Thermostat/Humidistat in one

Does anyone know of a decent Thermostat/Humidistat combo.... all I have seen is the Hygrotherm (http://www.reptilesupply.com/product...oducts_id=2472)

Does anyone know if this product is any good...
It seems that some people have posted asking about this in the past but there was never an answer

I have been thinking of just making my own on/off thermostat/humidistat with an arduino with the help of a friend by using an arduino, 3 relays, and thermometer/hygrometer... so if there is an AFFORDABLE option out there that would be awesome.

Edit: just read thermoSTAT... my mistake

yeah, it would just be great to be able to control it all on one unit. I don't know if there is a way to easily make a proportional thermostat but if I do go the arduino route i think as long as I insulate my enclosure an on/off one will keep stable enough temps.

But i would REALLY love to not have to try and learn how to program an arduino... though it does sound kinda fun

Why do you need a humidistat?

Just to make sure humidity stays stable, humidity fluctuates quite a bit seasonally here and it would be nice to not have to constantly add or remove insulation and water bowls to make sure it stays right. That and most decent thermometers cost as much if not more than that Hygrometer, so I was just wondering if it was decent or not. And if I were to decide to go the arduino route, most of the sensors have both thermometers and hygrometers in them :-/

(*)http://www.sercc.com/climateinfo/historical/avgrh.html
and my apt. is below ground level... I've seen humidity as high as 80% inside to as low as 30% in winter... it was a pain when i was doing a research paper on the effects of humidity on radio signals :/

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Originally Posted by lps2

Just to make sure humidity stays stable, humidity fluctuates quite a bit seasonally here and it would be nice to not have to constantly add or remove insulation and water bowls to make sure it stays right. That and most decent thermometers cost as much if not more than that Hygrometer, so I was just wondering if it was decent or not. And if I were to decide to go the arduino route, most of the sensors have both thermometers and hygrometers in them :-/

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I suppose, but then you would have to have misting system and that seems like overkill for something like a ball python who doesn't really need high humidity.

Your humidity can fluctuate within reason (unlike temps). as long as it is in between 50-70% you should be fine.

I think you are making this a little more complicated than it needs to be.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

I think you are making this a little more complicated than it needs to be.

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Yeah, I tend to do that... but it gives me something to do other than school work :-)... In that case are there any good thermometers that are digital like the Herpstat just a little more in the starving college student's price range?

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Originally Posted by lps2

Yeah, I tend to do that... but it gives me something to do other than school work :-)... In that case are there any good thermometers that are digital like the Herpstat just a little more in the starving college student's price range?

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I know what you mean :)

Ranco and Johnson controls are $70 wired from reptile basics. I have a Johnson and it is great :)

The prices are actually dramatically different. There are the cheap ones (rheostat style) that are almost always under $40 and then there is the ranco and johnsons for $70. Not much of a variety :/

Yeah, I have a rheostat now... but I have a constant need to make everything work together and be connected. I guess I will just stick with my rheostat for now and slowly but surely work on the arduino project...

If it ever gets done I will certainly post the plans and code here :)