INTRODUCING: the "Roto Damper"


 
JuanGarcia said:
I have an OG heatermeter... I think the servo died is there a way to test it ? Also anyone know how to take the damn thing apart to get the servo out ? ohh also what are the setting for the servo also ?
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This is a very confusing post. I'd suggest starting a new thread and post some pics about the part that you can't figure out.
 
JuanGarcia said:
I have an OG heatermeter... I think the servo died is there a way to test it ? Also anyone know how to take the damn thing apart to get the servo out ? ohh also what are the setting for the servo also ?
Click to expand...

If you are asking how to get an original RD or RD3 apart to remove the servo, the parts are all press fit together so they just need to be pulled apart. If they are too tight to pull wedge something like a screwdriver in the crack where the parts mate and twist it to pop them apart. The servo is held in place with the one screw through the horn in both cases.
 
Got my servo in the mail yesterday and have finally assembled my rotodamper. Great design, can't wait to cook on it. I've used just the blower twice and had a little trouble keeping the temp low on the first cook.

Thanks Ralph for being generous enough to share the files with me and for answering so many questions. I've read and reread this thread a LOT!
 
Glad it worked out for you, the RD3 will give you the control you need to tamp down your pit temp. Hope your first cook goes well.
 
Wow, the RotoDamper makes a big difference!!! I have a cook going on now. The servo is often making changes to ensure the temp stays consistent. I have much more control over the pit now!
 
Heatermeter + Rotodamper in Action

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Hello... I went to start my grill this morning and my rd3 would not respond. The fan does not start, I cannot use the temp probes, the damper does not adjust.

Is there any troubleshooting advice? Any errors in the logs I should look for? Or would it just be easier to replace the board?

Please note that I have no hardware skills or tools. I am fairly technical though.

I would also like to thank everyone for the amazing devices (Heatermeter and RD3). I love these things.
 
StewartC said:
Hello... I went to start my grill this morning and my rd3 would not respond. The fan does not start, I cannot use the temp probes, the damper does not adjust.

Is there any troubleshooting advice? Any errors in the logs I should look for? Or would it just be easier to replace the board?

Please note that I have no hardware skills or tools. I am fairly technical though.

I would also like to thank everyone for the amazing devices (Heatermeter and RD3). I love these things.
Click to expand...

Make sure you plugged it into the correct RJ45 port on the HM and not the Ethernet port. Next try a different cable.
 
Next thing I would try is to make sure power is getting out of the HeaterMeter. Plug the ethernet cable into the heatermeter output jack and measure the voltage on the two middle pins with a multimeter. It should be ~12V if the output is at 100%. If you number the pins 1-8, you're measuring between 4 and 5. If you measure between (3 and 4) or (5 and 6), one of the two should give you either 5V or 7V. If that all checks out, it seems the connections at the RD side may have come loose or maybe got some gunk in them. If you're getting nothing here, then it's time to crack open the HeaterMeter and start poking around in there.
 
StewartC said:
Hello... I went to start my grill this morning and my rd3 would not respond. The fan does not start, I cannot use the temp probes, the damper does not adjust.

Is there any troubleshooting advice? Any errors in the logs I should look for? Or would it just be easier to replace the board?

Please note that I have no hardware skills or tools. I am fairly technical though.

I would also like to thank everyone for the amazing devices (Heatermeter and RD3). I love these things.
Click to expand...

Stewart, I would like to help you but I am unclear what the root of your issue is and exactly what hardware you have, so I have a few questions.
What HM version do you have?
Do you have the RDTC "Aux Thermocouple" board or hand wired RD3?
If you boot your HM without the RD3 connected does it work?
Do the probes register when plugged into the HM?
Are you able to access the web interface for the HM?

If you could answer these question it will help me understand where the issue may be so I can help you work it out.
 
RalphTrimble said:
Stewart, I would like to help you but I am unclear what the root of your issue is and exactly what hardware you have, so I have a few questions.
What HM version do you have?
Do you have the RDTC "Aux Thermocouple" board or hand wired RD3?
If you boot your HM without the RD3 connected does it work?
Do the probes register when plugged into the HM?
Are you able to access the web interface for the HM?

