Smoker Mes 130 p trouble shoot

[stormynittes]

I bought a mes 130 P electric smoker on marketplace..was told it worked never used. Well it has a top and bottom element top works bottom does not. There is no voltage going to element when checked with voltage meter. A list of things changed.
Element
Circuit board
Over temp sensor
When re connecting circuit board my husband connect one wire not like how we took it off by mistake. But when connected wrong the bottom element did work but it them goes past the programmed temp and it shut off with an error.
The circuit board it have 2 boxes im assuming they are relays one for top and one for the bottom. On the top there is a black and red wire connected. On bottom only a red wire connected vertically and nothing on horizontal. This is where hubby connected red on horizontal and got the element to work but not stop at temp. The instructions that came with new circuit box does not have this many wires in its diagram. Should there be a wire on that horizontal prong?
Any help?? Why we cant get this suckered to work properly?
We have not tried replacing the controller yet could that be a cause of problems?
Pictures of unit attached. Also pictures of circuit board.

 

[dr k]

Without wires connected. Six male spades, 2 on the board and two on each relay. Seems like your missing a lead to that open spade on the relay. Seems like the instructions in spanish may need to be flipped to match the center relay but doesn't appear to be the right diagram and doesnt show the transformer.

 

[Nefarious]

ask tallbm he will know

 

[stormynittes]

tallbm
hope you may can help thanks in advance

 

[stormynittes]

Without wires connected. Six male spades, 2 on the board and two on each relay. Seems like your missing a lead to that open spade on the relay. Seems like the instructions in spanish may need to be flipped to match the center relay but doesn't appear to be the right diagram and doesnt show the transformer.

Here is a close up of the paper that came.with the board and its instructions but the diagram does not look.like the board which is also confusing.

 

[tallbm]

I bought a mes 130 P electric smoker on marketplace..was told it worked never used. Well it has a top and bottom element top works bottom does not. There is no voltage going to element when checked with voltage meter. A list of things changed.
Element
Circuit board
Over temp sensor
When re connecting circuit board my husband connect one wire not like how we took it off by mistake. But when connected wrong the bottom element did work but it them goes past the programmed temp and it shut off with an error.
The circuit board it have 2 boxes im assuming they are relays one for top and one for the bottom. On the top there is a black and red wire connected. On bottom only a red wire connected vertically and nothing on horizontal. This is where hubby connected red on horizontal and got the element to work but not stop at temp. The instructions that came with new circuit box does not have this many wires in its diagram. Should there be a wire on that horizontal prong?
Any help?? Why we cant get this suckered to work properly?
We have not tried replacing the controller yet could that be a cause of problems?
Pictures of unit attached. Also pictures of circuit board.

Hi there and welcome!

My guess is that a wire should be connected to that horizontal prong but I'm not sure. I would really have to look at the circuit board and see where everything connects to each other or doesn't. That double prong spade shares connection it seems so this model is all new to me.

Your instructions do not mention the yellow wire and the instructions does not even show the extra prongs that exist on the board that I have not seen on older models.

I would say to contact Masterbuilt and have them send you the diagrams for your exact model of MES.

The other thing you can do to help understand what is happening is to look at the color of the wires at the top heating element and the bottom heating element and see if they match the colors at the circuit board.

I have not worked on the MES with top and bottom heating elements so I cannot tell you exactly how the wiring should work at the circuit board.

If I were to understand that unit more I would pull the back off and use a multimeter to do continuity checks to see where all the wires ran from the heating elements, to the cutoff switches and to the circuit board.
That still wouldnt tell me exactly how the circuit board would be wired. I would have to google the components on the board and hope that helped.

Really Masterbuilt should assist you with this.
Should you want to buy a PID controller and rewire around all of that then that would still be somewhat new to me but at least it would be simple to bypass the circuit board and make sure all the wires were spliced correctly to the wires in the plug to then be used with a PID controller haha :D

Wish I had more info for you.

