Sentinel EVC-2 Controller Review

ilikebike

New Member
Alright i bought one of these things on ebay for $225 shipped. It was the best deal i could find on one of these things considering how many features it has.

P03-01-12_01-18.jpg


This unit has the ability to controller a heating/cooling device, Humidifier/Dehumidifier, and a Co2 Regulator/Co2 Generator. Simultaneously working with each other so the Co2 isnt running while the outtake fan is sucking it out. Very Cool that it runs all that stuff at the same time.

It also has a photo cell built into the unit for separate day/night temperatures. The only thing i dont like about the photocell is the fact that it is actually in the unit itself so if you want it to work properly you would have to install it inside the grow room (in my case a grow tent).

I wanted to be able to have it mounted on the outside of the grow tent for easy ready/access to it, but now i am going to have to figure out a way to mount it inside the grow tent.

It has a user settable dead band which means you can change how sensitive the temperature drop is or the same for humidity.

It has a 16ft whip for the humdistat/thermostat. Im sure the people who designed this unit over looked it, but i would have put the photo cell on the end of the whip along with the thermostat, or just have a completely separate whip for the photocell. Hmm i know a bit of electric maybe ill fiddle with it.

All in all i think this was a good buy. Its very user friendly, comes with basic instructions, there's not much info about these on the internet and i haven't seen one review yet. For the $225 i spent and the features i got, id say its the best deal for the money. Anything else is going to cost you more.

And Ive talked to people online about CAP controllers (they are in the same price range) and not heard good things about them. I would recommend this unit to any one thinking about buying a controller.

Pros
-Easy to use
-Changeable Dead-band
-16ft Humidistat/Thermostat whip (Remote)
-Most Features for the money!

Cons
-Photocell is not on a whip(remote)
-Does not run heating/cooling simultaneously (Not that big of a deal it would just be convenient for where i live)

Hope you enjoyed the review, ill probably post this on my blog too!
 
You can buy fiber-optic cable at surplus places, Edmund Scientific, and the like. If you really don't wish to install this in your GR, you could probably run FO from your GR to the photocell on the device for a foolproof solution (depending on your setup).
 
I don't have a clue. I just meant... Well, you know. It transmits light from one point to another quite handily (they've made things that pass as skylights from bundles of the stuff). I was thinking that you could either get a bundle already encased or wrap it yourself and run it from your GR to directly in front of the photocell. It ought to transmit enough light to tag the sensor whenever your light is on.

Kind of like using a bunch of mirrors, only this way should be better.
 
Great review!
Thanks for writing.

I've had one of these for about a year and a half.
It is one of the handiest purchases I've ever made!
No more worrying about the room getting too hot, cold, wet, or dry.

The only con is that the readout display makes an annoying buzzing sound upon re-employing on this latest crop. I never noticed it before, so I wrote Sentinel.

They said it was "normal, but that they could replace the power supply for $35+ shipping".
(if it is normal, how would a new power supply help?)

Other than that, an absolutely brilliant piece of equipment.:cheer:
 
If you don't already have your electrical devices pugged into EMI/RFI interference filters, you might try doing so. You might first try one on this specific device, to see if it is picking up something from your mains. Putting them on everything helps stop the stuff from entering the building's electrical infrastructure to begin with.

Another thing that is sometimes helpful when you've got a gremlin living in an electrical device (especially one which has electronics), even if that gremlin only just started showing itself and you have made no recent changes that you can corroborate with said gremlin's appearance, is to check your grounding situation. Make sure that everything that should be grounded, is. Make sure that your grounds are correct and have not deteriorated. Make sure you don't have a ground-loop situation. This can be caused if a building has a main grounding point - such as a copper rod driven into the ground outside the building close to (and connected to) the building's breaker panel and someone, for whatever reason (perhaps convenience?), then creates a second ground point, perhaps a second copper rod driven into the ground outside the building at another location, and then ties some of their electrical devices to it. All the electrical devices are connected to the same system (through the electrical lines & breaker panel). You get an unwanted current in a conductor connecting two points that are supposed to be at the same potential - in this case, the ground conductor. This can be a major cause of noise and interference in audio & video systems, and can make itself evident in other "little ways" that we call gremlins because they don't appear to make sense, lol. This problem - ground-loop - can also create an electric shock hazard.

