2nd Stoker Cook Issues - Any Ideas


 
32 degrees is a fault condition with the probes usually. So I wonder if you had a bad connection to the pit probe or that port is faulty. May want to try moving the pit probe to a different input and see what happens.

In general, the algorithm attempts to smooth out fluctuation as to avoid oscilations. Fancy word
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, meaning that any closed loop system like this must allow for some amount of overshoot or undershoot. So seeing the temp go below the target is not unusual. If it lets the fire die, that is bad.

Anyway, I think Ed may be on the right track here with a faulty unit.

Also, I would avoid a wireless router until you get the thing to work reliably. The networking stack is not the most robust in this box and if fed unusual things, it gets unhappy. I had this problem when I tried to attach to it from Japan over my wireless modem (!).
 
Todd, I'm running my probes through Guru eyelets.

Amir, I understand what you're saying. My first cook was a "wired" cook with (unfortunately) the same results.
 
PHOTOS

I think I may have one of my problems identified; I assume the damper should swing freely when the fan goes on and off. When I looked at my blower this a.m. I noticed the damper was stuck 1/2 way open. I tilted the blower back and forth (it's off the WSM) and no damper movement. If you look closely at it (top down) on the left hand side the damper is stuck against the inside of the WSM mount. It does not appear that there is enough room for it to open and close freely on the left side, plenty of room on the right hand side.

Now this wouldn't cause the blower not to come on or the system to glaze over but it could contribute to the fact that she over shoots temps.

I'm getting ready to call Stoker now.
 
Just got off the phone with Rock at Rocks Bar-b-que and he confirmed for me that I probably have a bad unit. He said to send it back and he'd send me out a new one. Turns out I'll be heading to San Francisco week and he suggested I just swing by and exchange it and have a chat.

This is my second time calling in to Rock's and I've got to say both times I've been very pleased with their customer service. What I appreciated today was the fact that right out of the gate he said, "sounds like you probably have a bad unit, lets get it back here." None of this, well did you try this, did you try that, let's connect her and try this etc. that you experience with other customer service departments. My time if valuable and he really seemed to respect this. Excellent customer service! He also apologized profusely and said he felt bad that I had received a bad unit. Very genuine.

I've been involved with technology for a long time, mostly on the software side of the house but always interfacing with some kind of hardware. I understand that from time to time you have a hardware issue, it's a fact of life/technology. Hell my SO's son's new Gateway laptop started smoking yesterday and died. From time to time S%$@ happens with hardware, although it sounds like this is very rare with the Stoker. What's most important is after it happens how are you treated and is the issue resolved to the consumers satisfaction. In this case I've been treated very well and I'm positive it will be taken care of. And, I'll be on my way to having successful like all the other satisfied Stoker users enjoying the "set-it-and-forget-it performance (and my graphs will look like Bob and Ken') all the while monitoring and controlling my stoker from the comfort of my desk or from my SmartPhone. Best of both worlds!

Thanks Rock!
 
Good deal Larry,
I just got back home and as I was reading your thread, I said to myself - "Self, it sure seems like Larry has a bad piece of hardware" and was going to suggest you contact Rocks. Guess I don't need to do that
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It is always encouraging to hear stories of excellent customer service these days. Usually all we hear are the fights with the vendors.
 
Larry - just got around to reading through the thread. I was about to post the same as Bob until I found you got the new unit coming. Glad to see it's resolved. Gotta love it when you run into good customer service, pretty rare these days.

Hope your issues are totally resolved with the replacement unit. Has to be a bummer to be psyched to do some unattended overnighters only to have to be troubleshooting all night.
 
Larry, did you get your new unit yet? If so whens the next cook? I mean come on Bakersfield in only 2 hours from here.
 
Hey Bob, unfortunately I didn't make it to San Fran. this week. So I mailed it to Rock and he'll get a new unit and blower back to me early next week. Once back I think I'll do a mid-week rib cook with a full ring of charcoal and after I take my ribs off do a "dry" run the rest of the cook.

Actually I'm up in Fresno about 3:45 min. north of you.

I ordered a switch and I'm going to attempt to setup a BBQ cam on my patio using my new bridge and a web cam with a built in web server.
 
For some reason I was thinking you were in Bakersfield. Fresno isn't to bad a drive either. Bummer about having to wait to get the new unit.

As soon as I get my smoker cart completed, one of its features is going to be a web cam on it as well.

Here is today's cook. Butterflied chickens at 350°f
 
Here is today's cook. Butterflied chickens at 350°f
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Now That's what I'm talking about! Your graphs are always killer in terms of temp control. Cannot wait to get my stoker back and do a mid week cook. Probably going to do a dry run of beef ribs.
 
