A.J. Crocker
TVWBB Member
I just completed my DIY Temp Controller. I had most of the parts to build the enclosure and the fan and wiring. Had to purchase the PID Controller, thermocouple, fuse holder, terminal strip, and one of the switches. In the end it cost me about $55. I figure it would cost close to $95-$100 for the whole thing as long as you could come up with some scrap conduit.
Here's what I did:
First, I used a non-metallic outdoor junction box as the enclosure. I used a 12V PID Controller from www.auberins.com to control my 12V fan from an old PC. I wired in a fuse to protect the PID Controller and used a 12V transformer to power the unit. I can hook it to a car battery when camping as well.
I used some scrap pieces of 1" emt conduit to bring the air in the enclosure and to carry it to the smoker. I drilled holes for the set screw connectors for the conduit, bent the conduit on the inlet side to keep water out, and bent the conduit on the outlet side to mount to my smoker adapter.
I puchased the thermocouple from Auber Instruments as well. I drilled a hole in the middle section of my WSM to accept the thermocouple, painted the exposed metal with black high heat enamel paint, and attached the thermocouple with the nut supplied on the inside of the middle section. I installed it just below the upper cooking grate. The thermocouple can be bent to reach above the cooking grate if I decide later.
I fabbed the adapter for the air inlet out of my daughter's dog's water dish so I had to replace that. I noticed that it looked very similar to the adapter that you can purchase for a Stoker. I cut a hole for the set screw connector and attached the conduit. I then drilled a hole in the adapter and used a toggle bolt to attach the adapter to the charcoal bowl.
Inside the enclosure I cut grooves down the sides with my Dremel to slide a piece of cut sheet metal in to create two separate chambers. I cut a hole in the metal for the fan and mounted the fan with screws. I used silicone around the edge of the metal divider and on the conduit connectors and wire entrance/exit to seal everything up. The lid of the enclosure has a rubber gasket.
I installed all of the electrical wiring and components to the other side of the box. I used epoxy to attach a terminal block to the bottom of the enclosure to make all of my connections. The switch on the right powers up the system. The one on the left was installed between the PID controller and the fan. I use it to keep the fan from coming on when I raise the lid to baste or turn meat. I cut a hole in the lid with my Dremel to slide the PID controller in and applied silicone around the edges to keep out water. Also applied some to the base of the switches. I wired up the PID controller and it was good to go!
I've only tested it with a heat gun as of yet, but it works as designed. The good thing about the PID controller is that it is an intelligent controller. It has an autotune feature that helps it learn how the fan output affects the temperature and adjust accordingly.
I'll be testing it out next weekend (if I can wait that long). I'll be looking forward to sharing my results!
Happy fourth!
Here's what I did:
First, I used a non-metallic outdoor junction box as the enclosure. I used a 12V PID Controller from www.auberins.com to control my 12V fan from an old PC. I wired in a fuse to protect the PID Controller and used a 12V transformer to power the unit. I can hook it to a car battery when camping as well.
I used some scrap pieces of 1" emt conduit to bring the air in the enclosure and to carry it to the smoker. I drilled holes for the set screw connectors for the conduit, bent the conduit on the inlet side to keep water out, and bent the conduit on the outlet side to mount to my smoker adapter.
I puchased the thermocouple from Auber Instruments as well. I drilled a hole in the middle section of my WSM to accept the thermocouple, painted the exposed metal with black high heat enamel paint, and attached the thermocouple with the nut supplied on the inside of the middle section. I installed it just below the upper cooking grate. The thermocouple can be bent to reach above the cooking grate if I decide later.
I fabbed the adapter for the air inlet out of my daughter's dog's water dish so I had to replace that. I noticed that it looked very similar to the adapter that you can purchase for a Stoker. I cut a hole for the set screw connector and attached the conduit. I then drilled a hole in the adapter and used a toggle bolt to attach the adapter to the charcoal bowl.
Inside the enclosure I cut grooves down the sides with my Dremel to slide a piece of cut sheet metal in to create two separate chambers. I cut a hole in the metal for the fan and mounted the fan with screws. I used silicone around the edge of the metal divider and on the conduit connectors and wire entrance/exit to seal everything up. The lid of the enclosure has a rubber gasket.
I installed all of the electrical wiring and components to the other side of the box. I used epoxy to attach a terminal block to the bottom of the enclosure to make all of my connections. The switch on the right powers up the system. The one on the left was installed between the PID controller and the fan. I use it to keep the fan from coming on when I raise the lid to baste or turn meat. I cut a hole in the lid with my Dremel to slide the PID controller in and applied silicone around the edges to keep out water. Also applied some to the base of the switches. I wired up the PID controller and it was good to go!
I've only tested it with a heat gun as of yet, but it works as designed. The good thing about the PID controller is that it is an intelligent controller. It has an autotune feature that helps it learn how the fan output affects the temperature and adjust accordingly.
I'll be testing it out next weekend (if I can wait that long). I'll be looking forward to sharing my results!
Happy fourth!