wireless/remote monitoring of cooker - via computer


 
There is a place in Ashburn, Va that has a set up so temps can be checked over the internet. The temps are also projected onto the wall so that employees can monitor the situation from any place they are standing.

This is my first time posting a link, I hope it works. This is a link to an article discussing the operation. There is another article with more detail but I cant find it right now.


Texacan article
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Texacan's facility is USDA approved and continually monitored and inspected. Each time the staff finishes a batch of ribs, pulled pork and sausage or barbecued beef, the oven is steam cleaned to ensure the freshest product available. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


ah now what fun is that?
 
Seems folks here have things pretty covered, but are finding cost an issue. Let's look at that:

Maverick puts out a retail product that measures two temps and reports them through a wireless transport. The devices have two LCDs, one small, one large. There is a probe and a wad of plastic parts. They are retailing this for $40. Let's say they are looking for a 4x multiplier from COGs, so their BOM cost is about $10.

This device uses an electric current through a bi-metal probe to determine the temperature (quite accruately I must add!). This information is then converted into LCD display and sent wireless on a periodic basis.

It was mentioned previously in the thread that one could modify the receiver unit and provide some output. This would be the most cost efficient way -- it reuses all the engineering from Maverick. Remember: anything that taps into the remote will drain power because it will need to drive "something" (transceivers of some sort).

Backing up one step, one could intercept and decode the transmission from the base unit to the remote. Now we're talking about a variable frequency receiver unit -- not terribly daunting -- that would then act as a gateway to a PC media (Ethernet, RS232, USB, Firewire, etc.).

If you wanted to reinvent the base station and have it send something wireless, that's reinventing the Maverick and will definitely have the highest cost, but the greatest flexibility (and satisfaction for an engineer!). Image a PC-based Guru that could control a dozen wireless-enabled dumb units. Pigs would be afraid ... very afraid!

Nice topic!
 
Dang it!
icon_mad.gif
You people are gunna make me buy a spectrum analyzer, sit outside with it for hours on end, and make me figure out a way to MAKE this work.

This will really tick at least two people off.
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>My wife
<LI>The fine people at Maverick
[/list]
I think I'll pass. LOL

BTW, How many people have already shot an email to Maverick about this thread? (raises hand) ... Send them an email, call them, Let them know!
 
Wow... they have some serious equipment on that page... some of those suckers go from -328 to 2498 degrees. now THAT would be a hot smoker.

Anyhow, back to the ones you were looking at...

this one looked most promising: thermapalm probe

It's $250. A little pricey, but not unheard of.

The only thing is this doesn't solve the wireless part of the equation... Since I wrote the original request, I haven't been able to take the time I'd like to really do more research... hopefully in a few weeks when work winds down.

Thanks for forwarding.
 
Yes, that is a very interesting article... if only I'd paid attention in my freshman engineering courses, I might be able to follow it better. Guess that's why I bailed out of the major.

After reading through the recent marathon thread about the Maverick Thermometer issues - and people modifying their Mavericks to get better coverage, I'm heartened that the skills exist somewhere in this great body of BBQ weirdos (self included) Chris has assembled to figure out how to remotely monitor temp via the Internet - and even control a BBQ Guru as you suggest.

Hope more of you electrical engineering minded folks are bored one weekend and figure this one out...
 
I've posted a few times that I am working on this project as we speak. I haven't posted progess in a while, but progess has been made. I have:

1) A circuit to interface thermometers to an analog to digital converter
2) A good analog to digital converter
3) Some design work done on the software to power it all.

I'm almost ready to document the hardware side of the project and build a starter temp-monitoring application. More to come...

-Matt
 
yes, Matt, I remember you were working on it. Cool that it is still a project of yours. Hopefully we will all reap the rewards of your efforts!
icon_smile.gif


how are you (or are you at all) approaching the wireless aspect of it? I remember before you were looking into x10 as one possibility...

Anyhow, just curious...
 
Right now my thoughts are to use a Palm or a WinCE handheld computer with 802.11 to provide wireless connectivity. This has numerous advantages:

1) You get a great display
2) It is easy to program
3) The wireless protocol is easy to work with

The only downside is cost, however, after looking at other wireless options that may not even be true.

-Matt
 
Matthew -

You may have already found this, but there are several manufacturers of small programable computers designed for these kinds of projects.

They are typically programmed in Basic or C, and are really easy to work with. They generally include Analog to Digital convertors, useful for hooking up a thermo-probe.

I've been thinking about a similar project too - I wondered about simply using Maverick replacement probes, rather than trying to create my own.

Parallax makes one called a Basic Stamp, and they also sell X10 adaptors, a variety of wireless units, displays, etc.

I used to work with these kinds of units a lot, and found them pretty straightforward.

You can find more information on the manufacturer here, and they have a wide selection of RF adaptors here.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Griff:
OK. I'm still looking. This ain't wireless and the temp ranges aren't exactly what I'd want, but it is real time logging on to a palm that can easily be down loaded on to a laptop.

http://www.thermoworks.com/products/logger/index.html

Griff </div></BLOCKQUOTE> the palm logger doesn't seem to have a high enough high end but the pro model might work OK Flashlink Pro I think the max length on RS232 is in the 50' range ... not wireless but not bad

the other way to use it would be to log the cook with the device then compare it to the notes you kept for post cook analysis

if the purpose is to correct current issues then the regular maverick or nu-temp remotes should be fine
 
Seeing this thread was an interesting event for me. In 2001, I designed a system that monitors temperatures for use in supermarkets, relays the temperature data over a wireless link to a base station, and interfaces to an embedded PC. It is still in production as of this posting, and I am starting work on the next generation of the product.

The actual hardware design is fairly simple. The temperature sensor is a thermistor and is tied to a high precision pull-up resistor. The thermistor's resistance can thus be converted to a voltage that can be sampled by a microprocessor equipped with a decent A/D converter. A very cheap micro that does this is the Texas Instrument MSP430F1222. The A/D is 12-bits which allows temperature resolution. By knowing the resistance/temperature curve of the the thermistor, the A/D counts can be converted to engineering units (in this case, temperature in degrees C or degrees F). This data can then be output from the processor's UART or "bit banged" as a serial data stream into a transmitter.

For the transmitter, there are lots of choices. A simple and cheap one is made by Linx Technologies, the TX-433-LC. A simple T-network of three resistors, and a cheap antenna can provide data ranges up of to 60-meters with the matching receiver while meeting FCC requirements. Add a plastic housing , a battery to power the device, wiring for the temperature sensors, and some connectors; poof the sensor is done for about $20.

The receiver is a bit simpler since all one needs is the matching receiver chip and a microprocessor that takes the serial output from the receiver chip and outputs it to a UART in RS-232 format.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Sean Cunningham:
Matthew -

You may have already found this, but there are several manufacturers of small programable computers designed for these kinds of projects.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I did look at those at Parallax and a few others. The reason I haven't spent more time with them is that the price seems to quickly approach or exceed a cheap handheld computer. There is no reason that they would not work however, and they provide great solutions to the problem.

You can get a NEW handheld with 802.11 for $230 or less. That gives 2-way communications to the device, a great programming environment, and a handy display right at the smoker. You have to add in an A/D board and a few cables taking your cost up into the $330-$400 range.

-Matt
 
Hey Matt, any progress on this (if you are still around)??? I'm considering doing this type of project for my senior design project for electrical engineering....maybe adding some control over a website (turn on fan, open/close vents, etc.)...anyone else have thoughts on this?
 
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