# Bill From South Carolina



## bsouthnow (Aug 18, 2019)

Howdy folks;
Just found this place and looks real interesting.  I have been smoking meats for may years having grown up in Arkansas where butts ruled.  I have used old fashion wood smokers but currently have a pit boss pellet smoker 820D.  The way I stumble across this forum was when I was looking for an upgrade to my current controller.  I'd love to find a PID controller for the thing but am not having much luck in my price range.  Oh yeah, I'm retired and enjoy working in my small hobby shop and of course, cooking!
Thanks for having me.
Bill


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## chopsaw (Aug 18, 2019)

Welcome Bill . Enjoy .


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## kruizer (Aug 18, 2019)

Welcome to SMF from Minnesota.


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## gmc2003 (Aug 18, 2019)

Welcome to the site, glad to have ya join the fun.

Chris


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## 6GRILLZNTN (Aug 18, 2019)

Welcome from Middle TN!


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## chopsaw (Aug 18, 2019)

Richard Foster said:


> BTW you don't need a PID for smoking meat


It's ok if he or anyone else wants one .


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## SlickRockStones (Aug 18, 2019)

Welcome Bill. If you need a PID controller you want to check out Savanna Stokers. They have them for specific model pellet grills. We were in western SC last week. Scenic Hwy. 11 to Wallhalla then 107 to Cashiers NC. Quite the hairy mountain road.


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## Steve H (Aug 18, 2019)

Welcome to the forum.


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## drdon (Aug 18, 2019)

Warm (and wet) welcome from Florida west coast.
Don


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## JC in GB (Aug 19, 2019)

Welcome from Wisconsin.  I can help you with a low cost DIY PID controller if you like.  You may have to do a bit of simple wiring.

JC


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## bsouthnow (Aug 19, 2019)

Hey Guys;
Richard, I live in the foothills just outside Spartanburg at a (use to be small) community named Lake Bowen;
JC, sure would like to see your design but after reading some of the threads here, I don't know if a PID is necessary.  What I really want is a thermostat that is compatible with my 820 and has an external meat probe input.  As a background, I visited a buddy that has a high dollar Tragger (sorry if misspelled) and I was very impressed with the self contained probes.  My unit which is less than a year old does not have anything but basic thermostat with the P settings.  Anyway, firing up the grill tomorrow for some butt and ribs.  It's been awhile.
Thanks again guys and gals.
Bill


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## smokinbill1638 (Aug 19, 2019)

Welcome bill in sc, from bill in nc.  We live near hendersonville.   I have a daughter and granddaughter in easley.   Welcome to a great group with tons of experience and knowledge that ate especially helpful.


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## JC in GB (Aug 19, 2019)

Here is my home brew PID.  I use a k-type thermocouple for temperature feedback.

12 VDC input controller $15
K- type thermocouple $2
120VAC to 12VDC @2A power supply $2

I built a DC interface to run my fan but if you need 120 VAC output, just get a controller with SSR output and an SSR kit.  A 120VAC PID with SSR kit is about $15.

I purchased a BBQ guru fan and adapter flange for the controller and that was the most expensive piece I had to buy at $65.

I buy my small electronic assemblies like these from aliexpress.  Free shipping on many items.  Only drawback is delivery can be a bit slow.

JC


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## dmbennett46 (Sep 1, 2019)

Welcome, Bill. I have an older (fifth generation) single-channel Auber WS-1500ES that I am no longer using. It was bought to configure a home-built sous vide, but it probably can be reprogrammed for smoking. PM me if you might be interested. I am not far from you, on the east side of Greenville, Five Forks area, off Hwy. 14, vicinity of Woodruff Rd. That said, I honestly don't think you need anything more than a good remote thermometer, but if you want to play around, go for it!


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## bsouthnow (Sep 4, 2019)

Many thanks for the offer DM.  I smoked some ribs this weekend and they turned out great with little help from me.  So, that said, I think I'm going to invest in a decent remote thermometer and will address changing my controls if the need ever arises.  It just makes more sense to me to not fix something that works fine.
Bill


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## dmbennett46 (Sep 4, 2019)

Bill, I have a two-channel/two-probe ThermoPro TP20 remote, bought on Amazon, that has been working quite well for me. Readings exactly match those of a calibrated instrument in a water bath at working temps, so I would say it's accurate. Probes are the weak component, but that's industry-wide, and ThermoPro promises free lifetime replacements. I did, however, purchase a spare set just to have 'em on hand. (I notice now that ThermoPro is a supporting sponsor of SmokingMeatForums.com, so you can choose to help maintain the forums by following a link from the site to Amazon.) (If you see any bold links embedded in my post, they were put there automatically by the site, not by me, although I don't mind.)


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## gary s (Nov 7, 2019)

Good Morning, Welcome and a Big Howdy from East Texas and the Best Site on the Web

Gary


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## texascoast (Nov 17, 2019)

Welcome to the Forum Bill and a Big Texas Howdy from the Galveston Texas Coast.
This is a great forum, lots of friendly folks and great ideas.

Well My Master Built 30" Smoker finally died yesterday so today I purchased a Pit Boss 820D from my local Academy store.
 I have already done the Grill Burn-Off then cooked some sausage to get the juices flowing:)

Have fun smoking something!


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