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How to Make a Temperature Controlled Box

The generation of new technologies is due to the carrying out of cutting edge experiments within research laboratories. This typically involves the measurement of some quantity as a function of some physical variable. One of the most important physical variables in experiments throughout science is temperature. To carry out a controlled experiment, temperature must be monitored very carefully. This can be achieved through the creation of a special chamber or box that is temperature controlled.

Things You'll Need

Metallic box with lid
Small heater coil
Thermocouple
PID temperature controller with DC output
Drill
Super glue

Instructions

- 1
  Drill three 0.5 mm holes in one side of the metallic box. These will be used to feed through the two leads to the heater and the lead to the thermocouple.
- 2
  Mount the heater within the metallic box. Small heaters normally come with mounting brackets and screws. Drill the appropriate sized holes into the bottom of the metallic box and screw the heater firmly in place.
- 3
  Plug the thermocouple (temperature sensor) into the PID temperature controller. Feed the other side of the thermocouple into one of the small holes on the side of the metallic box. To ensure the thermocouple does not move around too much, place some super glue over the hole, and allow it 30 minutes to dry.
- 4
  Feed the two heater wires through the remaining holes in the side of the metallic box. Connect the two leads to the positive and negative terminals of the output on the PID temperature controller. Put some super glue over the holes on the metallic box to ensure the heater wires do not move around. Place the lid on the box and screw it down.
- 5
  Switch on the PID temperature controller. Set the temperature using the buttons on the front panel. The PID temperature controller uses the thermocouple to sense the temperature inside the box. When the temperature is below the set-point, the controller sends a current to the heater. It may take some time for the desired temperature to be reached.

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