Pellet Fan

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Welcome to Pellet Fan!

Pages: 1 [2]   Go Down

Author Topic: Lil' Tex Elite Cruise Control Mod  (Read 10583 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

bten

  • Using less gas.
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 66
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #15 on: August 09, 2018, 11:51:59 PM »

I believe the controller is the same size.  I have seen where people have put in the DLX controller to replace the SE controller. 

I have not made that change.  If Camp Chef were to come out with an affordable WIFI controller, then I agree that would be the best option. 

I will wait and watch.
Logged

Bentley

  • Administrator
  • Your at the point in life...one pit is enough...
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9656
  • Mayberry
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #16 on: August 10, 2018, 12:54:12 PM »

I do miss have a Fry's that is close, for those that have never been in one, that is one serious electronics store!
Logged
Bacon is a Gateway Food...

pberry3452

  • Knows what a Pellet Is.
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 15
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #17 on: August 12, 2018, 04:04:09 PM »

Well, I've had a chance to conduct some testing on the modified Lil' Tex over the past couple of days and the results are inconclusive....
 
Bottom Line Up Front: I have not been able to repeat reaching a set temperature of 500º but I've come close. Reaching 450º is a sure thing unless the controller starts acting up.

Maybe I did dream it, but I remember waking up to the Traeger bellowing smoke as it burned all the residual drippings at such a high heat so I got up to turn it off and noticed it had reached 500º. This is what I was alluding to in my initial post. To test this again I thought I would walk it through two steps of 450º and 475º before trying to reach 500º. In an attempt to verify the temperature I placed the two meat probes on the grate inside while running this test. The first set point of 450º was reached in 47 minutes as shown by the app screen shots below.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

The strange part is that the probes measured much higher temperatures of 482º and 507º. Noting this anomaly but pressing ahead, I then adjusted the set point to 475º which was reached in another 14 minutes.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

Again with the probes at much higher temperatures of 505º and 530º. Still undaunted, I adjusted the set point to 500º for the final step of the test. This is where things became a little strange. After continuing an initial ramp up to the next set point the Rec Tec controller began to struggle. It reached a high temperature of 488º but then began to drop down in temperature. Around this time the app began to display an error code when selecting the Temperature Chart display. The last charts I could capture are shown before the error occurred after which I terminated the test without reaching 500º.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]


Two puzzling results from this first test are 1) Why do the meat probes measure a much higher temperature? and 2) What conditions cause the controller to no longer display the Temperature Chart? I sent a message to Rec Tec about the error state of the app through a "Comments/Recommendations" messaging system on their web site (they don't have a way to reach them for support help, at least without calling, which I haven't done yet mainly because I don't want to tiptoe around the fact that I'm using their controller on a Traeger) but haven't received a reply yet. Therefore, I thought I would address problem 1) the next day by re-calibrating the temp probes again. As shown below I went through the ice water calibration and hung the meat probes from the top of the grill. The Rec Tec Controller has a calibration mode that displays all three temps and you can set offsets +/- 25 to calibrate. After the ice water cal I let the meat probes stabilize to ambient and then I adjusted the "Actual" pit probe to the same temperature of 77º. Another oddity is that the pit probe doesn't display the adjusted temp while in the calibration screen but does correctly display once the pit is turned on. However, at the same time the meat probes display a higher temperature as soon as the grill is turned on. At this point I'm beginning to suspect that the new Rec Tec controller still needs some fine tuning and maybe my query will provide some enlightenment on their perceived state of the controller software. Regardless, I let it run to see if it could reach 500º today but to no avail, it basically leveled off at about 366º and wouldn't progress any higher while the meat probes leveled off at 501º and 504º

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

Now I began wondering if the Rec Tec controller used the meat probes as additional feedback in the PID algorithm to keep the pit stable if the food is already above the set temperature. Therefore I tried pulling out the probe lines at the controller to see if it would continue ramping up the pit temp without that feedback but the temp remained around 366º. Maybe once that trigger threshold is met it doesn't reset if the meat probes drop out, so I decided to shut it down and let it cool off. After a few hours I started the grill again with a set point of 500º but this time without the meat probes connected. It reached about 429º before it began to falter and the app error began occurring again.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

The next day I was smoking some burgers so I set it for 450º which it reach in 54 minutes, a little longer than the previous time but it was a little windy that day.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

After the burgers were done I thought I would let it try to reach 500º again but the app began faulting and the temperature was erratic, almost as if there is some problem in the feedback loop parameters of the PID algorithm.

