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/diy/ - Do It Yourself

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1429644 No.1429644 [Reply] [Original]

Hi /diy/. Hoping you guys can offer some advice on a project because I'm about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

My wife and I want to convert an old fridge into an incubator for queen bees and cells. The interior needs to stay at about 32-34°C (90-93°F). We have the fridge and can rig up a thermostat but we're struggling to think of a good way to heat the space evenly, ideally without spending a fortune on it.

>> No.1429645

>>1429644
Light bulb and a small fan.

>> No.1429654

>>1429645
Thanks very much. I was thinking that too, but am worried a bulb could blow and freeze all our queens overnight. Hoping to find a solution that's a bit more reliable. We've just stumbled across some little fan heaters for reptile enclosures that should do the trick though.

>> No.1429657
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1429657

>>1429654

arduino 10 dollars

power supply 10 dollars

temperature sensor 3 dollars

heating element 20 dollars

relay to drive heating element 10 dollars

goddamn this is expensive: 55 dollars

but it works if you like programming AVRs

>> No.1429660

>>1429657
Thanks! I'll look into it.

>> No.1429663

>>1429644
>am worried a bulb could blow and freeze all our queens overnight
The fridge is insulated, right? I'd expect a bigger temperature swing when you open the door than from a few hours without a heater. But that's easy enough to guard against. Use a few small light bulbs and/or run them under-voltage to massively extend their lives. The advantage of using light bulbs is that you can see immediately if something is wrong. With a regular low-power heating element, troubleshooting can be more complicated than seeing if a light is on.

>> No.1429667

>>1429663
Good points. Thanks very much dude.

>> No.1429694

look up "pid temperature controller" on Amazon. One company "ink bird" has a kit including the controller, thermocouple (temperature sensor) and a solid state relay for $34.00 You need only a small heater. Two 10 Watt incandescent light bulbs wired in series will glow softly when on and "last forever".

>> No.1429696

>>1429657
>arduino 10 dollars
why...

>> No.1429753

>>1429694
>has a kit including the controller, thermocouple (temperature sensor) and a solid state relay for $34.00
You don't need a separate solid state relay.
The Inkbird can control 10A at 250VAC directly.
It also has built in alarm if temp varies too far from setting.

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-All-Purpose-Temperature-Controller-Fahrenheit/dp/B00OXPE8U6

>> No.1430145

>>1429654
nichrome wire.
or
two bulbs.

>> No.1430227
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1430227

>>1429644

is he making pottery on a car that is not smart

>> No.1430512

A chocolate teapot sounds pretty neat desu senpai