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K145 Temperature
Controller Tester
(freeware)
The Kitsrus K145 Temperature Data Logger kit
(www.kitsrus.com)
is designed strictly to monitor temperatures, and send the data to
a pc through the serial port. However, a serial port also
has other lines available besides the data connections. Some of
these can be used to send control signals to external
devices. This software (combined with an add-on
board attached to the K145) allows the control of 2
temperature channels.
How it works: Very simply,
the software reads the temperature data coming in from the K145,
and sends out control signals to a couple of relays, turning them
on or off according to configured settings.
This is a stripped down version of
the K145TMLite software, with the
control functions added. It's
designed to work with the K145 with add-on board attached.
It's intended to test and demonstrate the
feasibility of adding temperature control functionality alongside
the K145 board.
Acknowledgements to Dale Stokes of Huston, Texas for inspiration
for the temperature controller.
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Software features:
- 2 channels of relay control,
- each with configurable Setpoint
and dropout range.
- set for "cooling" or
"heating"
- manual relay test, to confirm
operation
- ch1 temperature linked to Relay 1
control
- ch2 temperature linked to Relay 2
control
- ch1 relay operates in standard on/off thermostat mode
- ch2 relay operates in timed cycle thermostat mode
new!
- each of the four K145 channels has its own thermometer display
- configurable scales for the thermometer displays
- min/max values displayed for each channel
- select Deg C or Deg F in software
(** the K145 must be jumpered for Deg C, and left on that setting)
- logging function
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Purchase
the K145
kit at Carl's
Download
K145CtrlTest
software
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See the change log (below) for
info on recent updates.
Why Timed Cycle?
A standard thermostat control simply turns on the heat (or cool)
and keeps it on until temperature has risen (or dropped) by a set
value. With a timed cycle control, when the control goes
into heating/cooling mode, the heater/cooler is cycled on then off
repeatedly according to configured timing values (eg: once per
minute, for 15 seconds).
A timed cycle can be useful for evaporative cooling. As water evaporates, it draws heat out of the air, creating a cooling effect. More specifically, spraying a fine mist can have
significant impact. Patio misters are based on this principle. There are also commercial applications, such as roof
cooling, odor control, dust control, and so on.
If you’re sitting on a patio under a hot sun, it may be desirable to have a constant fine mist spraying around the perimeter. There are situations though, where a constant spray is not needed. This is where a timed cycle form of thermostat control can be
useful (see the Hydrokool link below).
These links have some useful information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooling
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/evaporative.html
http://www.aqualitywater.com/misting_faqs.htm
http://www.cool-off.com/articles/mist-cooling-system.html
http://www.microcool.com/cooling/outdoorcooling.shtml
http://www.dripirrigation.com/index.php?cPath=43
http://www.littlegreenhouse.com/accessory/mist.shtml
http://www.sprinkool-systems.com/HydroKool.htm
System
Requirements:
- Windows 98SE to Vista (not tested on Win95)
- 3.1 MB of hard drive space
- an available serial port
You can download the files here.
Change Log
Jul 29/08
v. 1.1.2 (3)
- adjustments to scale configuration
Jul 17/08
v. 1.1.1 (2)
- converted #2 relay channel to timed cycle temperature control
- relay on/off display has been modified to accommodate differences
between ch1 and ch2.
- moved manual relay test to popup menu
- Config page is now locked when connected to board
- improved timing accuracy for logging engine
- improved relay turn on/turn off temperature accuracy
- some visual adjustments
- Help file updated
Jun 26/08
v. 1.0.1 released
Notes:
a. if you haven't already, please download and try the K145TMLite
software before
modifying your K145 board. The
purpose of this is to familiarize yourself with
general K145 operation before making
changes.
b. when a computer starts, the bios exercises the serial
port lines (as with the
parallel port). You will hear
relays clicking (and see LEDs flickering) on the
add-on board at bootup (and possibly at
shutdown, too).
c. using the add-on board in conjunction with the K145
requires power connections
to the K145 to be modified. This
makes the K145TMLite software incompatible
with the control package. There is
a workaround for this -- see the Help file for
more info.
d. view the article about the add-on board here
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