Pellet Fan
Pellet Fan Performance Testing & Product Tests => Product Tests => Topic started by: Bentley on June 30, 2020, 10:58:35 AM
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What is in the box and how it comes packaged. I would note that the ThermoDrop is not included with your order. I am assuming that ThermoWorks just sent it along. If I am wrong, Kyle from ThermoWorks can correct me.
I would like to say right up front that ThermoWorks has graciously said that this Signals can be given away to a lucky Member. So we say thank you from Pellet Fan and know that the Members will be very pleased to hear that. I had a plan all devised on how it would be done, but the co-owner of the site shot my idea down. I would like Members to think on what the best way to get this device into a Members had and post it.
And lastly, I was going to send everything in the box on to the winner, but I have already been told the Jelly Beans are taken and the ThermoDrop is being mulled over!
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I now need to take some time and read some instructions before we start with anything else. 1st test I am going to do is see how long it takes to charge using USB port on computer, started at Noon.
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The manufacturer's representative will be monitoring the thread and is willing to answer questions from members. This is a wonderful opportunity and greatly appreciated. So if anyone has a question of the manufacturer as we proceed, please post it.
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I have learned that the Signals once set up through the Smart Device app, that you can access the data and change settings via cloud.thermoworks.com using the same login you create in the app.
So, for a guy like me, who is more computer oriented then Smart Device, it is gonna be nice.
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I would venture to guess if you have a smart device you know how to download an app. Obviously that was very easy, and the set up was quite simple too. Choose username, email and password, it was that simple to get app on device. I am now working on setting up the wifi.
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I now need to take some time and read some instructions before we start with anything else. 1st test I am going to do is see how long it takes to charge using USB port on computer, started at Noon.
Just an FYI, the Signals charger is 12V and your computer USB port is only 5V so it either won't charge or it will go very slowly. The included charger should be used for best results.
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Looking forward to your tests and review Bentley. I’ve been debating this purchase for a while now, this may put me over the edge.
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Have switched the charging source.
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Understood. But it seems to have full charged it from the lap top in about 3.5 hours as an FYI.
I now need to take some time and read some instructions before we start with anything else. 1st test I am going to do is see how long it takes to charge using USB port on computer, started at Noon.
Just an FYI, the Signals charger is 12V and your computer USB port is only 5V so it either won't charge or it will go very slowly. The included charger should be used for best results.
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Bentley, did you download the original app or the newer Beta version?
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Bentley, I'll be especially interested in your thoughts on–
- How easy the Owners' Manual is to follow
- How intuitive the operations are
- How easy it is to establish alerts for pit temperature, meat at final temperature and the like
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I downloaded what will show on the App Store or Google Play as ThermoWorks (Early Access), there was a firmware update, but it was very quick to download. It appears we are up and running. Fairly painless. I believe folks could be up and running, even if they have to update firmware withing 20 minutes of unboxing.
Bentley, did you download the original app or the newer Beta version?
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I can answer now. They are very simple to understand instructions, but after downloading the app, you are kind of directed on what to do, so even easier in my mind, really don't need written instructions.. I would say very intuitive. I will do a short video, as it is almost impossible to show how easy with words.
Signals Intuitive Operations (https://youtu.be/FCkqKCWs3P0)
Bentley, I'll be especially interested in your thoughts on–
- How easy the Owners' Manual is to follow
- How intuitive the operations are
- How easy it is to establish alerts for pit temperature, meat at final temperature and the like
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Signals High & Low Heat (https://youtu.be/aUevMnBYvzE)
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Signals Intuitive Operations (https://youtu.be/FCkqKCWs3P0)
Wow! That couldn't be much easier. It beats the heck out of some others I've seen.
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Signals Intuitive Operations (https://youtu.be/FCkqKCWs3P0)
Wow! That couldn't be much easier. It beats the heck out of some others I've seen.
Sure beats setting an alarm on my Maverick!
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Will have a very short graph to post after the banana bread cook. What is the consensus, I put the probes in a little early? As soon as I put them in I knew it was a bad decision!
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The answer to this question is no.
2. Can the graph be shared in real time with others.
Edit: I am actually going to ask Kyle to weigh in on this. We discussed it and the answer was no. But I guess I will ask the question of Kyle, if a person shared their log in information with another person so they could log into their ThermoWorks icloud account, could it be done?
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The answer to this question is no.
2. Can the graph be shared in real time with others.
Edit: I am actually going to ask Kyle to weigh in on this. We discussed it and the answer was no. But I guess I will ask the question of Kyle, if a person shared their log in information with another person so they could log into their ThermoWorks icloud account, could it be done?
