BRADLEY SMOKER | "Taste the Great Outdoors"

Consumables and Accessories => Accessories => Topic started by: bates1sniper on November 06, 2009, 08:46:38 AM

Title: Need help building PID
Post by: bates1sniper on November 06, 2009, 08:46:38 AM
Hey guy's new to all this stuff. I have been reading some posts on PID's but they seem pretty old. Can anyone help me on exactly what I need to buy to regulate my hotplate? Anyone have a drawing on how to wire one out? Or if you have one a picture would be really great. In the process of welding up my smoker and figured I better get the Temp Control of it figured out.
Thanks for your time a patience

Sniper
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: westexasmoker on November 06, 2009, 08:53:06 AM
Quote from: bates1sniper on November 06, 2009, 08:46:38 AM
Hey guy's new to all this stuff. I have been reading some posts on PID's but they seem pretty old. Can anyone help me on exactly what I need to buy to regulate my hotplate? Anyone have a drawing on how to wire one out? Or if you have one a picture would be really great. In the process of welding up my smoker and figured I better get the Temp Control of it figured out.
Thanks for your time a patience

Sniper

Welcome to the forum Sniper!

Here's a link to the plans for a PID....I built mine from these, and if I can do it anyone can!

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?t=315

C
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: FLBentRider on November 06, 2009, 08:54:32 AM
W E L C O M E  to the Forum bates1sniper!

WTS has you pointed in the right direction.

I purchased a "plug-and-play" PID, but for your application it sounds like you should probably build one.
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: Hopefull Romantic on November 06, 2009, 08:58:50 AM
Welcome to the forum bates1sniper.

I, like squirtthe cat have also purchased a plug and play PID. Here is the link for you:

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14

Good luck

HR
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: squirtthecat on November 06, 2009, 09:04:45 AM
Quote from: Hopefull Romantic on November 06, 2009, 08:58:50 AM
Welcome to the forum bates1sniper.

I, like squirtthe cat have also purchased a plug and play PID. Here is the link for you:

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14

Good luck

HR

I think HR is referring to FLBentRider  ;), as I just have a Ranco temperature controller..  It works fine for simple temperature control, but that is about all it does.  You can't do any kind of fancy programming with it, like you can with a proper PID.



Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: pensrock on November 06, 2009, 09:26:57 AM
I built my own using a Honeywell industrial temperature controller. But many on here use an instrument from Auber and they seem to work very well and cheap. I prebuilt unit from Auber is around 150.00 and to build one is around 100.00. The prebuilt unit has the ability to program a few steps which can be useful in certain situations, The one I priced out for the 100.00 build has no programming ability, but you can upgrade to get that function for more money. If it were me, I would buy the prebuilt unit. IMHO
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: squirtthecat on November 06, 2009, 09:55:31 AM

BigJohnT has a nice writeup of an Über Controller he built here:

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=11097.0
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: bates1sniper on November 06, 2009, 01:16:11 PM
WTS,
Thanks for that page. That is exactly what I was looking for.
Now that PID looks like it gives you two temperatures. One for what you set it at, and the actual as it comes up to what you set. Is that correct?
So do those plug in plays do that also or it is just the temp you set it for to stay at?
Does that make sense?

Sniper
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: OU812 on November 06, 2009, 01:41:38 PM
Welcome to the fun, sniper.

I got my PID be fore they had the programable ones but it does what I want it to do.

As far as the display, You push the lower left button once to set the time, twice to set the temp the next press will put to the running mode. Then all you see is the current temp and not the set temp. They are only rated at 15 amp so that will limit the size of your heating element.
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: Quarlow on November 06, 2009, 01:42:41 PM
The Auber plug and play does temp ramps at whatever you set it to. I don't know if it will shut off at desired IT but it has an alarm for IT temp.
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: Hopefull Romantic on November 07, 2009, 09:16:07 AM
Quote from: Quarlow on November 06, 2009, 01:42:41 PM
The Auber plug and play does temp ramps at whatever you set it to. I don't know if it will shut off at desired IT but it has an alarm for IT temp.

You are right Q but I think that Joehifis made something to do just that (to shut off when the desired IT is reached). I believe he had to use three PIDs to achieve that.

HR
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: mikeradio on November 07, 2009, 09:33:53 AM
I was talking with Auber a couple of weeks ago, he is working on a plug and play controller, that has 2 probes 1 for cabinet temp and 1 for the IT of the meat.  Sounded very interesting.

Mike
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: pensrock on November 07, 2009, 12:36:55 PM
Quote from: mikeradio on November 07, 2009, 09:33:53 AM
I was talking with Auber a couple of weeks ago, he is working on a plug and play controller, that has 2 probes 1 for cabinet temp and 1 for the IT of the meat.  Sounded very interesting.