I swear my graphs didn't used to look like that. But after sealing up my door really well and using the clay pot they are rock solid.

I just pulled off two chickens, and added two more to the smoker. My wife likes me to cook a bunch of chicken which she then freezes in food savers bags. Boiling the chicken up for weeknight meals. I think I really need to get some additional racks so I can do more than 2 butterflied chickens at once.

I have never tried Beef ribs on my smoker, hmm not sure why though.


UPDATE!
Ok so not all my graphs look rock steady, take a look at this one. If you read the notes I added to the graph you'll see why it went a little wacky though.
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woohoo fire the puppy up.
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Doing Pot Roast a la Stogie later today. It was hell trying to find a chuck roast around 5 lbs. so had to go with a 3.5 pounder
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I'll let you know how the smoke goes.
 
Good deal Larry. I suggest going slow. My worry is that you may have had more than one problem, some of which may not yet be resolved.

This is what I would do:

1. Make sure you are using a static/fixed IP address on the stoker. That way, there are no unknowns with the router not feeding it the IP address.

2. Use hardwired Ethernet cable even if it means buying a 50 foot cable.

3. Make sure the browser is able to talk to the stoker for along time without failing. I would turn on the stoker right now. Configure it as above and open the browser page pointed at is IP address and let it run against it overnight and see if she is still alive tomorrow.

4. Then fire up my program and likewise let it run for multiple hours. It should run just as reliably as above or something is wrong.

Once all of this is out of the way, then we are simply down to stoker controling a real fire which as the only variable, should be easier to diagnose.

By the way, I test my program all the time like the above so this comes from experience
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. I would not do a real cook until you have the basics re-tested. It is a lot less stressful this way than dealing with a food that is burning because you can't figure something out...
 
Thanks Amir, I throughly tested my network and the Stoker today. I'm convinced I'm rock solid using my new wireless bridge, not one issue communicating to the Stoker during my 6 - 7 hour cook.

Thanks!
 
Glad you got it going Larry. There's a saying though, "the proof is in the pudding." In this case, the proof will be in the pork butt. Make sure you read the post about sealing up the vents, get yourself a platter and cover it with foil, and do a test burn, checking your smoker temp only and see how stable you can get it. It's a little harder to do empty, but it should fine. One other thing I forgot to mention, and maybe some one else has had this happen. Don't use too many wood chunks close together. If they flame up and there are too many, overshoots will happen big time. And you have to catch the drippings, same reason.
 
What bridge are you using now?
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I picked up a Linksys WET11 on eBay for $32 shipped. It's a "B" unit but this will be it's only application so I don't need "G" speeds.

I connected a laptop to it and ran a VoIP diagnostic program that I have that graphs your connection performance and was very pleased with the results. Didn't lose connection with my network once in a 72 hour period. When I used it with my Stoker the connection was very reliable too. Because these are "B" units you can pick them up on eBay in the $30 - $40 range. Based on my brief experience with the unit, for the price you can't beat it.

Setup was a bit of a pain (unless you've setup one of these units in the past) as because it's a used unit it didn't come with an install disk and Linksys doesn't have one on their website for download. Now that I've done it I could walk someone through setting it up in less than 5 minutes that's how easy it is.
 
Originally posted by LarryR:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">What bridge are you using now?
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I picked up a Linksys WET11 on eBay for $32 shipped. It's a "B" unit but this will be it's only application so I don't need "G" speeds.

I connected a laptop to it and ran a VoIP diagnostic program that I have that graphs your connection performance and was very pleased with the results. Didn't lose connection with my network once in a 72 hour period. When I used it with my Stoker the connection was very reliable too. Because these are "B" units you can pick them up on eBay in the $30 - $40 range. Based on my brief experience with the unit, for the price you can't beat it.

Setup was a bit of a pain (unless you've setup one of these units in the past) as because it's a used unit it didn't come with an install disk and Linksys doesn't have one on their website for download. Now that I've done it I could walk someone through setting it up in less than 5 minutes that's how easy it is. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have the setup app for this bridge on my laptop if anyone needs it. My experience with this bridge has been the opposite. I originally bought it for use with my Xbox, and quickly threw it in a drawer and ran a wire around the house. I pulled it back out of the drawer last year when I got a Slingbox. Have had alot of problems with it still, everytime I'm on the road I have to call home and have my daughter unplug the bridge so it can reconnect with the router. This weekend I setup for use with the stoker and Stoker Log, it disconnected towards the end of the cook and caused stoker log to do some weird things. After that cook I had enough and ordered two new bridges online, this one is going in the garbage. It maybe I have a bad unit, hope yours continues to work good.
 
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