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Instruction Manual

ETC-100 Temperature Controller

Version 1.0 (Dec, 2014)

1. Overview
This is an economical plug-n-play controller that can be used for Sous Vide
cooking, and other low temperature control applications (<250° F or 125° C). It
offers PID mode for heating control, as well as on/off control mode for either
heating or cooling. The PID mode is suitable for precision temperature control ⑧
such as Sous Vide cooking. The on/off control is suited for controlling devices ⑥
⑦
that does not like to be switched on/off too frequently such as the compressor
of the refrigerator.

This controller has a temperature sensor comes with it, which can measure Figure 2. Bottom Panel
temperature in the range of -50~125° C (-58~257° F). The power input can be ① Set Key
either 120VAC or 240VAC. The output power will be supplied to the output ② Down Key
socket, to which a load can be plugged. The output power is controlled by an ③ Up Key/Mute
internal electromechanical relay whose action synchronize with the OUT ④ Output Indicator
indicator on the front panel. The output voltage is the same as the input voltage.
⑤ Temperature Display
⑥ Power Output Socket
2. Specification ⑦ Power Input
Temperature control range -50~125° C, -58~257° F ⑧ Sensor Input
1 ° C (between -50 ~125° C)
Temperature resolution
1 ° F (between -58 ~ 257° F)
Temperature accuracy 0.5 ° C or 0.9 ° F 4. Parameter Setup
Control mode On/off (heating or cooling), PID (heating) To enter parameter setting mode, press and hold SET key for 6s and it will
shows “AH” in the display window. Please see Table 1 for all parameters.
Control output 15A at 120VAC, 10A at 240VAC
Please refer to the flow chart in Figure 1 for how to change parameters.
Operating input voltage 85~240V AC, 50/60Hz
Audio Alarm High and low limit Table 1. Parameter Settings and its initials.
Sensor type Silicon band gap sensor
Symbol Display Description Range Initial
Sensor size 0.25” OD (6.35 mm) x 1" length (25 mm) AH AH High Limit Alarm -99-999 210
Sensor connection 3 pin connector AL AL Low Limit Alarm -99-999 32
Sensor cable length 6 ft (2 m) PID
Mod MND Control mode HEA (heating) PID
Dimension 3.4’’ x1.7’’ x 4.7’’ (85 x 47 x 118 mm) COL (cooling)
Ambient temperature -20 ~50 ° C Anti-short cycle delay
AS AS 0-200 6
Power cable length 3 ft (1 m) (only valid for cooling mode)
Hy Hy Hysteresis band 0-999 3
Warranty One (1) year
P p Proportional band (in 1 degree) 0-999 18
I I Integral constant (second) 0-999 650

3. Front Panel and Connectors d d Derivative constant (second) 0-999 40

t T Cycle rate (second) 0-999 20
AT AT Auto-tune 0=off, 1=on 0
C-F C-F Temperature unit ° C or ° F °F
⑤
oFS Ofs Input offset -99-99 0
④
① ③
Details about each parameter
②  AH. High limit alarm. When process temperature is higher than AH, the
internal audio buzzer will be energized. For example, if AH set to 290, the
buzzer will be on at 291 and off at 290. When the buzzer is on, the
display window will flashing between “A-H” and the current process
temperature. Press Up key to mute the alarm.
Figure 1. Front Panel.  AL. Low limit alarm. When process temperature is lower than AL, the

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internal audio buzzer will be energized. For example, if AL is set to 100. when the controller decides the output should be 10%, it will turn on the
The buzzer will be on when temperature drop to 99. It will be turned off heater 2 second for every 20 seconds. This parameter should set at 20
when temperature rise above 100. The low limit alarm is suppressed at seconds for the internal mechanical relay. This setting is also
powering up. It will be reactivated once the temperature has reached set recommended for controlling a solenoid valve or a compressor of
point. When the buzzer is on, the display window will flashing between refrigerator to reduce the frequency of on/off.
“A-L” and the current temperature. Press Up key to mute the alarm.
 Mod. Control mode. Three control modes are available: PID (PID mode
for heating), HEA (on/off mode for heating), and COL (on/off mode for
cooling). Push down
 AS. Anti-short cycle delay. This is the delay time to turn on the cooler 74
for 6s
ah 200
(e.g., refrigerator). If the cooler is compressor based, compressor should SET SET

not be turned on immediately when it is at high pressure (just after turned ^ V SET

off). Otherwise, it may shorten the life of compressor. The anti-short cycle
delay function can be used to prevent the rapid cycling of the compressor. al 20
SET
It establishes the minimum time that the compressor remains off (after ^ V SET

reaching cutout) before turns on again. The delay overrides any controller
demand and does not allow the compressor to turn on until the set delay- mod P/d
time has elapsed. It gives time to release the refrigerant pressure through SET

evaporator. It typically set to 6 (minutes). The unit is in minutes. This ^ V SET

setting is only valid for cooling mode.

