# Where to buy Masterbuilt transformer or suitable replacement?



## Nexus1155 (Mar 28, 2020)

New here! Let me first start by sayin that wow, this place is amazing. I can read for hours. 

Yes, I did search and found some answers but the user viper sadly never stated what he used as a replacement trandformer

Picked up a 40" Masterbuilt windowed electric smoker free off craigslist. Had an old stand one before that I had to dump and I just had to hop on this one. Picked up non working of course.

This thing needed LOVE. After a few hours cleaning I went to find the issue. Kept popping the gfci. Undid all the panels until I found one with that ohhhh so familiar smell. Ohmed out the transformer and the secondary side was over 100ohms..wompwomp

I'd like to find a replacement but a 120v to 10v 500ma transformer is an odd combo. 

Saw some diy on replacing the guts and using a different controller but I think... think that still needs the power supply functioning?

Any help is super appreciated!

Thanks meaties

Ps. That carpet cleaner is a FANTASTIC degreaser


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## chopsaw (Mar 28, 2020)

You could wire the power cord right to the heating element , then that plugs into a new controller , like an Auber  PID . Everything else is by passed .


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## RichGTS (Mar 29, 2020)

This is what I want to do when mine dies


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## Nexus1155 (Mar 29, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> You could wire the power cord right to the heating element , then that plugs into a new controller , like an Auber  PID . Everything else is by passed .



Thanks for the reply! Seems like you got a lot of likes too so it seems the right way to go. I looked at some other installs but I didn't quite see what wires went from where on a gen1 install. I'll give it a whirl and report back. I mean, it's nothing fancy but the machine was like 300+ new I don't want to see it die and I'm sure the previous owner would appreciate it.


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## chopsaw (Mar 29, 2020)

Heck , you're sitting in a good place . Free MES ,,, for the price of and Auber 1510 elpm you'll have a great smoker . 
If you get ready to do it , start a thread , you'll get plenty of help .


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## dr k (Mar 29, 2020)

Auberins.com terminated the white and black wires of a 14 or 12 guage extension cord to high heat lugs (soldered) and stripped and wrapped the green ground around one of the six element access plate screws and tightened to ground chassis. Or in the very bottom access just wire nut the two wires going into the black cube relay and done. The neutral or hot is already terminated at the circuit board next to the other high heat braided element wire or wire nut those two together to eliminate the alum lugs. From the Simple no back removal rewire thread. Then the over heat safety dime sensor on the back wall stays in circuit. Then plug into the Auber PID.


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## chopsaw (Mar 29, 2020)

Nexus1155 said:


> I mean, it's nothing fancy


I would love to have that . Has the top vent on the left side .


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## Ben58 (Mar 29, 2020)

Near as far as I can find - http://ec91051837.sell.everychina.c...-with-output-of-10vac-500ma-tuv-approved.html or from digikey - https://www.digikey.ca/products/en/transformers/power-transformers/164?k=transformer&k=&pkeyword=transformer&sv=0&pv1120=384142&sf=0&FV=1617|384017,-8|164,69|411897&quantity=&ColumnSort=0&page=1&stock=1&pageSize=25


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## tallbm (Mar 29, 2020)

Nexus1155 said:


> Thanks for the reply! Seems like you got a lot of likes too so it seems the right way to go. I looked at some other installs but I didn't quite see what wires went from where on a gen1 install. I'll give it a whirl and report back. I mean, it's nothing fancy but the machine was like 300+ new I don't want to see it die and I'm sure the previous owner would appreciate it.


Hi there and welcome!

Here is a simple rewire guide that will allow you to rewire the MES and use the existing cord to work with a PID (like an Auber pid) and your mes will be ready to rock and roll!!!






						MES Rewire Simple Guide - No Back Removal Needed!!!
					

Lately I've seen a number of posts about guys wanting to rewire their MES.  I had wanted to post a quick and simple guide for those out there that are curious or those that simply need to rewire but need a little assistance.  Well here goes.  Disclaimer:  When messing with electrical equipment...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com
				




In short u take 4 wires u unhooked from the circuit board on the bottom of the unit, u cut the ends off and you splice together the correct ends to make 2 wires and now the MES is dumb and when plugged in heat goes to the heating element WHILE keeping the saftey rollout limit switch in the wiring circuit.

