Tragic day for my snakes.

[tcutting]

I have the Zilla Thermostat and I'm confused as to how it didn't shut off? It has a safety feature built in that is supposed to trigger in this very circumstance.

The relay (electronic switch) that triggers your heat element either on or off (closing the normally open circuit) is just like this one here :https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The issue with those type of relays, is that they are a mechanical device(moving parts). Inside the relay there is a magnet and wire coil that physically pulls a piece of metal down to complete the circuit, thus turning your heat element on. When desired temp is reached, it releases the metal arm inside the relay, thus turning it off.

The problem with mechanical relays, is that since it is a moving part, they wear out over time. When this happens, the relay is either always on(normally open side is closed) or always off(normally open side cannot close to complete the circuit).

In the case of what happened to me, mine failed and stayed on, even though the LED would turn on and off with temps. I even tested that after the fact to truly pin point the failure.
Not sure what safety feature they built in but it did not save me at all from what happened. Upon taking it apart i found no wiring or components that would have served such a purpose either.



additional information on relays http://www.explainthatstuff.com/howrelayswork.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt-4jJvYvzI

[tcutting]

Here is what I have thus far.


All 16 relays are wired and can be triggered either via script or on demand. This gives me a full 16 ZONES! of control. The herpstat 6 only has 6 zones. I have 3 temp probes wired up and configured the 1 wire data feed connection as well.

I have connected a temporary device (light bulb) to one of the channels to begin working on the logic and code for heating controls. configured relay trigger works and turns on light.

here is a pic of the current test build.

[spyderrobotics]

With a Herpstat model that includes the safety relay it has a relay inline with the solid state components. You enable the safety relay in the menu which can tie it into your settable High / Low temp alarms. So when your alarms are breached it will beep but will also trigger the relay cutting power to all outputs on the thermostat. This is what protects your against a runaway heating situation.

Those models would be the Intro+, Herpstat 1, Herpstat 2, Herpstat 4, Herpstat 6.

There are devices out there that do the text/email alerts. We've investigated that idea several times but unfortunately the explosion of "Internet of Things" products out there has also exploded with exploits and security holes. So now you not only have to worry about a hardware failure but also internet security, router configs, and so forth. Email alerts are like finding out your home is on fire. Its good to know but its better to put the effort into preventing the fire in the first place.

Keep in mind a mechanical relay only thermostat has a limited contact life with the biggest problem being when the contacts are released there is a spark that wears on the contacts. One of the reasons we have some special sauce in our Herpstat HP to minimize that. Not to mention if you are using it for regular temperature control of an enclosure the relay clicking will drive you mad.

Dion Brewington
Owner, Spyder Robotics

from what I have seen I am not sure if they do detect the type of failure I had. Plus their alarm is a local one, meaning either visual or near by audio based one. I travel enough for long enough periods of time, that having a text/email alert when a relay failure is detected is needed.

The other thing I am doing is building a 12 zone system, one for every single snake so I can manage each animal individually. Granted I see where thats a bit overkill, but I would rather do this once the way I want it, than halfway do it and wish i did more later.

So when all said and done the value perspective of the herpstats is great, the key features I am after, multi zone and text/email alerts and remote control, there simply is nothing that does it. to get the zone coverage I am looking at close to $1,000, without the other features.

[tcutting]

With a Herpstat model that includes the safety relay it has a relay inline with the solid state components. You enable the safety relay in the menu which can tie it into your settable High / Low temp alarms. So when your alarms are breached it will beep but will also trigger the relay cutting power to all outputs on the thermostat. This is what protects your against a runaway heating situation.

Those models would be the Intro+, Herpstat 1, Herpstat 2, Herpstat 4, Herpstat 6.

There are devices out there that do the text/email alerts. We've investigated that idea several times but unfortunately the explosion of "Internet of Things" products out there has also exploded with exploits and security holes. So now you not only have to worry about a hardware failure but also internet security, router configs, and so forth. Email alerts are like finding out your home is on fire. Its good to know but its better to put the effort into preventing the fire in the first place.

