INTRODUCING: the "Roto Damper"


 
Ralph - Funny you mention the servo screw being tight. I did that at first but I caught when benching testing. Now I use a sheet of paper as a feeler gauge .

Dominick - You've got me on the carbon fiber wire never heard of that one. Worried that load on the 5V line could freak out the AVR chip. Recall someone couple of years ago hooked up a big servo and the power draw kept rebooting the board.

Took as much grease as I could out of the servo tonight then put it back together. Stuck the RD3 in the freezer for several hours then hooked it up real fast. Seems to move ok but this new servo code movement kind of freaks me out. About the time I think it's stuck then it moves. I think it's a simple change to make it move constantly. I recall seeing the line is even commented in the code saying undefine to force continuous movement.
 
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Really enjoying the HeaterMeter, and the RD3 that Ralph came up with. I did a 19.5 hour cook (2 butts totaling 13 lbs, no idea why it took so long) and it held pretty much rock steady, only opening to retrieve the first butt honestly. Certainly less fussy than my old Weber kettle grill with the smoke adapter. :)
 
Drew - Was it a 2 piece bone-in package from Sam's or the like? I've done a few of those in that same weight range and have experienced 1.5 hours per pound, so I think you are in the ballpark. I did some ribs on Saturday and the RD3 held 275 for 4 hours with no problems. I really haven't had any problems since ironing some things out on my own and it has boosted my BBQ enjoyment levels significantly. Now I'm always looking for an excuse to grab a big piece of meat to throw on my cooker :)
 
Randall Lee Lewis said:
I have a printer. Just need the files. Does anyone have them they can send me?
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Ralph may, but the files are not readily available. There's a few more alternate options as far as fan/damper setups here on the forum. SteveCKs MicroDamper is great, and of course Tom Kole has a few with his Barrel Servo and Offset designs which are equally good.

If you want the RotoDamper files, e-mail Ralph at rotodamper@gmail.com. I'm sure he'll respond in good haste.
 
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WBegg said:
Ralph may, but the files are not readily available. There's a few more alternate options as far as fan/damper setups here on the forum. SteveCKs MicroDamper is great, and of course Tom Kole has a few with his Barrel Servo and Offset designs which are equally good.

If you want the RotoDamper files, e-mail Ralph at rotodamper@gmail.com. I'm sure he'll respond in good haste.
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Will, Ralph Trimble's email is actually rotodamper@HOTMAIL.com. Chris posted it correctly a couple posts back, but wanted to make sure the correct information is up here.
 
If you want one, I have one I could sell you. Fully assembled, it works great. Black with orange lettering, no thermocouple. $55 shipped. PM me if interested.
 
geeze, it's a regular 3 card monty here these days, wrong email address and all (thanks wbegg, I expect nothing less)... at any rate, if you are interested in the files for your personal use SteveCK posted the proper email address, and contrary to popular belief, I sent out 5 copies of the files in the last two days to DIY BBQ enthusiasts...
 
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Sorry to put this in here if it Isent in the right place. BUT here I go...
I have ordered a rotodamper and have finally gotten around to building it to find out I am in a little too deep. I have no idea how to put this thing together. ( I built my heater meter but this is much smaller and less instruction)
so my question is does anyone build these to sell??? how can I get my hands on one??
 
I have one I can sell you. It only has the fan and servo. No jacks for probes or thermocouple, I just use the jacks in the HM directly for that.

PM if you are in interested. I can let this one go for what I paid for parts. It's a spare.
 
The jack does not take two wires easily. Best option is to connect the two ground wires so only one of them need to attach to the jack itself. That may be your issue.
 
Just wanted to thank Ralph for the new case and the new RD3. They look great and work great.

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