New(and not so bright) Stoker Owner


 

Rick Hamilton

TVWBB Member
Well...I have about gone cross-eyed reading thru loads of posts regarding connection and operation of the Stoker. Can someone either reply with a very simple and easy (remember I am not so bright) way to connect the Stoker to my laptop or just a link to a thread already posted with this info. All I want to do is have a hardwire connection to the Stoker and then use Stokerlog. No internet stuff, no wireless, etc. Just a simple wired connect. Thanks so much!!!

Oh...i have a laptop running MS. Thanks again.
 
Randy, Thanks much for the link. This website has so much great info sometimes it is hard to pin down the item needed. It is great that the crew out there is so helpful! Thanks again!
 
Rick,
I have just done this with mine the thing you have to do is turn on you ethernet card in your computer then use a crossover cable then you need to find out your network address. then follow direction on hooking up vista laptop to smoker under search here on this site. sounds kind of vauge but it worked for me good luck
 
OK...I started out this thread stating I am not so bright. I think I am really starting to believe it cuz I can't get this thing to work. I have printed off the threads provided and read thru them multiple times. I think I need to provide some more info and an update.

1. I am running this on an old laptop that i can drag around and not worry about. This means my OS is MS2K (I know, I know)
2. I have not been able to find a cross over cable over 7 ft so I purchased a 4 port hub to connect thru (hopefully this will serve the same purpose as the crossover?)
3. I changed my tcp/ip to fixed and gave it an ip of 192.168.1.1 subnet of 255.255.255.0 default gateway of 192.168.1.1
4. DNS server and alternate are both 192.168.1.1
5. I set the IP for the stoker at 192.168.1.5 and the subnet is 255.255.255.255. I have tried to change it to x.x.x.0 however it just says "please wait" and then does not change. Is this a problem?
6. If I open a command prompt and ping the stoker IP of 192.168.1.5 I actually get all 4 responses with no packets lost.

Any thoughts? (besides "wow...he really isn't so bright") Thanks much for any help available wiht this!
 
I just tried again to PING the Stoker. I received back 4 responses with no packets lost. I then opened an IE window and tried typing in both http://192.168.1.5 and also just 192.168.1.5 by itself. In both instances it thinks for a bit and then says "Cannot Find Server". I really appreciate your, and everyones, help on this Amir.
 
I am not an expert on networking, but I am pretty sure that ALL devices that communicate on the network need to have the same subnet address.

Your laptop is 255.255.255.0 and the Stoker is 255.255.255.255 You said you tried to change the Stoker 255.255.255.0 but could not. I would change the subnet of your laptop to match the subnet of the Stoker.
 
An option for a longer cross-over cable for people that do not want to use a hub is to modify a regular cat-5 cable. Buy the cat-5 cable in the length you want, cut one end off and crimp on a new connector with the wires swapped to make it into a cross over cable. If you do not have access to the crimper (about $15 at most big box stores) I think the GeekSquad desk at BestBuy will do it for you (likely for no charge).

There are also coupler looking things you can buy that have a female port at each end, but interally crosses the 2 wires so you end up having a cross-ever cable using 2 standard cat-5 cables.
 
Rick, Ken is right. You need to set the subnet to 255.255.255.0. Then set the IP address.

Do this with or without the cable hooked up to the laptop and tell us what happens.
 
SUCCESS!!! You guys are the best! It took a couple more attempts to get the subnet to accept the x.x.x.0 but now I am connected. I am so excited. So now I assume I can just open up Amir's Stokerlog program and be on my way to sleeping thru the night? Thanks again to all!
 
Great. When you run stokerlog, be sure to only type the "192.168.1.5" by itself. Don't include the "http://" part or it won't work.

I suggest playing with my program and stoker WITHOUT cooking anything. Become familiar with the operation of the stoker just sitting next to you so you can see how your actions turn the stoker on and off, etc. Just run the program, set the target temp below your ambient temp and see if it turns on. Then bump it up above and see it shut off (after a short while).
 
Been goofing with it and have a pretty good feel for it. I also have been looking thru the ATC posts. I seem to remember coming across some posts regarding not being able to control more than one fan. It looks like I can track multiple temp probes (either fire or food) with Stokerlog but just the single fan. I will be using my stoker on three WSM's and doing a test cook this tomorrow. I am guessing I will be able to fully control one cooker with Stokerlog and the other cookers will be controled by the Stoker itself but the cooker temps can be tracked via Stokerlog. Is that correct?

Thanks for such a great program Amir. Can't wait to do the real cook tomorrow!
 
Actually, if you have the latest version, it supports two complete cooks. When stokerlog detects two blowers, it will pop up a second screen and show that blower and its associated probes seperately.

Note that as with one blower, you need to first configure everything (i.e. associate the blower) in the browser interface.

Also, I don't think many people have used this mode. So do report any issues you see. And thanks for the kind words regarding the program. I had fun writing it and interacting with people here to make it good.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amir:
Actually, if you have the latest version, it supports two complete cooks. When stokerlog detects two blowers, it will pop up a second screen and show that blower and its associated probes seperately.