Not saying that's your problem - who knows? - even if you have such a situation. But if you do, it is considered to be a Very Good Idea to correct said situation. It will make your electrical system safer in general and may prevent future weirdness (or correct issues that you might presently have but just aren't aware of).

Everyone should make sure that they do not have a ground-loop situation.
 
head the word in the manual saying "keep so far away from magnetic ballasts" cause it makes it read all fucked up and makes terrible things like wasting co2 a problem.



Alright i bought one of these things on ebay for $225 shipped. It was the best deal i could find on one of these things considering how many features it has.

P03-01-12_01-18.jpg


This unit has the ability to controller a heating/cooling device, Humidifier/Dehumidifier, and a Co2 Regulator/Co2 Generator. Simultaneously working with each other so the Co2 isnt running while the outtake fan is sucking it out. Very Cool that it runs all that stuff at the same time.

It also has a photo cell built into the unit for separate day/night temperatures. The only thing i dont like about the photocell is the fact that it is actually in the unit itself so if you want it to work properly you would have to install it inside the grow room (in my case a grow tent).

I wanted to be able to have it mounted on the outside of the grow tent for easy ready/access to it, but now i am going to have to figure out a way to mount it inside the grow tent.

It has a user settable dead band which means you can change how sensitive the temperature drop is or the same for humidity.

It has a 16ft whip for the humdistat/thermostat. Im sure the people who designed this unit over looked it, but i would have put the photo cell on the end of the whip along with the thermostat, or just have a completely separate whip for the photocell. Hmm i know a bit of electric maybe ill fiddle with it.

All in all i think this was a good buy. Its very user friendly, comes with basic instructions, there's not much info about these on the internet and i haven't seen one review yet. For the $225 i spent and the features i got, id say its the best deal for the money. Anything else is going to cost you more.

And Ive talked to people online about CAP controllers (they are in the same price range) and not heard good things about them. I would recommend this unit to any one thinking about buying a controller.

Pros
-Easy to use
-Changeable Dead-band
-16ft Humidistat/Thermostat whip (Remote)
-Most Features for the money!

Cons
-Photocell is not on a whip(remote)
-Does not run heating/cooling simultaneously (Not that big of a deal it would just be convenient for where i live)

Hope you enjoyed the review, ill probably post this on my blog too!
 
Why did you sell it? How do you like the CHHC-4?

What does the CHHC-4 do that the EVC-2 does not? Besides independant photocell?

I do not use Co2 but that is not to say I never will. I was thinking of getting the EVC-2 because of price as from what I understand it controls the the environment such as fans, RH and temps but not as many bells and whistles in the Co2 area.

Thanks,

Any2
 
Hi guy's I accidentally ripped out the wires on my sentinel evc2 remote temperature sensor can someone please snap a photo of the inside connections or give me the number to sentinel customer service?I can't seem to find it online.thanks in advance
 
or give me the number to sentinel customer service?I can't seem to find it online.

How hard did you look, lol? I just did a web search for "sentinel evc2" and the fourth result was a .PDF of the instruction manual (which you ought to have received when you bought your controller). Page one of that mentions a three-year warranty, states that Sentinel products are distributed by GPS (Global Product Solutions LLC), and shows the address to that company's web page. I won't post that address because they're not a sponsor of this forum and IDK if they are "competitors" with one or more of the companies whose support helps keep this forum running - and free for all of us to use. But a web search can easily give you that information (if you do not have an instruction manual that you can simply look on page one of). And I don't suppose I would be stepping on any sponsors' toes if I gave you that company's technical support phone number. It is 707-544-3399.

BtW, Jonnyboy23, hello and welcome to 420 Magazine, the best cannabis-awareness forum on the Internet.
 
I actually did find the web site and sent them a email but I do appreciate the phone number maybe I'll get results faster that way..thanks for the info
 
You're welcome. If you don't have that instruction manual, you might want to perform the same web search I did and download it. You've probably owned your controller long enough to have learned everything about it, but you never know.
 
Back
Top Bottom