# Got a new custom Maverick Meat Probe in the works.... your prayers will be answered!



## mmmbbq1 (Nov 18, 2016)

Hey guys,

One of my part time hobbies is building custom items, whether it be a speaker box for a car stereo installation, a portable solar array for weekend getaways, or my latest endeavor - a 1000W electric bike with 35+ mile range. I absolutely love my bike, but I absolutely hate having to test 18650 batteries one at a time to verify capacity.....

I recently started making low cost BBQ Guru meat and pit thermometers, and have received good reviews from those who bought them direct from SMF or from my eBay or Amazon store.

One product that was always requested but I was unable to do anything with was the Maverick 732/733 etc style probes since they contained components that were not easily sourced.

Well - the wait is almost over - I found a place that sells the sensor that I need, but unfortunately they are backordered with them. I placed a small order for 10 units so I can build up some engineering samples for testing and review. Not sure how long fulfillment will take....

HOWEVER.... [the plot thickens]

I don't actually OWN a Maverick Temperature controller, so apart from doing electrical testing and calibration in my lab, I can't do any 'real world' testing with succulent roasts and ribs.

That's where I need your help :)

If anyone has interest in trying out some of the engineering sample items, let me know. The price will be very competitive [estimate $12-$17] for a fully waterproof, fast responding, highly accurate replacement Maverick meat thermometer. I haven't sourced the lead wire or connectors yet, so things may change. Right now my priority is vacation down south for Thanksgiving :)

Every item is hand made by me, and I put a lot of care and pride into my work. I want these to be the LAST Maverick probes you have to buy.... because their is no reason the design should be cheap and disposable....

I'll post back [or edit this post] with my progress when I have any, but wanted to give a shout out for everyone who has been annoyed and unsatisfied with their current Maverick probes.

Help is on the way!

-Mmmmmm bbq!


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## SmokinAl (Nov 19, 2016)

Well I can tell you guys I have been testing his BBQ Guru probes and they work very well.

I believe they are more accurate than the original factory probes at about 1/2 the price.

I have been trying to get him to make the Mav probes & it looks like that will be happening soon.

I certainly would be happy to try them out.

Al


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## cdldriver (Nov 29, 2016)

i will be following this closly too


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## worktogthr (Nov 30, 2016)

mmmbbq1 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> One of my part time hobbies is building custom items, whether it be a speaker box for a car stereo installation, a portable solar array for weekend getaways, or my latest endeavor - a 1000W electric bike with 35+ mile range. I absolutely love my bike, but I absolutely hate having to test 18650 batteries one at a time to verify capacity.....
> 
> ...


We have already talked a bit about this and you know I am interested in trying one out, especially the waterproof capabilities.  I wouldn't even mind helping you out with the cost of materials for the sample. Just let me know how I can help.

-Chris


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## drewed (Nov 30, 2016)

This sounds great!  While I don't have a maverick, I do have a heatermeter which has full graphing and can run off of maverick probes.  Currently I use a thermoworks thermocouple and replacement probes.  I could run graphs of multiple probes at the same time.


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## mmmbbq1 (Nov 30, 2016)

Thanks for the feedback and PM's guys, I'm just waiting on the material to arrive. I'll post my progress when I have some.


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## phungi (Nov 30, 2016)

Although I am a relatively quiet board member, I am regularly smoking with a MES outside Philadelphia.  I would love to beta-test one of these, esp in colder weather.


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## hooked on smoke (Nov 30, 2016)

I'm in. I just got my Maverick ET 733 and have been concerned about the probes after reading about them in the forums. So I would be glad to give them a trial run.


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## mmmbbq1 (Dec 4, 2016)

I've got PM's from some people and a couple people in this thread as well. Unfortunately I only ordered enough material for 10 probes up front, so I'll be sending them out on a 'first come first serve' basis depending on whom contacted me first.
Also, my sensor manufacturer is still backordered but is telling me they will have sensors in around the 18th of December. They are also ordering 5000 for stock so any future orders I make should be filled quick. What I am going to do is build up my items then message everyone to ask which controllers they use. I'd like to try and get items sent out for testing to cover the most amount of Maverick controllers I can.
I'll keep things updated here as I have new information.

Also, a couple people were asking about BBQ Guru extension wires for the 6 ft probes - I did get material for them and have them listed up for sale as well. This way you can use your current 6ft BBQ Guru probe and just buy a cheap extension instead of having to spend $20+ for a longer 8 of 10ft probe.

Also, you can daisy chain my extensions if you really want to go all out lol.....


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## hooked on smoke (Dec 5, 2016)

Good to know.


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## mmmbbq1 (Dec 16, 2016)

OK well.... they ain't pretty, but hey if they were I couldn't call them engineering samples!

So here's the deal - I don't have stock on the ACTUAL wire I want to use, so I have to play Dr. Frankenstein with 2 different wires I have laying around to provide a decent length for testing. Also, the connector is the proper size, but a lower quality version of what I would like to buy.
The issue is with MOQ [min order quantity], I'm not going to shell out for 100 connectors, 1000' of wire and 100 sensors if the products don't test right.
That's a lot of money to throw away - I'd much rather go to the casino







I'm going to message everyone below and inquire about the controller you use and if you are still interested in some of these samples.

Now, here's the kicker - I'm going to ask for $12 from everyone who is interested.

