PID controller in 2D

[Roostershooter]

I got my 2D this spring and have turned out some great smoked meats.  However, for the most part the controller display has been difficult.  At first I attributed it to me being a newbie and the learning curve for programming the controller.  Here are some pictures of what the display looks like.  Bars missing, hard to make out letters, etc. Has anyone else experienced this?  Steve has the photos and i am waiting his reply but thought i would toss it out here in case i am not the only one.

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[old sarge]

I have not seen that before.  You did the right thing sending this to Steve.

[Roostershooter]

He did reply tonight.  He said that little tear was letting water in and ruining the circuit board.  Not sure about that.  Its covered all the time and we are in drought declaration area.  It was delivered that way.  I will speak to him by phone tomorrow.  Glad to find out its not me!

[old sarge]

Hopefully he gets you up and smoking again.

[SconnieQ]

I don't have a D model, but wondering what all those brownish/yellow halos around the buttons and display are. Is that normal?

[Roostershooter]

Steve told me to take it off and send it in for repair/replacement.  The unit is just a few months old.  I also wonder about the brownish staining.  Maybe its normal.  For those of you that have this controller, never scratch the decal face.  If you do, call and get a replacement right away.  For those considering a model with a pid controller, when it arrives, check the face first thing for ANY damage.  If so, report it to Steve ASAP. 

[GoodForTheSport]

mine does this too. (missing bars). The smoker still works but little frustrating with the cost of these things.

Did you get yours fixed yet?

Thanks, Ray

[SuperDave]

mine does this too. (missing bars). The smoker still works but little frustrating with the cost of these things.

Did you get yours fixed yet?

Thanks, Ray

Ray, I've always said that the controller is the weakest link in my smoker but on the bright side, Auber turns it around very quickly.  I've had to send mine back 3 times.  10 days has been about the average door to door return time. 

[Roostershooter]

Steve sent me a brand new controller.  Took care of the problem.  One thing i did learn from this is small case letter “t” doesn't quite look like a t.  To me it looked like a small case b with a bar missing.  The rest of the problems are fixed.  This next year a new digital controller with built in wi-fi will be available, possibly as early as march-april.

[old sarge]

To avoid browning try to shield your new controller from direct sunlight. Might help.

[GoodForTheSport]

I will call them today and see what they say.

Thanks for all the quick replies.

Ray

[jjbn50]

The controller is really not user friendly learning the language is confusing. I try to think of it in computer technology but I guess the processor is old tech.
For the money I spent it could have been a little simpler programming

[old sarge]

I will admit that the controller, whether built-in as on the D models or a stand alone Auber (or any other PID one cares to buy) can be intimidating at first.  But with time, using it becomes much easier. Personally, I keep things simple.  I set smoker temp and time OR smoker temp and meat internal temp and just let it go.  I don't ramp up the temp, I don't have it run through 2 or 3 different cook temperatures, I don't have it go to keep warm or anything else.  I like simple. But like all PIDs, there are steps that allow great flexibility and tuning to specific values which I admit I do not understand.   However, the food is great and setting the smoker in my aforementioned simple method is quick.

[Roostershooter]

Today i have a canadian bacon in the smoker.  Using a controller that works right is not too bad.  I set the temp for 140 for an hour and programmed the controller to ramp up after an hour to 200 until an internal temp of 145 is reached.  Working flawlessly!  I will say that a much better written explanation of how this thing works is badly needed however.  Detailed instructions would help alot. 

[old sarge]

No doubt about it; instructions need to be written for some of us non-techie types. But most folks figured it out after a smoke or two.