How to auto-tune my Auber PID controller?

[goldfish]

I have an Auber PID controller with a couple of questions related to the auto-tuning process. The exact meaning of the parameters for P,I,D and the auto-tuning is still what I need to learn and figure out.

On my electic smoker I have a built in thermostat where I can set it to use 700W or 1400W. From what I have read most people set it to 700W when smoking meat, which will be my initial main target.

I understand that the tuning process should be done while the machine is being used. So now my first questions:

1) Should the smoke generator be on also (without smoke)? Since there is a small heating element it should affect the total characteristics and therfore should be on?

2) Should the the smoker and generator start from "cold" when auto-tuning?

3) When the Auto-tuning process is done, will the "new values" be reflected in the parameters for P, I, D?

4) If I tune at 700 W and at any time would like to use 1400W for some reason - does this mean that I should redo the auto-tuning? Most likely yes?

5) I have only used my smoker + Auber PID once, so I am really new at this. But when I did the Auber was going on-off-on-off-on-off all the time. Will the on-off be less frequent if I auto-tune or is this just how the Auber operates? I went with the default settings for a Bradley Smoker, but I think my smoker is more isolated than a Bradley.

Hope to get some more insight from all of you :)

 

[haulinbuns]

I have an Auber PID controller with a couple of questions related to the auto-tuning process. The exact meaning of the parameters for P,I,D and the auto-tuning is still what I need to learn and figure out.

On my electic smoker I have a built in thermostat where I can set it to use 700W or 1400W. From what I have read most people set it to 700W when smoking meat, which will be my initial main target.

I understand that the tuning process should be done while the machine is being used. So now my first questions:

1) Should the smoke generator be on also (without smoke)? Since there is a small heating element it should affect the total characteristics and therfore should be on? Yes, the heat from the generator will affect the PID and must be considered.

2) Should the the smoker and generator start from "cold" when auto-tuning? No. The smoker should be up to temp and stable before starting an auto-tune.

3) When the Auto-tuning process is done, will the "new values" be reflected in the parameters for P, I, D? Yes. Be sure to write down the before and after numbers for future reference.

4) If I tune at 700 W and at any time would like to use 1400W for some reason - does this mean that I should redo the auto-tuning? Most likely yes? You should seti it for 1400W and leave it. By using a PID you are effectively making the element "variable" and the PID will regulate the power to the element , therefore regulating heat accurately. You will never need to use the 700W setting.

5) I have only used my smoker + Auber PID once, so I am really new at this. But when I did the Auber was going on-off-on-off-on-off all the time. Will the on-off be less frequent if I auto-tune or is this just how the Auber operates? I went with the default settings for a Bradley Smoker, but I think my smoker is more isolated than a Bradley. No, the cycling will not be less frequent. The controller works by having preset cycles, which I believe is about 2 sec for an Auber. Every 2 sec. the cycle starts by the controller calculating where the set vs. actual parameters are and calculating the percentage of "on-time" for the next cycle. If current temp is low, "on-time" for next cycle will be longer and vice-versa, then the cycle starts over again. Hope this rudimentary explanation helps.


Hope to get some more insight from all of you :)

See answers above. As for auto-tune, my experience with my Auber is that the factory settings were very close. +/- 2 deg. I ran several auto-tunes but they made little or no difference. Your results may vary.

 

[old sarge]

The smoke generator is for a unit like the Bradley that does have a seperate element for heating the pucks for smoke. By chance is your smoker a SmokinTex? If so someone at ST might be able to help.

 

[goldfish]

HaulinBuns  : Thanks for your reply! It definitely cleared out a few things. One other thing. So I place pot with water or something similar so "simulate" some meat in the smoker when doing the Auto-tune.

By the way, do you know of any thread in this forum that explains what the actual parameters P, I, D, T mean in practise?

old sarge  : I live in Sweden and the Smoker I bought is a "Borniak, which I think is produced in Poland

The smoker looks like this: http://bit.ly/2lgtEB2

and the smoke generator like this: http://bit.ly/2kjnnpz

and to this kit I added the Auber WS-1200CPH PID controller.

 

[old sarge]

goldfish - Thanks for clarification on your smoker. I googled it.  Looks interesting. When I saw the ability to use 700 or 1400 watts, I wrongly assumed you had a ST 1500.  Here is a link:

https://id34137.securedata.net/smok...ager/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=174

 

[haulinbuns]

HaulinBuns
 : Thanks for your reply! It definitely cleared out a few things. One other thing. So I place pot with water or something similar so "simulate" some meat in the smoker when doing the Auto-tune.

By the way, do you know of any thread in this forum that explains what the actual parameters P, I, D, T mean in practise?

old sarge
 : I live in Sweden and the Smoker I bought is a "Borniak, which I think is produced in Poland

The smoker looks like this: http://bit.ly/2lgtEB2
and the smoke generator like this: http://bit.ly/2kjnnpz

and to this kit I added the Auber WS-1200CPH PID controller.

I could explain what P.I.D. and T mean but the Auber instruction manual does a fine job. This link is to the newest unit that replaces yours. Starting at page 8 is the tutorial. http://auberins.com/images/Manual/WS-1211GPH/WS-1211GPH.pdf . Like I mentioned before, the default factory settings should work very well for most smokers. I tried several Auto-Tune sessions but ended up getting best results with the defaults.

During an Auto-Tune, some bricks or a pot of water or some other kind of heat sink to simulate a load will make the results more accurate.