Mother's Freezer Alarm

(Page 2 of 2)

July/August 1982
By the Mother Earth News editors 
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At this point, you can solder the wires for the buzzer and the reset switch to the appropriate points on the circuit board (be sure to connect the buzzer with proper polarity). Then pass the probe wires through the hole in the bottom of the case, tie a knot in them so they can't pull through, and solder them to the positive and negative points on the board. Finally, slide the LED through the viewing hole in the top and glue the circuit board against one side of the case, using plastic cement.

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CALIBRATION AND USE

First, turn the calibration control completely counterclockwise and insert the battery. With the probe at room temperature, a slight twist of the control should sound the alarm and flash the light. Now, you can place the probe in your freezer. Since it will sense the temperature only in its immediate vicinity, be careful not to set the transistor directly on a cake of ice or too close to the door. You'll find that it's best to locate the device well back from the door and suspended in the air.

Once the probe has had a few minutes to stabilize in temperature, adjust the control until the alarm sounds . . . and then back off slightly. Thus, whenever the temperature inside rises above that set point, you'll have plenty of warning of the impending thaw.

If you decide to tackle this project, you'll be glad to know that the alarm is "latching" . . . that is, once it's tripped, it will continue to sound until the reset button is pushed, even if the interior temperature drops. Therefore, if your freezer thaws and refreezes in your absence, you'll know that it has done so immediately upon your return. And should your alarm tell you that the worst has occurred, you might want to refer to the center spread of MOTHER NO. 74 to find out "What to Do When Your Freezer Fails".

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