At this point I think I need to give up on the claim that it can achieve 500º but 450º seems pretty repeatable or even higher as long as the controller doesn't act up. This product is pretty new so maybe Rec Tec will come out with a software update that will correct these issues.

I will say that for most normal cooks it works very well. Since I've made this upgrade to the Traeger I've cooked pulled pork twice, brisket, whole chicken, hamburgers multiple times, steaks a couple times, a bacon weave fatty, and currently cooking beef short ribs, low and slow at 225º and it is working like a champ. The WiFi remote control is so convenient! I still am very happy with the mod and believe the cost of the new Rec Tec controller is well worth it.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2018, 11:38:28 AM by pberry3452 »
Logged

Canadian John

  • Friends Want you to cook way to much.
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2698
  • HAPPY COOKING, Canadian John
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2018, 09:26:07 AM »



 Well done my friend! Some questions/comets if I may... I can't read the probe locations in your photos. "A" is the lower reading probe and to me should be the one on the left as Traegers left side runs cooler. Was "A" probe on the left?  The RTD is located left and high and should provide lower temperature feedback to the controller than the grate probes.. For the display to read the same as the probes they must all be located in the same location. However "grate temperature" is what it's all about..
I would have to side w/ you re the controller. There has to be something that backs off the auger motor at the high end..It might be interesting it install a temporary pilot light in the auger motor circuit to monitor the  motors function.  Just make up a harness using the Molex connectors so it can be removed when done.
Thanks for the excellent feedback. I am as curious as you as to what Rec Tec has to say..
Logged

pberry3452

  • Knows what a Pellet Is.
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 15
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #19 on: August 13, 2018, 11:52:25 AM »

Yes, Probe A is on the left side of the grill and Probe B is on the right.  You should be able to click on the photos to enlarge them (you may have to use the slider at the bottom of my post to see the right side of the exploded photo).

I would agree that grate temperature would be higher and that is the reason I changed the probe location during the second test as shown in the photo where they are hanging off the top of the grill cover.  What is also interesting is that during the first test the meat probe temps ranged from 30º to 55º higher than the RTD but during the second test they were up to 138º higher than the RTD. Not what I would expect.

Logged

Canadian John

  • Friends Want you to cook way to much.
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2698
  • HAPPY COOKING, Canadian John
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #20 on: August 13, 2018, 01:11:09 PM »

 Most interesting..  I got the photos enlarged. Thanks.
Logged

pberry3452

  • Knows what a Pellet Is.
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 15
Re: Lil' Tex Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #21 on: September 08, 2018, 03:39:13 PM »

I wasn't dreaming...500º is achievable and repeatable with the new RecTec controller and the old Traeger Lil' Tex!

I finally figured out my issue and as usual, once you know the answer, it is blatantly obvious - RTD CALIBRATION!

I foolishly assumed that I could calibrate the old Traeger RTD at ambient while conducting the ice cal for the meat probes, however, I realized that this doesn't translate to accurate measurements at cooking temperatures. Of course, with hindsight, this is plainly evident if you review the test data of my previous posts where the probe temperatures were much higher than the RTD measured temperature.

But before I figured this out, and at the suggestion of Canadian John, I purchased three rather cartoonishly large LEDs for $8 off Amazon and installed them on my project box with red for the igniter, blue for the fan, and yellow for the auger. While it is sometimes useful to be able to see when the igniter is energized, you can just as easily hear when the fan and auger are running but at least I now have a visual confirmation. With these installed I verified that the RecTec controller was always performing as expected and was not to blame for my previous random temperature performance. I take back any disparaging remarks I have made about the state of the RecTec controller software since I now believe it is a fine tuned machine!

