syrupy
Authorized Buyer
That's great news! IFTTT gives the Wemo Insight a lot of options that can be adapted to the e-nail to make it a bit smarter. I really hope we see some crafty people integrate RasberryPi or Arduino and fully take advantage of it. Like add a bluetooth/wifi adapter so you can control the e-nail directly using an app on your phone, adjust temps, program timers and advanced settings.
Working on the arduino part as we speak. Kind of funny because the added functionality is fun, but not really necessary. But if I ever need to remotely turn on the e-nail... hahaha.
I put an Omron timer adjustable to 0-60 minutes between the coil and toggle/pushbutton switch to cut power to the coil.
As far as coil life, I believe having power turned off to the the coil will be best for me. The unit heats from cold to hot very quickly. Keeping the unit on "idling", sends pulses through the relay to keep the temp at the set level. You can see when this is happening because the output on the display lights up on each pulse, at least on the Omron. It takes a lot of effort to keep the temp at a steady level, so I really only want that happening during actual use, not just idling along.
Very happy with my Omron PID, but I must admit, not sure if it's a must to have a top grade controller. There is a setting called "hysteresis" that allows how much temperture drift is acceptable before the heater kicks in. Setting a smaller hysteresis will keep the temp hovering closer to the set temp... good in scenarios where temp drop off is an issue. Setting a higher value will allow more drift, which will save usage on the relay and coil. I would guess the PID would last much longer than the coil.
I've put the Gimido tested through 900 degrees F no problems. But haven't had any use other than cleaning for temps above 730.
@DieHard .. if you get a chance, ask your vendor if there's really no relay in there. And if so, are they using MOSFETs or what do handle power switching??