Note that as with one blower, you need to first configure everything (i.e. associate the blower) in the browser interface.

Also, I don't think many people have used this mode. So do report any issues you see. And thanks for the kind words regarding the program. I had fun writing it and interacting with people here to make it good. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Amir,

Are you still taking suggestions on updates? I know you've been covered up since your retirement. (Why do people retire if they are going to have less time to do things?) Anyway, I though a nice feature would be something that I tried to do in my stoker program, that is to report the rate of temperature change on the food you are preparing. (That's the only reason I still use my program) I find that when the ROC drops to below 4°/ hour, it's reached the plataue and it's time to wrap the food, brisket, butt, whatever, if you're into wrapping.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ken Brown:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amir:
Actually, if you have the latest version, it supports two complete cooks. When stokerlog detects two blowers, it will pop up a second screen and show that blower and its associated probes seperately.

Note that as with one blower, you need to first configure everything (i.e. associate the blower) in the browser interface.

Also, I don't think many people have used this mode. So do report any issues you see. And thanks for the kind words regarding the program. I had fun writing it and interacting with people here to make it good. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Amir,

Are you still taking suggestions on updates? I know you've been covered up since your retirement. (Why do people retire if they are going to have less time to do things?) Anyway, I though a nice feature would be something that I tried to do in my stoker program, that is to report the rate of temperature change on the food you are preparing. (That's the only reason I still use my program) I find that when the ROC drops to below 4°/ hour, it's reached the plataue and it's time to wrap the food, brisket, butt, whatever, if you're into wrapping. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That's an easy suggestion. The issue is not as much with retirement
icon_smile.gif
, as with my laptop. I was leaving LA airport, took the thing out to be x-rayed. The idiot TSA agent reversed the belt and there went my laptop on the concrete floor, shattering the thing. Unfortunately the last bug fix I made is on that laptop. The version on my desktop doesn't have that.

I have been meaning to get the bits from the laptop but have been too lazy to do that
icon_smile.gif
. Or else forget about the last fix...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amir:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ken Brown:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Amir:
Actually, if you have the latest version, it supports two complete cooks. When stokerlog detects two blowers, it will pop up a second screen and show that blower and its associated probes seperately.

Note that as with one blower, you need to first configure everything (i.e. associate the blower) in the browser interface.

Also, I don't think many people have used this mode. So do report any issues you see. And thanks for the kind words regarding the program. I had fun writing it and interacting with people here to make it good. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Amir,

Are you still taking suggestions on updates? I know you've been covered up since your retirement. (Why do people retire if they are going to have less time to do things?) Anyway, I though a nice feature would be something that I tried to do in my stoker program, that is to report the rate of temperature change on the food you are preparing. (That's the only reason I still use my program) I find that when the ROC drops to below 4°/ hour, it's reached the plataue and it's time to wrap the food, brisket, butt, whatever, if you're into wrapping. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That's an easy suggestion. The issue is not as much with retirement
icon_smile.gif
, as with my laptop. I was leaving LA airport, took the thing out to be x-rayed. The idiot TSA agent reversed the belt and there went my laptop on the concrete floor, shattering the thing. Unfortunately the last bug fix I made is on that laptop. The version on my desktop doesn't have that.

I have been meaning to get the bits from the laptop but have been too lazy to do that
icon_smile.gif
. Or else forget about the last fix... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would imagine that the staff at the airport offered to pay for your loss
icon_biggrin.gif
You're not, by any chance, going to get a new laptop with a downgrade are you? I think you are missed.
 
Amir, sorry to hear about your loss. I trust you will be buying HP for the replacement.
icon_smile.gif


I am finishing up my first stoked cook on two WSMs as a test. After some goofing around with it things more or less seem good. I am connecting to the Stoker just fine and can see both fans and both fire temp probes. What I am not seeing is everything in Stokerlog.

In Stokerlog I see a single fan and a single probe. It logs those just fine. I am running version 4.x of Stokerlog (just downloaded it week before last). Any thoughts as to why the second fan/probe do not get picked up? As mentioned above I see them fine in the webpage for the stoker itself. Thanks.
 
Amir, I cooked at the Carolina Smokin' Fall Fling in Lumberton, NC this weekend. My buddy that cooks with me was not able to make it and so I was a team of one for the cook. Having Stokerlog (and the Stoker of course) made this so much easier. I had three WSMs for the cook with two of them running overnight for brisket and pork. Stokerlog spawned the second window as advertised and I was able to track both cooks. I didn't try to do much else thru stokerlog other than tracking of the cook and it worked fantastic for that.

Thanks again for all the help. Over the next couple of months I will play with it some more and hopefully have some relevent feedback for you regarding cooking with two blowers.

Oh...I took 2nd in Ribs out of 29. Not too shabby for my second contest.
 

 

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