Auber recommendation

[travis]

i am looking at purchasing an auber controller for my 10yr old si3.  Wondering if anyone has an opinion about which one to buy.

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[old sarge]

I reckon it will boil down to budget and the features you are looking for. The Auber site has several models to choose from.  Read the descriptions carefully. Personally I would get the latest version, with or without wifi. Since you may want to modify the smoker either now or in the future, see the info here:
https://www.smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1287.0

[LarryD]

Hey Travis - curious what you're hoping to get from / do with the auber?  I started out with a #2 and then switched to a 3DW when I got it barely used at a massive discount.  I honesly would rather have the #3 and think the Aubers are garbage and provide only a couple benefits.

[travis]

I’m only looking for temp control.  225 to 250 for cooking and then dropping down to 140 for resting or until I’m ready to take it out.  The #3 has worked very well for 10yrs but the temp knob and numbers around the knob are wore out so finding 140 is a guessing game.  That’s why I’m looking into the auber.

[old sarge]

A new faceplate is less expensive. Have you thought about that?

[travis]

I did think about a new faceplate and replacing the rheostat dial.  But for a few more bucks it should stay within a few degrees of set temp with the auber. 

[lcdearman]

I added an Auber AW-1510H to my #2 and love it. The temp control is spot on (after doing an auto-tune), I am happy with the phone app for setup, I like having multiple steps in my cooks that can terminate on time or food temperature, and I like being able to monitor it with my phone when I am away from home. I added a bypass switch so I can use the analog controller if I need to. I did not enjoy drilling the stainless, it was slow, but once I got some decent bits, it went ok.

[travis]

What’s the autotune

[lcdearman]

Autotune is the process of setting the PID controller parameters for your particular smoker. The Auber software will adjust the parameters during the autotune which runs the smoker through several temperature settings and monitors how quickly it heats up and cools down.

I was not 100% happy with the results of my autotune, so I looked at the parameters other people got with their #2 and manually adjusted mine a little. The phone app makes that easy too.

http://www.smokin-it.com/v/vspfiles/files/AuberAutotuneInstructions.pdf

[travis]

Thanks for all the information guys, I ended up ordering a ws-1211gph.  It looks like it will do just temp control which is what I was after.  Hopefully it’s easy to use.

[old sarge]

That model will controll the smoker temp only.  Be sure to max out the analog controller to its highest setting and let the auber work at your desired temp.  It will no monitor the internal temp of meat like the 1200 will so make sure you have a good remote meat thermometer.  Enjoy!

[travis]

Sarge should I max out the dial or just bypass it?

[old sarge]

If it were me, I would just max out the analog. I 'm somewhat lazy and no bypass is less work.  The link I posted earlier will guide you through the bypass if you go that route.