Now that I no longer have my fermentation chamber, I needed a new temperature controller to control a fridge for fermentation or serving.
I wanted something that would match my brewery control panel, so I went a little above and beyond on this build, but I’m really happy with the results.
Parts
- (1) InkBird ITC-1000F controller (Amazon)
- (1) 8″ x 6″ x 4″ project box (Amazon)
- (3) 22 mm 2-pole NO rotary selector switch (Amazon)
- (3) 22 mm 120 V LED indicator, green, blue, and red (Amazon)
- (1) Panel mount power supply (Amazon)
- (2) Panel mount outlet (Amazon)
- (1) Panel mount 1/8″ (3.5 mm) TS or TRS jack (Amazon)
- 14 ga wire
Build
First, I prepped the project box by drilling holes for the 22 mm indicators and switches using a 7/8″ Forstner bit. The hole for the 1/8″ jack was drilled with a 1/4″ Forstner bit.
For the square holes, I found the easiest way was the drill a hole in the corner, saw from the holes to the other corners with a hacksaw, then score the sides and bend them in the break them out. I cleaned up the edges with a utility knife.
Once all the mounting holes were cut, I did a test fit to make sure it all fit correctly.
Then I removed everything, scuffed up the project box with some 150 grit sandpaper, and spray painted it with the same Rustoleum black hammered finish paint that I used for the brewery control panel.
Wiring
I used 14 ga house wiring for everything inside the box except the sensor wires, for which I used smaller 18 ga wires that I had left over from a ceiling fan.
I used wire nuts for all the junctions but it would look a lot cleaner with terminal blocks instead, so I’ll probably do that for version 2.0.
Wiring diagram
I put together this wiring diagram to make assembly easier. It’s pretty straightforward if you’ve ever wired up an ITC-1000 or STC-1000 controller before.
Final Product
I put some industrial strength Velcro on the back to secure it to my beer fridge and ran the temperature probe to a jar of water inside the fridge. For now, it just monitors the temperature of the fridge as the fridge itself maintains serving temperature pretty well, but ultimately, I’ll be using this to control a fridge or freezer for fermentation.
