Homemade programmable thermostat!

[millertime89]

First off, this is tampering with a product. I do not recommend it for anybody that has never done any electrical work and I take no responsibility if in doing this you cause an electrical fire or ruin your product or kill your animal. In following these instructions you assume all risk and responsibility and I can be not held liable. If you are not confident I will do this for a cost. 50 dollars plus the cost of shipping. This covers my time and cost. This will include a sensor about 6 ft from the unit. Add 1 dollar for every foot afterwards. I AM WILLING TO SHIP TO CANADA. If you want me to do it, I will give you a 90 day warranty that covers all of my wiring modifications, but if you tamper it in any way that warranty will be voided.
I cannot claim credit for this, as I found it online, however I have slightly changed the instructions to simplify things a bit. Also the start up cost for me was minimal as I only had to purchase the thermostat and wire. I had all the tools already as well as the experience of doing wiring work on my car. This is not difficult, but it does require a bit of wiring knowledge, more than just plugging it into an outlet.
Now on to the instructions!
tools needed:
sharpie
crimping/striping tool
needle nose pliers

small computer screwdriver set(or a very small Phillips head screwdriver)
supplies needed:
.110" crimp terminal connectors, male and female
I could not find them locally so I ordered from here.
Vinyl Insulated Push-ons
OR
18-22 gauge regular crimp connectors, can be found at harbor freight, auto parts stores, radioshack, etc. (case can be seen in above picture)
I had to use the regular crimp connectors since I was unable to find the push-on terminals locally.
dual 18 gauge speaker wire
http://www.1320video.com/img/album33...0726.sized.jpg
LUX WIN 100 5-2 programmable outlet thermostat



OK!
open the case, remove the small battery pack in the back, and remove the 4 screws. PLACE THEM IN A SAFE PLACE! DO NOT LOSE THEM!

mark one wire/connector with sharpie, mark it in a spot that you will not cut (when applicable) as close to the terminal as possible.

now disconnect the terminals and remove the on/off switch


to be continued...

[millertime89]

remove connections

undo black clamp

comes out at a funky angle, its tough, so be patient

you now have the thermocouple all by itself.

remove black clip

there will be a kink where the clip was, if you are using regular crimp connectors, that's where you want to cut.

make sure you mark that one wire above where the crimp connectors will be!

More to come!

[millertime89]

for those using the readily available crimp connectors instead of the terminals
Cut!

strip! use the 14 gauge strip point

should look like this once finished. I twist the ends to keep them from fraying apart. You can see the screwdriver set here as well as the place I put the screws, works well.

cut the length of wire you want your sensor to be placed, "y" the ends like such

yay wiring connectors from harbor freight

you need 4 of these guys

crimp em on, you only need ONE good crimp. I give it a gentle but firm tug to make sure they are crimped well and won't come off. This is where using the terminals comes in handy. If you screw up the crimp and have to cut it back and try again, you'll quickly run out of room on the thermocouple. Not sure what to tell you there. You might have to remove all material and solder in new wires, I'm avoiding that if possible.

crimp the sharpied wires to the same wire on both ends, I believe this isn't 100% necessary, however I would encourage it. Like most thermo sensors I believe the current can go either way, but we didn't go through all this work just to take risks!


Almost done!

[millertime89]

my speaker wire has one bronze cover and one bronze with white stripe, I used the white strip with the wire on the thermocouple that I marked with sharpie.

remove the piece of fabric separating the two batteries

reconnect the terminals

remove the sticker and replace the small battery pack, you're up and running now!

plug it into the wall, and use a temp extreme to make sure everything is working. The Ice box in my freezer works well

If everything is working right, replace the on/off switch, put the screws back in, and replace that black clip back in, you'll need the pliers to do that again.


obviously the clip won't be at the same spot on the wire, but that's ok, you've still got plenty of wire to work with.
tape up the end so there's zero chance the animal will electrocute itself. Some good black electric tape works perfect, tape up the end however far is necessary. I do 12 inches as that's the depth of my viv.


And you're done!

[marvelfreak]

Can you go over step 3 and 7 again i think i missed something. lol Just kidding. Looks real good and easy to do. Thanks for sharing.

[millertime89]

no problem, like I said if you've got basic wiring knowledge its pretty straight forward, with taking pictures it took me about 45 minutes. Its a half hour job without doing that more than likely.

[shaunyboy]

great thread mate

well explained and very proffesional work you did there

cheers shaun

[millertime89]

I would also like to add that heat shrink is another option you could explore, however I would leave it sit out if you go that route for 24 hours to make sure there are no chemicals or fumes that could possibly poison your pet.

Thanks Shaun, you guys have something like this over there? Its great having a top-notch thermostat for my snake for less than half of what some of the retail ones sold specifically for this purpose go for.

[shaunyboy]

Originally Posted by millertime89

I would also like to add that heat shrink is another option you could explore, however I would leave it sit out if you go that route for 24 hours to make sure there are no chemicals or fumes that could possibly poison your pet.

Thanks Shaun, you guys have something like this over there? Its great having a top-notch thermostat for my snake for less than half of what some of the retail ones sold specifically for this purpose go for.

i have never seen anything like that over here

terry bladeblaster may have though as he's been around a bit longer than i have (not calling you old terry mate )

cheers shaun

[millertime89]

I just picked mine up at the local Menards (hardware store), might be worth a look if you stop in or go by one.

[presspirate]

Thanks for this post! I had seen these instructions before and forgotten to book mark them and have since looked all over. Very good, I can't wait to try it out!

[millertime89]

No problem, I'm gonna make one using the quick connect terminals and I'll make a post about that too once they show up. Mebbe sticky?
Also if anyone has any ideas on how to use this to control multiple vivs I'm all ears. If someone can tell me what to do as far as wiring/soldering, I'll do the work.

[ladyjustice33]

Will this work like the Herpstat in that you set it to a certain temp and it will turn the heat tape temp up or down as needed? Also, do you know how many watts of heat tape it can handle?

[spots]

Originally Posted by millertime89

I would also like to add that heat shrink is another option you could explore, however I would leave it sit out if you go that route for 24 hours to make sure there are no chemicals or fumes that could possibly poison your pet.

Thanks Shaun, you guys have something like this over there? Its great having a top-notch thermostat for my snake for less than half of what some of the retail ones sold specifically for this purpose go for.

I was going to suggest heat shrink lol
Awesome job, I was hoping to find something like this!

[infernalis]

My personal preference when doing these kinds of projects is to solder the wires together and use shrink tubing over the joints.

Thank you for posting this step by step, it's great that you took the time to do it.