Environmental Chamber

Status

Believed working, can be messed with, but not hacked.

The chamber is currently 'on trial' as hackspace equipment : it takes up a moderate amount of space and may not prove to be useful. If this is the case, I will move it on, perhaps to another user. So please don't leave it in pieces or make permanent changes without talking to me first. --Artag 16:14, 30 March 2011 (UTC)

Uses

I've mainly brought this in for possible use in biohacking - it will cool, heat, hold a temperature, follow a simple profile and might be hacked to allow further control. However, there are other possibilities :

• Beer cooler (has been used for this)
• Pie warmer (and listeria farm .. see biohacking)
• Sous vide roaster (and listeria farm .. see biohacking)
• Vacuum forming oven (this is what I originally intended it for)
• Glue drying / thermosetting (the most recent commercial use)
• Electronics testing / fault diagnosis (common industrial use)
• Low-temperature firing for polymer clay or similar
• Heated build cabinet for cupcake

Temperature range is <unknown, maybe -10> to +200 C

Controls

I'm going to have to try it again to give proper details and never really got a good idea of the temperature controller, but the important parts are :

• Switches at top - mains, internal lamp, fridge unit
• Temperature controller - set temperature demand and show temperature.
• Temperature dial - does NOT set temperature, It sets the over-temperature trip level at which it will automatically cut out. Set it just above the maximum you will require.
• D-type connector- Don't know. Possibly RS232 to controller.

Heating operation is straightforward. Just set a temperature higher than ambient and don't switch the fridge on.

Cooling operation is less obvious - I think the cooler itself runs to a very coarse setting and the heater is used for fine control. In particular, I think you have to set an auxiliary control output on the temperature controller to enable the cooler. I have had this working so it's not impossible but may require a bit of fiddling.

I had a go at using the envirmental chamber to make sure some welding rods were free of moisture. The user interface is still a mystery to me but I pressed buttons until the top red numbers showed current temperature the lower red numbers showed "100.0" (desired temperature) and the XK1 and "hand" red LEDS were illuminated. I left the green switch with a snowflake symbol off. The temperature shut up to 50degC quite rapidly then took a couple of minutes to get to 100degC to get to 100degC. The XK1 led flashed when it was at 99.9degC. I have not worked out how to change the desired temperature. --AJP

Careful

• Don't leave it on unnecessarily, wasting electricity
• If you have to move it, try not to drag it. The feet will fall off. Check when you've finished that they're all still fitted.
• Don't lose the tray that's inside.