Questions on sourcing a SolidState relay

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) Hardware Interfacing
1

Hey all. I am looking to make quite a few upgrades to my RFID equipped fridge, and the post if the first of my research.

I want to control the compressor with a solid state relay. Can anybody weigh in on how good of an idea this is? Can the relay handle the constant on / off cycles of a refrigigerator motor?

Whats the cycle count of a solid state relay?
Anybody got any sources or preferred relays they like to use with the arduino?
Is ebay a good source? Ive found a few relays for $6 or so, but are they any good?!

Thanks!

2

Thanks. This is exactly the advice i was looking for.

Google products says 50$ + for SSR, but ebay gets me 6 shipped. There has to be a difference that i'm not taking into account, but it seems as if the SSR's work perfectly within the range i need (120V @ just a few amps) and can be triggered by 3-25V at just a tiny fraction of an amp.

Next step: Thermistors