Yes you could share your login information with a friend and both watch the graph at the same time. Many competition BBQ teams have actually been doing this successfully for quite a while now.
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Thanks for the quick answer Kyle.
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On the subject of graphing a cook–
● Can a user set the upper and lower limits on the Y Axis Scale?
If the meat is put on the pit at refrigerator temperature, an automatic scale will be from 0° to about 300°, if the pit is running at 275°. Users will see more temperature detail if they can set the lower Y Axis Scale limit at, say, 100°.
(https://9fvaqq.ch.files.1drv.com/y4m-jFO5W-QioTOgRTei_sk0eXxSq8WDpJxbc_FNbr9G53-gkWcfc1PDsbPgAy4XgAdDGunLARujo-8ekhDmxDoPzHIJb_CehlAxwiPWu2NYUrJ6lE0-54FNxRfFUMTZV-l1_IgjmSHJ7Ui3tTTjzMjz1edwKW5ojI_rox6nzBH1RVtudTQfaxKgxpn6foPFgDxruAaxOFfUBW3tS8vMFdwGg?width=660&height=337&cropmode=none)
You see more detail if you can zoom in on a portion of the Y Axis.
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Kyle, it is questions like these...please feel free to jump in, cuz I am just gonna have to ask anyway!
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Baked at 350°, took about 80 minutes.
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I am not sure. I think the Y axis is a function of the temperature is of what is being charted (pit or meat). I was going to say I could put one probe in and set high and low at 350° and it might show what you are trying to accomplish, but I am not sure.
On the subject of graphing a cook–
● Can a user set the upper and lower limits on the Y Axis Scale?
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On the subject of graphing a cook–
● Can a user set the upper and lower limits on the Y Axis Scale?
If the meat is put on the pit at refrigerator temperature, an automatic scale will be from 0° to about 300°, if the pit is running at 275°. Users will see more temperature detail if they can set the lower Y Axis Scale limit at, say, 100°.
(https://9fvaqq.ch.files.1drv.com/y4m-jFO5W-QioTOgRTei_sk0eXxSq8WDpJxbc_FNbr9G53-gkWcfc1PDsbPgAy4XgAdDGunLARujo-8ekhDmxDoPzHIJb_CehlAxwiPWu2NYUrJ6lE0-54FNxRfFUMTZV-l1_IgjmSHJ7Ui3tTTjzMjz1edwKW5ojI_rox6nzBH1RVtudTQfaxKgxpn6foPFgDxruAaxOFfUBW3tS8vMFdwGg?width=660&height=337&cropmode=none)
You see more detail if you can zoom in on a portion of the Y Axis.
The graph will automatically scale. However, there are lots of ways you can manipulate the graph to see exactly what you want. By hovering over the graph, it will show you the exact time/temperature as shown in the attached image. You can also enable/disable channels individually so removing pit temp would zoom in on your meat temps.
If you want the ultimate in customization, you can always export to Excel or another spreadsheet software and build custom scale as well.
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On the road for dog sitting tomorrow, so probably no more data till Friday when I will try and get the brisket cooked with all 4 probes in use.
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Looks like a beefed up Smoke - 4 Ports and a Power Supply.
Nice unit. :clap:
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Looks like a beefed up Smoke - 4 Ports and a Power Supply.
Nice unit. :clap:
Yep, with the extra two probes and the wifi already built in.
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Plus it serves as a controller for the Bellows fan option.
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Going to try and show the range of the BlueTooth.
I would like Members to head the Manufactures guidelines when using BlueTooth...The BlueTooth and WiFi Signal is 95 feet Line-Of-Sight. If however the Signals is close to another device that uses Radio Frequency those devices may create interference. The transmission can also be interrupted by walls and building materials of the home/building. Signals will easily communicate through glass, but tinting on windows can interfere with signal.
You can see the little battery, bluetooth and wifi indicators. I am told when you get out of range that will go off. I will move around the house with the phone and camera and try and make about a 1 minute video showing the range in various rooms.
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90 second video on the Signals Bluetooth range. It is a hack job, but you will get the idea!
You get maybe one or 2 walls, it pretty much needs line of site inside, but if you have windows or doors towards where the unit is it helps a lot.
Signals Bluetooth Range (https://youtu.be/DhdnQ-Xz6SE/)
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That is some impressive range for Bluetooth.
