OBS Mods Almost Done

[JZ]

Just finished adding the second element and a fan. Going to add a blankie later tonight or tomorrow and then just have to wait for my PID to arrive.

Here is a pic of the fan at the back of the smoker.



And inside the smoker - this motor has a 2.44" shaft and as such I have left about 1/2" behind the fan and that seems to help it push more air. I originally had the blade closer to the back of the smoker but after moving it forward I noted increased flow.



Here is a pic of the 2 elements glowing red



And here is a pic of the wire coming out of the ceramic to the left side of the second element.



I found that the 14 gauge wire was difficult to feed through the ceramics but the 16 gauge (I think it was 16 gauge - it was salvaged from the smoker) was easy to feed between the ceramic plates. This pic shows the 14 gauge wire. I bypassed the slide control and now both elements are hard wired directly to the power source. I did however leave the original element fed through the high temp fuseable link or whatever that thing is called.  I have a DBS which I have been using all the time since I got it and figured there was no need to be able to run the OBS in its original configuration since I have the DBS for backup if the OBS dies on me. But after the OBS mods are done and the PID arrives I plan to use the OBS for most smoking.

And I want to thank all those that took the time to post how to do the mods they were very helpful.

[mikecorn.1]

Nice work!!


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[hybridcx]

Nice what method did you use for the second element? The one posted on the forum? I have heard of some just jumping the wires from original to second one.. Just curious as I am going to be doing this here soon... Looks good nice fan mod too..

[JZ]

Mike; Thanks.

Hybridcx;  I basically used the one posted on the forum. With one exception, I missed the part where Mike used a grinder to make a groove in the end of the front ceramic cover for the wire to pass through - I only read the thread about 4 or 5 times and still missed this - DUH  ::). It is important if you use 14 ga wire because that wire is difficult to feed between the 2 ceramic covers, the way I did it.

It is also important to note that the original description is for the DBS. With the DBS you can use jump wires from the original element to the second element (as long as you are using a PID).  However if you have an OBS you should not do that since you would then be running 2 elements through the front slider and that was not designed to run 1000W. I did as Mike suggested and removed the slider from the circuit. The downside to this is that if the PID ever quits, the smoker cannot be used. For me that is ok since I have a second smoker (DBS). But if this is your only smoker I suggest you follow the OBS with switch instructions http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?578-Additional-Heating-Element-for-OBS-with-On-Off-Control&goto=newpost. That way if your PID dies you can still use your smoker. Hope this helps.

[3rensho]

That looks great!  Been thinking about adding a fan myself.

[hybridcx]

Thanks I never thought about the lid quiting, I will plan on doing the switch mod instead..

[viper125]

I did the OBS mod for double and didnt have to unhook the slider. I went directly to thepower wire and wired with out a control just the on and off switch. This way you can shut the switch off and use it normal or shut the slider off and use just one with your pid. (incase the other burns out) Or turn both on as I do, Works great and no worries.

[Keymaster]

Very nice job JZ!!