After 2 & 1/2 months of having the parts sitting around my apartment, I finally was able to buckle down and build a DIY immersion circulator for sous vide cooking.

Thankful, a friend who's an urgent care doc wanted to build one with me. At least I'd have treatment available if I burned or electrocuted myself. And I did do the former.

We bypassed one of the hardest parts, bending a J-curve into 1/4" acrylic, by having it done at TAP plastic. So, we started with cutting out holes for the electronics in a plastic box. Never having used a dremel before, this take some getting used to. They may not have been the most beautiful cuts, but they got the job done.

Next we stripped tons of wires and soldered connections to power, a relay, the temperature controller & the power switch.

I finally finished all the wiring at home later in the evening, but wasn't sure if a) all the connections were solid or b) I had even hooked them up right.

So the moment of truth came as I filled a bucket of water and submerged the heating elements, water pump & temp sensor for the first time.

I plugged it it, and watched as the temperature controller flashed to life! It cycled through its warm up routine and, magically, registered the water temp, a cool 56 degrees. The water pump was also running and circulating the water, as it should.

Like a proud parent watching his child take its first steps, my eyes were transfixed on the readout. I wondered How long would it take to warm up 1 degree? So, I sat there for what seemed like 5-7 minutes watching the temp climb by one tenth of a degree at a time.

When it hit 57.1 degrees, I turned it off and called it a success!

Now all I have left is to waterproof it and run it for 24 hours to see if it can get up to the programmed temp setting and hold that temp for a continuous period of time. Wish me luck!