Problems ith new digital smoker

[reebar]

Hi guys,
I picked up a 2nd hand digital unit - just the smoker unit, not the box that holds the meat. When turning it on, it beeps with the E1 error message. I couldn't find the wire everyone talks about for the E1 message so just unplugged all plugs and replugged them. There is also a 2 pin socket next to the power cable. Could anyone tell me what this is? Pictures attached for reference in this link (Hopefully)
Thanks !
James

http://imgur.com/a/FU3h5

[cathouse willy]

If you're planning to upgrade your obs to a digital one you'll need some extra pieces. The digital smoke gen needs an input from the oven that it can read to control the temp.The non digital oven doesn't have that. So...... two ways around the problem, find a digital temp sensor and mount it in your box or a better way get a pid and a termination plug for the new smoke gen.

[reebar]

thanks. it's already the digital box, with the display and keypads. I think it plugs into the temp sensor inside the cabinet but I don't have one. Is it worth connecting a potentiometer and adjusting manually or is getting a new sensor from Bradley the way to go?

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi reebar;

Welcome to the forum. If you give some insight of what you want to use the generator for it would be helpful.

If you just want to use the generator for a makeshift smoke house - you can get the generator to work to produce smoke, if that is all that is needed. To do that you will need to either purchase a bypass plug, or make your own. Do a search for bypass plug.

To purchase one:
Bypass Plug

[reebar]

Thank you. Yes I would like to use it as a smoke source as I already run a kamado with a stoker controller for hot smoking. I could use a potentiometer which I assume would let me control the amount of heat directed at the smoking element. Is it bad to run the heating element at full tilt continuously?

I might mount it outside a webber kettle and try to get some heat into the kettle so ideally would keep a temp of 60 degrees Celcius

[Habanero Smoker]

The generator does not control the heat to the bisquette burner. The bisquettes burner has to burn at full temperature, with is usually arounb 550°F. The temperature controller on the generator is to control the heating element to the cabinet, which you don't have, and don't have to worry about those settings. The only setting you need to be concerned about is the timer, that has a maximum time of 9:40 hours, but I can't think of any reason you would need more than 4 - 6 hours of smoke.

[reebar]

Ah this is the answer I was looking for, thanks. Yes I didn't know the cabinet had a heater - I picked up the generator unit as a one off from a guy who was using it as a smoke source.

So I will need to use a dummy plug into the sensor port. The site listed above doesn't send to Australia so I will just make a plug - any specs I need to know? Can I just stick a resistor or any kind across the plug terminals to make it work?

[Habanero Smoker]

The below link has instructions on how to make the bypass plug, and the list of specific parts you will need. If you scroll down a few posts another member posted the color codes; though I don't know if the codes are the same in Australia.

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=9164.msg97088#msg97088

[reebar]

Thanks.

I ended up soldering in a potentiometer. This is what happens when you turn it :

- the smoke temp on the left hand side goes up and down (not the cooker temp)
- When it is set low , eg. 50 deg C, the biscuit plate does not get very hot. Turn it so the temp display goes to 150 deg C and there is a click and the smoker plate gets very hot.

So does anyone know hy this is? At the moment I can get it to smoke consistently, but why does the smoker temp change with the different resistance?

[Habanero Smoker]

I don't believe you needed the potentiometer hooked up, it seems to be interfering with the amount of power going to the burner. Although the way you soldered it in you may have bypassed the sensor, and got the generator working. If it is working, leave it as it is, but keep the potentiometer at full power setting.

The only thing the potentiometer is doing is  lowering the wattage and voltage going to the bisquette burner, and it seems to have a direct cause on how the digital numbers are displayed. As I mentioned before, without the cabinet neither temperature displays are useful in the generator producing smoke. The intended function of those displays are to monitor and control the temperature of the smoker's cabinet. The setup you have now, you can control the temperature of the burner, but full power to the burner is about the lowest you would want to go. I also want to point out that the displayed temperature is not the temperature of the burner.