HF3 – WiFi RTD Meat Smoker Temperature Transmitter

許風三號

Hui Gardens HF3 WiFi RTD meat smoker temperature transmitter prototype was created to allow my wife and I to monitor the temperature of her smoking creation without going out into the cold and having to manually look at the temperature display. It also allows remote monitoring should we need to run out on a quick errand.

The Hui Gardens HF3 is housed inside a Pelican 1010 case to protect it from the elements since this is meant to be outside where her Traeger smoker is. I found that the temperature probes supplied with her Traeger smoker is a PT1000 2 wire RTD with a 3.5mm aux plug on the end. That’s easy enough, I can work with that. The brains of the HF3 is an Arduino UNO Rev 3 with a WiFi shield and RTD amplifier. Powered by 4x AA batteries that fits inside the housing, I’ve run the Hui Gardens HF3 in the cold for over 12 hours. The HF3 sends the temperature data over WiFi to https://huigardens.com/hf3 allowing for remote monitoring.

To allow for easy hanging of the HF3 WiFi temperature transmitter using the supplied carabiner of the Pelican 1010 case, the temperature probe input is located at the bottom to help in inclement weather since it’s facing down.

Check out this sample temperature log of a smoked turkey the missus made.

HF2 – 24V Variable DC Power Supply

許風二號

Hui Gardens HF2 24V variable DC power supply prototype is meant to power small electronics from hobby 3V3 and 5V sensors (e.g., Arduino and Raspberry Pi) to 24V industrial process 4-20mA transmitters. Housed in its own Pelican 1200 case, it can withstand rough transport and handling. It takes AC or DC input from an external source up to 30V AC/DC and outputs a rectified lower DC voltage. The input is a 2.1mm barrel jack that should be easy to find at an electronics parts store.

Due to the experimental intended purpose of this DC power supply, a 0.5A breaker is put in place instead of a fuse that requires replacement.

Hui Gardens HF2 features a 2W potentiometer for adjusting voltage output which should be plenty even when powering 4-20mA transmitters. Since it relies on setting of voltage via your multimeter prior to use, it is as accurate as your multimeter and there is nothing to calibrate.

The output comes via a binding post, so you can use banana plugs or bare wires. A standard spaced red and black post was chosen so that the fancy integrated two conductor leads can be used as well.

The red toggle switch cover and badge of Chairman Mao is the pièce de résistance taking this variable DC power supply to a new level.

Specification Value
Maximum Voltage Input 30V
Maximum Voltage Output 24V
Maximum Current 0.5A

DECOMMISSIONED

This working prototype had been superceded by the Hui Gardens HFX electrical test set

HF1 – 100W Resistor Box

許風一號

Hui Gardens HF1 100W resistor box prototype was created to provide a dummy load when testing electronics. It features an aluminum enclosure that also acts as a heat sink. Banana jack connector inputs were chosen for durability during transport and also to maintain a low profile. Just toss this rugged resistance standard into your Pelican case.

Due to the experimental nature of this decade box, each resistor is connected to its own banana jack connectors via blade connectors for easy replacement of individual resistors should they burn out.

Specification Value
Maximum Power Dissipation 100W
Maximum Voltage 1900V
Resistor Tolerance 5%
Resistor Values 0.1Ω, 1Ω, 10Ω, 100Ω, 1000Ω

DECOMMISSIONED

This working prototype had been superceded by the Hui Gardens HFX electrical test set