New User needs someone to hold his hand


 
T

ThorS

TVWBB Member
Here's my background. I joined this forum because of the HM. I would like to build one obviously for controlling my WSM but also because I want the experience of building some electronics. I've succesfully put together a Minty Synth and CMOY headphone amp. I tried building the CMOY from scratch buying some bare PCB and parts from digikey but never got it to work correctly. That's when I broke down and bought the kit from JDs and it worked right finally.

I feel like I can follow the directions pretty well but I need to double check that I'm understanding everything correctly. Specifically I want to make sure I buy all the necessary and correct parts to make it work.

Parts List
Raspberry pi (I was going to get the newest version so it has built in wifi)
a USB power source for the raspberry pi
SD card

I was thinking of ordering the HM 4.3 with case from here. Choosing no blower and thermocouple. My understanding is the thermocouples are more durable than thermistor based probes. Will I need to get anything else special to run the thermocouple probes with the HM or does choosing the thermocouple option take care of it?

For a blower I was going to get the RD3 or the micro damper. It seems like it's pretty easy to get the micro damper from here. What other "things" do I need to order to drive the damper? If I need to build an ethernet cable I think I have a friend with the crimp tool I can borrow.

And last I think I need to order the thermocouples. I would guess to just get them from Auber or on Amazon.
 
Sounds like you have the necessary skills to build a heatermeter.

To answer some of your questtions / comment on your statements.

You don't need a power source for the raspberry pi, you need a power adapter for the HeaterMeter itself. Get a 12v 2 amp power supply. 1 amp is required, but a lot of times they fall short and cause problems.

You don't need anything in addition to choosing the thermocouple, except for an actual thermocouple, but I'm sure you knew that.

If you go the MicroDamper route, everything you need to build one is included in the kit as long as you choose the full kit. You don't need a crimp tool for the ethernet. All you need is a soldering iron.

For thermocouples, just find a cheap one from amazon - search "type k thermocouple". Or you can ask member WBegg here who builds thermcouples, he can hook you up.
 
Also, don't go cheap on the temp probes. They'll be all over the place. I went cheap and wish I had gotten thermoworks probes.
 
SteveCK said:
You don't need a power source for the raspberry pi, you need a power adapter for the HeaterMeter itself. Get a 12v 2 amp power supply. 1 amp is required, but a lot of times they fall short and cause problems.
Click to expand...

So does the R Pi get it's power from the heater meter then? What kind of connector do I need for the power supply? Can you steer me towards an example on Amazon?

Edit: And so if I get the complete kit for the microdamper ($40.50 option) it has everything? Does that mean the connector for the wire to the fan/damper control is on the heater meter board? Or mounted once it gets soldered on?
 
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Correct, the HM board powers the RasPi once the 2 are mated together. If you go to amazon and search for 12v 2a power adapter, you'll see plenty of them.
 
Okay, parts are all ordered. I even included a rosin flux pen from Amazon. If anyone is interested I'll post photos of the build. Plus I'm sure I'll be asking more questions once it gets to the software setup stage. I have built a few PC's in my time and once I converted an old PC to run on Linux so I think I should be mostly okay.

EDIT: I forgot to say thanks for the help!! Also, I ordered a power supply that was UL listed. I looked at the parts list and saw that the kit came with a 2.1 mm power jack so I made sure to order an adapter with that size plug.
 
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ThorS said:
So does the R Pi get it's power from the heater meter then? What kind of connector do I need for the power supply? Can you steer me towards an example on Amazon?

Edit: And so if I get the complete kit for the microdamper ($40.50 option) it has everything? Does that mean the connector for the wire to the fan/damper control is on the heater meter board? Or mounted once it gets soldered on?
Click to expand...

Rpi gets it's power from the heatermeter. I've had good luck with this one: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00PJZQDDO/tvwb-20

That kit you mention includes a 6-ft ethernet cable, most people have these around the house so you might not necessarily need it. It's a standard cable and the heatermeter has a female ethernet port that it plugs into, the oposite end of the cable goes to the MicroDamper. If you want to hardwire the MicroDamper you can save a few bucks and not order the jacks with the MicroDamper.
 
