Puck advance system

[devo]

Well it is starting to sound more like a faulty micro switch. Sometimes it will catch and other times it loses the connection and needs to be reset from the wood advance button. Just guessing on this but it would be a place to start

[STLstyle]

Renoman,
I've had the same exact issues in the past.  It's an off an on thing for me.  I cleaned out (shook the wood particles out) the SG and it's been good the last few smokes.

Devo,
Is replacing the micro switch difficult?  Assuming instructions are on the recipe site?

[GusRobin]

That makes it clearer.
I had some puck advance problems. Turns out that the tube that holds the pucks was misaligned and was preventing the pucks from advancing. Have you looked at that?

[devo]

Renoman,
I've had the same exact issues in the past.  It's an off an on thing for me.  I cleaned out (shook the wood particles out) the SG and it's been good the last few smokes.

Devo,
Is replacing the micro switch difficult?  Assuming instructions are on the recipe site?

I have never had to replace it but the one or two times I had my SG open it really don't look that difficult. From what I been reading it seems to be a hit or miss thing getting it lined up properly. I have not looked on the recipe site for instructions but dam near everything else is there so I would assume there is something there to help you out. 

[Habanero Smoker]

Habanero, That is exactly how I was doing it with the exception that once the SG and oven were warmed up I would load the pucks and then turn both the oven and the SG off momentarily then start them both from zero so I had a starting point on the readouts. Because I would advance the three pucks is why I didn't know if it advanced once off the get go and so my question. Now that I am playing with it in my shop I am trying to figure out why it stops advancing and then will go again after I push the "WOOD" button.

I have the OBS. I found with that generator sometimes it advances immediately on power-up, and sometimes it advances somewhat later. So I couldn't rely on it to advance immediately. Though each time you push the advance button, the timer resets to zero.

[STLstyle]

I was talking about the puck advance during the actual smoke.  I have come back during the smoking process only to find a puck that's completely burnt out and has not advanced as it should have.  I've also stood there and watched it happen.  It's very inconsistent.  Haven't had issues in a few smokes but it's definitely frustrating to not be able to trust it.  Almost like babysitting a stick burner...

[renoman]

Though each time you push the advance button, the timer resets to zero.

That is something I did not know.

[renoman]

Here is the micro switch and motor. Looks like a couple of screws and a couple of dabs of glue. This thing being so sensitive how easy is it to align so that the motor arm is turning it on and off properly?

[renoman]

Almost like babysitting a stick burner...

........exactly like babysitting a stick burner. :'(

[pondee]

When you turn the digital on it automatically advances one time, then every twenty minutes thereafter, all things being equal and working. I usually warm everything up for about 20 minutes then add my pucks and use the manual advance 3 times to get the first puck on the burner, then I reset the time to how long I want to smoke plus one hour for the bubba pucks.

I put the smoke generator timer for the max time I can.  Put in 3 pucks for every hour of smoke I want, plus 3 bubba pucks and let her rip.  In 40 minutes the SG is warm and pumping smoke, the cabinet is warm and has dinner therein ( I often will turn the cabinet on prior to the SG to get it hotter) .   After the smoking time period is done, I swap out the water bowl, now with spent pucks therein, for  fresh hot waterwater.  I'm  cooking with both the main heater and the heat from the SG. Everything runs until my remote thermometer tells me "its done".  The hardest thing, at first, was leaving everything alone for oh so many hours.  After a few tries, you get into the "zen" experience of smoking. 

Its done when its done,
I've done what needs to be done,
goodness comes with poise


Ciao

[Saber 4]

Though each time you push the advance button, the timer resets to zero.

That is something I did not know.

The digital doesn't reset when the advance button is pushed it stays on track with the display timer, at least mine does.....

[Alanfromwis]

Though each time you push the advance button, the timer resets to zero.

Saber4 said the digital doesn't reset when the advance button is pushed it stays on track with the display timer, at least mine does.....

  My digital does not reset when the advance button is pushed either & stays on track timer wise unless turned off then on again.

  One possibility I learned when making my own pucks is if they are too big in diameter, they can hang up. If they get damp, they will swell and that can be enough to cause problems.

[renoman]

OK I have found out EXACTLY what is going on in there. I took the cover off and laid the cover on it's side so I could watch the motor in motion.


I turned on the SG and the motor made it's 360 revolution and then stopped as should. I push the WOOD button and the motor moves about 1 degree over the micro switch and stops. I push WOOD again and it moves about another degree over the switch and stops. I push WOOD again and the motor does it 360 but in a different direction (counter clockwise). I keep pushing WOOD and the motor moves 1 degree or sometimes 360. it keeps changing directions but when it returns to the micro switch it never stops on it in exactly the same place (see pics) sometimes it will roll over the switch back and forth until it finally rolls off and does the 360.
Also the little brass roller on the motor arms doesn't line up exactly with the switch. Not sure if that is an issue or not.

[renoman]

On a closer look at my pics it looks like the motor arms might be rubbing on the switch housing.

[Dano]

On my last round of bacon I noticed that mine just stopped advancing after the 3rd or 4th puck advance.  Power cycling the SG seems to kick it off though however I'm wondering if weather was a factor.  Ambient was below 0 but no wind and it was indoors(garage with door open) so I keep my SG inside now and only bring it out when I'm ready.  Will try it when it's a bit warmer and see if that has any effect.