it operate about as good as my wrong suggestion would have.
   
   edit2: The stilldragon site says SSR, but it's actually a Phase Angle Controller which isn't the same thing.

Slow money is better than no money! :)

​

Sorry for the delayed response. Here's some of my recommendations:

Jumpstart/Century Pulse Thermostat - $17 - Super reliable and cheap!

Slightly cheaper 'Repti Zoo' Pulse Thermostat - $16 I've had this one previously, the brand was different but it's the same model. I'd only choose this over the jumpstart if you are forced to - due to stocking issues etc.

- I can't seem to find many of the ones that we have in the UK on the Amazon US site, but Id' 100% recommend the jumpstart.

​

Also, you're gonna need two of them. I've heard of people using this product here ($36) to control two at once. Might be worth looking in to :-)

Might want to consider a spa panel. You'll see this in quite a few DIY setups for controllers for boilers mostly in home brew builds but that's just because home brewing is more popular then home distilling, but they work for distilling as well.

Spa panels are used if you do not have a GFCI breaker setup. Apparently this is overall cheaper route then installing a new GFCI breaker in your fuse box.

Also for $4.00 less then that controller you could buy this which is a PID controller + 40AMP SSR + heat sink + Thermocouple. This setup allows you to monitor the temperature as well specifically set a temperature instead of depending on a separate analog thermometer. So you get far far more for less money.

Here is the build I will be making soon. Just waiting on some new projects to fund it.

Order a thermometer gun. Cheap and accurate. Heat mat goes on the outside of the glass on bottom of tank so they can warm their bellies. Usually they have a sticky side so you can stick it to the bottom of the tank. Keep to one side so theres a warm side and cool side of tank. Reptile carpet or tile is the best substrate- there is a pinned post at the top of the subreddit that has more info.

No worries at all, undertank heater, especially with a wooden ebclosure would want a thermostat just so it doesnt burn. What Ive done ia actually put the heat pad (you can buy these in stores buy Ill make sure to link one) and put tile over it. Tile is a lot safer and ironically more natural to them (arid rocky desert, not really sandy) and will conduct the heat well. To measure temp youll want a digital prob thermometer or what i ususlly recommend more so is a temp gun (will also link). Knowing temps is really important since all their metabolic functions depend on them. You want a 88-90 warm aidd and a 75f cool side. This allows them to regulate themselves.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=heat+pad+reptile

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B019TRGYW2/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1503263283&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=temp+gun+for+reptiles&dpPl=1&dpID=41Y5W8Q-7aL&ref=plSrch


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=theromostat+for+reptiles

Heating pads are usually inconsistent. Your hedgehog needs multiple heat lamps if your home can't be the proper temperature. https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Pre-Wired-Temperature-Controller-Thermostats/dp/B01ASYNO00/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1O4JFLDFCZZCT&keywords=heat+lamp+thermostat&qid=1554766564&s=gateway&sprefix=heat+lamp+ther%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-10

​

Something like this would be extremely helpful if you get a heat lamp so you can know for sure how much heat the light is emitting and if it's enough, and that it will never drop below a specific temp.

No need.

All you need is one of these things and a crock pot.

Getting everything working requires a bit of handiwork and some wiring, but it's a half hour project that has many uses beyond sous vide. I initially made mine for homebrewing, but now I use it more often for sous vide.

Here's a handy instructional.

I've found that water circulation isn't necessary unless you're doing large cuts in a massive crock, but if it's something you require you can use a high-temp water pump from Amazon for a few bucks.

All said my sous vide rig cost me about 40 bucks, plus putting the controller together was a fun project. I also use it to save money by controlling my fridge's temperature more precisely, control traditional crock meals more accurately, and to keep my space heater from over-heating my room.

Edit: I should have linked this: Inkbird ITC-1000

The other one only allows either cooling or heating at any given time as opposed to both at once. This other model is more versatile (though admittedly it won't make a difference for sous vide).

Hey using the exact same setup as you for a veg tent at the moment albeit I used 200W 6500k CFLs for bushier growth during first 10 days. I have a 240 CFM 6 inch inline fan I am using without any fan speed controller, I have all 3 flaps open for passive intake and my plants are thriving:

Proof: http://imgur.com/a/fMR5X

Trained 4 of them last night and here's a pic of one: http://i.imgur.com/gWDOjJL.jpg

I am using

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Plug-n-Play-Humidifier-Dehumidifier-Temperature/dp/B01I6BZ2IO/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1481767548&sr=1-1&keywords=temperature+and+humidity+controller

and after you calibrate it to the AccuRite Humidity/Temp Monitor it'll work perfectly.

