installed the DIY probe today after verifying it was accurate. Took me 2 hours to drill through the back wall, mainly because HF bits suck. had to pull out the drill doctor and finally said screw it and set the drill to fast mode. got it done 2 minutes after that. Always predrill a small hole first.
One advantage to making one yourself is that there is a preexisting hole on the bottom of the back that you can stick the probe through before assembling the nylon bolt. One hole was enough for me, I am not going to drill anymore holes!
Also, I installed a dryer heat fuse that melts at 333 degrees. If my smoker gets too hot, that should prevent it from burning down. Thanks to one of the members here for suggesting that. The other advantage to that is that I did not have to make any wires up for shorting out the connectors in order to bypass the controller.
I am autotuning it right now.