E-mail to Bradley Technologies

[Wildcat]

I do not think anyone is attacking you. Simply agreeing with Saber in pointing out that you seem to have the most interest at this point in time and seem to want everyone to do the testing for you. We would all love for you to take the bull by the horns and post your results. I  am always fascinated with experiments but have neither the knowledge nor desire to actually conduct experiments in areas involving electronics. Please continue but lets get away from the attitude that everyone is picking on you. I harbor no ill feelings towards you and am interested in seeing the results.

[devo]

I really dont see what you don't understand about Nepas setup.

You asked:
NePa, do you run that element without a PID?

He answered:
No

You said:
Personally, I think it is a weather radio but I may be wrong.

My answer to you is yes you are wrong. The upside down bradley rack cut out to slide down and fit between his smoke generator and smoker holds his PID. He has many posts with his setup if you care to look.

Why is the post count so high on this thread and why do I keep coming back to read it.
I really have no fricken idea as it has nothing to offer other than entertainment at this point. 

[NorthShoreMN]

Any modification Bradley would acknowledge and/or approve would require them to submit everything to UL,NFS,CA EU and who knows how many other agencies for approval. A very time consuming and costly process (from experience) Their equipment as sold is approved by necessary agencies.  Any modifications would be solely the Responsibility of the person making the changes. I have chosen not to modify mine but will not rule it out.  I have a PID and use it to control water temps and on a home made smoker cabinet for temp control only.

[tailfeathers]

I've been trying very hard to restrain myself and refrain from posting but it's no use. Guys, think about this like you would a nasty itch . As hard as it may be at the time, if you ignore it long enough it will eventually cease to be a source of irritation. If you get my drift.


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[rexster]

I keep checking back on it solely for the entertainment value.

[GusRobin]

I just get a kick out of how some people beat a dead horse.

[dcw1]

I'll look for a 750-watt element for Renoman.

Over 500 visits.  Probably only about 20 of us interested folks watching this :)

I still think it is a weather radio. :)

I am going to beat this dead horse until we get a definitive  answer. :) :)

[dcw1]

Just got off the phone with an electrical engineer.  He confirmed that the calculations and posts on this site about the amps are spot on.  He did say (as someone else said) to be completely accurate and safe all components need to be added to calculate the total amps.  That would include the puck heater, the motor that moves the pucks, the lights on the digital controls, and anything else I am not thinking of.  I have no idea what the puck motor or lights would draw in terms of amps.

More proof digital controls on a 750-watt element should fine without a PID. 

Stay the course citizens, stay the course!  Do not be discouraged by nay-sayers!

[devo]

Do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. Psalm 25:20

Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Romans 5:5

Blessed Savior, you continually pour your limitless love into us. Let us open our hearts and touch those in our communities who have strayed from your tender embrace, especially those who are without hope. We ask this in your precious name. Amen.

[dcw1]

Devo, please stay on topic.  If you don't like the topic, please simply peruse other sites or threads. 

Mr. Moderator, I have been adhering to all the policies and making zero personal attacks.  Please examine the previous posts and take appropriate action against devo and the others here who are simply being negative.  He doesn't like the topic so he attacks me personally.  Please put a stop to those who keep attacking me or encouraging others to ignore this thread or not comment on it.  There is nothing in this thread that violates the site's policies except those that keep posting about me---as opposed to the actual topic (use of a digital smoker without a PID).

Mr. Moderator, think about this.  The worst thing you can do is lock or shut down this thread.  Then those, like devo, that want to quell discussion have won.  Don't let that happen.  Discussion and banter hurts no one.

[TedEbear]

I assume that since the original Bradley controls allow a setting of 320, the high temperature sensor would at least let the unit approach 320.

I think the speedometer on my Sebring has a max reading of 150 mph.  That doesn't mean the car can actually go that fast or that it was engineered to do so.  I seriously doubt that the thermal overload in your digital Bradley would allow a 320*F temp before it shuts everything down.  290-whatever degrees you posted was probably right on the edge of tripping it.