I plug in for temp when lights on (outlet 1) and humidity with lights off (outlet 2) for my exhaust fan. But unfortunately, since the tent is in a closet, it tends to get humid so fans are always on during lights on or off.

This one is useful for that and many other things. Good value.

Buy an stc-1000 and follow any one of the many builds on this forum or on homebrewtalks. It's cheap, easy, and you get to learn something from it.

Mine has been attached for multiple years to the side of my fridge in a project box and works like a charm.

I went with this from Amazon.
It does not have an interal SSR that controls the other. Not sure if I've seen one that does. There are cheaper PID options out there, but, iirc, this was the best Prime deal I found that came with the SSR and heat sink.

Everything else in your post is spot on though as to why you'd want the PID over a temp controller.

there should be no reason to need any type of light, my house is at 70 and my Ball cage when he was in one stayed at 85ish in a 20 gallon tank, You definetly need a thermostat for the heat pad.
Ignore pretty much everything the pet store told you because most of them dont no crap about reptiles but how to sell a whole lot of stuff you dont need.

I also recommend getting a Infered thermometer similar to this https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Star-AR550-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B000MX5Y9C but look around they make them cheaper and do just as good.

the heating pad should be on the underside of the tank on the outside glass like so http://www.onlinegeckos.com/basic-leopard-gecko-tank-setup.html

Would this PID work (0-400F)? Or not sure if you use a different model with more 'channels' (I think you said you run 2 per platen, and I think from one unit?)...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KNXETWS


In my old day job, I've used setups like this (for different purposes)... you might find this link handy (and maybe some within) - lots of tips for DIY lab stuff (which is entirely relevant for this venture!)... this specific link has a build for a precise/reliable "thermo-coupled heating pad" (within 0.1-0.01deg) - but maybe this is overkill (and ~$200) unless you've found reliability issues with cheaper units...

https://labrigger.com/blog/2011/09/28/diy-heat-pad/

https://www.mcmaster.com/38615k71

Otherwise, I'll wait for the post to get other details... thanks again!

I use a cheap analog rice cooker, these things basically spliced through an AC extension cord with a thermocouple. Works great and you can, y'know, cook rice too.

Also, /r/sousvide - join us.

You will need a pid temperature controller, water pump, and heating unit, as well as some basic things (a bit of sheathed wire, things to cut and strip it, screwdriver, electrical tape) to wire everything up. The controller and heater can be substituted for cheaper components. You should also get a resistance thermometer (search on ebay, it's like $1) to get higher accuracy than a thermocouple.

pump

controller

heater



I hope this will help.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1ZUGUZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

PID I got from Amazon. Inkbird. $40. Works great.

I can imagine the USB socket busting off the phone mounted ones under actual use.

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to get one of these things.

Amazon.com links

TG130 - $199 USD, no image capture [https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ALSO84E/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501424183&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=FLIR%2Btg130&dpPl=1&dpID=41oghPRgdOL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01ALSO84E/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501424183&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=FLIR%2Btg130&dpPl=1&dpID=41oghPRgdOL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1)

TG165 - $349 USD, save images to SD card https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NXJDQV0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501424183&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=FLIR%2Btg130&dpPl=1&dpID=41oghPRgdOL&ref=plSrch&th=1&psc=1

There's some plans online, however mine has an aluminum insulated collar while most have wood since I have a good friend who works in a sheetmetal shop. The taps, hoses and everything else you need to hook up the kegs is a kit you can buy and the digital controller was $40 on Amazon. Other than that it's just making the collar tall enough to go over your keg or kegs.

A couple things that really help with a home set-up:

• Get one of those fancy extra-special private time Detachable Shower Heads. It will vastly improve your washouts ...especially if you're currently just relying on gravity for water pressure.
  
  
• Get a heat gun if you need an intermediate step between your hair dryer and a proper drying unit.
  
  
• No matter what your drying situation, you need to buy an infrared thermometer for curing.
  
