F/C PID Temperature Controller, AGPtEK Dual Display Digital Programmable Temperature Control TA4-SSR Solid State Relay with 2 Alarms

This thing is a powerhouse. Other reviews mention issues with the manual, and that is mostly correct, but I understood it enough to make good use of the product. I've been able to control my homebrew fermentation down to +/- 0.1F from the setpoint. It'll definitely take you a whole lot of time to understand how to wire this thing and how to program it if you're not technically oriented, but definitely not rocket science. I was able to get it wired and going within a couple hours. Has been operating rock solid and this is totally worth the investment.

Wired as intended, this gives tremendous temperature control flexibility. It comes in a neat little box with two clever nylon panel clamps. I'm still exploring and learning with this device, and I have to say that if you're not a control engineer, the specs/instructions are a little confusing --- and I already have some electrical/electronic experience. One thing I've noted in a number of discussions that bears mentioning --- and a solution: there is no "MANUAL ON" feature, which seems to be a hold-back for some folks, and may push them to a pricier unit. [edited, more to come on project] A solution I've used is relatively simple and costs just a few bucks: put in a low-voltage DC supply, and wire in 3PDT/Center-Off mini-toggle switches so that one throw provides DC voltage to a SSR, the other throw connects the TA4's terminals to the SSR, and center is off. I also threw in three bi-color LED's (off=off; red=auto; green=manual on). And three piezo buzzers --- each with its own mini-rocker switch to enable/disable. I added another mini-rocker as a master on/off, an RJ45 Keystone jack (to remote out the TA4 signals), an AC receptacle, and another SPDT rocker to select internal/external AC receptacle. Two identical project boxes, one with the TA4, an SSR (with cut-down heat sink), and all of the switches, etc. above; and another with two SSRs/sinks, an RJ45, a split AC receptacle (each relay operates one side), and a master kill toggle with a Tineon "live" light. Whew. The control box is 7.44" X 4.44" X 2.62". Next time I'll grind the parts up and pour them in. Anyway, if you go this way, you can get three separate control channels with three SSRs: OUT1(terms. 3/4); AL1 (terms. 4/5); and another on AL2 (terms. 11/12). The warning buzzers (if armed with the rocker switches) are entirely independent of whether the TA4 terminal signals are sent to the SSRs. A channel could be turned off, but its buzzer can still be live. The Manual On position overrides, and the SSR is lit regardless of TA4 action; The Manual Off position kills the SSR, regardless of TA4 signal. The RJ45 jacks allow me to use Cat 6/5e cable to put the main relays anywhere I want, and use the local receptacle if I want the thing to go portable. So I can check the storage freezer and the BBQ and the oven, and have the thing yell at me at three separate stages. My wife wants to know when I start taking up knitting ... This unit is ideal for crazy people who like to take simple projects and keep throwing parts and features in ... I will have a few photographs in a couple of days, and a partial parts list. The decal thing didn't work for me, but the layout is intuitive enough. (I asked my wife, and she could figure it out --- and she only "speaks" on/off. ;)) All of this, and I'm not even brewing. This runs three separate small fans in the bedroom --- and I get my "dual climate control" without freezing my wife. (I keep thinking of Kilmer's line in "red Planet:" "So, this is that time they told you about in high school, where algebra could save your life.")

Works great, it was intimidating at first but thanks to You Tube wiring was pretty easy to do!

Very Accurate Temp Control, Never Used The AutoTunning For PID Control, No Need To Compensate Control Temp. Just Reviewed The Posted Pics, Sorry About The Wiring Schematic, Shows Detailed Wiring Info On Controller For 2,3,4-Wire RTD's, Also, The TA4 Plastic Mount Brackets Are Not The Best, They Work Standalone, But Not For Repeative Use Make The TA4 Cut-Out Size Perfect, After Installing The Retaining Mount Brackets, Apply Alittle Caulk Dab To Stay Secure, Need To Replace TA4?, Cut Caulk w/Razor. The TA4 Supports 2,3,4-Wire RTD's, More Accurate Temp Control, Use 3-Wire, Best Is 4-Wire, Based Upon What Wire-RTD Is Used Will Determine If The TA4 Requires a External Jumper Wire Between Pins 8&9, or You Might See On TA4 Display UUUUU Also, If You Use a Pt100 RTD Sensor Select The Correct TA4 Parameter For Using a Pt100, The Various RTD Sensors Operate In Different Degree Ranges, ie; K,J,Cu50, ect & ALL PID Controllers Software Require The Correct Selection To Preform The Math Required To Operate Correctly/Accurate Compute Your Controlling Temps, All RTD's Are Resistors, Ohms Value Chgs According To Temperature. Ohms vs Temperature Conversion Charts Are Based Upon RTD, ie; Pt100,J,K,Cu50,ect. The TA4 w/Pt100 Is Capable Of 1600Deg, Very Wide Window/Scaling, ie; Set TA4 Min Display Temp @50Deg, Max 250Deg Less Scaling Range, More Precise Control. Not Tested Yet, Excellent YouTube vs Paper Manual, Detailed Explanations & Walks You Through It, Also Corrects The Paper Manual Typo For The AL2 Pins 11&12 Are Really Pins 5&6 Note: 2-Wire RTD Red Wire Is Negative Pin#7, White Wire Is Positive Pin#8 3-Wire RTD Pin#7&10 Are RED, Pin#8 Is White watch?v=PDlfU2_Anps YouTube Author: Heaters Sensor Controls Published on Aug 11, 2014 MYPIN Temperature Control Video Manual

All the features you could want for an extremely affordable price. Easy to program and change temperatures. Yes a Chinese product so the manual is a bit chunky to read, but if you've used these items before, you can figure it out. Very pleased with the product (my second unit purchased) have used this type of controller over past 4 years, until the first one died about 3 months ago.

The device was defective on arrival. The output voltage (pins 3 and 4) to the SSR was locked in at 24VDC regardless of whether the unit was calling for heat or not as indicated by the illuminated LED on the front. After several attempts at trying to determine if it was a programming issue I finally gave up and settled on a refund. Unfortunately there is little trouble shooting information available and most is incomplete at best. I would also point out that the instructions are in such poor English that you really have to fill in the blanks on much of it. The alarm outputs and the temperature reading worked fine. Who knows maybe I got the only bad one. I ended up purchasing a more expensive Auber PID with SSR output.

Used for smoker control.

I recommend searching for MYPIN PID videos on Youtube. Lots of good explanations there where you don't have to make sense of the menus on the manual.