fixing MB 30 inch digital electric smoker

[jodya]

hello everyone. first post here.
a friend of mine gave me a broken MB 30" digital smoker. he said he left it out in the rain and the control panel shorted out. i figured i could convert it to a analog smoker by bypassing the controller and somehow use a thermostat control cord. after taking the smoker apart i have found i can access the heating elements connections but not sure if i can hook up the kind of control to it as i was thinking. does anyone have any advice on what to do? it would be great if i can just use the same elements and not have to rip out everything and drill holes in the box to fit a new heating element.

 

[mosparky]

Well, you're gonna spend money. How much will depend on you and what you want.
On the plus side you will get a great smoker in return.
First I'd verify the electronics are toast. Sometimes you get lucky and it will be fine once the electronics dry out, if they were ever the problem. It could be they never really got wet and the problem lies elsewhere.
If the electronics are indeed toast, a PID controller is your next best fix. If you just want a simple set temp and walk away type of control, an Inkbird might be one of the cheapest available. https://www.ink-bird.com/products-PID-controller-p108.html although an Auber is more popular around here with far more experienced users to lend advice, they are more expensive.
For more advanced cook programming An Auber unit is highly recommended. https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14_28
Do some homework and read up on their usage here on the forums and decide what you want to do and how much you want to spend and we can walk you thru the rest.

 

[jodya]

thank you for the reply
so basically i would wire the heating element to an AC plug then plug it into a PID controller and drop a probe into the box. the probe will read the heat in the box and PID will control the power to the element. Do i have that concept right?

 

[mosparky]

Exactly. But care should be taken to keep the safety switch in the circuit, just in case of a runaway situation.
Sorry, my mistake. the Inkbird unit I linked only controls to 212 degrees. There are others that will work.

 

[Murray]

Here is one that will work, most of this style of temperature controllers only heat to 250F or less. From the reviews on here the Auber Instruments product is the way to go. Unfortunately here in Canada the Auber is cost prohibitive. One on Amazon.ca for $680

 

[hoity toit]

Well, you're gonna spend money. How much will depend on you and what you want.
On the plus side you will get a great smoker in return.
First I'd verify the electronics are toast. Sometimes you get lucky and it will be fine once the electronics dry out, if they were ever the problem. It could be they never really got wet and the problem lies elsewhere.
If the electronics are indeed toast, a PID controller is your next best fix. If you just want a simple set temp and walk away type of control, an Inkbird might be one of the cheapest available. https://www.ink-bird.com/products-PID-controller-p108.html although an Auber is more popular around here with far more experienced users to lend advice, they are more expensive.
For more advanced cook programming An Auber unit is highly recommended. https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14_28
Do some homework and read up on their usage here on the forums and decide what you want to do and how much you want to spend and we can walk you thru the rest.

Mo got it right.

 

[jodya]

so i bought a DIGITEN Digital Thermostat Outlet Switch and hard wired it to the heating element and dropped the probe down the smoke vent and it seems to work ok.
I dropped some digital thermometer probes in the box as well to get a better understanding of what's going on in there. the temp seems to fluctuate about 15 degrees but it works. i rubbed a 3 pound pork shoulder in some salt, pepper and red Chile from new mexico and smoked it about 6 hours then sous vide it for 18. chopped most of it up and made posole. so good. got another pork shoulder from my favorite butchery today and i am going to try sous vide it first then smoke it sunday. cant wait.
thanks for all the help