I agree with the fact that u got a free MES and once u rewire and use an Auber PID you will have a unit that is 100X better than brand new.  Just know u will have to use the AMNPS and wood pellets to produce smoke but almost every MES owner does that whether they rewire or not so its not really an issue.
Let me know if that post makes sense :)


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## Nexus1155 (Mar 30, 2020)

Ahhhhh I get it now. Basically turning it into an on off circuit with a limit switch and kicking off the controller. It was cool to have the stock functionality, but the pid controls look so much more reliable and accurate. The Auber is a nice unit, little pricey right now during this virus climate, but that seems to be the right idea. Read up on cheapies from ebay noooo way.

Looked at the posted transformers, definitely from China, but they need a minimum of 30k orders LOL!

With the basket and chips I was thinking about getting a fan on the side vent and leaving the top vent to circulate smoke and air or is that a little much?


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## Watson (Mar 30, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> You could wire the power cord right to the heating element , then that plugs into a new controller , like an Auber  PID . Everything else is by passed .


Not to hijack Nexus's thread, but my controller on a very old MES 40 died this weekend. 
A new one is going ot be about $270 and see little value in the Bluetooth upgrade I would get with it. 

If I install a PID, do I need a relay to control the heating element, or will the PID handle that load?

Thinking goes like this:
1. Hardwire the heat element as described elsewhere
2. Install new thermocouple into the smoker somewhere (ideas?)
3. Install PID into new housing. 
4. Connect thermocouple / heater element to PID
5. Plug in and good to go.

What did I miss?


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## chopsaw (Mar 30, 2020)

Watson said:


> 2. Install new thermocouple into the smoker somewhere (ideas?)


I bought a plug and play Auber 1510 elpm with the multi use sensor . Tallbm helped me with the re wire and recommended the 1510 . I love it . 
This is how I did mine . Shows how and where I mounted the sensor . 





						Auber controller added to my MES 30
					

Well after 5 years of almost constant use , the on / off button was getting worn out . Talked to Tallbm and went with the WS-1510 elmp he recommended .  Brought the 30 into the workshop so I could get at it . The re-wire is really simple , but @tallbm did all the leg work on that . I wanted to...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## Watson (Mar 30, 2020)

My bad.  Need the Solid State Relay and cooling fins. 

Thinking goes like this:
1. Hardwire the heat element as described elsewhere
2. Install new thermocouple into the smoker somewhere (ideas?)
3. Install PID into new housing. 
4. Install SSR and connect heater element
5. Connect PID to the SSR
6. Connect PID to the thermocouple
7. Plug in and good to go. 

Looks like about $100 worth of parts 

Thansk guys!  Love this place..........


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## Watson (Mar 30, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> I bought a plug and play Auber 1510 elpm with the multi use sensor . Tallbm helped me with the re wire and recommended the 1510 . I love it .
> This is how I did mine . Shows how and where I mounted the sensor .
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you!


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## tallbm (Mar 30, 2020)

Nexus1155 said:


> Ahhhhh I get it now. Basically turning it into an on off circuit with a limit switch and kicking off the controller. It was cool to have the stock functionality, but the pid controls look so much more reliable and accurate. The Auber is a nice unit, little pricey right now during this virus climate, but that seems to be the right idea. Read up on cheapies from ebay noooo way.
> 
> Looked at the posted transformers, definitely from China, but they need a minimum of 30k orders LOL!
> 
> With the basket and chips I was thinking about getting a fan on the side vent and leaving the top vent to circulate smoke and air or is that a little much?



I think u are getting it.  With the rewire I posted and using an Auber PID you plug it all up, enter the set temp on the pid, and put the temp probe into the MES (I use an alligator clip probe so i can move it if/as needed), and you are ready to rock!

