Pit probe splitter?
 

have you guys seen or know if it's possible to rig a single pit probe into my maverick ET732 and my Party Q temp controller? I don't like having 2 pit probes just to monitor the pit temp and control the temp controller. I haven't seen any splitters and not sure if it's even possible. Ideally, I would like one pit probe going into the maverick ET732 AND the PartyQ temp controller, and then a second probe for the meat.

Huh:twitch:?? what language is this:confused: ya'll are OCD. life is to short to keep you butt cheeks clinched that tight. I have a temp gage on the pit a 5.00 oven thermo and an ice pic relax it's only heat & meat and a little time. ya aint launching a rocket ship.:focus:

lol you're right, it's totally OCD, but that's just me. It's like that one hair that sticks up on your head that won't stay down!

good question. anyone?

I don't think that would be possible, while we view the probe as a temperature device, it is actually part of a circuit where changes in voltage are being converted into a digital display reading. The issue at hand is that you have two separate circuits, that you can't completely isolate from each other.

Just stick to one or the other... OR live with two probes...

My initial thoughts - not possible. If both units worked the same way, then *maybe*, but the wiring would be a bugger

I use Digi QII and a ET-73 with 2 meat probes, works like a champ. You could probably just use the pit probe as a meat probe, just a thought.

The pit probe and meat probes work differently - pit probe will take an average over time, over the length of the probe, whereas the meat probe reads from the tip at a higher sample rate (from what I've read) so you'd not get consistent readings using the pit probe for meat

Some folks like having the gadgets for bbq and tinkering with stuff to find the right setup/balance for them and some folks like running it old school. You seem to not grasp the concept of the former or you do grasp it and simply don't like it and that is ok. You can let it go..........it can't hurt you anymore :-P.


I run a setup similar to PaPaQ mentioned and find that it works well. It would be cool for the Guru's to have a secondary remote unit like Mavericks to take with you. They obviously have the wifi units but I think not everyone wants to use a computer to monitor (though I believe you can use an iPhone maybe and that is smaller). I think there could be a market for a Guru controller setup that had the extra remote unit since there are a lot of folks using one with a Maverick as well.

According to Kirchoff's Loop Law, it should work.

There will be an additional drain on any power source as the voltage level generated by the probe will be maintained across both legs of the Y splitter.

There shouldn't be a problem with meat vs. temp probes because the voltage readings are interpreted and processed by algorithms at the end device reading the values, not the probes themselves.

As far as finding one, you should take your probes to Radio Shack and see if you can find a simple splitter or a way to build one.

Good question.

According to Kirchoff's Loop Law, it should work. I am sure it could be made to work, but I really don't know why you need the same reading from two different devices. It sounds like he is building a money pit instead of a bbq pit. :wink:
Dave

Yeah well, as far as I can tell, there's no accounting for what people want to do and spend money on - as far as I'm concerned - to each their own.

I only hope that Gr8fasushi knows howto run his cooker without any bells and whistles first.

All the electric and electronic doo-dads in the world can't help your cooker work when the power goes out or an EMP device goes off overhead. ;-)

You could definitely split the signal, but the receivers would likely interpret it differently as they're two totally different units. Edit - if the Party Q accepts the Maverick probe and vice-versa, it'll work

I highly believe in, to each his own. That is why I ask why. :icon_smile_tongue:
Dave

It may not be as easy as finding a splitter that adapts to the two units in question. There are a few different types of thermocouples out there that will produce different voltages at the same temperatures. See this info from wikipedia. Depending on what type of thermocouple the guru and the maverick use you may also need a adapter that changes the voltage output to adapt to the device you are connecting to if they use different thermocouples.

Types[edit]

Certain combinations of alloys have become popular as industry standards. Selection of the combination is driven by cost, availability, convenience, melting point, chemical properties, stability, and output. Different types are best suited for different applications. They are usually selected on the basis of the temperature range and sensitivity needed. Thermocouples with low sensitivities (B, R, and S types) have correspondingly lower resolutions. Other selection criteria include the chemical inertness of the thermocouple material, and whether it is magnetic or not. Standard thermocouple types are listed below with the positive electrode (assuming http://upload.wikimedia.org/math/d/c...46e6901f82.png) first, followed by the negative electrode.
K[edit]

Type K (chromel {90% nickel and 10% chromium}–alumel {95% nickel, 2% manganese, 2% aluminium and 1% silicon}) is the most common general purpose thermocouple with a sensitivity of approximately 41 µV/°C (chromel positive relative to alumel when the junction temperature is higher than the reference temperature).[9] It is inexpensive, and a wide variety of probes are available in its −200 °C to +1350 °C / -330 °F to +2460 °F range. Type K was specified at a time when metallurgy was less advanced than it is today, and consequently characteristics may vary considerably between samples. One of the constituent metals, nickel, is magnetic; a characteristic of thermocouples made with magnetic material is that they undergo a deviation in output when the material reaches its Curie point; this occurs for type K thermocouples at around 350 °C . Wire color standard is yellow (+) and red (-).
E[edit]

Type E (chromel–constantan)[6] has a high output (68 µV/°C) which makes it well suited to cryogenic use. Additionally, it is non-magnetic. Wide range is −50 to 740 °C and Narrow range is −110 to 140 °C. Wire color standard is purple (+) and red (-).
J[edit]

Type J (iron–constantan) has a more restricted range than type K (−40 to +750 °C), but higher sensitivity of about 50 µV/°C.[2] The Curie point of the iron (770 °C)[10] causes an abrupt change in the characteristic, which determines the upper temperature limit. Wire color standard is white (+) and red (-).
N[edit]

Type N (Nicrosil–Nisil) (nickel-chromium-silicon/nickel-silicon) thermocouples are suitable for use between −270 °C and 1300 °C owing to its stability and oxidation resistance. Sensitivity is about 39 µV/°C at 900 °C, slightly lower compared to type K.
Designed at the [[Defence Science and Technology Organisation\\ (DSTO) of Australia, by Noel A. Burley, type N thermocouples overcome the three principal characteristic types and causes of thermoelectric instability in the standard base-metal thermoelement materials:[11]

1. A gradual and generally cumulative drift in thermal EMF on long exposure at elevated temperatures. This is observed in all base-metal thermoelement materials and is mainly due to compositional changes caused by oxidation, carburization, or neutron irradiation that can produce transmutation in nuclear reactor environments. In the case of type K thermocouples, manganese and aluminium atoms from the KN (negative) wire migrate to the KP (positive) wire, resulting in a down-scale drift due to chemical contamination. This effect is cumulative and irreversible.
2. A short-term cyclic change in thermal EMF on heating in the temperature range ca. 250–650 °C, which occurs in types K, J, T, and E thermocouples. This kind of EMF instability is associated with structural changes such as magnetic short range order in the metallurgical composition.
3. A time-independent perturbation in thermal EMF in specific temperature ranges. This is due to composition-dependent magnetic transformations that perturb the thermal EMFs in type K thermocouples in the range ca. 25-225 °C, and in type J above 730 °C.

Nicrosil and Nisil thermocouple alloys show greatly enhanced thermoelectric stability relative to the other standard base-metal thermocouple alloys, because their compositions substantially reduces the thermoelectric instabilities described above. This is achieved primarily by increasing component solute concentrations (chromium and silicon) in a base of nickel above those required to cause a transition from internal to external modes of oxidation, and by selecting solutes (silicon and magnesium) that preferentially oxidize to form a diffusion-barrier, and hence oxidation-inhibiting films.[12]