  
• Until you get a press, you could consider picking up a ~ 18" x 18" piece of laminated melamine (Home Depot will cut it down for you) and a couple of one-hand clamps. The melamine is heat resistant so you can use it to print and to cure. And with the clamps, you can secure the bottom edge of your screen to the pallet and kind of simulate proper off-contact.

the safest way would be to use something with feedback. there are a decent number of kiln controllers that will control the temperature for you.

something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Temperature-Controllers-Thermostat-ITC-106VH/dp/B01N1ZUGUZ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1NY321DR1B9Q8&keywords=kiln+temperature+controller&qid=1567110461&s=gateway&sprefix=kiln+temp%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-3

I've been having good luck with these in my enclosures. I have a number of them, and they all agree to within a degree with each other and my other trusted thermometers.

I also use an IR gun style thermometer. I originally had the 981D, but it read like 6 degrees low and the seller replaced it with the 981C which is as accurate as these thermometers typically are (IR reading change by type of materials and the finish on it, which changes emissivity).

Temperature controllers are great. You can get a cheap-ish digital one at Amazon if you don't mind wiring it.

I use an inkbird hygrostat and a small dehumidifier in my curing chambers. I know you are using a mini fridge, but that dehumidifier is really small and holds the humidity level at 75% pretty consistently.

Another option over carafoam is flaked oats or flaked wheat. Regarding a better thermometers: I have http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Star-AR550-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B000MX5Y9C

But I used to have http://www.amazon.com/Extech-TM25-Waterproof-Temperature-Indicator/dp/B00CDQ28IG/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1426957897&sr=1-1&keywords=waterproof+probe+thermometer

Both work really well. Maybe get both to double check?

Here is theInkbird I have. Works great!

Inkbird makes dual programmable thermostat/hygrostat. They are fucking awesome.

The way that I would do this is with a SSR. A Solid State Relay. A normal relay only has so many uses that it is rated for. A SSR has no moving parts so it won't be harmed by being rapidly switched.

And, as much as I love tinkering for tinker's sake...what you are building has already been done. https://www.amazon.com/IMAGE%C2%AE-SSR-25DA-Auto-tuning-Temperature-Controller/dp/B0087O6S2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465937455&sr=8-1&keywords=pid

You could find a USB temperature sensor. Here is just the first one I found in a search: http://www.amazon.com/Soondar%C2%AE-Powered-Thermometer-Temperature-Sensor/dp/B0054U4YKI

Seems like a lot of them support writing to a text file which you could read from a C# application.

[ITC-308S with shorter probe](http://www.amazon.com /dp/B01ASYNO00) works great while it was working.

If you're handy, you can use something like this and this and this to roll your own with a slow cooker like this, all fairly cheaply. Plus, you now have a slow cooker.

Edit: extra "have" removed.

I recommend a digital infrared thermometer like this one

If you can use the fridge, you can use this temp controller (Johnson controls A419 in case the link doesn't post) to gradually lower your ferm temp.

http://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Controls-A419ABC-1C-Electronic-Controller/dp/B0026NDC5O

Good luck!

get one of these things
https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Star-AR550-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B000MX5Y9C
really convenient for checking the temperature of soups when you're heating them up and for making custard. health inspector should be impressed too, they use the same thing.

get one of these things too
http://www.daymarksafety.com/date-coders/
instead of having to write out dates with a sharpie you just click this thing and slap a sticker with the date on a container.

It appears to get any professional humidifier solution includes a fogger like mechanism. I won't get the cooling of an evaporative humidifier, but I should be able to keep up with the demand to add moisture to the environment.
 

Last night I ordered one of these:

https://www.thehouseofhydro.com/store/p83/3_Disc_Mist_Maker.html

And these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017IJF2JE/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_ZCRRAbE9H02B6
 

Add a bucket with the float valve connected to my R/O water and I'm back to a garden that does not need daily tending, but with now increased productivity!

I used this temperature probe from amazon attached to an old laptop with an old free piece of software called ThermoHID

in addition to the other posted bottle jacks and frame for it, an inkbird controller with some cartridge heaters inside plates, and you'll be done. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KNXETWS/ is a controller you can use, pretty cheap. there are many different ones you could use tho. heatsink for that, and some cartridge heaters.

I've actually done what you're asking for with a chest freezer. I bought a PID thermostat, like this.

