LMI Temperature Controller for silicon blanket or DYI alternative?

[Stephen M. Faulk]

I'm mulling over the worth or getting the LMI temperature controller vs. putting together something, or using something from another industry. I live in an area were the power is 100 volts. I'm buying a new silicon blanket too, curious if the Keenovo blankets are any good?

Anyone have feedback on the temp controller in relation to its cost? Is it really all that? And is it built to last?

[Bob Hammond]

Hmm, 100 volts? sounds like Japan. But $20 router speed controller should do nicely. Check Harbor Freight:

https://www.harborfreight.com/router-sp ... 43060.html

[Stephen M. Faulk]

Hey Bob, yeah Japan. The Southwest Coast uses 100 volts, the North and East uses 110. It goes back to the days of the first power companies serving different areas and the southerners have historically been an independent lot. Kyushu is 100.

So I guess that means the brand name fancy controller is over priced? I was using some ancient lab equipment but it went kaput, so I'm getting something new. I forgot about the router speed controller.
Is there a thermometer you can work up with it? I seem to get about ten years out of a silicon blanket, and I'm going to buy #3.

The last one got a small tear and frayed, it went up in blazes, quite dramatic, but I had the water spray bottle right there and the conflagration was dispatched right away. Fun!

[Barry Daniels]

I prefer to make my own jigs/tools using the newest technology. So I put this together a few years ago with Fred Tellier's help over on the OLF. The temperature controller is from eBay for about $30. It uses a K-type thermocouple that you insert into the sandwich. Set the temperature you want and just sit back. I love it and have much better bending results than when I just used a dimmer switch.

[Barry Daniels]

Looks like most of these units could handle 100 volts.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-LCD-PI ... 0005.m1851

[Stephen M. Faulk]

Thanks for the feedback, I'm busy moving my shop to a new location 700 meters away...and my wife is riding my ass about cleaning the old shop and getting the deposit back, so I have to deep clean the old one today...

When I finish with all this moving stuff I'll put this together, I'll need some help.

[Bob Hammond]

Stephen, I still do it with the Mark I brain and eyes, and use a kitchen oven thermometer with a cabled probe, costing about $10-15. It has over/under temperature alarms, and has sufficient precision for this application. I also use it to check the relative humidity, by first noting the room temp, and then wrapping the probe with a wet cloth sock, and then placing it in front of an open dust collection port (the d/c running of course ). I note the temperature when it's stable, and then consult published sling psychrometry tables to determine the RH from the difference between the dry & wet readings.

But I still look at my visually practical shopbuilt RH indicator, It has a long time constant for its response to RH changes, rather than a momentary measurement of ambient RH

[Stephen M. Faulk]

I prefer to make my own jigs/tools using the newest technology. So I put this together a few years ago with Fred Tellier's help over on the OLF. The temperature controller is from eBay for about $30. It uses a K-type thermocouple that you insert into the sandwich. Set the temperature you want and just sit back. I love it and have much better bending results than when I just used a dimmer switch.

I ordered this from the same vendor on eBay, we'll see how it works. It was 15 bucks, why not.....