Temperature controller for DIY Incubator

[hnorth]

Hello Everyone.

XH W3002 Digital Temperature Controller​

I just bought this handy little TC off Ebay for $8. They offer an DC version as well. It's super easy to program and use for my DIY incubator project.

If you are using standard household AC outlet, be sure to select AC110 model. Also, I looked to make sure that it was being sent from within my country (USA) and not China (to avoid long delays).

Here's an easy tutorial on setting it up:

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[Tstraub]

Nice find. I have used a similar one (w1209) that comes as a bare PCB. The one you’re using is probably a bit safer than the one I used. With the bare PCB there is some risk in touching line voltage.

Have you successfully hatched eggs using this one or are you still in the building process?

 

[hnorth]

I am just starting out with this egg hatching stuff. I've kept chickens on and off for years. I mostly raised feedstore chicks: RIReds Barred Rocks, etc. This time, I started to to get interested in hatching eggs and looked at incubators. Building my own seemed fairly straightforward.

I read here a fair bit. Then looked at the various Styrofoam/lightbulb builds. I found a upper hot water heater thermostat and a Styrofoam cooler at a local hardware store. I wasn't satisfied with the temp swings it was giving me.

Then I saw these TC's on some incubator build vids and found them on the Bay. I wired it up and programed it for 37.5C.
I ended up with a modified cooler Bator type DIY build. The cooler was $24 at walmart. I used a holesaw to cut the holes for the light fixtures.
48 qt Igloo cooler $24
TC controller $8
light sockets and 2-40 w bulbs $10
Total $42.

We will see if it works over the next 3 weeks.

 

[Tstraub]

Good luck. Your story sounds similar to mine. I almost used a cooler because it seemed to be the popular choice. Then I decided that I wanted a mini fridge but didn’t want to pay for a new one.

A trip to local good will came up empty for the mini fridge, but they did have a toaster oven that caught my eye. I like the clear glass front for viewing. It was only $5 and I couldn’t resist the joke of chickens born in an oven. I have only ran mine twice so I’m still learning but I have managed to get one to hatch on the first run and 9 on the second round

I look forward to reading about your results.

 

[hnorth]

Good luck. Your story sounds similar to mine. I almost used a cooler because it seemed to be the popular choice. Then I decided that I wanted a mini fridge but didn’t want to pay for a new one.

A trip to local good will came up empty for the mini fridge, but they did have a toaster oven that caught my eye. I like the clear glass front for viewing. It was only $5 and I couldn’t resist the joke of chickens born in an oven. I have only ran mine twice so I’m still learning but I have managed to get one to hatch on the first run and 9 on the second round

I look forward to reading about your results.

I saw in another thread that you found that the walmart thermometer-Acu-rite was 2 degrees off. I bought two of them and the are consistent with each other but 1 degrees less that the reptile thermometer that I already calibrated in an ice bath.

How would a person go about calibrating on of those w/out an external probe?

 

[Tstraub]

I saw in another thread that you found that the walmart thermometer-Acu-rite was 2 degrees off. I bought two of them and the are consistent with each other but 1 degrees less that the reptile thermometer that I already calibrated in an ice bath.

How would a person go about calibrating on of those w/out an external probe?

I bought a govee brand one and used a regular oral thermometer the old mercury type they agreed with each other. But not the Au-rite one. That along with the fact that my first hatch came late I figured that I needed to go warmer. The second run went a lot better

 

[hnorth]

I bought a govee brand one and used a regular oral thermometer the old mercury type they agreed with each other. But not the Au-rite one. That along with the fact that my first hatch came late I figured that I needed to go warmer. The second run went a lot better

Someone wrote that a person can seal an Accu-rite in a ziplock bag and submerge it in an ice bath- to calibrate it.

 

[Tstraub]

Someone wrote that a person can seal an Accu-rite in a ziplock back and submerge it in an ice bath- to calibrate it.

That seems reasonable. I never tried it but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.

 

[hnorth]

If people want to use a water heater thermostat, a Russ Lane video says to mount an upper water heater thermostat right up next to the heating bulb, instead of away from the heat source. (for a more consistent temperatures- about 1-2 inches away).

I haven't done it yet. But I may use the water heater thermostat I bought to make a backup incubator. I have an extra strofoam cooler and computer fan laying around- I hate to see anything go to waste.

 

[Mountain Roost]

I do all incubation, hatching, and brooding with an Inkbord 308. I use it in degrees C for better temperature control. The alarm is vital in case the heat source malfunctions. The ITC-308 costs a little more than the small modules but they are ready to go out of the box, sealed units, that can be used for many many purposes. And to top it off the customer service of Inkbird is great. I bought a new unit, didn't open/use it for a couple months, and when I did use it I found that the alarm didn't make sound. A quick email to the company with a video of the problem and then sent me a new unit. Great product! I own four of these.