I have a PID controller on my OBS and dual 500W elements.  I probably do not need either one for the things I smoke.  I just like tinkering with things, I read about various mods for the Bradley, I've used PID controllers in my job in the past and it seemed like a couple of fun projects.  I did replace the stock 10A fuse with a 15A.

No need to verify with any electrical engineers on the current draw.  I gave you the formulas, all you need are the total watts to calculate it yourself.

[dcw1]

TedEbear:

As stated I know nothing about electricity except enough to know not to stick my finger in a socket.  However, I am very comfortable wiring lights, switches, repairing appliances.  But, when doing so, my ability is strictly taking out an old worn out part (for example a motor on dryer), and putting in the new part.  A to A, B to B. Black to black, white to white. So pardon what might seem like stupid questions.

That said, I am surprised you would up your fuse up to a 15 amp fuse.  If the combination of all the electrical components (main element, puck heater, puck motor, display lights) exceeded 10 amps and I had a 15 amp fuse in there, would that risk burning out some of the electrical/digital controls?

As far as the high limit, when using a PID, is the smoker's original high limit bypassed/not used.  With a PID, what, if any, is the high limit safety feature?

[Wildcat]

Devo, please stay on topic.  If you don't like the topic, please simply peruse other sites or threads. 

Mr. Moderator, I have been adhering to all the policies and making zero personal attacks.  Please examine the previous posts and take appropriate action against devo and the others here who are simply being negative.  He doesn't like the topic so he attacks me personally.  Please put a stop to those who keep attacking me or encouraging others to ignore this thread or not comment on it.  There is nothing in this thread that violates the site's policies except those that keep posting about me---as opposed to the actual topic (use of a digital smoker without a PID).

Mr. Moderator, think about this.  The worst thing you can do is lock or shut down this thread.  Then those, like devo, that want to quell discussion have won.  Don't let that happen.  Discussion and banter hurts no one.

I do not want to attack you but I would like to get you to reexamine this thread and take a closer look at how you are coming across. Your second post you came across as a little cocky. This normally would not be taken offensively. Your third post started hinting that people do not like you. This too could be taken lightly, but you eventually get to where you imply that everyone is attacking you. Also, as I pointed out before you want certain experiments done but apparently want others to do it for you. It was suggested that since you want it you should do it yourself. You seemed to view this suggestion as an attack. Also, you implied that NEPAS would not answer your question when he obviously did. I am not trying to be an accuser here but wanted to help you get along with folks on this wonderful forum and have you reexamine yourself. You should also consider that this was not your thread. The folks on here are like family and being considerate is a big factor in why.

Now as far as your research, I have an interest in how it turns out. I am happy with my set up and would never supercharge mine, but I enjoy seeing what can be done.

[TedEbear]

As far as the high limit, when using a PID, is the smoker's original high limit bypassed/not used.  With a PID, what, if any, is the high limit safety feature?

The thermal overload is inside the tower.  You can see it as a little button on the back wall of the smoking chamber.  The PID controller just feeds power to the tower (hey, that rhymes :) ) and thus it would not bypass the overload.



On the fuse rating, when you add up every single electrical component in a modified Bradley it can approach the 10A original fuse rating, especially if someone adds in a circulation fan.  I was planning on adding one but for now I'm happy with what I've done to it so far.  Individual components, such as the puck heater, only draw around 1A ( 125W / 120v = 1.04A ) and a 15A or even a 10A fuse is way over the 20% safety margin.  A 15A fuse is still going to blow in the event of a catastrophic failure. 

I did add a secondary 5A fuse strictly to protect the PID controller.  It draws such a miniscule amount of power and it is a critical electrical component that I wanted a smaller rated fuse to protect it.  The power for the 500W elements goes through a 25A rated SSR.  The PID just switches the relay on and off, as needed.

[renoman]

The power for the 500W elements goes through a 25A rated SSR. 

If this is in fact the case then there should be no reason 1000 watts would do any harm to the smoker because all that power is just going through the SSR, the power cord, the wires to the element and the element(s) themselves. The power on the switching side of the relay would be involved with the digital controls but have nothing to do with the heating side of the relay.