Post your Auber PID numbers here.....

[Mr Walleye]

If you are using a PID please post your P, I and D numbers along with any other information that might affect the ability of the BS to maintain heat. Things that may affect the ability to maintain heat are things like a circulation fan, bricks to help maintain heat, typical vent settings, typical environmental temperatures, etc.

Arcs graciously offered to build a spreadsheet with the information which would be a great help for anybody fine tuning their PID. This was buried in another thread and I thought I would start a new thread on this because it wasn't receiving much attention where it was.

Anyway here is the information that was in the other thread.


Mr. Walleye
P=400
I=225
D=225
Auber controller, Omega TC, circulation fan and it's always used in a heated garage. I also have a permanent cold smoke set up.


Tiny Tim
P=400
I=1583
D=28
Thermocouple is an Omega 6" Stainless probe, 8' wires; No Circulation fan; was auto tuned in the summer inside the storage shed I keep it in, while doing a butt. I don't sit and watch it, but when I go check on things, the temp reading is usually right on the set point.


It will be interesting to see the numbers and will definitely be a good reference for anybody setting up or fine tuning a PID.

Mike

[Patience]

P= 718
I= 196
D= 349
No fan, using Auber 6" TC dangling thru the vent midway in the box.   The only other modification was running the puck advance motor through the PID controllers alarm, allowing me to create a turn on and turn off smoke command when needed.

These settings were from the autotune on a  summer day in the high 70's, I ran the tune once and havn't touched them in 8 months of smoking.  Its interesting even when smoking in 10 degree windy bitter cold weather the temp comes up as fast as the little element allows, and the controller holds it within a few degrees.  The light on the Bradley box will sometimes turn on/off several times per minute and according to the controller, the output varies from 60-100 percent of current so it seems to be doing its job.

Patience, in Michigan

[MRH]

Here are my numbers,  I did mine a while ago and I have the Omega thermocouple with a 6' lead but it has a plug and will unplug from the controller.

P= 500
I= 1000
D= 120

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Summary to date:


                        P         I         D
Mr. Walleye      400       225      225
Tiny Tim          400      1583       28
Patience          718       196      349
MRH                500     1000     120

[Mr Walleye]

That's some pretty big variations....

Mike

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

I'm developing a theory, but have not concluded the role of alcohol yet...   :D

[MRH]

I'm developing a theory, but have not concluded the role of alcohol yet...   :D

Stone sober on mine ;D The reading and the setup!!

Mark

[carnie1]

I thought I had them in a post somewhere,here they are           P 624
                                                                                      I  472
                                                                                      D 384

[Patience]

Looking at the numbers so far, Mr. Walleye and MRH seem to have manually entered values....given the even numbers.  Is this correct?  I would love to hear more of a laymans term description of high low values of each.  Wikipedia lost me at hello.  Would brand of controller have an effect on these values if the auto tune feature of each controller was used?  I realize even though we all use the same heating element in our Bradley, box size, slider position, use of puck burner, bricks, fans etc. will all impact the values, but why such a spread?  Would each brand of PID controller use a different algorithm during autotune?  I'll stop asking questions and give you all time to answer... :o

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Patience,

Cannot speak for Mr. Walleye and MRH, but unlikely they entered numbers manually, especially after an auto-tune.

Brand does matter, since they will each have their own algorithm. That is why I thought it useful to compile the Auber numbers, since it is used by a number of roll-your-own members. What you do not see are the number of variables that come into play: vent position, ambient temperature, etc... Those can all affect the heat balance and control loops. However, I would not expect to see such significant variation.

This is why we will ponder this question for another five years while drinking strong drinks, until there is the grand unified BS theory.   :D

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Mr Walleye]

Arcs is right, my numbers are from an autotune. I had autotuned mine a number of times then one day I had a butt in the BS. After it had been in for a couple of hours and the temp in the cabinet was at 210 degrees, I hit the auto tune and these are the numbers it came up with.

Mike

[MRH]

I also did the autotune. It was empty when I did it, if I remember right I even cut it short after what seemed a long time.  I never have over  a 3 degree swing either way once it gets to temp.  So it must be ok.

Mark

[Patience]

MRH, I am also very satisfied and impressed with the low temp swings in my rig.  Even after water change or sausage flip in bitter cold windy winter nights, temp shoots right back up and doesn't overshoot ( a degree or two at the most if it does) and the ramping is always right on the money   I think most people on this forum live by the law of, "If its not broke, always look for a way to improve."  It will be very insteresting to see what somebody with some learnin' like Arc can come up with once all the info is gathered.  I would be very hard up, or need lots of proof (both in facts and alcohol) before I touch my values, the ball is in your court Arc!  BTW, thanks for the figuring on these numbers, good idea!

Thanks everybody for all the feedback!

Have,
Patience