Then I replaced the thermostat in the fridge with the PID thermostat, that thermostat had a chiller output and a heater output (and heater could be configured to use the internal relay so I didn't need to use a second SSR). I connected the chiller to the compressor and the heater relay to an outlet box. The heater was just a reptile heating pad I plugged into the box and threw into the fridge, but that was a little on the low power end, I'd probably use a ceramic heater if I had to do it again. Also, all the PID controllers seem to be sold with a K-probe, those are no good, they don't measure below 0C, and the thermostat needs swing, so I needed to keep the set point over 2C to get it to work (which is not terrible). I ended up buying a PT100 probe which works well.

On the cheap I bought this thing and piped it into Nagios in my server rooms:

http://www.amazon.com/Powered-Thermometer-Temperature-Sensor-Data/dp/B0054U4YKI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341135926&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+temperature+sensor

Now I'm switching to an environment sensor that runs through my new UPS. But honestly that USB thing is a trooper and never gave me issues once I got the script for it running.

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Inkbird Pre-wired Plug Digital Humidity Controller,
[Inkbird Pre-Wired Dual Stage Digital Temperature Controller]
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015E2UFGM)
try one out, I think they're good.

Heavy cookware and a good thermometer

Bulk Grain storage lightning deal EDIT:2 looks like these are coming up a few times during prime day.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L0Z4HO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Edit: Inkbird controllers going up for lightning deal starting at 6:00 p.m PDT https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PVBG8K1/ref=gbps_tit_m-6_3b69_801408ea?pf_rd_p=db08f08d-45f1-490b-aa6c-1f4d543b3b69&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=14611812011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=H6HJTJX7ZZV5HBJ9Z47P

I'm just going to echo others stating that the stc1000 is probably not the controller you want for HERMS. Look at a PID like this: http://www.amazon.com/IMAGE%C2%AE-SSR-25DA-Auto-tuning-Temperature-Controller/dp/B0087O6S2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404837762&sr=8-1&keywords=pid

I am pretty sure that /u/Yareaaeray is correct, but you could verify this with a thermal imaging camera:

https://www.amazon.com/FLIR-TG165-Spot-Thermal-Camera/dp/B00NXJDQV0

I agree with adding a second hide. Hard to tell relative size without seeing the snake, but your current hide might be way too big. Here is one of mine sitting in her hide to show how snug and tight it should be in relation to the boa.

A UTH should be sufficient for a tub set-up unless your room is kept really cold. Be sure you have a thermostat to control the temps and I recommend a probe thermometer instead of a gauge.

Air holes will vary - if you have condensation building up inside the tub, then more air holes are necessary for adequate ventilation. If you drill too many air holes (indicated by an inability to keep humidity up even with moisture-loving substrate), you can fill 'em in with hot glue or just put a piece of tape over the hole (tape outside the tub). I usually end up putting one hole every 3-ish inches along the perimeter of the tub.

Yup as long as it doesn't come from an evergreen tree and you are confident that it hasn't been exposed to pesticides. You can soak a branch in diluted bleach overnight (rinse well afterwards of course) or bake in the oven on lowest heat for an hour to kill any bugs that might be living in it.

I use paper towel or newspaper for my new arrivals for the first 3 months at least. It's easier to spot health problems, and you can always switch to a nicer substrate later.

We have this one at the lab I work at. I recommend it. It's a laser pointer and it instantly measures the surface temp of whatever the laser is on. I've gotten a reading on the back of a coworker's neck at 40 feet.

Get a laser thermometer... on a cold day, shortly after the sun has set, and its getting really cold outside but still warm inside. Start checking all these nooks and cranny's

Inkbird 10A 110V Digital Thermostat with Heat and Cool Relays ITC-308 Home Brewing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074NYSHBM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tqm3CbMJT9GQS

Check this out.

