Sous Vide / PID Temperature Controller Case

thingiverse

This is 95% finished, and usable as-is, but has a few small warts that could be cleaned up Case for a common PID temperature controller used for immersion cooking (sous vide). Using the parts below, you can create a temperature controlled heating element for maintaining a very tight temperature range on the target system. This replaces an oxy clean box I'd been using for almost 5 years. For example, if I have the setup pictured (large pot of water, single immersion heater, aquarium pump), It will keep the temperature within ~0.5F of the target in my experience. I also frequently use a small slow cooker plugged in to the controller instead of the immersion heater when I don't need a lot of volume (1 or 2 steaks vs. a brisket). This controller could be used for more than sous-vide. Build a flowerpot smoker and control the electric heat plate. Temperature control an animal habitat. In theory, I think this controller will also properly control a cooling element, but I'm not entirely sure about that. The nice thing about using a PID controller is it "learns" the characteristics of the system (speed of temperature loss, speed of temperature gain), so that it can maintain a very tight temperature range over long periods of time. You could use a commercial contained and compact product like the Anova and not spend much more than this product will ultimately cost. The advantage this system provides is it gives you a lot of flexibility as to your heating element(s). It should also appeal to the maker culture. :) Print Settings Printer: Monoprice Maker Select 3D Printer v2 Rafts: Doesn't Matter Supports: No Resolution: 0.15mm Infill: 20% Notes: My printer stopped bridging, so the holes were pretty messy. My first test print with a different design had perfectly straight bridges, and I think the design can print correctly if the printer is working correctly. It does have wide bridges, so if you know your printer won't print those correctly you can probably use supports and not impact the final result much - especially if you can avoid supports in the grille on the side. Post-Printing The parts should all fit, but it's tight. If your printer crapped out like mine did, you may need to scrape a little to widen some of the holes. The heat sink should press fit and hold securely. It's a bit tricky to get it in (there's a magic angle), and I'm not entirely happy with the setup, but it did end up working. One of the bolt holes for the inlet doesn't line up properly. If you fix that and share me the STL, I'll upload the fixed version. The lid press-fits into the top. I had to shave a very small amount off of the edges to get a just-right-tight fit. Look around for instructions on how to wire things up - it's not complicated, and a lot of people have posted instructions for this particular PID controller. I haven't fully reviewed these, but you're looking for something like this: http://www.instructables.com/id/Universal-controller-for-sous-vide-cooking/ Shopping List All of these items are generic items and may no longer be the best price available. These are the exact Amazon listings I used when I bought my parts, but I first bought everything 5 years ago, and there may be better deals around for any of the individual parts. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee all of the parts will be the same dimensions after this much time has passed. As listed below, this shopping list is ~$55 (not including the aquarium pump and immersion heater, as both are optional depending on your setup): Required PID/temperature controller https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PIM3R8/Outlet Standard rectangular outlet with metal tab "ears" broken offSSR Relay https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004HZN628/Heatsink https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005D6145G/Power inlet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F4MGRRE/Temperature probe https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MU0VFY/ Optional Immersion heater You need a heat source. If using a crockpot/slow cooker, the heat source is the slow cooker - just plug that in. Otherwise, you need something to heat the water. I like the hook on this one so I can hook to the edge of the pot, but you can get cheaper ones - just make sure it's easy to attach it to the cooking device of choice, or 3d print a holder: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U0PA7M/ Aquarium water pump Recommended This will keep the temperature level even across the entire pot. Without, you may/will end up with unequally cooked food. https://www.amazon.com/Rio-Plus-50-Aqua-Pump/dp/B0027J67GS Alternate shopping list You can probably find these parts for even cheaper at places like eBay or Aliexpress. I'm not saying this kit is any good (do your own due diligence and read reviews). This kit may not even fit - it's just shown as an alternative scenario where you can get most of the components for