If you built your own PID and are experienced in using it, please read.

[Silverlock]

Hey guys, been almost 2 years since I've frequented these forums... and for that matter, since I've done any significant amount of smoking. :(
I repent... I have seen the err of my ways and am ready to rejoin the flock.
My life has settled once again (was doing a lot of travelling) and I'm eagerly anticipating a summer of smoking. I've already done some ribs as a practice run and will be hittin' up some pork butt next weekend. :D Having done the ribs it occurred to me that I really need to make an effort in learning to use the PID I built 2 years ago from the plans found on Olds site: http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?315-PID-Controller
I started to play with it and got some help from users here but I still didn't really "get it" or feel confident in using it.

Here's the basic operating instructions I was given then. If you can expand on them it would be greatly appreciated.

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"For setting your desired temp, use the up and down arrows on the face plate of the unit.  To run autotune (make sure you have preheated and have a load in the smoker), press the bottom left button and hold until the display changes, then press and release until you get to "at" (2-3 seconds), use the down arrow to take the number from "3" to "2", and let it be until it decides it is done."

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So,

1. Set the temp I want the smoker to run at (let's say 220) via the PID up/down arrows.

2. Once it's pre-heated, put in my food.

(Do I let it come back to temp before continuing?)

3. Press the bottom left button and hold until the display changes, then press and release until you get to "at" (2-3 seconds)

4. Use the down arrow to take the number from "3" to "2", and let it be until it decides it is done.

Until the food is done? Until the PID has finished doing something?

I apologize that this is a bit of a re-hash of a thread I started before but it's been a while and I recall being confused then. The new Auburn built PID's look easy to use but I don't want to spend $150.00 if the one I built will do the job as well.

Here's my old thread: http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=5608.0

Thanks for your patience and it's good to be getting back in the game. :)  I look forward to doing some FTC this weekend (Fill The Cup!) :D

[Tenpoint5]

I won't be much help but Welcome Back old friend

[Silverlock]

Thanks Ten! Great to get back in the saddle. Looking forward to a smokey summer (and not the kind we've been getting the last few years here in the Okanagan Valley). I see lots of new faces here but not many of the old timers.

[Mr Walleye]

Hey SilverLock.... Welcome back!

I've been pretty busy too so I only get around the forum every few days. Anyway, I'll try to answer some of your questions.

To run the auto tune I usually like to do it when I going to be smoking a pork butt. Any average load will do though. I also beleive the best place for the PID's temp probe is at approximately the same level as the meat. You want to be controlling the temp the meat is exposed to. Here's my procedure....

- Preheat smoker & generator to 250 for 30 minutes or so while your meat is on the counter coming to room temp.
- Load meat, start applying smoke if you wish, reset temp to 200. (I allways run my auto tune with the temp set to 200 because it's middle ground between the temps you use for various things like sausage (175) and ribs (220 or 225))
- Once the temp has recovered within 5 or 10 degrees of the set point (200) you start the auto tune. To start the auto tune you push and hold the "Set" button for 2-3 seconds. Once the parameter settings pops up you step through the settings until you get to the "At" setting and use you up or down arrows to change the setting to "2". Now, you just leave it alone. In about 10 seconds or so it will start flashing which indicates it is running the auto tune. This will take about 20 to 40 minutes. Once the auto tune is complete it will stop flashing and reset the parameter "At" to "3" again. During the auto tune, what it's doing is allowing the temp to overshoot and undershoot approximately 3 times. During this period it calculates how to best set the parameters and does so automatically.
- Once the controller has quit flashing you can set the temp to what ever you want to finish off what ever your smoking.

Hope that helps.

Mike

[Silverlock]

THANK YOU Walleye!  :) I think the length of time you have to leave the PID to auto-tune was the part I wasn't really getting. I found myself continuously fiddling with it.  ??? ::)

Thanks for the welcome back. Nice to hear from a familiar face here. I'm looking forward to getting back in the game and ramping up my smoking activity through the coming months.  ;D