YouTube video link for pid assembly
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra6Dn9tq7ks


Pid links:

Controller inkbird 106vh
https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Temperature-Thermostat-Controllers-Fahrenheit/dp/B01KNXETWS/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=inkbird+106vh&qid=1567355320&s=gateway&sr=8-4

(4pc) 2-2packs
https://www.amazon.com/YXQ-Cartridge-Electric-Heating-Fittings/dp/B06XWB86GF/ref=pd_aw_fbt_328_img_2/133-1641262-1548304?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06XWB86GF&pd_rd_r=735bc2a1-e25f-4088-a7ad-d7e433f94b0a&pd_rd_w=BRXp5&pd_rd_wg=AjA5r&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=F7X5VADH85ZGY8GWENXA&psc=1&refRID=F7X5VADH85ZGY8GWENXA

(1per controller) if you want two controllers you need 2 cables https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-2-Pack-Heavy-Extension/dp/B0153T1NF8/ref=pd_aw_fbt_60_img_3/133-1641262-1548304?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0153T1LSM&pd_rd_r=3977bf62-6ee0-490f-8e51-e018d34cce3e&pd_rd_w=XfsUB&pd_rd_wg=HoWmy&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=08T228RMHA18JN1FP6HJ&psc=1&refRID=08T228RMHA18JN1FP6HJ&th=1

(1per controller) box for controller
https://www.amazon.com/BUD-Industries-CU-3283-Plastic-Utility/dp/B005T5A0W4/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=bud+industries+project+box&qid=1567355758&s=gateway&sprefix=bud+industries+p&sr=8-2

Amazon says they are $15.23 after shipping. $15.23 x 60 = $913.8

Ouch!

Mars hydro has 15% off link

Inkbird heat sensor 20% off for Amazon prime members link.
(Same for the humidity sensor switch I just don't have the link handy right now.

• Inkbird ITC-106VH PID Temperature Thermostat Controllers, Fahrenheit & Centigrade, 100ACV - 240ACV, K Sensor, Solid State Relay: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KNXETWS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_al30CbD89MQAY
  
  
• This one I actually own (below), It’s only in Centigrade:
  Inkbird ITC-100 PID Thermostat SSR Heat Sink: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MFAOLXX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Qn30Cb07FF17Q

Nothing fancy. Inkbird PID controller off Amazon came with a type K thermocouple and SSR. I chose this heater because at some point I'll build a bigger still and the same company has 240V heaters with the same electrical connection, so it'll be a drop in replacement since the PID controller is powered by 100-240VAC. Also got the triclamps on Amazon

Maybe I worded the question wrong, I'm referring to something like this
https://www.amazon.com/FLIR-TG165-Spot-Thermal-Camera/dp/B00NXJDQV0?crid=3NNBQ07R4891L&keywords=flir+165&qid=1538133418&sprefix=flir+165&sr=8-4&ref=mp_s_a_1_4
I'll check out the seek brand as well

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000MX5Y9C

Quite simple really. Alton Brown swears by it

> The humidity controller is an Inkbird

By the way, Inkbird does a combo controler that controls both temperature and humidity with the same sensor

WiFi version will be $40

Edit: $35 https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B07PVBG8K1/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=inkbird&qid=1563240500&s=gateway&smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&sr=8-3&th=1

This one? 12.99 USA right now

Inkbird Hygrometer Thermometer Dc 3V Input Digital Temperature Humidity Meter Gauge °F °C Monitor Indoor ITH10 Cigar Humidor Reptile Terrarium Incubator Greenhouse Basement Guitar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008JL1M4A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NiTuDb97NFCSX

10.90

https://www.amazon.com/Infrared-Thermometer-Helect-Non-Contact-Temperature/dp/B071NBJJ2Q/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=temperature+gun&qid=1569601772&s=gateway&smid=A1RI0YHZ8J2HZU&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017IJF2JE/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_MQ16wbA4G2M8P

Johnson Controls A419ABC-1C Electronic Temp Controller https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0026NDC5O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tH-Pyb47HP8YT

These are used for that kind of application. They are a bit pricey though. What are you trying to make? And what is the budget?

get this

https://www.amazon.com/Thermometer-Non-Contact-Temperature-Instant-read-Emissivity/dp/B019TRGYW2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1497666153&sr=8-5&keywords=Infrared+Thermometer

il risultato mi pare perfetto ma mi permetto di suggerire la visione di questo video che permette di standardizzare il procedimento riducendo la possibilità di sbagliare: Carbonara Scientifica.

in riassunto (a memoria, o per lo meno è come faccio io attualmente):

1. cuocere la pasta come al solito
   
2. mettere in padella il guanciale/pancetta senza olio e farlo diventare croccante
   
