Problems with DigiQ


 
M

Mike Z.

New member
I got a DigiQ DX2 from BBQ Guru, and was planning on using it to smoke a butt this weekend for a get-together at our house, so I fired up the WSM today (empty) to do a test run to see how it worked and iron out any bugs beforehand.

It seemed to work really well getting the smoker up to temp and I wandered off for a bit to do some other things around the house. I heard beeping and went to check on it and the control unit had jacked the pit temp setting up to 475, the max temp the unit will go to. I would try to adjust it down and the unit would scroll right back up to 475. I finally reset the thing by unplugging it and starting over. So I left it alone for a bit and went back into the house. I also had my wireless maverick hooked up to the smoker to see what the temp is (I had it set to 250), and noticed that the temp was 280, so I went back to check on it again. Again the temp had set itself back to 475. At this point I just unhooked everything and shut it all down.

I went inside and called BBQ Guru and got shunted to voicemail, which hasn't been answered yet, of course. Has anyone else heard of/had this issue? Am I simply doing it wrong or is there something wrong with my unit? If I don't get a callback tomorrow, I'll call them until I get a real person to talk to.
 
Sounds strange to me. To set pit temp, hit pit then up/down to the desired temp. Make sure you have the probe in the correct socket?
 
I did try that. The probe was in the correct socket as well. Still haven't heard back from BBQ Guru, if I get time I'll call them again today.
 
Let us know how it works out. You might also want to try the unit in your kitch oven. Plug the pit temp probe in, and put it in the oven and set it at say 300. Then connect the fan and watch the operation. You will notice that the typical household oven will often have a pretty wide range of temps, so watch the blinking light and fan operation verses the displayed pit temp. when the oven cycles over 310, the blinks and fan operation should go quite low, pulsing at perhaps 20-30%, and when the oven temp cycles lower than 290, the fan should be pulsing more in the 70 to 80 range. Essentially, when the temp gets too high, the fan operation slows down, which slows down the fire, and temp, and visa versa. Using the above, you can at least confirm whether the probe is reading correctly, and the head unit is operating right, and ultimately the fan is running when the blinking lights tell it to.

I hope this helps.
 
Mike you never mentioned damper positions. I had the same problem with mine the first time using it.
The fix finally ended up being:
1. the fan damper set to about ½ and
2. the top vent on the smoker set to about 25% or less open depending the pit temp desired.
Don't be afraid to experiment with the damper settings. It took me a while to dial my smoker in.

Visit my web site and see a graph of my latest cook.
Joe
 
Last edited:
Joe K said:
Mike you never mentioned damper positions. I had the same problem with mine the first time using it.
The fix finally ended up being:
1. the fan damper set to about ½ and
2. the top vent on the smoker set to about 25% or less open depending the pit temp desired.
Don't be afraid to experiment with the damper settings. It took me a while to dial my smoker in.

Visit my web site and see a graph of my latest cook.
Joe
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand how any of that would effect the actual temperature setting of the control box, which is the issue I had (In case my original explanation was confusing). The unit appeared to work right with the exception of the pit temp choosing its own settings. I may play around with it using the oven, but I'm not going to burn a bunch of charcoal trying to troubleshoot this thing. I still haven't gotten a response from BBQ Guru, so I'll call them again on Monday.
Currently doing a butt the old fashioned way.
 
Mike, I'm curious to hear what you find out on this. I just ordered the DigiQ DX2. I hope these things aren't notorious for having problems. I chose it over the Stoker from Rock's BBQ because of it's compact size and price. Plan on using it on my 18.5 WSM and maybe fitting to my mini build. Let us know how this works out. I'll keep you posted if I have any issues with mine when it gets here this week.
 
Sorry Mike I reread your first post and I was the one confused. Sounds like a controller problem, Hope you get it worked out.

Joe
 
Well, I called again today, and again had to leave another voicemail. Still no response. So I sent a email tonight. Hopefully I can get this resolved sometime in the near future, but this is very frustrating and disappointing customer service thus far.
 
Mike Z. said:
Well, I called again today, and again had to leave another voicemail. Still no response. So I sent a email tonight. Hopefully I can get this resolved sometime in the near future, but this is very frustrating and disappointing customer service thus far.
Click to expand...

Mike thanks for the info as I'm in the decision making mindset right now as to what to get. This really helps.
 
Well, someone finally got back to me this morning, both by phone and email. She suggested loosening the screw up on the back a bit. She told me that if the unit gets really hot that sometimes the case will tighten up and cause my issue. I got it to work fine sitting on my desk. So when I try to use it again I'll update this thread.
 
Thanks for the update Mike. My DigiQ DX2 just arrived today. Hoping to try it out this weekend. The issue with these things getting too hot will be interesting here in AZ. I always keep my WSM in the shade of a patio umbrella while cooking. I'll make sure I keep this thing shaded too. Supposed to get up to 117 this weekend so I might have wait a week or two to try it.
 
Haven't had that problem. Used it last weekend, it was in the sun but no issues, but I will keep an eye on it. Thaks for heads up. Guru should do that.
 
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