Make:

Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

• Very cool, but would anyone be interested in taking the Make ethic a step further by developing our own Stoker using the Make controller board? In addition to temp probes and the controller blower, you could add actuators to open/close dampers and control a motor running a rotisserie. Perhaps even figure a way to control the addition of extra fuel to the smoke box so it can be unattended for the duration of the barbeque.

  Posted by: theacoustician on January 23, 2007 at 8:25 AM

• i will give someone a free MAKE controller if they promise to do it and post up a how-to (with source, etc etc).

  Posted by: philliptorrone on January 23, 2007 at 8:29 AM

• FWIW, the Stoker basic unit is $150, the same as the MAKE controller board. Its also a fairly "open" system allowing you to expand it as you please: http://www.friday.com/bbum/2006/12/09/the-stoker-in-detail/
  My money (well, my brother's in this case) was well spent supporting the producers of such a hackable system. (no affiliation, yada yada...)
  

  Posted by: rama-amar on January 23, 2007 at 9:27 AM

• I've been wanting build such a thing for my own smoker, but I'm up to my elbows in a pinball machine right now...

  Posted by: benholt on January 23, 2007 at 9:33 AM

• Rama - you miss the point. The idea isn't necessarily to make something cheaper, its the experience of doing it.

  Anyone who is interested in working on a DIY version of the Stoker, visit http://makebbqcontroller.googlepages.com and drop a line to the email listed there.

  Posted by: theacoustician on January 23, 2007 at 11:12 AM

• Just fyi.

  I had a recipe for baking bread in terracotta flower pots which warned me to wash them thoroughly first, to make sure to remove any lead which may remain from their manufacture.

  Posted by: pedxing on January 23, 2007 at 11:14 AM

• Phillip,

  After I get my deck built this spring (or summer) I will take you up on that offer... I just can't make any promises about my schedule.

  I was checking the price of the Big Green Eggs and immediately figured terracotta and/or firebrick would make an affordable option. Maybe not quite so green and shiny, but still a ceramic smoker.
  

  Posted by: boatbuilder on January 23, 2007 at 11:24 AM

• theacoustician- my comment was more about "picking your battles". If you're going to invest your time on building something, why not build something that doesn't already have a nice, open, flexible (and relatively cheap) option available? Plus I like the idea of supporting companies that make things hackable- and Rocks BBQ (makers of the Stoker) is one of them. But hey, to each his own...

  Posted by: rama-amar on January 23, 2007 at 11:55 AM

• @ theacoustician...

  you've got mail

  Posted by: tommy.genes on January 24, 2007 at 11:10 AM

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