3. nel frattempo scaldare a bagnomaria l'uovo sbattuto (per 180g di pasta io uso un intero e un tuorlo) e il formaggio (quantità ad occhio) fino a 62.5° continuando a mescolarlo con la frusta (per misurare la temperatura va benissimo questo termometro laser). una volta arrivati a tale temperatura mettere il contenitore dell'uovo a contatto con qualcosa di freddo (anche solo acqua va bene) e continuare a mescolare finché l'uovo non si raffredda, in modo da fermare la cottura
   
4. una volta cotta la pasta spostarla nella padella (a fuoco spento!) del guanciale/pancetta, unire l'uovo e amalgamare il tutto insieme al pepe.

USA!

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Temperature-Controller-Controlling-Fermentation/dp/B07PVBG8K1/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=inkbird+wifi&qid=1558332739&s=gateway&sr=8-3

In Canada...

https://www.amazon.ca/Inkbird-ITC-2000-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B00QQ02U42/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1499280083&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=Inkbird+Itc-308+Digital+Temperature+Controller+Outlet+Thermostat%2C+2-stage%2C+1100w%2C+w%2F+Sensor

Get yourself a humidity controller. It will automatically control a humidifier and dehumidifier to keep it at your set humidity levels.

https://www.amazon.ca/Inkbird-110V-Humidifier-Dehumidifier-Humidistat/dp/B017IJF2JE/ref=sr_1_7?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3JXtBRC8ARIsAEBHg4nNOYMOIcAa7S6zjcjWFOkuQiHVJrxqIsuiL1vm5xGDRhoZnVQPATgaAkluEALw_wcB&hvadid=208343092706&hvdev=t&hvlocphy=9000673&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15618826003650044879&hvtargid=aud-748921816267%3Akwd-21760516&hydadcr=23339_9622019&keywords=humidity+control&qid=1571169876&sr=8-7

This is the US link to this model: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KC24CKD

Not if you buy a flashed version:

• http://www.blackboxbrew.com/store/stc-1000
  
• http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QQ02U42
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Docooler®-Temperature-Controller-Thermocouple-58~194°F/dp/B00F05UI8O

http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Star-AR550-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B000MX5Y9C

You might also consider a separate temperature controller so your heater doesn't fall on. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07KC24CKD/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_10?smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KNXETWS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

check it out

Buy this

I'd buy or rent one of these, turn on circuits, pull off cover panels on junction boxes and look for hot spots.

I found this https://i.imgur.com/gORCRm5.jpg, but it's a little hard to see. The mini fridge in the background is my old keg fridge that I use as my fermentation chamber. The temp controller I use is from Inkbird, just plug the fridge into the cooling port and set the temperature probe in a cup of water inside the fridge.

Exo Terra sells a heat lamp and mount
7 inch lamp housing
bracket
The lamp housing supports up to a 150w bulb
And you might want to regulate it with a rheostat
Checking temps regularly with a temp gun

Or you can use a thermostat with the probe on the hot side to regulate the CHE, but I've heard of snakes moving them causing temps to drop or climb, depending.

Here's a controller and relay you can use to control the heating element. It's a dead simple solution, you can google sous vide diy for other ideas. They are controlling water heating, but the equipment will be similar.

You need a way to maintain low fermentation and lagering temperatures. This is usually achieved by a modified deep freezer or refrigerator plugged into a control unit such as Johnson Controls a419

https://www.amazon.com/Johnson-Controls-A419ABC-1C-Electronic-Controller/dp/B0026NDC5O

One of those bad boys set at 36F. I have the temp probe dangling above the fan slightly out of view in my image.

If you can't find a decent small heater, can you find a temperature controller? In the U.S. you can get the Inkbird brand from Amazon for around $30 U.S. You plug the heater into it and it cuts power to the heater once it reaches desired temperature. I believe Finnex makes one as well. I know a number of saltwater reef keepers who use them as a backup to avoid heater failure catastrophes and keep the tanks from getting too hot.

OK, I see you took the shield advice. Good.

Schematics

• Still dog's breakfast. This is very hard to follow with the lines unconnected to anything, only labeled. Labels are used to avoid a big mess of wires when you have many of them, not to avoid having to connect anything to the connector in the middle ...
  
