I am in the process of add PID control of my electric smoker. Ran the first test today. What I did and some test results on this not quite finished link:

http://therockbottom.net/BBQ/S...od/smokintexmod.html

Curt

What a cool idea. I am curious if you have proven that +/-10 degrees yields better grub than +/-30 degrees...

I am an urbanite that can't use open flame to cook on the patio... so I am chasing methods using electricity. (sad to say)

quote:

Originally posted by James St. Pierre:
What a cool idea. I am curious if you have proven that +/-10 degrees yields better grub than +/-30 degrees...

I am an urbanite that can't use open flame to cook on the patio... so I am chasing methods using electricity. (sad to say)

It would be hard to quantify 'improvement' with the pid controller. You can rule out the big swings as a source of any problems. With a freezer full of BBQ I haven't really had much chance to test the new set up. I'm working on my own temperature controller that will hopefully further stabilize the the variance.

You would like the SmokinTex, it is well insulated so there is almost no hot spots anywhere on the box.

Curt

I just last weekend cleared out my third floor patio for whatever cooker/smoker comes next. I have had a WSM conversion in mind that gives it an Weber-made variable electric heat source. For about the same price, your device would work too.

I have been a royal Weber guy for a long time, so I am torn.

I did test the Weber Q electric, and it has 30 degrees swings as the element turns on and off.

Thinking...

This seems to be the most recent post on the board by Curt Timmerman. Curt, you said a few months ago on another thread that you had a perl module for logging data from the Stoker. I want to be able to log the Stoker I just ordered on a linux box. Joe Keenan, a new member RV'ing AK, has just posted asking people interested in such an app for Mac OSX. I am more comfortable in C and perl than anything else. Is your module available? I have my email address hidden as you do, so reply here or to the Joe Keenan thread.

I just responded to this on the 'Stoker and Mac OS X' thread.

Curt

How do you achieve a PID control on a final control element that is on/off?

Are you converting the analog output to a time proportional output. Similar to pulse modulation of a motor, but with the electric heater?

The PID provides PWM control of the heating element. Unlike a conventional oven thermostat that has an on/off cycle of 10-20 minutes, the PID turns the heating element on and off for periods as short as a few seconds.

Works quite well and the SmokinTex was very easy to modify. My design was more complicated because I wanted to be able to switch between the stock thermostat and the PID controller.

Curt

Cool.

Like dc motor control with pwm.

Glad there are other control geeks out there.