5 ms·

It's probably a web 3.0/IoT way of saying an ESP8266 with a couple of sensors and a relay. From there you could do some slightly smart stuff like observe the ra

It's probably a web 3.0/IoT way of saying an ESP8266 with a couple of sensors and a relay. From there you could do some slightly smart stuff like observe the rate of warming towards ambient when idle (i.e. determine the volume of material in the freezer) to determine how long you can go without running the compressor. And from there you could manipulate the thermostat's target depending on current and future predicted electricity prices. With a load sensor attached to the tub, you could determine when a substantial volume of new material has been added and preemptively run the compressor hard for a bit. Many things are possible. Most of them not worth the complexity.

nikau 6y ago
Yes, given the thermal mass of a fridge any type of advanced control is probably pointless. I think late 90s/early 2000s was the peak of fridge reliability to efficiency ratio. They run the defrost timer through the thermostat, so defrost cycles are somewhat inline with fridge use. The circuitry is simple - a defrost timer, PTC "relay", a few thermostats and the compressor. Newer fridges are a bit quieter and more efficient with inverter technology, but failure rates are way higher due to electronics failures.
- namibj 6y ago
  Well, theoretically you could just use 3-phase motors, right? I'd actually like that, and over here in Germany, most homes have a 3-phase supply in the kitchen for an electric stovetop.
  - nikau 6y ago
    Hmm not sure why a 3 phase motor would make a difference?
    - namibj 6y ago
      More efficient than single-phase. In this case, it makes the inverter redundant, because the inverter's only purpose is to produce a 3-phase AC supply for the motor. I.e., you can cut the sensitive electronics out.