# Inside a smoke unit



## lotsasteam (Jan 3, 2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_W...mp;list=UL 

Make your own smoker : gold cups / resistor/ timer = drain gold cups in a puffing sequence in synch with piston stroke

Manfred


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## Paul Burch (Jan 2, 2008)

Those resistors in series or parallel? If in parallel thats only five ohms. What kind of curent does it draw? Got to be way up there depending on voltage. Sure does smoke good.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Note the part where he says the resistor coils glow red hot if you run out of fluid, and that he is replaced burned out ones? Those resistors are not designed to be "bare". 

5 Ohms is what most aristo "heaters" run by the way. 

Greg


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I've been using 20 ohm resistors without removing the ceramic, and they seem to smoke well at 20v. Oops, smokes well with or without fluid. I have a thermocouple and trying to make a temperature regulator, but I only get a little time to play with it every few months. Last time, the regulator doesn't seem to notice the high temperature till it's up to like 1400f. Should be more like 350f. So I have something misfigured.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yep, a self-regulating unit would be great, but I have seen very few with a real temperature feedback circuit. The Aristo one tries to measure the current, but does a miserable job. I have not looked at the precise circuit on the USAT but it looks like a simple voltage regulator, still no good. 

The USAT docksider actually has a thermistor inside the smoke chamber, that's probably the most foolproof way... 

Greg


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Than a thermocouple against the resistor inside the wick?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I meant of the commercially available systems. 

That work. 

Greg


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Not if you misfigure your setpoints. Then your resistors don't last long


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

(I think I found my mistake)


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