Mike


They should be able to do this, I think its called 'cascade tuning'. That is how the BBQ GURU works also. We had a couple applications for heat treating that we built in the shop but I did not get to work with them to really get into it.
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: JoeHifi on November 07, 2009, 01:05:47 PM
HR, mikeradio, pensrock,

That sounds like that will be the way to go.

Probably less expensive than a PLC, or two or three current off the shelf PIDs.

Joe
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: JoeHifi on November 07, 2009, 01:10:35 PM
pensrock,

What kind of money for a PLC like yours plus the tools to program it?


Thanks,

Joe
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: pensrock on November 07, 2009, 05:27:37 PM
Quote from: JoeHifi on November 07, 2009, 01:10:35 PM
pensrock,

What kind of money for a PLC like yours plus the tools to program it?


Thanks,

Joe

To build a PID like mine would cost more than the smoker. I had the temperature controller given to me by one of our customers who upgraded their furnace to another controller. I had to do a couple repairs but it works great. It would be a lot less expensive to buy from Auber and still get the same results. Thats what I would have done if I did not get this for free. You do not need anything special to program it. Once its set up the only changes would be ramp rates, temp settings and if you added a timer like I did, setting the time.
I almost went all out and put a PLC with a touch screen in but it really was not needed for what I do. It would have looked cool though.
A friend from town just called and was asking about Bradley smokers and I told him if he wanted to set it and forget it as far as temperature goes, to look at the Auber control. I have not seen or used one but the people here that have them seem to really like them.
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: JoeHifi on November 07, 2009, 06:43:17 PM
pensrock,

Thanks.

I had no idea they were that expensive.

Joe
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: pensrock on November 07, 2009, 07:32:51 PM
Quote from: JoeHifi on November 07, 2009, 06:43:17 PM
pensrock,

Thanks.

I had no idea they were that expensive.

Joe

What I have is for industrial control, not something you would expect to see on a smoker thats for sure. That is why the units from Auber are so popular. They do the job and they also have very good service at a really good price. If your serious about building one or buying one already made and ready to go, you really should look at their web site.
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: JoeHifi on November 07, 2009, 07:47:42 PM
pensrock,

I'm the guy using three Auber PIDs. Cook, hold and IT.

Approximately $126.00 for PIDs. Maybe another $20 or so for fuse holders, a circuit breaker, and
some toggle switches.

Joe
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: pensrock on November 08, 2009, 06:52:17 AM
OK Joe, when you asked about the price I assumed you wanted to buy/build a simple controller set up. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: Hopefull Romantic on November 08, 2009, 08:06:33 AM
Quote from: mikeradio on November 07, 2009, 09:33:53 AM
I was talking with Auber a couple of weeks ago, he is working on a plug and play controller, that has 2 probes 1 for cabinet temp and 1 for the IT of the meat.  Sounded very interesting.

Mike


Man I only had my PID for a couple of months and now there is a new one coming out. How to jsutify that to the MRS. I have no idea.

HR
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: JoeHifi on November 08, 2009, 08:19:18 PM
Quote from: pensrock on November 08, 2009, 06:52:17 AM
OK Joe, when you asked about the price I assumed you wanted to buy/build a simple controller set up. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

No problem pensrock.

I was thinking that a PLC would be even slicker.  And perhaps it would be.
However my funds are too limited at this time.

Joe
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: JoeHifi on November 08, 2009, 08:24:28 PM
HR,

Perhaps it could control something else.  It's definitely overkill as a room thermostat.
I have seen them used to run a chest freezer as a refrigerator.

Just a thought.

Joe
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: Hopefull Romantic on November 09, 2009, 02:59:10 AM
Thanks Joe.

I you get a word when they finish it up and ready for sale, I would appreciate it if you would let me know.

HR
Title: Re: Need help building PID
Post by: Roadking on November 13, 2009, 12:04:04 PM
I just finished reading this thread and I'm laughing my butt off.
I just was thinking of making a PID to control my Bradley out of the Allen Bradley equipment I have on hand. Figure what I need using the minimum amount and figured it out to close to $14,000.00 I'd have to use a PLC 5-80, a full rack, power supply, output card, ssr, analog input card, and maybe a Panelview 1200. It's fun to build and write the logic, probably 5-6 rungs using block transfers. But it's not economical since I can use the equipment on a customer. Also the power consumption without the heater running, da. Smallest processor I have is the PLC 5-80 talk about overkill, I ran a 300' spray booth with 12 Fanuc robots handling 32 paint menus. Na, I'd purchase the Auber.