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This is a 9.3lb, USDA Prime Costco Brisket. It has a rub of salt, finely ground pepper, onion & garlic powder with about 1/4 cup of light brown sugar on top. I plan on cooking it at 200° from now until I get up. Will see how bark and temperature look after 12 hours. Will probably foil to finish, but being Prime, anything can happen. Used the last of my sodium phosphate in my custom injection tonight, so that worked out well!
Now we discussed this. Below is a link to my account on Thermoworks icloud. Maye it lets you directly in, or maybe it asks for username (lwnna@yahoo.com) and password (PelletFan1). Like watching grass grow, so you wont be there long, but you get a chance to see the icloud and how it works. No idea if anyone will do it, or if it has limitations on how many can log in at one time.
If anyone does check it out, please let me know, and let me know what you had to do to view it!
Thanks!
ThermoWorks Cloud (https://cloud.thermoworks.com/home)
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Easy to do. I just clicked on the link, entered the user name and password. This was on the computer with out downloading any thing. Looks like a person needs to be careful as I think I could have changed settings. (That might be a good thing for teams)
Other that that it worked well.
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Lots of good info, but quite risky, as it looks like any lurker can change settings. Might be a good question for Kyle for other ways of sharing a cook.
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I though that one might be able to change alarms and highs and lows, but with no control of my Memphis I did not worry about it. Now if someone had the ability to set the Memphis at 500° at 3 in the morning, that Brisket would be wasted and the house would probably be on fire. I can't imagine anyone ever sharing a link like I am doing! And if your teammates are out to sabotage you, it is time to start looking for a new team!
Thanks for letting me know it worked.
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Looks good, maybe you're in the stall now?
Edit: If you want to see the graph, click "Pellet Fan Signals" under Devices.
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I'm most surprised at the fluctations in the grill temp.
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I just got through putting it in pan and covering. Turned Pro to 275°. Hope to have it finished by 11am. Forgot picture, sorry. Good color, not what most would think of as bark, just a rich Mahogany color.
The variations in temperature, not sure. Maybe having to do with meat and probe on 2nd shelf. Maybe Lowes heating pellets, maybe just older and seals or controller is going bad. Really dont know, but I have been over temperature fluctuation for so long, don't care. I know you dont either, and it was know for stability, so I have no answer for you. Hoping the Brisket turns out well and my laziness does not cost me a dry brisket!
Oh, it was $4.99/lb, not $3.99.
I did change temps about 11pm, 6am and 9:15am! And you can see where it was foiled at about 9:30. The graph seems to start at 4:30am, I do not understand where the rest of it went!
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199° at far end of flat. Not quite there, I am think 205°. Going to pull and cut as it finishes, not going to do a one temperature makes whole Brisket done! If you are a fan of heavy hard bark, you would not like my brisket!
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Unless others come up with suggestions I think we are coming to the end. I will ask Kyle on Monday if there is anything the Company would like me to demonstrate.
I will address #1 when I go into town this after noon.
2. Above average in my mind, but we try to show data so you all can make the decision.
3. I am not a tech/gadget person in general, really not for BBQ. I will say that it is easy to use. It can go in either Excel or Google, I just have no idea how to do it. That is not the devices fault.
4. The bluetooth would make it very attractive for Competitions. I would not need battery life at a competition, as I always had power, but the battery last as long as advertised. About 12 -16 hours depending on what interval you want data to chart at...ie 15 seconds, 30, etc...
1. How well the wifi works. Can you go into town while it is cooking and still see the results on your phone.
2. How well the blue tooth works. Does it work well on your phone through the walls of the house? Does it work as many feet away from the unit as it says it does?
3. Thoughts on the app interface, things you can do with it, does it graph the cook, can you download the graph into Excel, Google sheets, or some other software, etc.
4. Does it do anything else they claim on their website that it should do that would be meaningful for someone that buys this? I think it is geared toward bbq competition cooks. How would you use it at a bbq comp? Can you replicate that at home to assess whether it would work for you? Does the battery life hold up to their claims? Etc.
Just will add a couple things.
1. Use of all 4 probes.
2. Can the graph be shared in real time with others.
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In Mayberry right now, the app is working fine. Sorry I don't know how to take a screenshot.
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If its an android phone you can hold down the power and down volume at the same time. Some phone allow you to wave your hand across from left to right if you have that setting turned on.
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I did a search before I left the parking lot and it said you could do what you posted, that did not work, or hold down the power button then tap screenshot, that did not work either. You know you pay top dollar, $79 for a phone, you expect it to do what you want!
