Whats the cheapest way to control a fridges temp?

[JonGoku]

So I'm looking at picking up a cheap mini fridge and possibly building a small cold box in my garage so I can control my fermenting temps better and also lager. Is the ranco controller the only way to go or is there something a bit cheaper for the not so wealthy? My "hobby budget" is limited.

At morebeer:
Ranco Wired = $99.00
Ranco Non-wired = $64.95

[kevinham]

I had found this a while back, non-wired Ranco for $48.99, I think they used to be even cheaper, but still a good deal.

http://www.climatedoctors.com/Items/ran ... %20Control

[maltbarley]

And note that wiring a Ranco is rather simple and doesn't cost much more than the cheapest, grounded, 14 gauge extension cord at Home Depot.

[JonGoku]

Only alternative to a Ranco that I was able to find was this...
http://hbd.org/mtippin/tempcont.html
But that goes a bit beyond my skill set and knowledge I think.

[backyard brewer]

You can build one from a $20 wall thermostat and a relay. But, it also requires some internal wiring that if you're not comfortable with can be dangerous. Once the dust settles, the $50 Ranco is the way to go if you don't have the tools and know-how to do it.

[JonGoku]

You can build one from a $20 wall thermostat and a relay. But, it also requires some internal wiring that if you're not comfortable with can be dangerous. Once the dust settles, the $50 Ranco is the way to go if you don't have the tools and know-how to do it.

If I have instructions I'm semi confident I could do it if it does not involves soldering on an actual board. For that I'm not sure I'd put my skills to the test.

How involved is what your suggesting, and what temperature tolerance would it be able to handle? Do you work for homebrew?

[backyard brewer]

It requires soldering. At the end of the day, you'd only save about $10-$20 by the time it was said and done. It's really only worth while if you have the parts around or you need more than one.

read this: http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Remo ... s-Than-$25

The problem here is that it will only switch 24VAC and you need to use a relay, which means another power supply.

[JonGoku]

It requires soldering. At the end of the day, you'd only save about $10-$20 by the time it was said and done. It's really only worth while if you have the parts around or you need more than one.

read this: http://www.wortomatic.com/articles/Remo ... s-Than-$25

The problem here is that it will only switch 24VAC and you need to use a relay, which means another power supply.

Nice site, unfortunately it only gave me more ideas...
I did pick up a mini-fridge (next size up from dorm?), so I willl mull it over this weekend and see what I can think of. Will post if I have any epiphanies.