as 6
 Hy. Hysteresis band (or dead band). This parameter is valid only for SET

on/off control mode (heating or cooling). In the on/off heating mode, the ^ V SET

controller will stop sending power to the heater when temperature T is

above the set value (SV), and start sending power again to the heater if T hy 3
drops below (SV-Hy). For example, if SV=100 ° C. Hy=3 ° C, the heater SET

will be turned off when the temperature rise above 100 ° C; it will be ^ V SET

turned on again as the temperature drops below 97 ° C. For the on/off

p 18
cooling mode, the compressor will be turned off when T<SV. It will be SET

turned on again when T>SV+Hy. ^ V SET

 P. Proportional band. The unit is 1 degree. This parameter controls the

output level based on the difference between the process temperature i 645
and set temperature. The greater P value, the weaker the action (lower SET

gain). If P=7, the proportional band is 7 degree. When the sensor ^ V SET

temperature is 7 degrees below the proportional band (10 degrees below

d 40
the setting), the controller will have 100% output. When the temperature SET

is 5 degree below the set point, the output is 71%. When the temperature ^ V SET

is equal to the setting, the controller will have 0% output (assuming

integral and derivative functions are turned off). This constant also affects t 20
both integral and derivative action. Smaller P values will make the both
SET

integral and derivative action stronger. Please note the value of the P is ^ V SET

temperature unit sensitive. If you found an optimized P value when

at 0
operating the controller in Fahrenheit, you need to divide the P by 1.8 SET

when changing the temperature unit to Celsius. ^ V SET

 I. Integral time. The unit is in seconds. This parameter controls the output
O
of controller based on the difference between the measured and set C-f F
SET
temperature integrated with time. Integral action is used to eliminate
temperature offset. Larger number means slower action. e. g. assuming
^ V SET

the difference between the measured and set temperature is 2 degrees ofs 0
and remain unchanged, the output will increase continuously with time SET

until it reaches 100%. When temperature fluctuate regularly (system ^ V SET

oscillating), increase the integral time. Decrease it if the controller is

taking too long to eliminate the temperature offset. When I=0, the system SET
end
becomes a PD controller. For very slow response system such as slow
cooker and large commercial rice cooker, set I = 0 will significantly reduce
the temperature overshoot.
• d. Derivative time. The unit is in seconds. Derivative action contributes Figure 1. Flow chart of setting up parameters.
the output power based on the rate of temperature change. Derivative
action can be used to minimize the temperature overshoot by responding
its rate of change. The larger the number is, the faster the action will be.
For example, when there is a disturbance causing the temperature • AT. Auto-tune function. Set AT to 1 then exit the menu. The display will
dropping at a very high rate, the derivative action can change the start to flash alternately between AT and the current temperature, which
controller output based on the rate of change rather than the net amount indicates auto-tuning is in progress. When the display stops flashing, the
of change. This will allow the controller to act sooner. It will turn the auto-tuning is finished. Now, the newly calculated PID parameters are set
heater to full power before the temperature drops too much. and are used for the system. The new parameters will store in the
• t. Cycle rate. The unit is in seconds. This unit determines how long for the memory even the power is off
controller to calculate each action. For example, if T is set to 20 seconds,

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• C-F. Temperature display unit. You can set the unit either to Celsius or
Fahrenheit.
• oFS. Input Offset. oFS is used to compensate the error produced by the
sensor or input signal itself. For example, if the unit displays 37 degree
when the actual temperature is 32, set parameter oFS = - 5 will make the
controller display 32 degree. The displayed process temperature = actual
measured temperature + oFS.

5. Recommended Parameter for Sous Vide Cooking

The default setting: P=18, I=650, d=40, and t=20 is optimized for Sous Vide
cooking with rice cooker or steam table.

6. Connecting the Sensor to the Controller

The connector of sensor contains a slot for fitting pin connection. It also has a
spring lock to prevent disconnections from accidental pulling on the cable. To
install the to the unit, please align the slot of the female connector on the
sensor to the red mark of the male connector on the unit, then hold the tail and
push the female connector forward. To remove the connector, please pull the
spring loaded collar of the female connector. Please see the Figure 3 and
Figure 4 below for details.

Figure 3. Install the Sensor.

Auber Instruments
5755 North Point Parkway, Suite 99
Figure 4. Remove the Sensor. Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA
www.auberins.com
E-mail: info@auberins.com Tel: 770-569-8420

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