Keep in mind a mechanical relay only thermostat has a limited contact life with the biggest problem being when the contacts are released there is a spark that wears on the contacts. One of the reasons we have some special sauce in our Herpstat HP to minimize that. Not to mention if you are using it for regular temperature control of an enclosure the relay clicking will drive you mad.

Dion Brewington
Owner, Spyder Robotics

So its been a crazy long time since i updated this post and even had time to work on this project. (i have since been running a far safer thermostat solution since then) but I am getting it going again.

To your point about IoT and the security needs for it, I actually work in the cyber security field and have been at it for over 10 years. I am aware of the design challenges required to make this work and keep it from being an access point for attackers. My goal is to have it only send out encrypted data and not allow anything inbound. Well at least not directly. I have an SSL vpn configured for my home with Dynamic DNS setup so I can remotely connect to my home as it is. I use this for my Home assistant system which has no route path to the internet configured.

Anyway, I have solved some of the issues I needed to deal with recently and should hopefully have a working prototype by the end of dec. Ill try to update this thread, or start a new one depending on if people are interested.

[spyderrobotics]

I've got something I've been messing with. Forgive the cellphone quality pics. :^)






-Dion

[pbenner]

I've got something I've been messing with. Forgive the cellphone quality pics. :^)






-Dion

I am a Network Engineer by trade and am getting ready to need to order my next Herpstat (I've gotten (2) so far).

Can I get in on a Beta for this if it's really WiFi enabled? I'd be all about that life, especially if I could monitor from remote.

Paul

[spyderrobotics]

I am a Network Engineer by trade and am getting ready to need to order my next Herpstat (I've gotten (2) so far).

Can I get in on a Beta for this if it's really WiFi enabled? I'd be all about that life, especially if I could monitor from remote.

Paul

Its really wifi enabled. I'll be looking for some beta testers shortly. We beat it up in house pretty good but this is new territory so like any device I'm sure there are some tweaks that will need to be made. Its OTA capable though so that is easy enough. I've written some pretty cool features into the code on this one and of course converted the core of my code from my other models as well. Currently has remote monitoring, remote settings, graphs, scheduled and emegency emails, remote emergency shutoff ability, firmware update checking, and more.

[tcutting]

Its really wifi enabled. I'll be looking for some beta testers shortly. We beat it up in house pretty good but this is new territory so like any device I'm sure there are some tweaks that will need to be made. Its OTA capable though so that is easy enough. I've written some pretty cool features into the code on this one and of course converted the core of my code from my other models as well. Currently has remote monitoring, remote settings, graphs, scheduled and emegency emails, remote emergency shutoff ability, firmware update checking, and more.

I am a Network/Systems/Security Engineer(I have worn many hats within IT) as well. I can even start to give it some pen test stuff too if you want. I would be really interested in working with you on anything you feel you need a hand with. It would be really cool if you could integrate with internally hosted solutions and not just cloud stuff too. Not sure exactly what you have going on, but really would like to chat about it sometime.

[pbenner]

Its really wifi enabled. I'll be looking for some beta testers shortly. We beat it up in house pretty good but this is new territory so like any device I'm sure there are some tweaks that will need to be made. Its OTA capable though so that is easy enough. I've written some pretty cool features into the code on this one and of course converted the core of my code from my other models as well. Currently has remote monitoring, remote settings, graphs, scheduled and emegency emails, remote emergency shutoff ability, firmware update checking, and more.

Then please keep me in mind. I'm going to need to grab a Herpstat 2 very shortly for two new stacked racks coming in, but I could readily replace any of my current models to test something like this. This is damned cool.

Best,

Paul

[spyderrobotics]

I am a Network/Systems/Security Engineer(I have worn many hats within IT) as well. I can even start to give it some pen test stuff too if you want. I would be really interested in working with you on anything you feel you need a hand with. It would be really cool if you could integrate with internally hosted solutions and not just cloud stuff too. Not sure exactly what you have going on, but really would like to chat about it sometime.

It does. Has a internal webserver which is how remote settings are utilized as well as status. Cloud stuff is just an alternative for people who can't figure out how to open up their router with port forwarding and also with the idea that an upload may be more secure than having the webserver running in some situations. I tried to give as many options as possible in the unit.