Vintage CompuTemp 5 Electronic Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer
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After decades of using various outdoor thermometers that used a bimetal coil, mercury, or alcohol, I finally decided after the latest one failed that it was time to get an electronic one. Not wanting a wireless type that would require batteries, I found a vintage Springfield Aspen model thermometer on eBay that had a remote alcohol bulb connected to the indoor display by a thin copper tube. When it arrived, I discovered that the bulb had burst long ago, and the escaped red dye in the alcohol was evident on the packaging. That was a real disappointment since it was not electrical, which would be the best option. Upon inspecting some of the other same model thermometers on eBay, it appears all of them have the same issue based on the way the outdoor glass tube looks (solid dark red line inside the tube). I didn't bother alerting any of the other vendors. Fortunately, the person I bought mine from issued a full refund, including shipping, with no hassle.

At that point I figured maybe an electronic thermometer using remote thermocouple sensors would be a good option, since being directly wired to the indoor display unit, no batteries would be required. My first choice for a vintage electronic thermometer was one of the Heathkit models, preferably unbuilt, but a pre-built version would be acceptable. After about a week of keeping a watch out for one, none became available, so I looked for something else. This CompuTemp 5 electronic thermometer was offered by a few different eBay sellers. The one I selected appeared to be never used and it had the original packaging and documentation. The protective plastic strip was still over the LED display. That's right, this circa 1987 has an old fashion LED, not an LCD. It comes with two thermocouples, one with a 6-foot lead wire and another with a 30-foot lead wire. The CompuTemp 5 has a clock function, a main and an auxiliary thermocouple input, and a minimum and maximum stored temperature value. The display can be set to step through the time, indoor temperature, and outdoor temperature, or any combination thereof.

I performed the simple temperature calibration, then passed the long-wire thermocouple sensor under the lower window pane and up near the top of the wall under a covered porch, so that the sun never comes anywhere near it. The electronics / indicator cabinet sits on a shelf over my computer (that's a vintage Cox control line Sopwith Camel Biplane sitting atop it).

Posted January 25, 2024