I am just finishing up a 1951 GE fridge. I may have gone a little overkill, but I used a normal large stove top element 2600W (240V). I put in a Auber Instrument SMD-200 (PID), with a 25Amp solid state relay(SSR). I can hold temps within a few degrees easily on my first test run. I tried different running from 140 degree up to 385 degrees and everything went well. The SMD-200 has 2 temp probes. One for the smoker temp, and one for the meat. I am going to do a final high temp burn in next week end, and then oil it and season the smoker.
I have been really pleased with the service levels from Auber Instruments. my first PID they shipped had a button malfunction, and they overnighted a new PID free of charge. Then I got in a real hurry and hooked the 240V to the 12V output and fried the 12V output section the same day I received the new one. They gave me a 10% discount on the next PID I had to buy, (I was still in a hurry), They said that they thought they could fix the fried unit for about $10 plus shipping fees. I plan on sending the fried I back in Sept, and then I will have a spare. They have several different PIDs to choose from. Great people to work with!
I hope to post pictures of my build in a couple of weeks.
