Auber plug & play temp control

FLBentRider · July 31, 2008, 03:31:30 AM

W E L C O M E to the Forum Wheezer!

I am also looking forward to the dry curing discussion, but due to my climate, I won't be doing any soon unless I build something powered or move, neither of which is likely in the near future... :)

Mr Walleye · July 31, 2008, 05:56:58 AM

Welcome to the forum Wheezer.

That was the only thing I questioned regarding this unit as well. I make some snack sticks that call for about 8 hours at 100 degrees to give the fermento time to work before bringing them up to temp. I built my own PID which gives me that option. I agree with Habs regarding the cold smoke setup to maintain those low temps. I have mine built into my heated garage and setup with a permanent metal cold smoke box so that low temps aren't a problem.

If low temps are a must for you I would look at either building your own PID, which isn't bad to do, or going with the Raptor/DigiQ route.

Mike

bushman · July 31, 2008, 11:00:04 AM

I have had my auber at 110 degreeswith smoke salmon and at lower temps it has a larger swing in temp. But it should even work at far lower temps but it just has larger swings. When they say from 120 degrees ,I think that is the bench mark for smaller swings but it will work

sherlock · July 31, 2008, 12:52:45 PM

Would this work on a digital smoker

Wheezer · July 31, 2008, 10:44:12 PM

Hi all,

Many thanks to all for the advice. I think I may look at building my own unit so I can match the parameters I desire. I have found alot of useful information on this site which would give me the confidence on how to do this, but am sure I shall have a few pleas for help along the way.

I have been in contact with Auber for advice aswell and have to say that their customer service is outstanding which is certainly a rarity these days.

Habenero smoker/FLBentRider

In regards to a climate chamber for dry curing. I have designed a controlled curing chamber (temp/humidity) as my climate is not ideal for it either. I can post the layout in a separate thread if it will be of interest.

Mr Walleye · July 31, 2008, 11:04:09 PM

Wheezer

You can't go wrong with Auber customer service for sure. I've had nothing but the best from them as well.

I think I can safely speak for Habs & FL (and me)... we would love to see your setup. In fact I'm sure there are others that would also find it interesting.

Mike

Wheezer · July 31, 2008, 11:10:08 PM

Re: Curing Chamber

I shall post it in the next week or so when the day job quietens down a bit and holidays commence!!!

Mr Walleye · July 31, 2008, 11:12:43 PM

We will look forward to it Wheezer.

Thanks

Mike

Habanero Smoker · August 01, 2008, 02:02:48 AM

Wheezer;

As Mike stated I would be very interested. I have basic plan, that I am trying to piece together. It's really a concoction of ideas from various source, that include homemade wine making/brewing to jerky. I even found one design where someone was using an air conditioner to maintain the temperature of his cabinet.

Xtrema312 · August 01, 2008, 07:06:27 AM

Auber customer service is top notch for sure. I have had many e-mails with very short turn around time and even got a couple calls on the weekend to talk about the problems I have been having with my unit. I just got a replacement sensor and I think that cleared up one problem, but I still have an issue I think with the unit. I have no doubt it will be addressed.

For low temp smoking it has a lot to do with outside air temp and the generator. I tried to hold 110 for the start of salmon and could only hold 120, but the Auber was off all the time so no effect. The smoke generator kicks out too much heat unless you make a cold smoke set up. When the temps drop this fall I will see how it does then.

Mr Walleye · August 01, 2008, 10:36:44 AM

Quote from: bushman on July 31, 2008, 11:00:04 AM
I have had my auber at 110 degreeswith smoke salmon and at lower temps it has a larger swing in temp. But it should even work at far lower temps but it just has larger swings. When they say from 120 degrees ,I think that is the bench mark for smaller swings but it will work

For what it's worth, here's my take on PID temp swings at lower temps....

Most people tune their PID's for 200 or 210 degrees. By doing this the PID seeks the very best settings to maintain this temp in the given enviroment. So, when you try to maintain a temp around 110 degrees the parameters and response times are completely different which result in temp swings.

Here is what I have thought about doing. I haven't tested the theory yet so take it for what it's worth.

First, record your P, I & D settings as you have it tuned now. You may also want to record the "t" setting (Cycle Rate) as well. I have noticed that the auto tune sometimes changes this as well. If you are like most people you have probably tuned it for 200 or 210 degees. By recording these settings you will be able to manually change them back.

Next run the autotune with a simulated load in the BS at the desired temp, say 110 degrees. Once the autotune is complete, manually look at the settings and record themas well.

In theory, with the settings you have recorded, you should be able to manually adjust the PID to more acurately maintain different temperature ranges. Of course, to maintain a 110 degree temp for any period of time you will probably have to have your BS setup in a cold smoke configuration.

Mike

rcger · August 01, 2008, 06:15:55 PM

I received an email from Auber today with a PDF file attached showing the instructions for hooking the plug-n-play to a BDS. If anyone would like to receive a copy, let me know and I'll email it to you. Or better yet, is there a way to attach a file to a post on the forum?

Mr Walleye · August 01, 2008, 06:45:12 PM

rcger

If you email it to me I will try to post it here. You can email me at

[email protected]

Mike

Mr Walleye · August 01, 2008, 09:46:22 PM

Sorry rcger, I thought I could convert the file, then post it but I can't.

Hey Olds...

Is there any way you could host the pdf file?

If you can, in addition to this file I also have the Auber PID manual in pdf format.

Let me know and I could email them to you.

Mike

Habanero Smoker · August 02, 2008, 02:53:04 AM

Quote from: Mr Walleye on August 01, 2008, 09:46:22 PM
Sorry rcger, I thought I could convert the file, then post it but I can't.

Hey Olds...

Is there any way you could host the pdf file?

If you can, in addition to this file I also have the Auber PID manual in pdf format.

Let me know and I could email them to you.

Mike

What format did you want to convert it to. I can convert it to jpeg; jpeg200, TIFF, or HTML.