I Hate My Auber Duel Probe

[SmokeNSolace]

AubeRAGE

Normally when everyone feels one way and one guy feels another its pretty easy to see who's right. But in this case im really confused. You all seem to love the Auber PID.....   ;/

I hate my Auber Duel Probe PID. Im not trying to start a debate. Im going to post what i hate about it. And i would like some feedback on either my post or your thoughts on the Auber. Because i really am having trouble right now balancing the very strong recommendation this product received from this general community with my deep desire to throw it off the top of the tallest building i can find.

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Lets get started

1) Terrible User Interface
2) Missing some very basic features that are to be expected at this price point
3) Low Contrast Display
4) Alarms my dogs can barely hear
5) Time Waster
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Really for $185 this is a joke. The screen is unreadable. Once you do get it in the right shade so that you can read it, you have to learn these codes for everything. I mean I think this is such a crap product i dont understand how so many people have given it a positive review. Its almost 200 bucks. THIS IS 0. It just happens to be the best 0 on the market at the moment.

Really this user interface is acceptable? Am i cooking or programming a calculator? 

"Hows that pork shoulder coming"
"Hmm not sure, let me pull out my handy Auber Desk Reference and i'll tell you"

This is a prototype product taken into limited production at full retail prices. It has less usable function than a cheap wireless unit. You cant even manually lock in a temp stage, everything has to be programmed and automated. But the Alarms are so quite its next to impossible to hear when its moving on to the next stage. So preheating becomes a game of checking the Bradley every 5 minutes, so it doesn't drop down into a cooking range. My goodness, how the Auber has made my life easier.....  SARCASM!!!!

ALL IT DOES WELL IS CONTROL THE TEMP OF THE BRADLEY. Everything else is a struggle. POS!
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I know i prefaced this all by saying i didn't want to start a debate and get personal. But....

somewhere on these forums a guy said "dont get the digital bradley, get the OBS with the Auber Duel Probe."  I and probably other listened to you....  :(  If you get hit by a cement truck its going to be karma.   

Cheers

SmokeNPissed

[Keymaster]

I went probably a year with my Bradley smoker with out the auber and it absolutely drove me nuts watching the temperature fluctations of the bradley thermostat on its own. When I got the Auber It resolved the frustrations I had of the temp problems. It has a learning curve but there is a post that GusRobin did that is very helpful and accurate for programming the Auber.

Sometimes it happens to everyone, you meet somebody you just don't like and then after time you find that you were wrong about them. I hope thats the case with you and your Auber relationship ;)

Good luck and Happy Smokin :)

[mikecorn.1]

I like the tight temps it keeps but I do have to agree, it could be more user friendly.
Once you get the programming down, it's no big deal. Like second nature.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[muebe]

Well to start this post I am one of the people you wish to be hit by a cement truck.

Sorry you are having so much trouble with your Auberins. As with all PIDs they are designed for a special market. The people in this special market are usually experienced with programming and using a PID. A larger LED display and more easy to use functions would raise costs. This is designed off of exsisting Auberins technology and was created due to demand.

I have owned my dual probe for a couple years. Although I was confused when I first got it I quickly learned how it operated. Once you understand how the program function works you will be happy with your unit.

When the display shows a -H- that is either a defective probe or a loose connection into the auber. Sometimes moisture can make it's way into the probe at the wire where it connects to the probe. This is common with all probes and not just auber. The fix is to let the probe warm up in a oven at 200F for 30 minutes. That will get moisture out. Also the plug end of the probe can come loose. Just give auber a call and they will send you a replacement. They have great customer service.

If you send me a PM with your number I would be happy to try and walk you through the programming steps over the phone so you can understand what your doing. Getting upset does not help anyone.

[SmokeNSolace]

Yep, one thing this does well is hold a temperature. what do i get for my other $100?
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@ Muebe  -  Yeah but you have helped me out so much in that past, your karma is forever safe ; )

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Its not the difficulty in programming it thats my main gripe. Yes, they made a very simple idea overly complicated by trying to force too much data on cheap screens. It runs exactly how its programmed to.   I used the very tutorial you mentioned to learn a couple racks of ribs ago.  :) I have always been able to program the device and start. But sadly life isn't perfect and planning a 14 hour cook ahead of time doesn't work out all that well.

An example of why i hate this PID:
Program start
Preheat
Hit desired Temperature. Beep Very Very Quietly thats called the ALARM  ;/
Drop Temperature to Desired Cooking Temp and Start Smoke Gen.     

