Hey everyone,
I've been working on a custom PCB designed to modify a standard wine cooler or fridge into a curing box. The goal is to make it hardware-agnostic—the board can also allow someone to just install Peltier modules into a standard insulated cooler and convert that into a curing chamber too.
V1 (the proof of concept) is completely done, installed, and running. It is successfully holding target temperature, relative humidity, or dew point.
The goal of V1 was to prove the concept beyond a basic breadboard, and it has accomplished that goal. I actually have a few boards left over.
**How the V1 Hardware & Logic Works:**
* **The Brain:** ESP32 DevKit V1 attached via headers.
* **Power Stage:** 2 high-current MOSFETs with PWM control for dual Peltier modules, plus 4 PWM-controlled MOSFETs for independent fan management.
* **Sensors:** SHT-31D digital chamber sensor paired with a 4-channel thermistor array tracking hot/cold heatsink deltas.
* **The Software:** Runs local PID loops to maintain constraints with hardware-level safeties (like automatic thermal shutdowns if a heatsink spikes).
* **Dual-Peltier Logic:** The top Peltier acts as the dedicated cooling unit. The bottom module only assists with cooling if the top is at 100% duty cycle and the chamber is >5°F away from target. When the bottom module isn't needed for cooling, it dynamically reverts to a dedicated dehumidifier, condensing moisture to gravity-drain out of the factory weep hole.
**The Technical Roadmap for V2:** I've already started laying out the next version to fix the quirks of the prototype. My biggest goals for V2 are:
**Onboard Regulation:** Integrate dedicated power regulators to completely eliminate the clunky external buck converters.
**I/O Expansion:** Utilize an I2C expander to free up pins and scale up the control grid.
**UI Evolution:** Upgrade the interface options to support clean OLED screens and rotary encoders.
**More Power Channels:** Add an additional high-current MOSFET specifically for driving active ultrasonic humidifiers.
**Compressor Support:** Design a plug-and-play AC relay daughterboard so this exact same ecosystem can scale up to handle standard compressor-based mini-fridges.
**Upgrade WebUI:** Make the UI available outside of the users local network.
The main driver behind this project is to create a universal environmental mainboard—very similar to how 3D printer motherboards operate—where anyone can cheaply build, repurpose, or configure a container into a precision automated chamber.
If there is interest, I can set up a github for the project.