STC-1000 specs

[Hoppyland]

Help!!
I'm about to buy a STC-1000 (or two) from China - it seems a ludicrously cheap piece of kit.
However, I'm easily puzzled (:-?)
On eBay there seem to be vast numbers of different (?) specs.
The typical eBay entry is something like "Digital 220V STC-1000 Temperature Controller Thermostat Regulator With Sensor DM"

My problem is the "DM" bit. There are loads of different ones (DM, DE, CF, New Y,Y5, HY, TB, T71 to name but a few!! :twisted:)

I've had a trawl through the forum but can't find anything on this. I suspect that there'll be no material difference, as long as the voltages are correct - but can any one with expertise/experience confirm this?

On a related note, I've just dug out of my shed an old solid-state relay. It was used to control a big immersion heater in a lobster hatchery I used to run. I was confident that it would be up to my intended task (switching a heater for my wife's orchids), but thought I'd check the spec.
Two things amazed me. First, the relay I'd bought in 1984 was still current: the first site I saw was selling them at over £60 each
Second, on eBay there was a Chinese product that looked like an exact copy (except its 40A not 25A), selling at just over £3, including shipping.
It certainly is a mad, mad world!! :-?

For any geeks that don't get out much:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fotek-Con...703058?hash=item54308b8612:g:gO4AAOSwB4NWxXZz
or:
http://uk.farnell.com/crydom/td2425/ssr-panel-mount-280vac-32vdc-25a/dp/1200268

 

[neal]

just popped out to the garage to get the box that mine came in and all it says in stc-1000, no codes etc..

bought on ebay in April for £11.50, works a treat !

 

[Demig]

I would buy a 400p one as linked from this project https://github.com/matsstaff/stc1000p/blob/master/README.md

That's flashable with that stc1000+ software on the site which gives you the ability to program fermentation gradients etc. Way more flexible and that one works perfectly in the UK.

Lots of them look the same but have different innards, makes sense to get the most flexible


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[yeastinfection]

I've ordered a solid state relay to control my peco boiler.its about £4 including delivery and a heatsink.
Why order stc from China.aren't they about £12 from Amazon?

 

[Hoppyland]

Thanks folks, very helpful.
I didn't know Amazon sold them - hey, but I'm not a fan of Amazon's business practices and try to avoid them. But, if I do that, isn't it just as bad buying from China? :-?

Demig - that looks good to me. I've been a desktop/laptop Linux user for over 20 years now, so Free Open-Source Software naturally has a huge appeal. But this comment also made me think:
"Just buying an STC-1000 off the usual auction sites, makes it a complete gamble what hardware version (or which clone) you will receive, you've got the odds stacked against you as the clones probably are using slightly cheaper (and probably worse) components"

Thanks for the help :)