Use a RTD or a thermocouple. A mechanical (bimetal) thermostat will also work (see oven supplies etc). The last method is the least recommended unless you use several thermostats and a tapped heater. I once made a thermostated plate out of a cooker plate with 5 taps. I used a double thermostat (washing machine) to switch 500W to 100W at 40C and 100W off at 55C. It keeps 0.5l of chemical solution at 55 +/- 0.5C after 30 minutes heatup. The total thermal mass is about 0.5l solution + 1kg iron (heater cooking plate). You don't really need rocket science for these things. Just adjusting the power with a dimmer at constant air flow will probably be enough. A high temperature thermometer can be bought for pennies in a hardware store (cooking thermostat for oven). Most DMMs have a plug for K type thermocouple which should cover your temperature range. good luck, Peter -- http://www.piclist.com hint: To leave the PICList mailto:piclist-unsubscribe-request@mitvma.mit.edu