sonoff th16

[Fil]

Great bit of kit this for about a tenner its a wifi enabled remote control switch(16a) with plug in temperature sensor..out of the box its ready to go with the ewelink andriod app for basic on off timer, loop and automatic temperature based opertion control.
https://www.itead.cc/sonoff-th.html
Add more basic $5 sonoff 10a simple switches and you can control them based on the th16's temperature readings too.

So with a sonoff th16 and a basic sonoff @ circa $15 you could have a wifi enabled/monitored/controlled brewfridge controller that takes 10 minutes with a mobile phone gui app to program


The ewelink app/system is ok but limited and atm im not quite sure which rules take priority if a conflict arises.

And there are other limitations.. But thats the beauty of these things, if you want more from it you can also add a few header pins to the pcb and reflash the esp8266 controlling it with your own software too

 

[Brett74]

Basically a wifi controlled inkbird?

 

[Fil]

Basically a wifi controlled inkbird?

Yep.. you will also need a 2.5mm 2m jack plug/socket extension lead @�£2.63 via amazon as the lead on the sonoff sensors isnt very long at all (50cm?)

only 1 bug in the ewelink app that ive found and thats you cant get rid of the virtual keyboard after naming a 'Scene' which a minimise/restore or a tap on the next variable to set will cure..

a 'Scene' is a condition you can set to turn on or off multiple devices based on the temperature or humidity the th16 measures ironically you cant turn the th16 itself on or off from within such a scene?? but you can use the th16 in automatic mode based on the temperature to control the fridge, then a scene to switch on heating controlled by a 2nd basic sonoff switch when needed.

the $5 sonoff basic switches do have a couple of minor drawbacks, they dont have earth terminals, my solution was to drill holes in the case to thread the earth wire through the control box to the output side.

the 2nd drawback is the cable grips are not suitable imho to sit inline in a length of flex, the irony being to buy a box and a couple of cable glands to enclose safely will probably cost more than the sonoff switch itself..
http://sonoff.itead.cc/en/products/sonoff/sonoff-basic.

but the real benefit is if you want to do something outside the scope of the provided s/w and app you can replace it with one of the many open source project builds such as espeasy, or simply use the arduino ide to write your own system..

 

[Brett74]

Magic, I work offshore so it would be great to be able to monitor and change temps remotely in my various fridges and glycol chiller! Thanks for the info Fil ! Order placed.

 

[Fil]

If you get frustrated by the off the shelf s/w and app limitations, you can load brewpiless onto it for a brew-pi lite..
https://github.com/vitotai/BrewPiLess -- may need a lil shoehorning tho as the embedded esp8266 in the sonoff devices has limited io pin features,

the hacking of these devices involves soldering a pin header onto a row of 5 x empty solderpads on the boards, then connecting to a PC via a usb/fdti programmer

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=ftdi+usb&_sop=15

set it up (NO MAINS CONNECTION power it via the usb lead..) without plugging the usb into a puter, press the sonoff button, plug in the usb lead and release the button and its ready to be reprogrammed

 

[Brett74]

How long did they take to arrive by the way?

 

[Fil]

direct from itead? less than 10 days.. a lot quicker than i expected, and surprisingly as DHL delivered it NO extra VAT and admin charges for a small order of 1 x th16 1 x probe, and 2 x sonoff rf

 

[Fil]

https://github.com/universam1/iSpindel might be worth checking out too if remote monitoring of a brews gravity dropping would be useful..

 

[Brett74]

Very Interesting...you are gonna cost me a fortune Fil !!

 

[Mike Jones]

Yep.. you will also need a 2.5mm 2m jack plug/socket extension lead @�£2.63 via amazon as the lead on the sonoff sensors isnt very long at all (50cm?)

only 1 bug in the ewelink app that ive found and thats you cant get rid of the virtual keyboard after naming a 'Scene' which a minimise/restore or a tap on the next variable to set will cure..

a 'Scene' is a condition you can set to turn on or off multiple devices based on the temperature or humidity the th16 measures ironically you cant turn the th16 itself on or off from within such a scene?? but you can use the th16 in automatic mode based on the temperature to control the fridge, then a scene to switch on heating controlled by a 2nd basic sonoff switch when needed.

the $5 sonoff basic switches do have a couple of minor drawbacks, they dont have earth terminals, my solution was to drill holes in the case to thread the earth wire through the control box to the output side.

the 2nd drawback is the cable grips are not suitable imho to sit inline in a length of flex, the irony being to buy a box and a couple of cable glands to enclose safely will probably cost more than the sonoff switch itself..
http://sonoff.itead.cc/en/products/sonoff/sonoff-basic.

but the real benefit is if you want to do something outside the scope of the provided s/w and app you can replace it with one of the many open source project builds such as espeasy, or simply use the arduino ide to write your own system..

Just found your post and am trying to setup.
I have the fridge set to turn on at 18
Setting a scene for heating is where i am stuck. Looks like I can only turn the heating on when the temp is at least a degree below fridge set temp. Does that sound about right to you?
Any tips gratefully accepted.

 

[foxy]

Just found your post and am trying to setup.
I have the fridge set to turn on at 18
Setting a scene for heating is where i am stuck. Looks like I can only turn the heating on when the temp is at least a degree below fridge set temp. Does that sound about right to you?
Any tips gratefully accepted.

Looks like Fil, another knowledgeable brewer seems to be AWOL from this site, should start a thread 'Where are they now' or 'The Missing'

 

[Chippy_Tea]

should start a thread 'Where are they now' or 'The Missing'

There may be a personal reason some members are not posting (I know of two who are having a tough time at the moment) and maybe they wouldn't appreciate a thread asking where they are!