Digging around on the RecTec app I found a configuration screen that provides simple instructions and a scaling input which makes it extremely easy to calibrate your RTD.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]

Last night, after smoking a tri-tip, I executed this calibration sequence at 350º and determined that the scaling input necessary to match my external probe with the RTD required an increase of about 26 steps above the setting I had calibrated at ambient. I then matched the external probe temperature at RTD temperatures of 225º and 500º which required fine tuning of the scaling input over a 5 step range (+12 at 225º and +8 at 500º where I was using -14 at ambient or about 75º).

In order to demonstrate the RecTec Controller performance with a properly calibrated RTD, I conducted and recorded a final test of a 500º set point just this morning. I hung two temperature probes in the middle of the grill, one meat probe from the RecTec controller and one from my old trusty Redi-Chek that I've been using faithfully for the past six years. As shown in the images below, from a cold start it reached 500º in under 45 minutes. It stalled for about 12 minutes around 460º to 470º and then continued on up to 500º without a problem!

 [ Invalid Attachment ]
« Last Edit: September 08, 2018, 03:46:04 PM by pberry3452 »
Logged

BC Buck

  • Starting to taste the Smoke.
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 185
Re: Lil' Tex Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #22 on: September 09, 2018, 07:57:05 AM »

Well done, keep us updated after you get some time on the unit.
Logged

Canadian John

  • Friends Want you to cook way to much.
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2698
  • HAPPY COOKING, Canadian John
Re: Lil' Tex Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #23 on: September 09, 2018, 09:35:13 AM »


Magic or just good old fashioned persistence?  Now you can relax and enjoy your pit.. Well done!
Logged

KrautBurner

  • Starting to taste the Smoke.
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 116
Re: Lil' Tex Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #24 on: December 12, 2018, 12:25:38 AM »


Thinking this might only be a temporary upgrade ...    I also made a trip to our local Fry's to purchase a black anodized aluminum project box big enough to house the Rec Tec controller and fit over the rectangular cut out where the original Traeger controller was mounted. While




Do you have the information for that project box?

May be a link?


I’ve got an old 124
And I’m not going to cut up the front of it

But I really think this is the direction I want to go


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Logged
I'm usually cooking on a Traeger BBQ124, Traeger JR BBQ055 (SOLD), Traeger Texas BBQ075 (Father in laws), or a couple of SawTooth grills at my church

pberry3452

  • Knows what a Pellet Is.
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 15
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #25 on: December 13, 2018, 04:46:09 PM »

This was posted previously in this thread...


It was from Context Engineering - model 6016H-8.5B with dimensions 8.5" L x 6.144" W x 3.090" H which I purchased at Fry's

https://www.frys.com/product/2090841?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

This was over sized for the new controller but necessary to cover the cutout left after removing the old controller.
Logged

KrautBurner

  • Starting to taste the Smoke.
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 116
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #26 on: December 14, 2018, 12:09:59 PM »

This was posted previously in this thread...


It was from Context Engineering - model 6016H-8.5B with dimensions 8.5" L x 6.144" W x 3.090" H which I purchased at Fry's

https://www.frys.com/product/2090841?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

This was over sized for the new controller but necessary to cover the cutout left after removing the old controller.

Thanks,
I must have missed that when reading the other day

thanks for the write up,

I really wanna get one of these for my old 124
but,  since I dont want to make it perminant, and I cant get a replacement front pannel on my antique traeger,
I've either got to build a box or fabricate a new front pannel

all the other project boxes I'd seen were plastic
Logged
I'm usually cooking on a Traeger BBQ124, Traeger JR BBQ055 (SOLD), Traeger Texas BBQ075 (Father in laws), or a couple of SawTooth grills at my church

okie smokie

  • Friends Want you to cook way to much.
  • ******
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2001
  • Live fast, die young, have a good looking corpse.
Re: Lil' Text Elite Cruise Control Mod
« Reply #27 on: March 13, 2019, 10:36:50 AM »

Maybe I just never waited long enough, but I never saw it get any hotter than the low 400s.  What was the max temp you achieved with your Lil' Tex?
I never got my Lil Tex above 400 either.  I think that was the same for most owners of that pit. Making burgers and steaks even with Grill Grates took longer. Maybe the Rec Tec controller primes the pot with more pellets at start up and keeps the flow going longer?  Interesting question John. ???
Logged
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Up