Okay, got more questions already and haven't even received any parts in the mail yet.

Are these the right type of probes? Are there recommendations for better probes? I feel the expensive probes are cheaper if they last longer.

How many connectors will be on the HM? In other words, how many probes will I be able to connect? I would like to run at least two, one clipped to read just above the top grill, the other in the meat. Being able to read a second piece of meat would be the next choice and then finally, ambient temperature.

In "step 8" it says, "Do not install 10k resistor R18, in the pit jack if using a thermocouple (but do install the 100k, however it is missing in one of the photos below)." Where do you install the 100K resistor?

Also step 10 says, "Do not install JP3 if creating a thermocouple variant." And in the picture it looks like there is one thermocouple port then three other types of jacks. Will I be forced to run one thermocouple and 3 thermistors? This is probably the biggest source of my confusion at the moment.

I reread the instructions for assembling the board. I didn't see where you install an ethernet port to plug in the fan/damper. Did I miss something? Does the kit come with an ethernet port?
 
I had some similar questions in my thread before I built. I used Andrew F's advice and ordered the food probe from thermoworks.
Link to thread: https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?68909-About-to-order!-Some-questions

Here is the TC i used as it has a metal sheathing plus alligator clip. I've calibrated it in boiling water as well @ my altitude & it close to begin with.
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0142SKL0Y/tvwb-20

You will be able to run 1 TC for your pit temp, and 3 food probes. Unless you ordered the ambient sensor to mount to the board you would need to be using a probe suspended in the air. If using the board mounted one, that ambient temp is off as you will likely be using a case then.

"In "step 8" it says, "Do not install 10k resistor R18, in the pit jack if using a thermocouple (but do install the 100k, however it is missing in one of the photos below)." Where do you install the 100K resistor?"
tcv.jpg


Also step 10 says, "Do not install JP3 if creating a thermocouple variant." And in the picture it looks like there is one thermocouple port then three other types of jacks. Will I be forced to run one thermocouple and 3 thermistors? This is probably the biggest source of my confusion at the moment.

Yes you will run 1 TC and 3 thermistors

The Ethernet port is included with the kit. It's in the final step (10) 1 RJ45-8 RJ45-8 JP2

I am sure you will enjoy the project. I really did and was not much of an electronics person. I took my time and unfortunately made 1 mistake which cost me some time as I had to get a solder sucker from work. Other than that I didn't have any critical problems, and there's a lot of more knowledgeable people on here to help. Enjoy!
 
I have the heatermeter assembled except for the LEDs. I some how forgot to order the case when I was ordering the kit. So now I have to wait til Tuesday for it to get here, then I can solder in the lights. I also got the micro damper assembled today except that I haven't glued anything together. I want to make sure it all words first. Even then, I might just tape it together in case I need to repair or change something the future. By far the hardest part so far was soldering the connectors for the MD.

Since the HM wasn't finished I decided to try firing up the raspberry pi indepedently. I downloaded the HM software and extracted it to the SD card with applepi baker. All it did was leave me at a terminal prompt and I couldn't figure out what to do. So I downloaded SD formatter, completely wiped the card, then installed NOOBS. That way at least I know that the RasPi is working. I was also able to get it on my wifi.

Is there a way to install the heatermeter software onto the RPi that has raspbian already running on it? I'm starting to feel that getting the software running correctly is going to be the hardest part of the build.
 
Hmm, terminal prompt... Do you mean you plugged the rPi into a monitor and after the boot all you see is a terminal prompt? That is normal, the HM has no gui other than the web interface.
You need to get it connected to your wired or wireless lan and then connect to it via web browser and then you will get then HM gui and access to all the config etc.
 
RalphTrimble said:
Hmm, terminal prompt... Do you mean you plugged the rPi into a monitor and after the boot all you see is a terminal prompt? That is normal, the HM has no gui other than the web interface.
You need to get it connected to your wired or wireless lan and then connect to it via web browser and then you will get then HM gui and access to all the config etc.
Click to expand...

