Need some advise from the HM Guru's


 
M

MDemm

New member
I came across this forum earlier after searching for opinions / recommendations for a ATC for my kamado. Prior to reading about the HeaterMeter, I was leaning towards purchasing a BBQ guru Digi-Q. Now I'm leaning towards the getting a HeaterMeter. From what I've read the latest ver. that is available is 4.1.4 ? And that 4.2.X is just around the corner... I like the idea of being able to use type-K thermocouples (4.2.X), but I'm not set in stone... I guess it all boils down to, I need some advise... Would you recommend building a ver 4.1.X ? or wait until the 4.2.X boards are released ? Again, thank you all for your times spent, and in sharing the wealth of info on the HeaterMeter...
 
I think you are for sure making a good call to go the Heater Meter direction, I don't think anything else on the market comes close to the features of the HM and it is constantly evolving... evolving quite a lot in recent months and near future as well.
As for what is available HM wise, you've got that down too... the HMv4.1.X is the latest stable release version and is quite a nice unit. That said, being lucky enough to have a v4.2 prototype I have to say I think v4.2 has taken a solid leap forward, so it might be worth waiting for. The most recent "standard" HM board that is stocked and sold by OSHPark in sigles is the HMv4.0, all of the V4.1 boards have to be ordered from OSHPark by uploading the board design to them and ordering 3 at a time, that's why you see people looking for single boards here and selling their extras. I'm not quite sure if Bryan has made the v4.2.x board designs available or not, cause if you have that board file what's to stop someone from ordering 3 of those instead of the v4.1? We'll, there is no build guide yet, and while the majority of the parts are the same on all versions there are handful of parts that are different on v4.2.X and there is no official BOM or linked shopping cart at Mouser for the parts. That said, you can start with the 4.1.X cart and throw in the rest of the new parts manually...
OK, probably not helping you at this point! LOL It all really comes down to your skill set and personality. If you are an impatient type and need a more guided experience then maybe go down the well traveled v4.1 road right away, if you are very patient perhaps sit back and let Bryan put together the official v4.2 release, if you are adventurous and have background electronic skills and think you are up to the challenge perhaps see if you can get the v4.2 board files and piece it together. If you go that route I think the thread I started recently about my v4.2.3 build will be helpful to you.
 
To clarify things a bit, HeaterMeter v4.1.4 is the current stable version. HeaterMeter v4.2.x is in development and is not available to users at all until release at which point there will be as much documentation as there is for the 4.1 (bom, mouser cart, build photos, etc).

I'm hopeful that the last prototype will be the last, and if that's the case we're looking at somewhere in the timeframe of within a month to release. Note that the thermocouple version requires surface mount soldering a 3mmx3mm 8 pin chip, which isn't insanely difficult but it is a couple of orders of magnitude harder than a standard HeaterMeter and not recommended for soldering neophytes.
 
Thanks guys for clarifying the differences between the 4.1.X and 4.2.X boards. I'd really like to try the the upcoming 4.2.X version. But as Bryan noted. The surface mount soldering of the 8pin chip " is a couple of orders of magnitude harder than a standard HeaterMeter ". I'd really hate to invest monies and times spent and make a mistake / screw things up... Based on your experience. Have any of you guys ever thought about selling a preconfigured HeaterMeter ? I must admit. This forum is addictive.
 
MDemm said:
Have any of you guys ever thought about selling a preconfigured HeaterMeter ?
Click to expand...
You mean pre-built? I've considered it but there's a few reasons why I won't.
-- Time. It takes over an hour and a half to assemble a HeaterMeter and test it out. For that to be worth it for me, I'd have to add on like fifty bucks to the cost of a $100 project.
-- Support. If I sell a prebuilt part, I'm pretty much on the hook for doing tech support.
-- Quality. Believe it or not, I don't consider HeaterMeter to be of commercial quality. It UI is a little too cobbled together.
-- Returns. Sell something assembled and it breaks, it has to be returnable. One broken HeaterMeter returned means you're digging yourself out of a hole cost-wise for like the next 10, even if it was the user that somehow broke the device (or it wasn't even broken at all).

I am looking into doing pre-assembled PCB+thermocouple parts, but I am working out the best way to test the themocouple amp to ensure it is 100% working.
 
MDemm said:
Thanks guys for clarifying the differences between the 4.1.X and 4.2.X boards. I'd really like to try the the upcoming 4.2.X version. But as Bryan noted. The surface mount soldering of the 8pin chip " is a couple of orders of magnitude harder than a standard HeaterMeter ". I'd really hate to invest monies and times spent and make a mistake / screw things up... Based on your experience. Have any of you guys ever thought about selling a preconfigured HeaterMeter ? I must admit. This forum is addictive.
Click to expand...

I was worried about the SMD soldering as well, but it went really easy for me. You need a fine tipped soldering iron first off. If you get one of those magnifying visors you can see the parts clearly and the soldering isn't all that hard. Harbor Freight has them for like $3 bucks...
Also, the surface mount stuff is only for the thermocouple, if you hose that up somehow you can always remove the parts and solder in a regular probe jack and use a regular thermistor pit probe.... I had given some thought to how the SMD was going to go over with newbees to soldering, probably not that well... and was thinking perhaps when v4.2 is officially released I may order a few board sets and solder the SMD stuff to them and resell them with a small upcharge to those who are afraid to attempt the SMD soldering, but we'll have to wait and see about that when the time comes.
 
I at another forum I do offer pre-built Heatermeters, that just includes the soldering part of the build and blower for people who may be to scarred to solder. But, I also direct them here for support and I give Bryan full credit for the design. But most are familiar with the Heatermeter and are just not into trying solder.
 
hmm, not sure how many people would spend $50 for an air soldering device just to get the SMD stuff done on a HM board? Maybe if you were planning on doing a lot of them it would be worth it, but if I only needed to do about 5 minutes of SMD soldering in my lifetime I don't know if I would spring for the specialty device. Thanks for the info though, if I end up doing the SMD soldering on HM boards for others I may make the investment.
 
Or a toaster oven, but I am going to try and use my soldering iron first or I do have a heat gun the I can control the heat from 500 to 1600. But it heats a large area.
 
I did fine with a thin tipped soldering iron, thin solder, flux applied to the board, holding the parts with long tweezers (also a dollar item from Harbor Freight) and viewing with the $3 magnifying visor from Harbor Freight. It went very fast and surprisingly easy. The first side of the thermocouple chip got a solder bridge over all 4 pins, the other side went down smooth pin by pin without bridging. The first side cleaned up really easily with a little solder wick, it pulled up the excess solder leaving all the legs clean and soldered in place. The resistors and caps were easier. All in all, MUCH easier than I expected, but I would not have been able to do it without the magnifying visor, that was the key to making it doable for me, 'cause you gotta be able to see what you are working on...
 
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