brunnhilde's refrigerator control - part 4

In my haste to get the bench testing started, I didn't pay attention to the optimum location of the thermistor. I mistaken the evaporator expansion port as the factory thermistor. I would soon notice the frequent cycling. For resistive heating short cycling is not a problem due to conservation of energy, but not the case with compressor refrigeration.

brunnhilde's refrigerator control - part 3

 

The prospect to have a dedicated digital thermostat for the refrigerator and able to see the cold plate temperature (of the thermistor) got me excited with this little project. If done right it costs so little and I have fun along the way. I like little electronic projects like this that enhances the existing design, while being challenged to maintain the aesthetics and integrity of Westfalia's design spirit.

brunnhilde's refrigerator control - part 2

Between time and monetary critical projects I put in some time towards this fun project. I open up the cabinet under the refrigerator to take some photos of the wiring and components to plan my bench test with the digital temperature controller.

brunnhilde's refrigerator control - part 1

I am warming up to the idea of taking away the refrigerator's control from Brunnhilde's Central Display Console. There is another wrong with it. The biggest motivator for me is to be able to read off the actual temperature inside without needing a improvised digital thermometer like I am using now. This home brewed refrigerator controller, if carefully and thoughtfully designed and implemented, will add a nice touch to ergonomics and aesthetics. 

brunnhilde's ventilation fan - part 1

A few years ago I designed this 200mm thermostatically operated ventilation fan in Isolde. I have been wanting to install a similar fan in Brunnhilde's bathroom skylight, but hoping to find a fan with slightly more CFM.

brunnhilde's digital thermostat - part 6

 

It has been quite a journey since when I decided to tackle the Honda EU2000i generator's inability to reliably power the 9200 BTU Coleman Mach 8 Polar Cub roof top air conditioner. My determination and self-reliance paid off and I can now declare victory.

mega winch for the car trailer - part 2

 The ATV winch includes a harness that has a hardwire control 3 position rocker switch that is momentary, In-off-Out. It is set up for mounting onto the tubular handle bar of a ATV. I made a adapter bracket so it can be mounted at a convenient location on the trailer.

brunnhilde's digital thermostat - part 5

The 110Vac version of the temperature controller took a long time to arrive, because Amazon bundled a few of my other orders into one shipment to save shipping cost. I was full of anticipation not knowing if the algorithm in the AC version would be the same as the 12Vdc one that I blew up. This one is actually an older design and not branded as Ink Bird. I chose this unknown brand to save over 18%!

mega winch for the car trailer - part 1

Emboldened by the success of utilizing Brunnhilde's starting battery to power the winch on the car trailer, we want more. The low cost China made 2000 lb Warn winch has such a hard time winching a car up the incline. I have been wary the motor may burn out so I carry a manual winch just in case.