This helps cover my material costs and shipping charges, and in no way reflects MY investment. I had to shell out a pretty penny just for the sensors alone, and I'm probably losing money here, but I also don't feel right charging an arm and a leg for an odd looking item that may not even work for you. *IN FACT - if you get the item and it just straight up won't work, let me know and I'll give you a full refund - no questions asked.*

My goal is a high quality, waterproof, long lasting item *MADE IN THE USA* that won't &%$ the bed after 6 months.

This current model has a temp rating of +425F, but I'm looking to expand that to +600F on the final product.

Availability will be first come first serve based on the original response times of everyone interested. The current list is as follows:

SmokinAl 

worktogthr

OB One

hooked on smoke

Drewed

Phungi

Feel free to throw me comments / suggestions / rants too - I love every type of feedback!
-mmmmmmmmmmmmBBQ













IMG_20161216_122844828.jpg



__ mmmbbq1
__ Dec 16, 2016


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## hooked on smoke (Dec 16, 2016)

Well good job. Let's get them tested. I am using a Maverick ET733. I forgot to ask you if these are for meat or cabinet temps or both. I'm still fairly new so thanks for your patience. How shall the transaction take place? Ah my bad I see in your original post they are meat probes. 
Thank you.


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## JckDanls 07 (Dec 16, 2016)

Am I to late to the party ??  Not sure how many you actually ended up with..  but you said you were gonna get 10 ... I only see 6 names...  Let me know If there will be any available... I have a 732 ... I also have a 73 which has different plugs than the 732/733 ..


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## lamar (Dec 16, 2016)

Will you have any later on for the Polder single probe units?  I have a couple that probes are bad.

My 732 is new and should not need any for a while.

Thanks


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## sigmo (Dec 20, 2016)

I have a question:

Are these probes you're going to make thermocouples, and if so, which type (J, K, etc.), or are they some sort of thermistor or perhaps RTD?

I ask because (mostly for fun) I am setting up a PAC (programmable automation controller - what some companies call a PLC) to control and monitor my smoker(s).  I plan on using thermocouples because I already have input modules to read TCs (Types E. J. or K) .  I can get input modules to read 100 Ohm platinum RTDs, as well.  And by doing a bit of interface design and construction, I could have an interface to feed standard DC voltage input modules (which I also already have).  A bit of programming could then accurately read thermistors or RTDs of just about any resistance and curve.

But what is kind of a pain to build on my own are the insertion probes suitable to use as the meat probe.

In the past, I've had custom temperature sensor housings made by a company called "VitaNeedle" who will do all kinds of fabrication of stainless steel tubing.  The sensors I used before are somewhat large, so I had 3/8" OD by 6" long stainless tubing spun closed and TIG welded on one end so I could just install the integrated circuit sensors into the tubes after injecting a bit of heat-sink compound down into the tips of the tubes, then backfilling them with epoxy and/or using meltable inner core heat shrink to join the OD of the tube to the OD of the cable where it emerged from the sensor housing tube.  That works very well for many purposes.  The 3/8" OD stainless tube can then be inserted through a compression fitting to make a water/gastight seal to various gadgets, forming a "thermowell".  The quality of the tubes they made for me are fantastic to say the least.

This was a number of years ago, and I had 100 of these tubes fabricated, and the price was a bit over $600.  So $6 per sensor wasn't bad.  But if I only wanted a half a dozen, I think their minimum setup and tooling costs would make things prohibitive.

Anyhow, for a meat probe, I could have VitaNeedle fabricate thin (say 1/8" OD) stainless tubes with what they call a "pencil point" on one end, then insert a thermocouple into the tube, using something to electrically insulate the junction from the tube so it'll be an ungrounded type probe, and then finding some way to make a watertight seal where the TC wire emerges from the tube.

But unless a guy was going to sell these, it would not be very cost or time effective to do all of this just to get a few probes!

So naturally, I'm looking for a supplier who can sell me just a few Type E, J, or K thermocouple probes designed as meat insertion probes, and able to stand up to being wet and/or smoked.

But I'd also be somewhat interested in similar probes, but using RTDs or thermistors as the sensing elements.  I'd prefer TCs since I'm cheap and lazy, though!

Also, if a few folks were interested in making or having made some different types of sensors, perhaps RTDs, TCs, and Thermistors, maybe some kind of "group buy" could be set up where all of us could get a few of the nice stainless steel probe housings and then put whatever kind of sensor down into them that works for our systems or gadgets.

Seeing the connectors on some of these units are standard mini audio jacks, I have to imagine they're not using thermocouples, but instead thermistors or RTDs.  But the stainless steel probe housing won't care what we insert down into it, I guess!

Anyhow, your project caught my eye because I'm on the prowl for good thermocouple meat probes that don't cost an arm and a leg.


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## mmmbbq1 (Dec 20, 2016)

So Mav may have pulled a fast one here.... looks like the 2.5mm plug on the end is a non-standard length.... Looks to be like 14mm [0.55"] long instead of the standard 11mm [0.433"].

Can anyone whip out a ruler and verify this? No point in me sending out items if they won't even plug in.....

Basically, I need to confirm the length of the circular metal area that protrudes from the molded plug.... a first glance it looks normal, but upon closer inspection it looks longer than the standard plug....


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## lamar (Dec 20, 2016)

Looks like you are right about the .55".  Just checked my 732 probe.


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