 

[stormynittes]

Hi there and welcome!

My guess is that a wire should be connected to that horizontal prong but I'm not sure. I would really have to look at the circuit board and see where everything connects to each other or doesn't. That double prong spade shares connection it seems so this model is all new to me.

Your instructions do not mention the yellow wire and the instructions does not even show the extra prongs that exist on the board that I have not seen on older models.

I would say to contact Masterbuilt and have them send you the diagrams for your exact model of MES.

The other thing you can do to help understand what is happening is to look at the color of the wires at the top heating element and the bottom heating element and see if they match the colors at the circuit board.

I have not worked on the MES with top and bottom heating elements so I cannot tell you exactly how the wiring should work at the circuit board.

If I were to understand that unit more I would pull the back off and use a multimeter to do continuity checks to see where all the wires ran from the heating elements, to the cutoff switches and to the circuit board.
That still wouldnt tell me exactly how the circuit board would be wired. I would have to google the components on the board and hope that helped.

Really Masterbuilt should assist you with this.
Should you want to buy a PID controller and rewire around all of that then that would still be somewhat new to me but at least it would be simple to bypass the circuit board and make sure all the wires were spliced correctly to the wires in the plug to then be used with a PID controller haha :D

Wish I had more info for you.

I'm attaching a picture I drew of where each connection runs
Im.awaiting masterbuilt tonopen to ask.for a correct diagram from them

 

[tallbm]

I'm attaching a picture I drew of where each connection runs
Im.awaiting masterbuilt tonopen to ask.for a correct diagram from them

I've heard that reaching out to Masterbuilt on Facebook or Twitter is the best way to get them to respond.

So if they can give you the proper documentation talking about all of your wires (black smooth, white smooth, red braided, blue braided, yellow braided, etc.) and where those are supposed to go then it gets easier.
Without physically looking at the circuit board and Googling each part of the bard that something hooks into, we can only make guesses as to which wire connects to which prong... since it seems to never have been hooked up correctly to begin with :)

 

[dr k]

Hi there and welcome!

My guess is that a wire should be connected to that horizontal prong but I'm not sure. I would really have to look at the circuit board and see where everything connects to each other or doesn't. That double prong spade shares connection it seems so this model is all new to me.

Your instructions do not mention the yellow wire and the instructions does not even show the extra prongs that exist on the board that I have not seen on older models.

I would say to contact Masterbuilt and have them send you the diagrams for your exact model of MES.

The other thing you can do to help understand what is happening is to look at the color of the wires at the top heating element and the bottom heating element and see if they match the colors at the circuit board.

I have not worked on the MES with top and bottom heating elements so I cannot tell you exactly how the wiring should work at the circuit board.

If I were to understand that unit more I would pull the back off and use a multimeter to do continuity checks to see where all the wires ran from the heating elements, to the cutoff switches and to the circuit board.
That still wouldnt tell me exactly how the circuit board would be wired. I would have to google the components on the board and hope that helped.

Really Masterbuilt should assist you with this.
Should you want to buy a PID controller and rewire around all of that then that would still be somewhat new to me but at least it would be simple to bypass the circuit board and make sure all the wires were spliced correctly to the wires in the plug to then be used with a PID controller haha :D

Wish I had more info for you.

Right. And then from the relay to the safety thermal limit switch you can see may change braided wire color from the thermal safety switch to the element. It seems there needs to be a smooth insulated power wire on the relay and a braided to the thermal switch or element.

 

[stormynittes]

So masterbuilt tells me they don't have the requested information how frustrating how donthe sell the part send the wrong diagram and not have a correct one

 

[dr k]

With a magnifying glass, now I found 3 male spades on the board near each other and each relay with two, on the pic without wires. If you flip the board you took out, it more matches the diagram and they are just showing spades/components that have 1-4 in the diagram and there should be another diagram for the other relay. With the smoker unplugged and wires connected cut the zip tie and move the wires over to maybe find a vacant spade on the board.

