Smoker Upgrade Pics

[Elfremi]

Here are all my modifications to my smoker setup.

First, here's the PID controller enclosure I built. I can plug the smoke generator and circulation fan I installed into one outlet and the other outlet for the heating element is controlled by the PID/SSR. It's 95% finished. I'm just waiting on a drill bit to drill a hole so I can mount the thermocouple jack in place.



Here, you can see the Auber Instruments circulation fan mount that I installed last night.



Inside the cabinet, you can see the circulation fan about the 900W heating element. Since it runs a lot hotter than the original 500W element, I added a heat shield to protect the insulated area right behind the element. I also switched out the 2-inch bolts with 2.5-inch bolts to create some extra space between the heating element and the back wall.



With the back panel removed, you can see the black spot behind the heating element located inside the cabinet.  While it was a bit dark before I installed the new heating element, it got significantly darker after the initial cook with the new element, so I thought it was prudent to add the heat shield. I also changed the wires to 14 gauge wires.



I mounted my thermocouple inside the top right corner of the cabinet. I also mounted a temperature probe beside the thermocouple for my ThermoPro dual-probe meat thermometer.



I have the thermocouple wire and jack hanging out the bottom of the back panel till I get the drill bit I need to create the mounting hole. The screws on either side of the wire are loose to avoid damaging the thermocouple wire.



I have a similar situation going on with the temperature probe, but it's hanging off to the side. I picked up a rubber grommet today that I'll install along with the thermocouple jack.



I'm still waiting on my replacement door seal, so here's my temporary fix. I just added a bead of silicone along the top left corner of the cabinet. It's ugly, but there's a lot less smoke leakage from the cabinet. Can't wait to rip that off when the new door seal arrives.



So those are my modifications to my cabinet. A couple of more drilled holes and it's done.

[Edward176]

Looks really good, impressive..

[Habanero Smoker]

Looks great. You should be able to use your PID for other things such as using a slow cooker to sous vide (with the proper probes), or to control other heating devices.

The darkening behind the cabinet is normal, but the heat shield is a good idea. When I did my upgrade almost all my foam insulation that was directly behind the 500 watt element was gone, but I noticed Bradley adds some type of other insulation heat pad in that area. After adding the additional 500 watt element, I would feel the back of the cabinet to see if it would get hot in that area. It would get warmer than the rest of the area, but not so hot you couldn't keep you hand on that area.

[BigDaddy68]

This looks really good - thanks for documenting this.

I have an older BTIS1 that I've probably used less than 30 times since I bought in years back.  My heat-controller ? (rheostat w/ small circuit board) on front is dead as no lights show up on it.  The smoke unit still works fine; the wood puck heating element still works as does the auto-puck feed.

I'm guessing that Bradley no longer sells the BTIS1 heat controllers nor does Yard-n-Pool or any other place that I can find. 

I've been thinking should I just buy an aftermarket PID controller that's ready to go or should I build my own ?   How much did your DIY PID controller cost?  I am OK w/ soldering and I coudl probably try to build it myself.  How has yours been working ?

Thanks for any help/ideas
BigDaddy68

[TedEbear]

I've been thinking should I just buy an aftermarket PID controller that's ready to go or should I build my own ?   How much did your DIY PID controller cost?  I am OK w/ soldering and I coudl probably try to build it myself.  How has yours been working ?

Hi and welcome aboard.  I installed a PID controller in my BTIS1 about 8 years ago.  If I recall, the total cost including PID controller (SYL-2352) from Auberins, K-type TC, 25A SSR, wiring, connectors, etc., was around $75-$80. I salvaged a heat sink from some discarded electronics or it might have been a few dollars more.