The controller is a Simpson P140 PID controller. PID stands for Proportional, Integral, Differential. It doesn't mean much to me but it is all calculus and I failed calculus in school. What the PID actually does is monitor the temperature in the TUN. The top number in the display shows the actual temperature in the tun and the bottom display shows the set point. So if we are doing a protein rest at 122 degrees and I suddenly change the set point to 156 degrees to do a sugar rest, it would turn on the recirc heater and the temperature would start climbing. Once the temperature gets close to 156, it would turn off the heater before it ever gets to 156. It watches the temperature continue to climb as the climb rate tapers off it learns from that and starts giving short bursts of heat to gradually bring the temperature up to 156 and will hold it there all thru the sugar rest.
The nice thing about having a controller like this is that it is not possible to do complex multi step mash recipes. I can increase the temperature in the TUN at about 4 to 5 degrees per minute to move from one step to the next. I can hold the temperature very steady for as long as I want.
The old way was to strike with the correct temperature, then check the temperature every half hour and add more hot water as necessary to hold the temperature at about the right temperature The accuracy was plus or minus 5 degrees. Now I just set the temperature and go have a brew and forget it. I have an alarm that goes off when it is time to move to the next step and then all I have to do is go hit my up button until the temp moves to the next step.
The PID was not an expensive device, I found it on Ebay for about sixty bucks.
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