Though on further examination, by the time you've paid the higher cost for the chip, the postage from the UK, and either bought or made the cable, it's considerably cheaper just to buy a programmer from a local supplier.
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PICAXE is probably good for people who've little or no experience in programming, particularly at assembler code level.
I did, but I've formed the view that if I were going to do this, I'd include the thermostat as well, and choose a better point in the thermostat hysteresis at which to start the defrost cycle, rather than having a random relationship as is the situation now.
Yes, we should have a thermistor for the room temperature, one for the inside temperature, one at the beginning of the heat exchanger and one at the end. This way, we can measure the temperature gradient based on compressor and heater run time, and control them. This should reduce unnecessary heating and cooling cycles.
The chest freezer works better--the insulation's thicker. I might do one one day. Or not.
Turning an upright fridge sideways would be a lot more work--orienting the coils, for one thing. You could just strap some 4" foam insulation board on a standard fridge--that's damn ugly, but it's green :-) I think I just qualified for a green subsidy. Or a DOE grant.
Be carefull about using MOVs. It wears out over time, from subjected surges. So when your are not home, it may blow without your knowledge, and the next time you have a lightning surge it doesn't protect at all. Better to use Transient Voltage Suppressor, Tranzorbs....
Refrigeration systems generally rely on gravity to avoid trying to compress liquid, which is somewhat more difficult to do. Running one on its side is not guaranteed to work.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net
I think it's guaranteed not to work unless you rotate everything, which is what I meant to insinuate. If convection-cooled, there's also the problem of convection cooling not performing as designed -- it won't "draw."
More to the point, besides having to bend to the floor to get your stuff, a sideways-refrigerator's contents (and cold air load) dumps onto the floor every time you open the door. And, the contents would be ready to spill, since all the shelves would be sideways too. You'd have to put it on its back, which has even more problems.
The chest freezer's compressor is oversized for ultra-insulated refrigerator service, but I suspect less oversized and a better and more efficient match than a standard refrigerator's compressor.
So, the converted chest freezer wins on all fronts.
OTOH, 4 inches of judiciously applied pink foam beats most of these problems, and it's extra-ugly. :-)
Chest fridge is hard to locate stuffs. Even with upright fridge, foods are often hidden and spoiled. Perhaps the upright fridge should be compartmentalized with clear drawers, or even multiple doors, to minimum cold lost.
If you stick it on a "harvest gold" refrigerator, it would be a big improvement.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics
160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058
hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net
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