If you could answer these question it will help me understand where the issue may be so I can help you work it out.
Click to expand...


I have a HM 4.3.

I have the Aux Thermocouple board RD3.

The HM does read the temp probes and thermocouple and displays the information when the RD3 is unplugged.

I am able to access the web interface for the HM.

I just purchased a cheap multimeter and am trying to learn how to use it. When I have accomplished that I will report on the voltage results.
 
Have you tried the blower and servo connected directly to the HM (without the AUX TC board), does the blower and servo work then? That will tell you if the issue is in the HM or your RD wiring.
Have you ever had the RDTC board connected and working? The blower and servo connections just pass through the RDTC board, in through the center four pins on the CAT5 jack and out through the six pin header, the pinout is printed on the RDTC board. The blower and servo should just work when you connect a standard CAT5 cable (not a crossover cable), but you need to add jumper wires for the probe jacks on the HM board before the probes will work when plugged into the Aux board. Have you done that?
 
RalphTrimble said:
Have you tried the blower and servo connected directly to the HM (without the AUX TC board), does the blower and servo work then? That will tell you if the issue is in the HM or your RD wiring.
Have you ever had the RDTC board connected and working? The blower and servo connections just pass through the RDTC board, in through the center four pins on the CAT5 jack and out through the six pin header, the pinout is printed on the RDTC board. The blower and servo should just work when you connect a standard CAT5 cable (not a crossover cable), but you need to add jumper wires for the probe jacks on the HM board before the probes will work when plugged into the Aux board. Have you done that?
Click to expand...

So, I purchased the HM and RD3 fully assembled. I would have loved to try to build it, but my wife thinks I need to do things like fix the house and watch the kids. One day I will get the time to play again.

It worked awesome.

So to test bypassing the board... should I just plug in a Cat5 cable to the HM and then cut and strip the appropriate cables and wrap them to the blower wires for a cheap quick test? I have the punch down tools to fix the Cat5 cable.
 
The aux board the connections for the servo and blower are just passed through. Could you check to see if you are using the correct cat5 cable. There are 2 different types. One is a cross-over and the other a patch cable. You don't want a cross over cable, or will let the probes work fine, but everything else will not work.
 
John Bostwick said:
The aux board the connections for the servo and blower are just passed through. Could you check to see if you are using the correct cat5 cable. There are 2 different types. One is a cross-over and the other a patch cable. You don't want a cross over cable, or will let the probes work fine, but everything else will not work.
Click to expand...

I do not have a cross over cable. I have tested with multiple standard Cat5 cables. The results are the same, the RD3 is not responsive, the temp probes, the blower or the damper.
 
StewartC said:
So, I purchased the HM and RD3 fully assembled. I would have loved to try to build it, but my wife thinks I need to do things like fix the house and watch the kids. One day I will get the time to play again.

It worked awesome.

So to test bypassing the board... should I just plug in a Cat5 cable to the HM and then cut and strip the appropriate cables and wrap them to the blower wires for a cheap quick test? I have the punch down tools to fix the Cat5 cable.
Click to expand...

I'm obviously in the dark here having had nothing to do with you buying this fully assembled unit. Perhaps it would be better if you started your own thread about troubleshooting your issues rather than grinding through it here in the RD thread?

It seems like perhaps a ground issue but there should be separate ground wires for the probes and the blower/servo, it seems unlikely they both would fail.

To test the HM without the RD3 you want to use a CAT5 cable with only one end on it and wire the bare wires to the blower and servo and see if they move. You'd need to identify which wires go to which pins using a multimeter in continuity mode to determine what wires go where.

If you haven't already, you should look at the pins inside the CAT5 jacks on both the HM and the RD to see if there is anything going wrong there, bent pins, debris in there, corrosion etc.
 
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Hi Ralph,

I've sent you a couple of emails about either buying a set of rd3 parts or getting access to the plans.

Did you receive them?

Thanks

John
 
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