Electronic Frig Thermostat

[conachair]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

yes I know this, which is why I asked if asked if people had any experience with the electronic ones as they are programmable

I made one, inexpensive and very flexible in what you can measure & record. See this thread....
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nt-124511.html

[hellosailor]

Why would you want the refrigerator thermostat to be programmable? So it could make the beer colder in the evening, but not waste time keeping it cold after 1am?

I don't get it.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Why would you want the refrigerator thermostat to be programmable? So it could make the beer colder in the evening, but not waste time keeping it cold after 1am?

I don't get it.

Why not

Aren't all thermostats programmable?

For less than a replacement mechanical and a bit of work you can make one which can do the same job as a normal one but much more besides, log cycling time and adjust both on & off temps. For the cost of a couple of beers I added a bluetooth board so can control from a tablet. Time will tell with reliability, good chance it will be better than a mechanical unit.

[GordMay]

Richard Kollmann on the subject ➥ http://www.kollmann-marine.com/tip6.aspx


DIY Thermostats With Adjustable Hysteresis

➥ A Thermostat With Adjustable Hysteresis

➥ Simple electronic fridge thermostat

[hellosailor]

"Aren't all thermostats programmable?"
Adjustable, yes. Programmable? No.

A home house thermostat that can be programmed to raise and lower temperatures according to when the occupants are home, away, or asleep, is programmable for a good reason. Although most are programmed incorrectly or not at all, apparently.

A refrigerator or freezer thermostat that is programmable, meaning, it follows a program to vary temperatures according to times? Makes no sense at all. Those boxes are always kept at constant temperature, as far as I've known.

The ice cream, the beer, the milk, are always either at the right temperature, or the wrong temperature. And kept there.

[Red Sky]

Has anyone out there had any in-use experience with the stainless steel heat exchanger sold by Ozefridge?

[conachair]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

A refrigerator or freezer thermostat that is programmable, meaning, it follows a program to vary temperatures according to times? Makes no sense at all. .

Adjustable /programmable, fair enough. The point was that it is not that difficult or expensive to replace a mechanical thermostat with a microprocessor which can do exactly the same job and much more besides. For example a few lines of code could raise the temperature as the batteries get discharged etc.

[Richard Kollmann]

Originally Posted by conachair

Adjustable /programmable, fair enough. The point was that it is not that difficult or expensive to replace a mechanical thermostat with a microprocessor which can do exactly the same job and much more besides. For example a few lines of code could raise the temperature as the batteries get discharged etc.

Thermostat control tampering
I am surprised to read some of the compromising performance remarks about thermostats as they point out how mobile boat refrigeration has a different meaning to each want to be boater. Most boaters and especially blue water boaters want a dependable refrigerator with the ability of maintaining food quality and cooling drinks. Adding less reliable electronics may be OK in an automobile traded every three to five year, but not so smart in a marine dynamitic environment of shack, rattle and moist air conditions.

[sailorboy1]

So tell me about a good mechanical thermostat got my spillover fan the will maintain air temperature between say. 34-38 degrees. I'm not locked into an electronic one I just want my meat to not spoil and at same time my soda to not freeze .


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Richard Kollmann

Thermostat control tampering
I am surprised to read some of the compromising performance remarks about thermostats as they point out how mobile boat refrigeration has a different meaning to each want to be boater. Most boaters and especially blue water boaters want a dependable refrigerator with the ability of maintaining food quality and cooling drinks. Adding less reliable electronics may be OK in an automobile traded every three to five year, but not so smart in a marine dynamitic environment of shack, rattle and moist air conditions.

Less reliable electronics? How do you know? We're talking about some basic chips as opposed to a mechanical switch turning on and off some much more complex electronics in the unit driving the compressor. Why should that be less reliable?

[Richard Kollmann]

Originally Posted by conachair

Less reliable electronics? How do you know? We're talking about some basic chips as opposed to a mechanical switch turning on and off some much more complex electronics in the unit driving the compressor. Why should that be less reliable?

It is not that electronics can not be designed and protected as well as snap action mechanical thermostats against shock or vibration or even voltage spikes and corrosion. The problem is most electronic boat circuit boards are not protected against marine harsh environments. One of the best examples of this is Adler Barbour CU100 and 200 electronic circuit board failures. Failures of mechanical thermostats are repairable or easily bypassed any where in the world by almost anyone.

Anyone who truly used a boat on vacation or as a live aboard is already aware of the number of repairs that need to be corrected when back in dock after a cruise. Smart boat owners know to keep it simple and avoid equipment failures. Knowledge of how to handle equipment redundancy can also be a big help while cruising.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Richard Kollmann

It is not that electronics can not be designed and protected as well as snap action mechanical thermostats against shock or vibration or even voltage spikes and corrosion. The problem is most electronic boat circuit boards are not protected against marine harsh environments. One of the best examples of this is Adler Barbour CU100 and 200 electronic circuit board failures. Failures of mechanical thermostats are repairable or easily bypassed any where in the world by almost anyone.

Anyone who truly used a boat on vacation or as a live aboard is already aware of the number of repairs that need to be corrected when back in dock after a cruise. Smart boat owners know to keep it simple and avoid equipment failures. Knowledge of how to handle equipment redundancy can also be a big help while cruising.

I think you're being a bit harsh on diy electronics, I've been a full time liveaboard for 8 years, it doesn't take much to offer substantial protection - ip66 or better enclosures cost very little as do micro controllers and voltage regulators. Certainly easy to provide much better protection than the bd35 controller I have on board which doesn't seem designed to be protected against a harsh marine environment. The big downside is that you really need to enjoy tinkering and a little programming to build a simple microprocessor thermostat, if not then it's unlikely you'll spend the time learning, though it really is low level simple stuff.

Mechanical thermostats repairable anywhere by almost anyone?.......... Hmmm..

[colemj]

We have AB electronic thermostats (I think they are actually rebranded Carel) that have worked perfectly for 15yrs. Other boats we know have even older ones.

Mark

[sailorboy1]

So during a recent 9 day sailing trip the fan thermostat has lost the war and now the fan just runs constantly (better than it not running at all). So I turned down the freezer temperature to control the temperature in the refrigerator side of the box and than worked well.

But now I'm back to looking for a replacement thermostat for the spillover fan if there are more suggestions.

[zboss]

I'm upgrading to a carel.

RPARTS.COM - DIY Kit Analog Thermostat to Digital