Fully Automated Smoker complete with Everything....

[smokeitall]

My Bradley now has brains.  I have added a full PLC with a 6" Touch Screen.  I put in a Panasonic PLC with a 2 channel Thermocouple expansion cassette.  I have also installed a circulation fan.

This gives me full control of everything.  I have one thermocouple for internal temperature of the meat and one for the smoke box temperature.  With the PLC I can write any program I want.  Right now I have it set up so I can enter in all of my various temperatures and different cycle times.  So I can enter in a preheat temperature and it will sound an alarm when it is ready to load the meat.  I then press GO and the box will heat up to the entered temperature and time to warm up meat.  It will then automatically go to the next step, raise the temp, turn on the smoke generator, and run for the entered time.  After that cycle it goes to the next cycle and turns off the generator and raises to the final temperature and reads the internal temperature until the preset temp is reached.  Then program ends and it sounds an alarm to come and get it.

I also have a data section on my touch screen so I can turn on/off the circ fan, see current temps of both probes, amount of time left in cycle, etc.  My options are pretty much unlimited and of course so much fun to play around with.  If I want to get really fancy I can put a door switch so I can turn down the speed of the circ fan when the door opens, etc.

If anyone is interested in pics let me know.  Next I want to make a large smoker out of a old fridge or something and use all of the same controls and smoke generator for larger batches of summer sausage.

[westexasmoker]

LOL..................

WAY to much Mesquite!!!!!!!!!!!!

C

[westexasmoker]

OK..I bail...I thought wrong!

C

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi smokeitall;

Welcome to the forum.

Looks like you've been busy. Very interesting project.

A lot of members would be interested in how you modified your Bradley; so please post pictures and details.

[Wildcat]

 :o  I think this would make my life less pleasant.  Wife has toooo many honey do's that I would have to take care of!  ;D  Seriously though - this sounds very impressive and would be nice to see.  Welcome to the forum.

[FLBentRider]

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

That sounds like a very cool system. I did not notice an automated Adult beverage dispenser anywere in your description.  ;D ;D ;D

[West Coast Kansan]

Way fun,  :D :D :D Sure, pics would be great.  :)

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

My Bradley now has brains.  I have added a full PLC with a 6" Touch Screen.  I put in a Panasonic PLC with a 2 channel Thermocouple

Smokeitall,

Sounds like your control system is costing more than the Bradley! For a while I was entertaining the notion of hotwiring one of my discarded PDAs to provide a similar capability (touchscreen control for building a temperature profile to follow). This may inspire me to revisit that idea.

Arcs_n_Sparks

[smokeitall]

My Bradley now has brains.  I have added a full PLC with a 6" Touch Screen.  I put in a Panasonic PLC with a 2 channel Thermocouple

Smokeitall,

Sounds like your control system is costing more than the Bradley! For a while I was entertaining the notion of hotwiring one of my discarded PDAs to provide a similar capability (touchscreen control for building a temperature profile to follow). This may inspire me to revisit that idea.

Arcs_n_Sparks

The touch screen alone is almost twice as much as the OBS.  I had two agendas when making this unit.  One of course for the Bradley, the other is work.  When not connected to my smoker this is my demo.  I sell automation, pneumatic and electric.  So this project has been under $50 my cost (thermocouples).  Normally the whole system would cost a lot, but I could have used some components that were less expensive, ie a small 3" touch screen instead of the 6" that I used, a smaller enclosure (had this one laying around).  I will have to add up some component costs and see how much a stripped down version would cost.

I will take some pictures later and post them.  I don't have the wireways in the enclosure yet so it looks like a squirrels nest and I don't have the panel interfaces in to plug into (next week), but it is operational.

[beefmann]

smoke,

what model of PLC  did u get

thanks
Beefmann

[smokeitall]

Panasonic AFPX-C14R. 

smoke,

what model of PLC  did u get

thanks
Beefmann

[smokeitall]

Ok here are a couple pics.  I have not added the wireway yet, which hides most of the wires.  I also have not added in the panel interfaces which would allow me just to plug in the smoker, generator, fan, and USB on the outside of the enclosure.  And I have to go out and get tow new thermocouples since the ones attached there are the wrong type but ok for testing.

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

I don't see any hockey puck thyristors for the 20KW flash mode to crisp up chicken skin.   :o :o :o

Arcs_n_Sparks

[smokeitall]

I don't see any hockey puck thyristors for the 20KW flash mode to crisp up chicken skin.   :o :o :o

Arcs_n_Sparks

One project at a time.... :)

[Oldman]

Your system and you remind me of me and my MG Midget. No I don't need to supercharge it, nor change out the heads to aluminum, or add roll bars, headers, light weight alloy rims, change out then interior to the best stuff, a 5.1 sound sytem, textured black paint in the engine compartmet, change out the tranny from a 4 speed to a 5 speed, strip it totally down and re-paint it to a color changing paint etc. etc. ect.... but it sure makes me happy and differant then other Midget owners.  I guess you can call it the WoW Factor....

So  welcome to the forms and smoke on.....

Olds