I had mentioned in another post that I was thinking of building PID temperature controllers for lead pots. I haven't built these units in 10+ years and was taken aback when I checked prices for parts/components. Parts have doubled and even tripled. It takes about 3-4 hours to build one of these units. But, from my own personal experience they are a good investment. I use my pid on my 10 and 20lb Lee lead pots. I use a really nice commercially made enclosure for these units. So anyway, the total cost including shipping is $207.00. Questions are welcome. -Pat Reynolds
If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.
Barnabus, You will find that the hatch PID has no pot bypass which is a plus to have. The enclosure is incredibly small and has no ventilation which can cause the PID controller to overheat. I use "Crydom" Solid State relays, not the two dollar one's you see on ebay and these are not cheap. The power in/out pigttails and the thermocouple cable on the Hatch PID are all squeezed together in a 1/2" romex connector . . . "Induction city" . . . not good for the thermocouple. All the wire used in my PID's is military spec. tinned copper . . . expensive. All of my connections are crimped, soldered and have adhesive shrink tubing covering the connector shanks. The dispays on my PID show both pot temperature and display temperature simultaneously. My PID has a fuse socket with a replaceable fuse sold at any auto/electronics shop. My PID has an indicator light for both PID control and bypass. My units are fully accessible and servicable by anyone with a rudimentary knowlege of electricity. The UPS shipping cost alone to practically anywhere in the US is around $30. The people that bought the Hatch controllers seem to be happy with them . . . a good thing. But cheaper is not always better . . . believe me.
