temperature controller

I've had the Auber Instruments controller for the past 5 years.  It's a no frills controller but that's what I wanted. Something that has a digital readout and that would control the egg for overnights.  I just bought additional adapter plates for my XL and Small yesterday. The Auber does get a little fussy in the winter cold.  Usually 20 degrees and under. I just wrap a couple towels around the controller and it chugs along.  Is it the perfect pit controller? No, but for the price it's been a workhorse while I sleep peacefully without worrying about temp fluctuation.  

lmd said:

I'm primarily looking for something that is simple to use and reliable.   

Give me a call, just sent you a PM with my phone number.  Lots of options, just easier to talk about them on the phone.

The party Q is simple and works great. I also have the CyberQ wifi, it took a bit to get it working in infrastructure mode, but love being able to watch and control the temps from anywhere..

@smbishop, Hey Scott, haven't seen you here in quite a while (or I'm just losing it!).  Great to see your post.
How's life in Texas?  Do  you miss thke PNW?

@jaydub58 thanks for the shout out!  Lurking here, rarely post, still on the other forum.  2 years in Texas has been great!  Great egg weather!  Heading back up to WA next week for some camping

Thatgrimguy said:

My cyber q wifi was a complete waste of money. I never could get the wireless to work and I'm just using it to control the pit temp.

That differs from my experience. I've got mine set up in infrastructure mode, using Pit Pal as an interface. From day 1, it's been performing well. Besides, I like the temp charts that Pit Pal produces and the cook data it keeps. I can always go back & see how long that 5-lb Boston butt took to get to 160 degrees, or how big a brisket I used in that one cook I did last year.

I'm still trying to decide if I want to invest in a controller. Manual mode has been working pretty well over the years, but the overnight cooks are sometimes a pain. Flameboss, Stoker, and the BBQ Gurus all seem like good choices, but then there tons of other options as well. The hard thing for me to grasp is what the actual differences are. Really all these units are, are controllers with PID logic. So whats the difference? The group that did a better job fine tuning their PID loop? I guess the associated software, charts/graphs/adjustable setpoints, and WiFi are really what stand the units apart. 

I have the Stoker by Rock's BBQ. I found it easy to set up for WiFi access. I like that I can control and monitor from my iPhone or iPad. Not the cheapest gadget in the world but it has room for plenty of probes and it works great.

blind99 said:

byrne092 said:

 The hard thing for me to grasp is what the actual differences are. Really all these units are, are controllers with PID logic. So whats the difference? The group that did a better job fine tuning their PID loop? I guess the associated software, charts/graphs/adjustable setpoints, and WiFi are really what stand the units apart. 

@byrne092 good question.  i doubt they publish their PID code, but I bet it's based on the standard, publicly available libraries.  (google "github pid")  If you're into arduino, you could build your own HeaterMeter

That's interesting stuff, I just took a quick look on my phone, but that might even be a little bit above me. All in all, the same principles per se. I do building automation/temperature controls for a living so this stuff is kind of in the wheelhouse. Just like everything now, the hardware is there, it's just how pretty and user friendly the manufacturer wants to make it. 

@GregW definitely agree, but in the grand scheme of things @nolaegghead is exactly right too. Because temperature fluctuation over a 12-18 hour cook is not going to make a huge difference, unless you are over/under shooting by 50+ degrees, which is not going to happen if you buy ANY pit controller (I would be asking for my money back). So it goes back to the basics as nola alluded to, cooking to the proper doneness and preparations of the meat. So back to the original question. All the controllers are going to do the task at hand, keeping the pit temperature near the desired setpoint; so all you need to decide is on the extra bells and whistles that are meaningful to you (2 pit control, WiFi, "open-lid detection", # of probe connections, etc). Sorry for not really answering, but like I said before, I am trying to determine what I want myself. Lots of good options out there.

FWIW, I recently bought the Flame Boss 200 and have been very happy with it. I had a wifi connectivity problem at first and Michael at FB was very responsive. Other than that it works as advertised and is easy to set up.

You will all say I am crazy but I built my own.   Google HEATERMETER.   It's not simple but as a getting older tetchy I wanted to prove I could do it.   It has a pit probe and 3 meat probes.  Pit probe is based on thermocouple technology (so it is like an instant read thermometer). It is wireless.  The unit will run in fan only mode or pure convection.  In convection mode the vent opening is controlled by a servo (the fan is off).  I can zone it in to a stable 225 temp no problem.   My old PartyQ is sitting on a shelf in the garage.  As a side note I did make a battery eliminator for the PartyQ out of and old cell phone charger. It's easy to do.