Human yet to put in the MEAT! We are now 20 minutes into smoke and 40 degrees under the proper temp to start a cook.

Restart Program, Reset Smoke Gen - SIT AND WATCH BRADLEY SO IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.... :( drink and weep. 

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I checked the Bradley it was in the 230's on its way to 250. Came back 15 minutes later it was at 215, having preheated itself then dropped temp. Question: How could i program it so this doesn't happen?
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Manual Hold and Press to Continue stage locks are just one  of the basic features missing from this unit. Do i have to program it every time? Why cant i just set the temp i want it to hit and have it stay there?

And in an era of $60 keyboards with LCDs I dont feel that price per unit savings nearly justifies the lack of even a low def screen. A cheap $20 calculator from CVS has a better display.

[muebe]

Also the plug end of the probe can come loose. Just give auber a call and they will send you a replacement. They have great customer service.

After the 90 days are up your screwed. Warranty: 1 year for controller. 90 days for sensors.

Not my experience. They replaced a probe and mine was over a year old.

[muebe]

If you want a indefinite temp hold then program only one step based on time and a set temp then make the time for 20 hours for example and leave the rest of the steps disabled.

And you know that only two programming steps are used to control the smoke generator. You can set the two programming steps that control the smoke generator in the menu. So if the two steps that are set to smoke are 1 and 3 then those are the only steps that will power the generator. That is why I do not use the PID to control the smoke generator. You can control the amount of time for smoke by the amount of pucks you load.

[JZ]

I have the single probe and it is very easy to program. 6 steps with temp and time. I use it on my OBS and love it because I can set the steps I want and forget about it. Doing sausage today and program it for 1 hr at 100* then 2 hr at 130* then 2 hr at 145* then 2 hrs at 160* then the sausage goes into a hot water bath. It holds the temp very well but you have to be careful where you hang the probe because of the temp variations in the cabinet.

I also have a DBS and bought it because I could set a temp and time and not have to tinker with the thermostat control like I did on the OBS. But for sausage I would have to keep coming back to set the next stage and the temp swings are a bit much for sausage IMHO. So i bough the PID and hooked it up to my OBS and use this setup almost exclusively now. My DBS is a backup or used for bigger smokes when I need more than 8 racks.

Hopefully over time you will start to like your PID as much as I like mine.

[GusRobin]

I couldn't do without my PID and once I did it a couple of times, programing doesn't take long at all. I guess that is why you always see different reviews for things.
If you post it for sale I am sure someone will buy it, probably not a full price but it will cut your "losses"

[BAM1]

I can't believe I ever smoked without mine.  Making salmon, sausage, and jerky would be out if I didn't have my PID.  I'll take it off your hands if you really hate it.

[Keymaster]

I can't believe I ever smoked without mine.  Making salmon, sausage, and jerky would be out if I didn't have my PID.  I'll take it off your hands if you really hate it.

Yep Salmon is why I got mine , don't want to mess that up :)

[viper125]

Well since smoking isnt an exact science and requires a lot of attention im happy with mine. It not really programming just. Put in what you want.  A user interphase really isnt nessesary. It takes less than 1-2 minutes to set once you learn. And it does all its suppose to. Guess if you have a better way. Make it and maybe well use yours.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[rexster]

When I got mine, I was lost. SOOOOO many numbers and steps in my face. Plus I found settings for a PID that ultimately were NOT for the Auber plugnplay that clouded the issue for me. Couple of weeks later after playing with it, suddenly the light went on upstairs and it all made sense to me. It takes less than a minute or so to change settings for the particular cook that I'm doing now.

[drunknimortal]

I love my Auber best thing to happen to the Bradley. Not really sure what your complaining about, you said it controls the temp correctly, thats all its suppose to do. Programing it is simple once you figure it out.

[viper125]

The auber pid allows me to smoke comfortably. And just because id dont have an itiot interface the way windows is dont bother me. My 12 year old Grand son can set it for me easily enough.
My pid d
Sets different temps according to the temps of the meat or the time it's been in.
It changes it for me. While I watch tv or do something else.
It will shut off my smoker at a certain temp or length of time.

Add that to my maverick wireless thermometer and its the best you can get to self smoking.
And if i can't handle the rest then I simply choose the wrong hobby! Smoking good meat is a lot more work with out it for sure.