Thunderbirds are go…

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Davey246
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Davey246 »

Standard max-min alcohol or mercury-in-glass thermometers are rubbish for this sort of thing. Even worse are the saviours of mankind - "digital" thermometers that use a sensor wrapped in layer upon layer of junk. Joe Average has fallen in love with, and been conned by, anything electronic - they just HAVE to be so "good" "accurate" and all the rest. Garbage, total garbage (even though I love the band).
As above, get a cheap (£15-20) thermocouple meter and a bare wire thermocouple.

A thermostat that is switching 5-6 times per hour is very likely a joke in terms of temperature control.

Where is and what is the sensor for these wunderkind Inkbirds? Does anyone even know?
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Davey246 »

Don't bother - just checked online. Inkbirds - a joke - the sensor is encased in mountains of rubbish that produce masses of hysteresis.
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Paul in Essex
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Paul in Essex »

You having a bad day?
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Mike P
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Mike P »

So which model Inkbird have folk gone for?
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Davey246
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Davey246 »

Paul in Essex wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:06 pm You having a bad day?
Not at all - loving this - leading the blind, or at least the very easily led/bamboozled/conned/confused (delete as appropriate).

I will say it again - get a cheap thermocouple meter with a bare thermocouple............................ It ain't rocket science, but a lot closer to it than Inkbird thermostats.

Put a digital display on ANYTHING and it becomes a (false) God. Madness
Last edited by Davey246 on Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Paul in Essex
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Paul in Essex »

Davey246 wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:24 pm
Paul in Essex wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:06 pm You having a bad day?
Not at all - loving this - leading the blind, or at least the very easily led/bamboozled/conned/confused (delete as appropriate).
I'll say you are! Since you crashed through the skylight just a few weeks ago you've been aggressively showing us fools the right way. Must be lonely up there. :lol:
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Davey246 »

Not really - I was heavily involved with BCSS, including articles in the journal unil maybe 15 years ago. Then life went tits-up and I have not rejoined.

I know what I am talking about, otherwise I do not talk. Quite simple. So far as heating etc, is concerned, there is an article in past jounals by me and a colaborator who asked for my help. I also spent quite some while in industrial heating/ventilation etc. I also build (egg) incubators that make this sort of thing look very, very amateur.

The Inkbird stuff is so amateurish that it gets listed as Inkbird but carries the logo Ink Bird.........................
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Davey246 »

As INK BIRD/Ink Bird/Inkbird claim that they use an NTC (negative temperature coefficient) sensor, that would indicate a thermistor sensor, as opposed to a Pt100 or thermocouple (or, God-forbid, a bimetallic device).

Shame that it is stuck inside so much rubbish that it has inevitably become insensitive.
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habanerocat
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by habanerocat »

Mike P wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:23 pm So which model Inkbird have folk gone for?
The ITC-308 basic and with wifi has heating and cooling sockets. The 306 only does heating.
Remember the UK version is only capable of controlling 2Kw max.

The wifi version has an app that you can control and monitor from your phone. I find it very handy and reassuring.

It's an all in one job. Yes it could be more accurate, but do we really need that kind of control for plants?
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Re: Thunderbirds are go…

Post by Cidermanrolls »

habanerocat wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:15 pm
Mike P wrote: Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:23 pm So which model Inkbird have folk gone for?
The ITC-308 basic and with wifi has heating and cooling sockets. The 306 only does heating.
Remember the UK version is only capable of controlling 2Kw max.

The wifi version has an app that you can control and monitor from your phone. I find it very handy and reassuring.

It's an all in one job. Yes it could be more accurate, but do we really need that kind of control for plants?
Mine must be the 308 basic. Heating and cooling outlets, no WiFi.
I agree, we don’t need super fast responses for plants in greenhouses. The temperature probe takes a minute or so to equilibrate to a change, plenty fast enough for me. I only use 1kw heaters. If you were running 2kw, the overshoot would be bigger and the undershoot smaller, but still less than I was seeing with the old thermostats.
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