  
• Stick with 90 degrees wires. Move text labels out of the wires, so that they don't overlap. Also do move the labels to the actual wires they are for, otherwise it is very misleading - e.g. the 3v3 connections on the multiplexer!
  
  
• 3v3/Vcc connections should be pointing with the arrow upwards, GND down.
  
  
• Label the nets going to the Huzzah connector meaningfully, labels like "2" or "16" are really useless because you don't know what the net is for unless you look up the pinout. Moreover, these numeric labels are easy to confuse with pin numbers! A really wonderful way how to screw up that could make the proverbial magic smoke escape and cost you a lot of money!
  
  
• Not quite sure what is the deal with the MOSFET and LED there? That part of the schematics is really not clear - what are you attempting to achieve? Also the net labeled "USB" makes me wonder what is going on there - normally you don't connect resistors, LEDs or buttons to anything USB. Is that the 5V from the USB connector? Then do label it as "5V" or "Vbus" or something.
  
  
• BTW, if you are using the USB 5V, do keep in mind that the voltage on the USB connector could be anywhere between about 4.4V and 5.25V, depending on hardware and load. Especially the undervoltage (e.g. due to a long USB cable) could be an issue if you are powering circuitry directly from it. Also keep in mind the maximum power draw from a USB port - 500mA - since you are planning to run the ESP module (needs 200mA by itself) and the Neopixels ring (could be hundreds of mA or more, depending on how you are driving it) from it. If you are going to use an USB charger and not communicate with the device over USB then you can ignore the part about the power draw.
  
  
• Re the I2C pull-up resistors - go with 4k7.
  
  
• Re button - you need a pull-up resistor to ensure that the button line has always defined logic level. If you only connect the button to ground, the line will be disconnected (floating) when the button isn't pressed and the CPU will read random data/noise from it. You don't need to put the resistor far away with the LED, you can add the pull-up resistor on the board, in that way you have only two wires going to the button, no need to bring Vcc voltage there too.
  
  
• The multiplexer lacks a decoupling capacitor
  
  
• You are mentioning the Neopixels ring - where is that connected to? There is nothing on the schematics dealing with it.
  
  
• Make sure ERC and DRC checks in Eagle pass - if they don't, your board will likely not work or not be manufacturable! (OTOH, checks passing does not mean that it will work, only that you didn't commit some elementary mistakes)
  
  
  Concerning PCB:
  
  
• You should upload both sides of the board separately, it is very difficult to see the connections on the bottom side of the board when they are covered by the top side.
  
  
• You could have probably moved the majority of the circuit under the Huzzah making the board smaller. However, if you are building this for a specific enclosure where the dimensions are given then ignore this comment.
  
  
• The decoupling capacitors are in the wrong place. They must be placed right next to the chip they belong to. The right-most 100n cap has a trace going across half of the board from what I can see. That makes such capacitor useless.
  
  
• The routing and layout is much better than what you had before, congrats. However - try to avoid running traces across the entire board. That makes the routing more tricky because you block off more space and it also makes it easier for noise to disrupt your signals. E.g. if you have placed the I2C sensors close to the Huzzah I2C pins, you wouldn't have to run the I2C traces across the board. You have a metric ton of space on that board, why don't you move the connectors out of the way? Or move the sensors.
  
  
• Stop mask errors mean that you have something sticking out into the copper layers that shouldn't be there. Sometimes silkscreen can cause that. This post explains how to deal with it: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/122722/stop-mask-errors-in-drc
  
  
  
  Re MLX90614ESF
  
  
• The schematics for MLX90614ESF is incorrect - the wires to the capacitor are not actually connected between ground and Vcc - the dot is not optional! Crossing or only touching lines are not connected (otherwise you would have shorts everywhere!). Also this little bit of schematics is a mess already - why not make the layout in such way that the wires don't overlap the text and move the capacitor symbol to minimize the length of those wires?
  
  
• Hmm, I do wonder what are you trying to actually do that it needs an IR thermometer. This is the sort of sensor used in the contactless thermometers like this one:
  https://www.amazon.com/Thermometer-AR550-Mini-Infrared/dp/B000MX5Y9C
  That will need some lens, possibly a laser to aim it (so that you can see what you are measuring/where is it pointing) and it also has quite complex data processing from what I can see. I hope you didn't buy this instead of a regular temperature sensor?