Okay, I typed up a bunch of crap about what was going on then decided to reread the directions and give it a go.

I used applepi baker to reimage the SD card. Then I took out the SD card and reinserted it into the computer to edit the config file. It said the card was read only and wouldn't let me make any changes. So I pulled the card out, moved the mechanical lock switch to locked, reinserted, pulled it out, unlocked it, then reinserted. The computer finally said I had permission to edit the card. I was then able to change the wifi settings.

I connected the Rpi to the HM and decided to fire it up. The green light started flashing then after a bit the LCD screen came on and it appears the program copied itself from the Rpi to the HM. Now I need to see if I can access it via my wifi, in other words, did I get the wifi set up correctly.
 
Scratch everything. I got it working. I went back and discovered that the "#" did not get removed from the lines with the wifi name and password. I re-edited the config file, it rebooted, and now I can acces it via a browser.

I'm doing a little happy dance now. Next is the hard part, waiting for probes and the case to come in the mail. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can get the blower blowing and then work out a way to attatch it to my WSM. I don't like the idea of drilling a hole through the porcelain so I think I'll use the dog bowl method.

I can't wait to smoke something. I'd really like to try something over night. And it would be awesome to get the alarms set up so it messages me.

EDIT: By the way, is there a proper way to power down the HM? Do I just unplug it?
 
I figured you had it going, just didnt realize it, glad you've got it fully worked out now.
There is no "off" for the HM, just pull the plug.
Hope you enjoy your first HM cook experience!
 
I received the probes in the mail so I tried playing around with it a bit more tonight. I couldn't get the micro damper to run at all. The LCD on the HM said it should have been running at 100%. So I played around with setting the BBQ temp to 70 degrees and holding the probe with my hand. The fan percentage on the LCD would go up and down depending on the temp I got the probe up to but the fan would not kick in at all.

I unscrewed the cover on the jack and double checked that none of the tabs inside were shorted out and still nothing. So I tried checking the connector with my volt meter. I could not get a voltage across any of the tip/sleeve combinations. So then I found the markings on the ethernet jack solder points on the board and checked voltage there. I was getting a solid 12V from GND to blower and got 5V at GND to +5V. I wasn't sure what the reading of GND to servo should be.

So something is going on from between the ethernet jack on the HM to the 1/8" TRRS connector on the end of the cable. Should I check continuity from the board solder points to each end of the wire going to the 1/8" jack? Do I have a "type A" ethernet cable and if so, how should I wire it? I might try bypassing the jack on the side of the MD and wire it directly. If so, what are the connections?

PS: I tried looking for marking on the jack to see if it was type A or B and there were none.
 
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Hold the jack close to you, with the pins up and the tab facing away from you.

If the first 2 colours are white-green, green it's 568A. If they are white-orange, orange it's 568B

hqdefault.jpg
 
Okay, it's a type B, still doesn't explain why it's not working. I think I'll try checking continuity from the board to the 1/8" jack tomorrow when I'm more awake.

EDIT: I found the problem. It was the dumb-*** that plugged it into the wrong ethernet port.
 
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I think I've have everything running correctly. I figured out how to adjust the servo so the damper opens and closes all the way. I have the thermocouple plugged in and it reads a temperature and a Maverick probe reading correctly on Probe 1.

Do I need to do PID tuning? Or will it tune itself automatically if I let it run a while? While I was playing around with the web interface I set the temp to just below room temp and let the thing room. It cycled the fan up and down a little bit. Will this ruin the PID tuning? I assume I was confusing it because it wasn't getting any change in the temp probe as it cycled the fan.

I guess I'm asking what's my next step and how do I do it? I find the PID tuning instructions super confusing so I guess that's why I'm hoping to avoid it. Also, I think I saw people mention calibrating the thermocouple by putting it in boiling water. Are there instructions on how to do that?
 
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