After the rewire chips willy likely NOT work at all in the chip basket even with a fan.   Once the PID gets the smoker up to temp it will then tightly control and hold the temp which means that the heating element will NOT be on long enough to really burn up your chips.  The stock behavior of the MES controller is to "overshoot" the set temp specifically to get enough heat on the chips to burn them.  With the PID you don't get that behavior.

Don't worry though, there is an approach that is 100X better for producing smoke.  It produces better smoke for longer AND for less money :D
If you use the A-Maze-N Pellet Smoker tray (or tube) with wood pellets you get perfect hassle free smoke for up to 12 hours! (3hrs if u use the tube)
Home Depot also sells it.

You use wood pellets like these (Lumberjack is 100% of the wood on label unless its a blend, which it clearly calls out):


			https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/lumber-jack-hickory-pellets-18wtpuhckry10020lcfp/18wtpuhckry10020lcfp
		



			https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/f/wood-pellets?pageNumber=0&filterFacets=X_BRAND%3ALumber%20Jack
		


You can roll with the tray and pellets directly in the MES like some guys or you can build a "Mailbox Mod" like other guys do (I do this).
Either way u can separate heat and smoke production so u get the best bbq results possible and your MES will finally be able to do everything like truley cold smoke bacon/cheese/salmon lox, hot smoke bacon, sausage, and ground sandwich meats cause you can tightly control temps to avoid melting fats, etc. etc. 

I hope all this info helps!




Watson said:


> My bad.  Need the Solid State Relay and cooling fins.
> 
> Thinking goes like this:
> 1. Hardwire the heat element as described elsewhere
> ...



Hi there and welcome Watson!
If you are going to build a PID you would need all that stuff.
You may not need a fan for the SSR but would need a heat sink that is exposed to the outside air or something like that to drop the heat off efficiently.

If you can build a PID for $100 and have the tools, supplies, and know how then go for it.
What I have found is that the Auber Plug and Play PIDs are a little bit cheaper than building one from scratch if you don't have tools, supplies, and extra parts to make building cheaper.  I looked at this in details a number of times.

Honestly the most expensive and annoying part is finding a suitable housing that will fit everything, allow you to ground the wiring if need be, AND allow for simpler tools (dremel, etc.) to easily work the box into shape for everything u plan to hook into/inside/outside of it.

To answer your thermocouple question, I found that simply going with an alligator cliped probe and just running it through the vent has been the best approach for me.  It allows for maximum flexibility in placing it to get your system dialed in super well.

Everything else you list sounds good just MAKE SURE you get an SSR that can easily handle the amperage (25A is a good one) as well as switches and fuses that are not cheap chinese crap that burn up no matter their ratings.  I finally got pissed off at my rocker switches from China and bought a 100A marine boat breaker switch as my on off switch for my built PID unit so I knew it would not burn up hahaha.

Let us know how u decide to go and I'm sure a number of us can give you our 2 cents and our lessons learned so u can skip over some problems you don't need to run into :)


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## dr k (Mar 30, 2020)

The Auber  WS-1510ELPM is a great compact plug and play PID to bring in and out of the  air conditioned house when needed. MB doesn't have a conformal circuit board coating to keep humidity and dirt from corroding/shorting their controller or PCB bottom board with the transformer and relay. These parts aren't lasting very long being permanently mounted on the smoker. Even in detached garages. I'd bring those inside and not mount it to the smoker. Since this Auber is for up to 1,500 watts and the Mes 40 is 1,200, the output can be kept at 100% even if it never shuts off electricity without out really needing the heat sink unless running at a higher wattage than 1,200. PIDs take a little while to figure out but you can let people know which Auber you have and we share settings to try depending on your smoker size. Auber has a chart for manual settings to use on analog crockpots for specific temp controls or turning it into a Sous Vide which I used for a couple years before getting a dedicated one so I  could smoke and Sous Vide at the same time.  After getting the PID you'll never need a new smoker. Just an Mes 40 box, door and element. It's way better than the oven in your kitchen up to 275°. I missed an opportunity on FB marketplace for an Mes 40 for $40 in great condition. Nice to see local deals posted. Today there was an Mes 30 brand new for $100.


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