Let it be known, if your device is connected to the internet, and your smart device is connected to the internet, you can see your data!
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A Member, WiPelletHead , was able to pull a screen shot on their phone of the Data being broadcast from the Signals.
So here is the data from the Signals when I was walking through Wal-Mart in Mayberry!
(https://i.imgur.com/nUZgyzvh.jpg)
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I snapped that to show that it works real well on WIFI as I'm in WI about 1,000 miles from Bentley.
From what I've seen it works better than the WIFI on my Anova.
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Doh! Sorry for thinking you were DK!
I dont even get this. So you have the link to the icloud, how do you get it on to the phone?
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I downloaded the Thermoworks newest app. Then just used the login info that you had posted. It was real easy to do and never had a hiccup like some apps do. Yesterday I was following from the computer using the cloud and decided to try the phone today.
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Of course, the log in for both is the same! Thanks for showing that I can monitor my cooks when we go to see FMT and Trooper! :pig:
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Any final assessment on this device?
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Let me see if I have covered all the things ThermoWorks wanted shown and I will give a few thoughts.
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Sounds good. I think a final wrap up would be in order and a good completion point.
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Posting with Bentley's permission.
Here is an example of a graph created using Excel.
I went into Sessions on the new phone app and selected the session that I wanted to chart.
I hit the three parallel bars icon and selected export data followed by Excel 2007+.
Selecting the CSV option data gave me a png graphic file.
The file ended up in the Downloads folder on my phone. I copied it to my desktop.
When opening the file in Excel on my desktop I got an warning message that the file is in a different format than specified by the file extension. I responded yes, that I trusted the file source. Once open in Excel I ran into some difficulties getting time to plot on the horizontal axis. It turns out that the file was saved as a web type (explaining the warning message) and I had to re-save as an Excel workbook. Once I did that everything worked as expected. Below is my graph of a tritip cook.
I adjusted the time access to display time of cook rather than time of day.
I am running Excel 2010 on my home desktop.
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Thanks. I guess I expected to see a spreadsheet. Tells you what I know about Excel.
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The chart was constructed from a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is just a list of numbers. I have also used the spreadsheet to perform statistical analysis on pit temperature performance.
I have my Signals set to collect data every minutes. Going back to my earliest graphs on the old program I was collecting every 15 seconds. That was too much.
You have options of 15, 30, or 60 seconds selected in the options menu.
The chart below is a histogram of my pit performance. I believe I had it set for 250 but was measuring on the hot side. I got a nice distribution around 275 with a standard deviation of about 8 deg F with very little skew, which you can see in the summary statistics. It is also showing a positive kurtosis meaning it is peaking more than a normal distribution curve.
This is an excellent way to assess pit temperature performance which you can only do if you can capture the temperature data.
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Trying to go through things I may have missed or not shown. I guess it is so easy to set the Signals with the Smart Device that I forgot that it can be programmed from the Unit. All functions are there and it could obviously be used without a Smart Device if you wanted to use it in that capacity.
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You always hope that most folks have a sense of humor!
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There is one feature we did not mention that I asked Kyle to come on and elaborate about...So for all you traitors out there that use Semi-Evil charcoal and the Evil Stick Burners, he will explain the Bellows features of the unit in due time!
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Lots of good info, but quite risky, as it looks like any lurker can change settings. Might be a good question for Kyle for other ways of sharing a cook.
You definitely wouldn't want to share your login credentials with anyone you don't trust. I just verified that the "Add User" function is working so you can actually create a read only login for someone else that is separate from your primary login and would allow people to see data but not make changes.
The other feature that I spoke with Bentley about and he asked me to share is compatibility with the ThermoWorks Billows. For those of you who have a charcoal smoker or stick burner, this gives you automated temperature regulation which is a real timesaver. All you have to do is connect Billows to your Smoker and Signals (or Smoke X) and set the desired temperature. The fan will kick on automatically as needed to keep your pit stable.
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This is why we like the Manufacture to come on when we do a Test!
Thank You for your time and effort Kyle, and we thank ThermoWorks for sending us this Signals to Test!
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Not really sure how to close the Product Test. Comments can be subjective, and you know I do not like that when dealing with products, there are enough "reviews" on the internet. I have used Maverick, Tappecue and Thermoworks products to monitor temperatures. The Signal is probably the simplest to use. The site has tried to list what the product is capable of and test to show if that happened. I do not really feel comfortable sharing anything else, unless someone has a specific question that I might address regarding output of the device
Thanks again ThermoWorks and Kyle for letting us do this.