Newbie - I think this summarizes things

[rosecustom]

Well I'm expecting my new smoker any day.  While new to Bradley I have limited smoking experience but alot of food experience.  Now, if I have this right,  the New Original (which is what I ordered)  has 1 control switch which operates both sg and oven.  So, to optimize I need a PID (single or duel) to preset heat levels and heat  duration along with bubba pucks (or equivilant) to stop the smoke and avoid bitter smouldering of wood pucks...  Is that about it?????     
Thanks
Jeff

[muebe]

The smoke generator is always on. It is 150W so it does not affect the cabinet temps greatly.

You control the amount of smoke by how many pucks you add to the generator. 20 minutes of smoke per puck.

The bubba pucks help to push the remaining pucks onto the burner and can be used as a starting puck to allow time for the SG element to pre-heat.

The heating element in the cabinet of a new OBS is controlled by a switch that has different temp positions. The switch is not a thermostat. It regulates the voltage to the element there by controlling the heat level in the cabinet. The switch is built into the SG housing. The old model OBS had a sliding heating control mounted at the bottom of the cabinet.

The PID allows you to obtain cabinet temps within a few degrees. It is not necessary but a nice upgrade.

[KyNola]

rosecustom, unless you intend to start right out of the box smoking sausage you don't need a PID.  Learn what your Bradley will do before you invest in a PID.  If you're all about curing and smoking sausage, then by all means get a PID.

[beefmann]

one other Item I  would recommend is a maverick ET 732 duel prob thermometer to watch meat temps