Spyder Robotics Proportional Thermostat

vermonter16 · Post by **vermonter16** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 6:29 am

I purchased this product a couple of weeks ago and installed it into my brand new crabitat on Saturday: http://spyderrobotics.com/products/herpstatnd.html

My house temperature never remains the same especially during this time of year when the windows are open and we have cold nights so a rheostat was really not that ideal for me so I invested in this.

Right now - it is a dream! My house temp has flucuated from 58 degrees this morning to 78 degrees the other day. The entire time - this thermostat has kept my temperature to within .5 degrees morning and night. And I have it set to the night drop feature....so during the day right now I have it set at 82.5 degrees....at night it drops to 75.5 degrees....

I have it set to start warming when my UVB lighting turns on at 8am and I have it start dropping when that light turns off at 8pm.

At any rate - at the moment, this product is fantastic and I'm glad I spent the money on it! It was well worth it!

kgbenson · Post by **kgbenson** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:31 am

Which Model did you get?

Keith

vermonter16 · Post by **vermonter16** » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:33 am

I got the standard one with the Night Drop "ND" feature with the blue screen....and grounded. I'm not that electrically advanced

NotaMallard · Post by **NotaMallard** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 5:53 am

I wish I could afford two, one for the snakes and one for the hermies (I have a self-wired Ranco thermostat for the snakes). Often I've thought of using a $50 Ranco thermostat and Flexwatt (Kieth, didn't you mention Flexwatt a few times?) for the hermit crabs, but at the moment, it's not financially feasible.

kgbenson · Post by **kgbenson** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 8:39 am

NotaMallard wrote:I wish I could afford two, one for the snakes and one for the hermies (I have a self-wired Ranco thermostat for the snakes). Often I've thought of using a $50 Ranco thermostat and Flexwatt (Kieth, didn't you mention Flexwatt a few times?) for the hermit crabs, but at the moment, it's not financially feasible.

Probably. Flexwatt is a very commonly used product and in generally is good. I have heard a few folks complain that sometimes it can produce a low level shock thought. If that was the flexwatt or the way they wired it though I don't know.

Also - you cannot put anything against the back of it so you automatically lose some of the ehat into the room.

Lately I have been recommending the ultratherm heat mats as they are designed to actually have insulation paced against them so as to maximize efficiency. They are nicely constructed and come in a variety of sizes. Not customizable like flexwatt, but there is a size for almost any application.

As for the Ranco - is it a proportional thermostat? Not that proportionality is necessary, but it is a very nice feature and can keep heaters from "flashing" on and off.

Keith

Ryanstein · Post by **Ryanstein** » Sun May 02, 2010 1:35 am

That looks like a very impressive device (hmmm... perhaps a reverse-engineering project could be in order

). Did you add a second thermostat inline with first? The manual recommends a second one if, for any reason, you blow the electronic switch (TRIAC) that varies the power output to your heater. Should that happen, your heater would be "stuck" on.

Anyways, congrats on the purchase and let us know how your experience with that thermostat goes.

~Ryan

aquav · Post by **aquav** » Sun May 02, 2010 6:09 am

Nice looking unit!
So far I have been very fortunate as our house only varies a few degrees during a 24 hr period. Therefore, so does the hermit crab tank.

I am using the ultratherm pad for heating and am very happy with it.
I have insulation as well as aquarium background behind mine and have not had any issues.

kgbenson · Post by **kgbenson** » Sun May 02, 2010 6:31 am

Ryanstein wrote:(hmmm... perhaps a reverse-engineering project could be in order ).

You figure out how to do that easily and with humidity control and I think many crabbers would enshrine your image and we may even consider a parade.

Keith "still waiting for digital aquatics to get their units finished" Benson

Ryanstein · Post by **Ryanstein** » Mon May 03, 2010 10:20 am

^Actually they have a humidity one: http://spyderrobotics.com/products/herp ... idity.html

Though... at $189US it it most definitely isn't cheap. A combined temp/humidity one would be nice and possible cheaper, as having a humidity unit plus the thermo unit would run you up to 300$ for the cheapest thermostat.

kgbenson · Post by **kgbenson** » Mon May 03, 2010 10:37 am

Ryanstein wrote: humidity unit plus the thermo unit would run you up to 300$ for the cheapest thermostat.

I know - I am hoping for a cheaper alternative, for some reason I have not felt like I can pull the trigger on the hygrotherm.

Anyone got one?

Keith

Ryanstein · Post by **Ryanstein** » Mon May 03, 2010 3:12 pm

I don't have one myself but here's a link to some reviews: http://petcareguru.net/zoo-med-hygrotherm/

From what I've read, the hygrotherm isn't bad, but you still get what you pay for. I doubt the accuracy and quality of the sensors matches that of the spyder robotics units. There's only so much 70$ can buy...

Ryan

NotaMallard · Post by **NotaMallard** » Sun May 09, 2010 1:43 pm

kgbenson wrote: As for the Ranco - is it a proportional thermostat? Not that proportionality is necessary, but it is a very nice feature and can keep heaters from "flashing" on and off.

Nope, not proportional. I do have one for my snakes, though, you can set it to only have a degree's variance. The little click when it switches on and off is annoying, though. And you have to wire it yourself to connect a power strip to it, but there are tutorials online about that, I actually did it myself easily (14 year old girl, mind you, with no interest in electronics).
If you want a cheaper one, there's a bit of a buzz on the snake forum I participate in about this thing:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC- ... 683&sr=1-7
$30, and it apparently works well. The cheaper ones manufactured for reptiles are almost all complete crap. I would never buy one.

kgbenson wrote: Also - you cannot put anything against the back of it so you automatically lose some of the ehat into the room.

Does that only apply to aquariums? I know that thousands of reptile owners make racks (like bookshelves with tubs on them), and the Flexwatt is right between the wood/melamine/metal/what-have-you and the plastic tub.

Ryanstein · Post by **Ryanstein** » Sun May 09, 2010 9:54 pm

Kudos to you for wiring it yourself.

I don't have a flexwatt, but the one thing to look out for when heater any aquarium with a mat of any sort, is cracking; I've yet to see a heat mat designed for aquariums. The temperature differential between the water and the heater can crack the glass. But for terrariums, as long as no water contacts the glass, you should be fine. To answer your question, you should look up the specifics of your heater to determine whether it requires ventilation or not. If you insulate the heater it may overheat itself, causing damage to itself which could lead to a shock.

Hope that answers your question!

Ryan