 

[stormynittes]

Masterbuilt has opened a case and is having to ask another department. SHe sent me this diagram which is closer but still not with 2 realys and i do not have a bottom E and mentions nothing of a yellow wire. You guys have been more helpful than them hopefully we can get it working :|

 

[tallbm]

Masterbuilt has opened a case and is having to ask another department. SHe sent me this diagram which is closer but still not with 2 realys and i do not have a bottom E and mentions nothing of a yellow wire. You guys have been more helpful than them hopefully we can get it working :|

Yeah theirs isnt very helpful :)
. Hopefully it will get sorted out :)

 

[stormynittes]

So mb is no help they have no clue about a diagram. Now suggesting a body kit because she has no other clue. So assuming this is wired correctly.
There is power at the relay for bottom element we can then trace power up to over heat sensor but there is no power at the element. (Element is new and we know it works)
There is a blue wire connected to circuit (with power there) it goes to the sensor we have power there. A black wire goes from sensor to element.
Red wire connected to relay (power there) red goes to element no power.
Any ideas. At this point it's just experimenting to see if we can get it to work.
If her theory of needing a body kit is correct couldn't we just replace wires. We have the back inside all exposed.

 

[tallbm]

So mb is no help they have no clue about a diagram. Now suggesting a body kit because she has no other clue. So assuming this is wired correctly.
There is power at the relay for bottom element we can then trace power up to over heat sensor but there is no power at the element. (Element is new and we know it works)
There is a blue wire connected to circuit (with power there) it goes to the sensor we have power there. A black wire goes from sensor to element.
Red wire connected to relay (power there) red goes to element no power.
Any ideas. At this point it's just experimenting to see if we can get it to work.
If her theory of needing a body kit is correct couldn't we just replace wires. We have the back inside all exposed.

Ok let me see if I have this correct:

• Power from circuit board relay to overheat sensor
• No Power from overheat sensor to the heating element but you know the heating element does work
  
  MORE DETAILS HERE:
• Blue braided wire goes from circuit board to sensor (overheat sensor I'm guessing) and it has power
  • Black braided wire from overheat sensor to element, No power
• Red braided wire goes from circuit board to heating element, No power

This SEEMS like the overheat sensor is faulty.
Why do I say this?

The overheat sensor is a Normally Closed (NC) switch so it lets power go through it on to the heating element normally. ONLY when the overheat sensors gets too hot does it switch open to break the connection which prevents electricity from going to the heating element. It breaks the connection to stop the element from heating.

If you are getting power to the switch but not THROUGH the switch then the switch is likely broken in an open position since it should be normally closed all the time.

This is easy to test with a multimeter.
You just unhook all wires from the overheat sensor.
Then put your multimeter on the Continuity setting.
Confirm your multimeter is working on the continuity setting by touching both leads together and it should indicate continuity (beep and/or display continuity is confirmed).

Now once your multimeter is confirmed to work on the continuity setting, touch both tabs of the overheat sensor with the multimeter leads and the multimeter should indicate that there is a continuous connection from one overheat sensor tab through to the other tab. If this test fails then the switch is faulty and is open.

Another really good test is to unhook the wires from the heating element and the circuit board and test them all for continuity to ensure there aren't any broken wires running through the smoker. Use some masking tape and label each end so you know what other end it pairs up to.

If you cannot find both ends of every wire with a continuity check then you may have a broken wire problem somewhere.

The black and white smooth wires connect to the prongs of the MES plug. The braided wires are usually connecting to something within the mes.

Do this check for only the thicker wires not the little tiny wires that are connected to plastic harness plugs, they are not the issue.

I hope all this info helps. Ask any questions you may have :)



if you are detecting power from the relay to the overheat sensor but no power form the overheat sensor to the element then the sensor seems to be the problem.