Nomiku, a Kickstarter project for an immersion circulator affordable enough for the home cook
nomiku.com/Posted Jun 19, 2012, 5:46 PM UTC
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nomiku.com
For reference:
| Nomiku | Supreme Demi | SideKIC | PolySci SV Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | 750W | 60W | 300W | 1100W |
| Accuracy | .2C | .5C | .5C | .06C |
| Max Bath | 18.9L | 8.7L | 9.4L | 30L |
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Is there any calibration time for immersion circulators when you put them in a new vessel?
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Engineer here. Temperature controlling devices use something called PID Control which tries to maintain a signal (in this case, Temperature). The 3 constants, P, I and D are the values you adjust to "tune" the control of the system. Just as you are saying, when you use a new vessel, the parameters of P, I and D may need to be adjusted to reflect the new 'geometry' of what you're controlling. Since the temperature of the bath isn't changing frequently, tuning of the PID loop won't change much for systems of different volumes. Most PID controllers have some form of 'autotune' built in which calibrates the system to respond quickly (but not too quickly). If the system responds too quickly, it will change the temperature too quickly to be sensed and is said to then be "unstable." On the other end of the spectrum, if the system doesn't respond fast enough, it won't be able to maintain such a tight control on temperature and won't respond quickly to changes in the input. The time required for calibration is typically 20-30 seconds... during this time, the heater would be turned on and the effect on the system is measured and the response of the system helps determine the P, I and D parameters.
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Is there any strong argument for putting down money on this vs getting a Sous Vide Demi now?
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The Sous Vide Demi (as well as the Supreme) doesn't circulate water. I think that's the main advantage with the Nomiku. Also, you don't need to lug the rig to the faucet to fill it up.
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Meh. I made a perfectly workable DIY for <$40 (I already had a spare PiD controller) which uses a hot plate or any other plug-in heat source and any vessel you like. I might consider a pro unit if it was ~$100 but for $300 I can see why there are so few supporters.
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its a catch 22. while they could probably still make money selling it at $150, its about perception. if they come WAY under the cost of everything else, we all might think its chinsy, low quality, going to break and/or not work. They have to go somewhat close to the established prices of these units to maintain the perception of quality.
ya you can build your own for cheaper, but i for one wouldn't mind something that works great, compact, and isn't wires all over.
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Do you have a wiring diagram for your setup? The one that Amazon provides in their article is somewhat poorly-drawn.
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Sorry, I've been meaning to do a pictorial of the setup but just haven't had the time.
Basically the main power goes to a GFI outlet (always "on" for the pump and anything else I want to plug in; GFI for the safety factor), then the hot from there to the switched outlet and power to the PiD. My PiD didn't have the stones to switch a 110, so I used a relay powered by a separate 9v (something I've been meaning to upgrade) to switch the control to the heat source (hot plate, slow cooker, whatever I want). I use a thermocouple made from teflon TC wire with a plug for easy disconect, and a surface-mounted TC jack. The whole thing is housed in a cheap Harbor Freight toolbox.
If I ever document this setup, I'll message you.
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I did my own DIY setup loosely based on: $70 DIY Sous Vide Universal Controller. That also happens to be the blog of the people who are developing the Nomiku.
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Looks intriguing but no info on how it is supposed to work or expected final cost?
Looks like it costs around $300, from the rewards section of the kisckstarter. I also would like to see a final cost.
Seems a bit pricey, considering you can already get a sous vide supreme demi for that cost.
I think it seems like a bargain when you compare it to similar devices. I've been a DIY sous vide geek for a while, and this should be considerably better then the supreme demi. I have no affiliation to the project, but I have been following them for quite a while, feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
The cheapest immersion circulator I know of runs about $800: Polyscience Sous Vide Professional Immersion Circulator.
I agree that it's quite a good deal compared to other immersion circulators. For my personal use case though, I don't understand the benefit of an immersion circulator vs something like the sous vide demi. I guess if someone wanted to cook a large item, or a lot at once, in a beer cooler that would help.
Does the circulation help for an individual item?
Also, are there any cheap vac chamber sealers out there? That's the second part of the price issue. I'm currently running a standard vac sealer.
It is all about precision and accuracy. It really depends on what you are making. Keeping the temp within +-, 1 or 2 degrees doesn't make a huge difference if you are making steak. On the other hand that will not effectively let you get eggs exactly as you want them.
The cheapest chamber vac sealers I have seen go for ~$800 which I would love to have, but aren't really necessary for most sous vide cooking. I usually just use freezer baggies, if you submerge all but the top of them when you close them, they do a pretty good job.
ok, ill shoot, why do you think it will be much better than the demi?
fake edit: ok i looked up the stats and this is how/why its better than the demi.
demi: 60w heating, tolerant to 0.5C, 8.7 L bath nomiku: 750w heating, tolerant to 0.2C, 18.9 L bath
ya fuck, i think have to agree. the nomiku is superior. the only shitty part could be that the nomiku's water bath will loose lots of heat with no lid, but the demi might be pretty insulated.
I'm pretty sure it should be trivial to come up with a makeshift cover if water loss is a big concern.
Also straight from the horses mouth: "The temperature stability is <0.1°C over time. We will be doing more testing of this over the next few months and will keep you updated."
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Thanks, I haven't previously heard about it. The Nomiku seems to fall between the SideKIC and Sous Vide Professional in terms of performance. See my "For reference" post.
thats the only downside, it doesnt look like they are offering a discount on kickstarter. This might be the first project i've seen where the prices listed for the product are the same as retail. oh well, i think ill still get one.
edit:talked to them on kickstarter, i BELIEVE they are going to selling it to bigbox stores, and the bigbox stores will sell it at a markup. the "discount" is because we are buying it from them directly.