Pictures of fan


 
J

Joe Widmayer

TVWBB Member
Dear All,

I am making one of those SCATS(Simple Cheap Automatic Temperature System).

Could someone please describe or post some pictures of the Stoker or Guru fam mechanism.

I ordered a 5 CFM blower from Digikey. I am trying to fiure out how the air flow is shut off with the fan off and then opened when the fan turns on.

I plan on making 2 controllers because ... no good reason except gadgets, especially electronic are cool. The SCATS withe Radio Shack componets and another with the Auber Instruments temp controller.

I plan on making the fan mechanism out of aluminum since it easer to work with. I be sure to post pictures and results when I get it working.

Thanks,
Joe Widmayer
icon_smile.gif
 
Joe, I'll be doing a cook this weekend, so I can post pics then of my 5cfm Stoker fan. But to answer your question about how the air flow is shut off, there is a little metal flap (hinged from the top). The flap covers the opening when the fan is off (and also to protect the plastic fan blade from the heat of the smoker. Then when the fan is on, it blows the metal flap open to allow the forced air to enter the firebox.

The second time I used my Stoker, I put set up the fan upside down (so the little metal flap wasn't closing when the fan wasn't blowing). I got enough heat back into the fan to slightly warp the plastic blades of the fan -- enough that the fan would not turn without a little assistance. But I called John at Rock's BBQ and he was kind enough to install a new fan blade -- I just had to mail the blower assembly back to him. He said many "newbies" make this same mistake -- once.
 
Not sure these will help but ...
5closed.jpg


5half.jpg


5.jpg


Its just a metal flap that is shut by gravity. When the fan kicks on, it blows the flop open.
Make sence?
 
Dear D Caston,

Those are excellent pictures! Looking at the fan assembly it is easy to see why they cost $60. There is a lot of precise metal work in that little fan assembly.

Questions about the flap:
Does it seal against the lip of the fan?
Does it pivot on a pin at the top?
Could you post a side picture of the fan?

My idea is to use 1/8 aluminum plate for the sides. Aluminum angle to hold the 90s together. The flap I may make out of brass so I can solder the flap to a tube so it will pivot freely. I think epoxy would melt.

This is all to prove to my wife that a Stoker would be great to have. This home made system would be a good back up.

Thanks,
Joe
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Joe Widmayer:
Questions about the flap:
Does it seal against the lip of the fan?
Does it pivot on a pin at the top?
Could you post a side picture of the fan?

Joe </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The flap doesnt really "seal". It just lays flat against the edges.

Yes, the pivot is at the top. That is way you need to be sure and install in the correct position.

I'm actually at the airport so I dont have any side pics with me. However you can see them at Rock's site.
Blowers

Ah .. just go ahead and buy one, tell your wife Obama said you should do your part and help the economy. :-)
 
The Stoker fan has the flap but the Guru fan doesn't. It has a slider that allows you to adjust the opening that the air can flow through but nothing closes when the fan stops. For your first pass you may want to build something that will just attach to your smoker and use the existing smoker vent adjustment to replicate what the Guru does.
 
Dear A. Vale,

Thanks an excellent idea. It would make the swings between on and off less severe. I should get all the parts soon.

I just spent 5K on a new artesean well so the Stoker will have to wait for a while. I have a few other projects that must be done first but I hope to make the system soon. I'm in negotiations with the front office to change the schedule. I could use the smoker will working on the other projects. Yeah, thats the ticket.

Thanks,
Joe
 
Dear D. Casten,

Thanks for the quick answers! This should be an intersting project. I did a picnic last week with "manual control". It took 13 hours and was delicious.

Thanks,
Joe
 
thanks for the pic, I just got a small squirrel cage fan and am going to build a controller using a PID too.

Will show my progress.

Lennard
 
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