I did okay my first time with low-tech water tempering. I used a cooler, decent thermometer, and an aquarium heater. The heater is the analog style with a dial. I pulled the dial off and repositioned it on the rheostat so I the little limiter (a plastic stop) didn't stop me from raising the heat. I then tested and adjusted until I was able to maintain the temperature I wanted. It's a long process to make sure the temperature is stable. I just set it up, left it alone a few hours, adjusted, etc., until I was confident of the setup. When I finally processed, I made sure the conditions were exactly the same as my tests. Changing the cooler, for example, can throw everything off.
It wasn't the best and most accurate way, but it worked well enough for my first times.