Preview - Emergency Aquarium Heater Controller

I bought a new heater for my aquarium, but it sucks. The heating component itself isn't bad, but the controller doesn't work. It tries to cook my fish. Normally, I'd put together a nice control system. I intended to build an aquarium monitor/controller anyway. The problem is that I'm going on a vacation for a few days (I finally got a vacation!).

Safety is an important part of any project, especially when water is involved. You should always be safe when working with electricity, especially mains power. That said, I literally shoved everything on my desk to the side and threw something together.

Aquarium Heater Controller 1 — I've been using a clamp as an electrical box since 2003. On a side note, electricity tickles.

Aquarium Heater Controller 2 — I left Buddha in charge of circuit maintenance while I'm gone.

I already wrote most of the PC software necessary to create a monitor. I'll work on that in parallel to every other project I'm doing. :-P When I get back from my trip, I'll put together an article on what I did. I guess I can put it all in a box while I'm at it.